Xisuma's Parrotsitting [HermitSteal AU]

Spoke goes to school!

Thank you TheGalacticBucket, Ace_Of_Queens5675 and Dreamshadow for helping me with the lore behind everyone's names! It isn't revealed in this chapter but Xisuma --spoilers-- begins to suspect things.

It's a day like any other. With another child in the house, Xisuma is much busier than he thought he'd be. He has managed to convince Spoke to go to school, which only happened because he would be in Parrot's class and while Xisuma doubted the kid would pay attention to the teacher, he was glad that Spoke, although grumpy about it, was going to give it a try. Apparently, he has only gone to school in the evenings to play football with his friends; never to attend class.

Xisuma thinks that Spoke is parentless or a runaway child. After all, Spoke has been squatting in the house ever since Parrot brought him in. Either way, Xisuma hasn't seen any fliers with the boy's face on them or an article or an Amber Alert about him on the news. Completely abandoned... just like Parrot.

To be honest, it wasn't very surprising to hear that Spoke has never gone to school. In the few days Spoke is in the house, abstaining from books like they're some kind of disease, Xisuma concluded that the kid doesn't know how to read and write. Parrot almost always read to him just before bedtime when they thought the man wasn't paying attention.

Which is fine! A little embarrassing for Spoke and more than a ton of emotional issues that's caused but otherwise it's fine. Both Parrot and Xisuma will help him catch up. Mr. Marriott might not be happy to have two troublemakers in his class but no one cares about that.

The hardest part comes on Monday morning, when Spoke and Parrot have to leave for school. On the previous Friday, Xisuma took both kids out to buy some stationary and notebooks for them so they'd be ready for the week. Parrot, already kitted out, took the liberty of leading Spoke through the bookstore. They also stopped by a patisserie and had a little snack, which Xisuma hoped would raise a couple of friendship points with Spoke.

Now, standing with his hands at his waist, an eyebrow raised, Xisuma infers that no friendship points were acquired.

"I don't really want to go." Spoke proclaims once they've eaten breakfast and Parrot has slung his bag over his shoulder. And that's when the problem starts.

Spoke doesn't want to go to school. Be it fear of the unknown, some introversion that Xisuma didn't pick up on or simply the disturbance of his routine, Spoke doesn't budge from the chair. He doesn't budge, even when Parrot throws the rainbow-patterned bag –that Spoke picked out on their shopping trip with starry eyes– at his head.

That is also when Parrot says that if Spoke doesn't go, he won't go. Just peachy. What has Xisuma done so wrong to deserve this? Surely he's paid more than enough for whatever misdeed he's done, having been kidnapped and all! But no, their stubborness is simply the beginning. The clock is ticking and if they don't leave, they'll miss the first bell and Parrot can't afford to make himself look even worse to his teachers!

So, the voidwalker forms a plan. Not the most innocent plan but a white lie never hurt anyone.

"Alright, boys." Xisuma starts, awfully calm and collected, even though he's worrying his bottom lip behind the mask. "You can stay, nothing bad will happen."

The two boys look at him in confusion –especially Parrot, who knows that Xisuma would never allow for such misbehavior. Spoke just blinks once and his body begins to grow more and more into a 2D shadow like he wants to hide his existence from the world.

Xisuma sighs, leaning back against the kitchen counter and folding his arms, preparing to put on the best performance of his life. "And here I was, planning to take you both out for lunch after school."