"Can you duplicate the coffee?"

"Oh, do my rubber next!"

"How about a chair?"

"The table! Do the table!"

"No, do something that is edible, like the sugar thingies!"

"You just want to overdose on sugar, Ash."

"Alright, guys, break it up!" Xisuma scolds as he nears the table where all the little troublemakers have gathered. Spoke doesn't look like he minds them, grinning at their demands and excited to show off his new skill to everyone who enters the cafe. The man carries the order to another table, exchanging a few words with the customer before returning with the empty tray under his arm.

"But it's so cool!"

Right at Bacon's words, Spoke duplicates Parrot's bird eraser. It's a very colourful, cartoon piece, mimicking a scarlet macaw (Parrot was looking for a blue and yellow one but after looking through the wares of many bookshops and other stores that sold stationary, he settled for the red one). The duplicate's colours are muted and blurred and bleed into each other. So far the only object Spoke has been able to duplicate perfectly is Xisuma's newspaper (Parrot briefly did the job of the paperboy and threw the extras Spoke created into the backyards of some houses), so they have deduced that there is an issue when it comes to colours outside blacks and greys.

"What are you going to do with ten erasers?" Xisuma asks, eyes as wide as saucers at the small pile of rubbers.

"Sell them, duh." Parrot responds easily. That boy has a mind for business at such a young age and Xisuma can't decide between being proud and being unnerved.

The last thing he needs ontop of a murder clown sneaking inside their home is to have Parrot selling erasers in dark alleys. The principal has already phoned him about his kids scamming their innocent classmates out of money. He learnt later that they had recruited Ro to be their little lookout whilst they took their peers in a nook between the school and the building next door. Obviously, Xisuma gave them a talking to about not scamming their classmates but he is pretty sure that they took his chiding as "be more careful who you sell to next time" because they didn't look all that sorry about it.

At this point, he knows they're going to do what they want to do and there are few things that can stop them. They know how to twist his words to fit their narrative and exploit every loophole they find.

"You've already got into trouble at school, Parrot." Xisuma reminds him.

"I told you that I'd be more careful, Suma."

"That is not my point!"

At the same time, the bell rings.

"Whose point is what?" Branzy asks as he steps into the establishment with a briefcase in hand. He has a curious smile on his face but the issue is too private to disclose to a regular... even though there are plenty of regulars already sitting at the surrounding tables. Branzy, though... he has this aura around him that makes Xisuma want to keep his and his kids' secrets far away from him.

"It's nothing," Xisuma tells Branzy, turning to face the fancy man. "Your regular order?"

"Yep! Thank you very much!"

As Branzy searches and finds a table to sit at, Xisuma turns to the small group of kids, who are too focused on Spoke's creations to pay any mind to the adults.

"Spoke, keep the duplication on the down low, please." he tells the boy, who looks at him with a confused expression. Parrot jabs his elbow into his friend's side, jerking his head towards Branzy's table right after.

"Oh."

"Thank you." he leaves them be with a final ruffle of Parrot's already messy hair.

It's been a week since Pangi officially started school and thankfully, there have been no incidents in-class. He has been behaving in front of the teachers but when Xisuma picked him up on Friday, he spotted an awful lot of holes in the flower beds' soil and the evidence to prove who the culprit was right on Pangi's claws.

Regardless, the week went by smoothly, which has given Xisuma the confidence to fool the system once more and on a much wider scale. The teens got back to him on the subject of education, saying that they'd work night shifts or part-time in order to go to school. It isn't going to be easy, Xisuma told them the first time and then a second when they met up at the cafe. He wasn't trying to discourage them but make them aware of the situation they're going to land in but if there is one thing that characterises teenagers, it's stubbornness and sheer willpower to surpass their peers. They're a bunch of bright kids, they'll pull through just fine.

The weekend passes without a hitch; many walks and a long football game in the empty school yard with snacks and drinks and Pearl keeping tabs on the score and Xisuma playing the referee so that every kid can play filled the two days. They have fun and a bunch of bonding time; Parrot's team wins, leading to his teammates cheering and the boy sending Xisuma a wandering glance. The voidwalker gives him a thumbs up, cheering him on from the sidelines as he announces the final score. They feast on celebratory cake that night.

Two days later, Xisuma sent the kids to school and they told him that they'd spend some time afterschool at the park, doing whatever. He isn't worried; they know the city like the back of their hands and if they get in trouble, there will be at least two teens and a kid who can escape through the shadows of the buildings to find help. They'll be fine. He can't help but worry.

He tries to call his brother to ask what his situation is like but he doesn't pick up the phone. It only adds to his worry when he tries again and this time it goes straight to voicemail. He leaves a message, telling his brother to call him back as soon as possible. There has been no word from his university that he isn't showing up to classes or that he's gone missing but for all Xisuma knows, Xanthus has worked out a deal with the professors or found someone to erase his absences. Had he had the time, Xisuma would have gone there and looked for himself... though the fact that Clownpierce attacked him instead of his brother should be telling as to Xanthus' choice to lie low.

Xisuma returns to an empty home in the early afternoon instead of going to pick up the boys. It's nice and quiet, devoid of the bustle of the cafe and the noise of the streets. Parrot and Spoke haven't returned yet, as they'd told him, so he has a little time to himself until they come back. Assuming that they'll return hungry, he whips up a quick meal of spaghetti and fresh-cut salad –he notes that there is a distinct lack of groceries in the fridge; he'll have to go shopping later, while the boys are studying in their room.

Not an hour has passed when there is a knock at the door. Neither Parrot nor Spoke have keys to the apartment, so they knock when they've come back (or Spoke fazes inside and opens the door for Parrot if Xisuma has fallen asleep waiting for them) but the knocking is quick –too quick to be his kids.

"Who is it?"

A muffled voice comes from the other side. "Reddoons!"

He opens the door and a bunch of kids tumble inside. At least half of the group is here, all looking like a mess: roughed up, wrinkled shirts, bruised, red-eyed and some in tears. Reddoons moves to place something that is bundled up in his nice suit jacket on the couch without saying 'hello'. Spoke leads his friends to the bathroom, presumably to wash up, whilst Parrot and Planet follow the other teen to the couch, crowding around him; worried.

"What's going on?" Xisuma asks urgently as he closes the door. Parrot and Planet's heads turn towards him and the former beckons him to come see before he retracts his hand to wipe at his face.

"They were after Pangi," Red says, staring at the small bundle. His voice is monotone but grave; angry. There is an obvious effort being put into not expressing that anger in front of the kids. When Xisuma hears his words, he gapes in shock, quickly approaching them to see for himself.

"What?"

"Some people jumped us at the park," Parrot tells him, standing right beside him. Then, he clarifies. "Then Reddoons and Planet showed up."

A feeling of dread washes over Xisuma as the essence of what has happened crashes on him like a cold wave of the ocean. Gently, he moves Red out of the way and squeezes in between the other two to get a closer look. From there, he can hear silent sniffles, which weren't audible before due to the group's hurry to get inside the apartment.

"Pangi?"

The boy opens a tear-filled eye as Xisuma unravels the ruffled suit jacket. He is holding his hand against his chest, a white cloth stained a deep red: blood. Deciding to ask questions later, Xisuma sits beside the bundle and carefully pulls the poor kid out of the jacket, taking his hands in his own to look at the damage. Pangi lets him, wiping his face on his elbow. He doesn't make a single sound other than the occasional sob that is probably due to the scare of the event. Were his eyes not red, Xisuma wouldn't have thought that something was wrong.

"Let me see..." he murmurs and out of the corner of his eye, he notices Planet taking Parrot out of the room.

When it's just him and the two teens, he begins to unwrap the cloth, steeling his nerves for what he's about to witness. With so much blood, he expects it to be a bad cut or... The sight of a broken claw makes his stomach drop. He cradles it carefully in his much bigger hands, trying to see the damage through the blood.

"Red, could you grab a towel from the kitchen, please?"

"Sure."

Xisuma looks at Pangi, who is looking at him with an alarmed and pained expression.

"H–How bad is it?"

He sighs, assuming a soft tone. "I can't tell how bad it is, so we'll head to the hospital so the doctors can have a look, alright?"

Hesitantly, the boy nods and slumps against the backrest of the couch. Xisuma takes the towel from Reddoons and wraps the blooded hand with it.

"You're taking Pangi to the hospital?" comes a voice from the hall. Spoke, Parrot, Ashswag and Bacon stand at the entranceway, curious and unnerved. "Why?"

"Just for a check up, don't worry, boys!"

They don't seem to buy it but they do look a little more at ease. Getting up from the couch, he beckons everyone closer, though he moves his body to block the view of Pangi's injury.

"Here is what we'll do: I'll call Pearl to come watch you whilst I take Pangi to the hospital. You don't have to but I'd feel better if you spent the night here."

"We can have a sleepover!"

"I'll get the blankets!"

"Don't forget the pillows!"

The boys run off to the kids' room. They'll make a mess out of it but Xisuma could care less about that. He picks up the wounded boy gingerly in his arms and turns to the two remaining teenagers in the living room.

"I'd like one of you to come with." he tells them.

"I will–" they say at the same time.

"I'm sorry but I don't want them to be alone. Pearl lives a little far away and with all that has happened, there has to be someone older around... just in case."

After an epic battle of rock-paper-scissors, Red is the winner who gets to come along. They rush the poor kid to the hospital, breaking a few driving laws and almost running over a pedestrian in the process. Thankfully, they don't run into any police patrols, so they arrive safe and sound at the glass doors. They talk with the nurses and the doctors and eventually, they find themselves in the Pangi's brand new hospital room. He's been given a sedative to help him sleep and his hand has been bandaged up properly.

That bloody mess was a claw that had been broken off at the root. If all goes well, the doctor told them, it will grow back normal though they should expect some disformity.

"What exactly happened?" Xisuma asks Reddoons once they've been left alone outside of the patient's room.

"So, uh, the kids got jumped at the park by some dudes in black. Y'know, the whole thief get-up with the ski mask. Then we showed up: me and Planet. We scared them off... Bacon told me they were trying to declaw Pangi, which I don't know how it would work on a human hand but it sounds painful. Parrot and Spoke tried to get involved but they were, like, hauled out of the scene by two of the goons, the other two got a few punches in."

That explains why the two of them had the least bruises out of everyone. The reason as to why they were purposefully kept out of the scuffle perplexes Xisuma, so he listens intently to what the teen before him has to say.

"Had we been just a little late, Pangi wouldn't have a finger or something. And I was confused at first about why they picked on Pangi, right? But as they were leaving they shouted at us to tell the voidwalker –who I am just now realising is you– to tell his brother to show his face."

"What."

"Now, Parrot told us about Clownpierce breaking into your house, so I'm assuming that he was the one who sent them." Red's voice isn't accusatory but the facts may as well be.

Xanthus, what have you dragged us into? He can't believe his ears, honestly. His brother has unknowingly brought danger into their lives and he isn't even picking up his phone for Xisuma to tell him to sort his stuff out. Why would Clownpierce go after Pangi and not Parrot and Spoke? Surely he remembered the two children who dared to raise a gun at him.

"Yeah, my brother borrowed money from him." he says off-handedly. "That doesn't explain why Parrot and Spoke were left unharmed."

What if he's planning something far worse for the two of them? Nothing happens for no reason, life teaches this incredibly well. Those men were sent to maim a child, who knows what they'd do to his own kids if they were given the order.

"Maybe he didn't want to pick a fight with you?"

"You just told me the goons referred to a voidwalker, mate."

"That man is unpredictable; I've dealt with him once or twice. For now we can only take this attack as a warning" Red shrugs.

"You've dealt with him?" Does Xisuma even want to know what Reddoons sells in back alleys?

"Not directly. His partner would meet me behind the casino for the goods. Really fun and friendly guy." Why does he have a bad feeling about this?

"What does that partner look like?"

Red takes a moment to think. "White hair, purple eyes... He dresses up very fancy– he wears purple a lot actually."

Xisuma can feel his heart hitting the bottom of his stomach. There aren't many people he has seen around the city with that description. There are only two, really and one of them is his own face in the mirror. The other...

"What is his name?"

"Branzy."

He feels his knees go weak. They almost buckle under his weight. He moves towards the iron chairs that are bolted on the opposite wall, meant for the guests to sit and wait for the doctor. He's been letting an associate of Clownpierce's close to his kids... Not just any associate but a partner who is close enough to the boss that he handles his business. It isn't guilt that grips him at first but raw anger. It's a kind of anger he has only felt once in his life and that was when Xanthus mentioned that he was being bullied in his first year of middle school (said bully mysteriously went missing a few days later and Xanthus looked suspiciously proud of himself the next morning and Xisuma was just relieved that his brother wouldn't have to deal with assholes on a daily basis.)

"What's wrong, Ex?" the teen asks, understandably alarmed.

"See, Red, I am not a violent man..."

"Yeah, the whole group has established that but what does that have to do with any of this?"

"I have a regular by that name."

"Oh." Red says, his eyes widening behind the sunglasses that he is still wearing, even though they are indoors. "I'll tell the team. If he were to come in with a black eye, you wouldn't mind, right?"

"I would be very thankful but I don't want you to get directly involved with him."

"It's our revenge for our boy, Pangi, Ex. You just work behind the counter."

"Hey, Ex! How is our little patient doing?" Pearl asks through the phone from the safety of the aforementioned's apartment. Five children crowd around her, listening in. She didn't plan on calling so early, just two hours after her arrival but the kids nagged her enough for her to give the man a call. Thankfully, she hasn't called at a bad time as he tells her that Pangi is asleep and Reddoons is sitting at his bedside, whilst he has walked out into the hall to answer the phone.

"He's alright, all wrapped up. He is going to be here for a day for a final check-up and then I can take him home."

"Ah, that's a relief! The kids have been worried sick here–" , she ignores all the shushing noises said kids make to save face.

"Tell them that everything is fine. I can't leave Pangi and Reddoons alone so I'll stay till morning... I need to call into work and tell them I'm not going, too."

"He won't go to work tomorrow?" Planet asks, with his worry satiated, his curiosity is shining through. Pearl shakes her head. "I can cover his shift."

"Xisuma, did you hear what Planet said?"

"Yes, I heard him." a sigh comes from the other end. A few seconds pass before he gives a real answer. "Let me talk to Planet for a moment."

Pearl lowers the phone and puts it on speaker before handing it to the boy.

"Yeah, Ex?"

"I appreciate your offer to help out but I'll have to ask my boss about it, alright? If something goes wrong–"

"I'll take responsibility if any of the lattes come out wrong!" he cuts him off. A lighthearted chuckle responds.

"I'll get back to you on that, okay?"

"Sure..." Planet grumbles, handing the phone back to Pearl, who pats his back encouragingly.

"There, there, Planet. Is there anything I can help you with, Xisuma?"

"Yes. Hide the sugar and put the kids to bed."

"Alright, sounds like a plan."

They exchange goodbyes and goodnights a few seconds later. Tapping the 'End Call' button, Pearl turns to the kids, who have dispersed in various corners of the apartment.

"Now, who wants to build a pillow fort?"

Various "Me!" respond to her call.

Bacon and Ashswag drag her off to the bedrooms to grab the pillows and blankets they'll need to build the best fort they can. This leaves Planet, Parrot and Spoke in the kitchen to come up with a plan to get rid of the targets on their backs.

While Parrot and Spoke weren't attacked, Pangi almost lost a finger. There is no doubt in either of their minds that Uncle Xanthus is the reason he was attacked in the first place and they can't help but feel angry towards him for putting their friend in danger. It doesn't help that he's gone into hiding –they understood that much when Xisuma was trying to call him and the guy wasn't picking up.

"We need to find Xanthus." Spoke says, holding a feather in his hands. It's a duplicate from Parrot's wings, distinguishable by the bleeding colours and the weird texture. His skill is getting better but he still has a long way to go. "And get rid of his debt."

"How are we going to do that, genius?" Parrot raises an eyebrow, recalling Xisuma's rule to not duplicate money.

"Don't be mean," Spoke frowns. "If I get good at duplicating stuff fast, then I can dupe money and–"

"And scam the deadliest assassin in the city?" Planet raises an eyebrow, impressed by the genius that sits in front of him, "Not that bad of an idea."

Yeah, not a bad idea. Dangerous but effective.

"While you train at duping, the rest of us look for Xanthus..." Parrot adds to the plan, humming thoughtfully. "We hand him the fake money and then we send him on his way with no blood on our hands."

Really, it's the perfect plan! What could possibly go wrong?

"Kiddos, are you coming?" Pearl asks them when she and the rest of their friends enter the living room with a bunch of blankets and every pillow they could find on the beds.

"Yeah!" Planet answers for the three of them. Parrot makes a mental note to inform the rest of the group later about the plan and to swear them to secrecy. If Xisuma learns of this, he'll be super sad and disappointed... and Parrot has found that the thought of disappointing the man leaves a sour taste in his mouth.

The next day, Pangi is out of the hospital. His injured claw is wrapped in gauze, which he lets his friends draw silly stick figures on while Xisuma goes to bed to have an hour-long nap, completely ignoring the giant pillow castle standing in the middle of the living room, which has used up every chair in the kitchen and every couch cushion. Reddoons also crushes on the couch, followed closely by Zam, who had stayed up all night with Pearl because he couldn't sleep.

Planet has gone to the cafe in Xisuma's place after his boss agreed to have the teenager take over for a day. No one had complained when the boys made the lattes, so everything should play out well, so Xisuma sleeps with no worries on his mind.

Parrot and Spoke, once Pearl bids everyone goodbye, brief everyone on their poorly thought-out plan. Pangi is left out of the equation, seeing as he is injured and the goons made it clear that they wouldn't have stopped there had the 'adults' not shown up. They divide everyone into teams and tell the ones who are already gathered at Xisuma's to give the rest directions. Spoke has already found Xanthus' address after sneaking into Xisuma's bedroom and going through every social media app he found there –who knew Facebook could help a detective mission so much?

Everyone leaves immediately to begin their search. Well, everyone who doesn't have school to attend and homework to complete. All in all, Pangi is going to be living with them for a while –at least until his finger heals. When he wakes up, Xisuma tells him that Pangi can sleep in his room because there is no room at the Spoke and Parrot's and that he'll take the couch.

Since it's Pangi taking over Xisuma's bed and not some complete stranger, Parrot is fine with that arrangement.

That night, instead of going to bed with Spoke, Parrot sneaks out of their room when the boy has fallen asleep. He tiptoes to the entrance to the living room, halts when he sees the dim, orange light in the living room, steels his nerves and proceeds to the couch. There he finds Xiusma, who isn't sleeping but reading a book under the light of a small, orange lamp.

The man pretends not to notice the little bird sneaking closer and closer and he only turns his head when a small hand pushes at his shoulder. Wordlessly, Xisuma lifts his arm and Parrot settles at his side, wings extended behind him. He lowers his arm, grabbing the edge of the book to continue his reading. Parrot tries to peek at the contents and he lets him, moving it down to the boy's eye-level. Neither of them speaks, sitting in comfortable silence, content with each other's presence.

"Suma," Parrot speaks and Xisuma diverts his attention from the written words to the young avian currently curled into his side. He hums, urging the boy to continue. "I know I forced you into this... Taking care of me, I mean but..." his tone goes from slightly embarrassed to shy and finally, he nods to himself, like he's just taken a very important decision. "Look, I'm tired of fearing that the moment I drop my defences, you'll leave. So I wanted to ask you... Why are you still here?"

Because he could have left. Parrot understood that he could have left very easily after the Void incident, or sent him somewhere far had he wanted to. He could have called in the police whilst Parrot slept and had him sent to an orphanage or some other institute or just... He could have fought back from the start, really.

"Why I'm still here?" Xisuma echoes, sounding shocked that they're having this conversation right now, in the middle of the night. However, he understands the gravity of it and how much it must be weighing on the poor kid's mind.

"Mhm." the boy tenses up, bracing for the words he is about to hear. He fears the worst.

Xisuma closes the book and sets it gently on his lap. "I'm still here because I care about you, Parrot." he starts, "The way we met was not normal by any means but I understood that you needed someone to look after you." –he doesn't tell him that he was conflicted about being a parent for a good few days.

Parrot raises his head from the book's cover to the visor of his helmet. The next words that come out of the voidwalker's mouth are the most genuine he's heard, spoken straight from the heart.

"I care about you and Spoke as if you were my own."

And he feels... strangely warm. Not physically but somewhere deeper, so deep that he can't put his finger on it. He doesn't know if he likes the feeling but he doesn't mind it when it settles in and makes his fingers tingly.

"...Can I call you 'dad'?"

The words tumbled out of his mouth without his permission and immediately after he realises what he's said, he freezes like a deer caught in headlights. Xisuma freezes too and Parrot can't make out his expression under the visor. He can tell when the man is smiling or when he is sad, even looking at him, he can tell. Right now, he can't read him, and it scares him. Did he go too far? He shouldn't have said anything; he should have let things flow like normal, let his own worry eat away at him, anything but face this rejection that he isn't sure if he could handle–

Then, he notices the tears. Big and shiny, obvious even behind the visor. He made a grown man cry. Again.

"Call me whatever you like–" Xisuma says and effectively cuts himself off to raise the visor and wipe away the tears that threaten to roll down his cheeks. And then arms wrap around Parrot, holding him close, tight against the hard plates of armour. After a brief moment of shock, Parrot returns the hug, trying to squeeze just as hard. It's weird but he finds himself smiling, happy, even as his hollow bones whine.

"Okay, Dadsuma." he says, pretty proud of himself for coming up with yet another nickname.

From the edge of the couch comes Spoke's voice, who snuck out after Parrot left –he wasn't asleep in the first place. What can he say? He's a pretty good actor!

"Dadsuma?" he echoes with an impish grin.

Parrot looks at him and he can't wipe the smile on his face; it's stuck there. He nods his head, beckoning Spoke to join in.

"A silly name for a silly man." he grins and Xisuma laughs once both of his kids are in his arms.

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There was supposed to be more but then the chapter would be loooooooooooong so I'm breaking it into two parts :D