Long chapter to make up for the long wait! Wooo!On another note, I will be absent for the whole month due to semester exams. How they managed to spread 6 exams through the whole month of June, I have no idea but thankfully, this gives me more preparation time between each one! That's great!

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A whole week passes without a hitch. Spoke and Parrot go to school without Xisuma's persuasion and it seems that the shadow boy's view of learning has changed for the better. Spoke begins going through the little books sitting on some shelves in the house not three days after attending school and after enlisting Parrot's negotiation tactics, they now have a slowly growing pile of superhero comics in their room (thankfully, they root for the heroes). Not only that but there has been a lot of chatter about their friends in the house since Xisuma introduced himself to the kids' friend group. It is a really nice change, one that has obviously alleviated the thick atmosphere within the household.

Having the kids encourage each other during homework is also a plus. When Parrot gets stuck on a problem, Spoke will help him find an alternative route or when Spoke is scratching his head to write an essay, Parrot will help him come up with lines. That happens most often if Xisuma is busy with chores or work.

Today, the house is pristine so he is helping them as much as he can with revisioning History and working out errors in their grammar and vocabulary. It is one of those wonderful, relaxing evenings in which Xisuma is sitting at the kitchen table, solving a crossword whilst the boys are doing their homework. Books are strewn around on the wooden surface carelessly and they both have their noses deep into the classic blue notebooks in front of them. Parrot writes down a passage from a text, trying to fit it into a presentable essay. Spoke is tapping his chin with the rubber end of his pencil as he stares at a small yet difficult equation.

Xisuma thinks of an answer for one of the questions on the puzzle but it doesn't fit. It's one of the hardest crosswords he has encountered and it is absolutely doing his head in. Sighing, he leans back on his chair and looks at the clock. It is around 7PM and the kids have yet to ask to go out as they do most evenings. He doesn't like it when they wander the streets at night but they assure him that they're going to be playing football at school with the rest of their friends and... well, he can't really say no –specifically to Parrot. They need a treat for studying anyway and exercise is good for them.

They can take care of themselves, he knows –Parrot has shown the lengths he'll go too– but Xisuma always worries about their safety. Even if they have a whole gang watching after them with shady teenagers like Red, it is risky. Way shader people roam the streets at night.

The doorbell rings unexpectedly, bringing him out of his thoughts. The sound startles poor Spoke out of his seat, spooking him so much that he melts into a messy, black puddle on the floor in the shadow of the table. Parrot's wings flare and puff up instinctively and he makes a face of caution. Who could be knocking at the door at this hour?

"Relax, boys, it's probably a salesman. Be right back!" Xisuma says as he stands to see who is at the door. He doesn't bother looking through the peephole, since the glass it's made of is so old that it's become almost white in colour and it can't serve its purpose anymore. When he twists the knob, ready to turn down a salesman or a neighbor, he can't withhold his surprise.

"...Xanthus?"

His little brother is standing at the door, red plated armor shining in the white light of the stairwell. Xanthus' red eyes are glowing behind his dark visor, a sign of excitement that Xisuma hasn't seen since his brother went to university. On any other day and at any other time, Xisuma would've been happy to see his brother –it's been months since they last hung out! Now, though, he has two kids that know nothing about Xanthus and who are dangerously distrusting of strangers.

"Hey, Ex! Long time no see!" and Xanthus barges in like it's his house he's entering before Xisuma can stop him –to be fair, it is his in a way. However, it is also Parrot and Spoke's now. Xisuma looks at the kitchen table only to find that Parrot isn't there and there is no black puddle on the floor anymore. He sighs out of his nose; they must've been spooked and hid somewhere. "Surprised to see me?"

Xanthus turns and sets down a bag on the counter. It's a small pack of neat pastries that Xisuma has never seen before. He approaches to open the container and examine them, the aur smelling of chorus fruit.

"I am surprised to see you, actually. Aren't you supposed to be attending–"

"I am."

"And you are here because?"

Xanthus sits down in a chair and crosses an ankle on his knee. "Something came up and today's classes were canceled so I thought I'd pay you a visit."

"Look, I am very happy to see you but now is really not a good time for me–"

"Who are they?" Xanthus points behind Xisuma, precisely where the hallway entrance is.

Oh, Void. This is going to be fun to explain, isn't it?

Turning his head, he sees the boys peeking at them through the hallway. Spoke is halfway 2D, something that Xisuma has started to associate with nervousness, while Parrot is glaring so hard that his eyebrows almost connect at the center.

"Oh, well," Xisuma starts and rubs at the back of his neck for a moment, trying to stall so he can think.

He can't just tell that they're kids he's picked off the street to his brother, let alone kids who have no remorse when it comes to threats and violence. He can see the glint of metal that Parrot is holding behind his back in a silent threat and Parrot knows exactly what component to cut to asphyxiate a voidwalker. Yeah, he can't say anything, can he? Not unless he wants the murder of his brother in his hands, apparently. "I suppose I should introduce you... boys!"

Silently, he gestures for the two to approach. The kids are hesitant, looking at Xanthus like he's a wild dog ready to attack. To be fair, Xanthus has never been good with kids; he isn't much approachable either. His friends are the same as him in that regard: unapproachable but kind at heart (that's what he likes to think anyway).

"This is Parrot and this is Spoke." he pats both of them on the shoulder. "I'm babysitting for a friend this week. Kids, this is my younger brother, Xanthus."

Xanthus leans in and puts an elbow to his knee before extending his other hand for a handshake. "Well, it's very nice to meet you two."

Parrot hesitantly shakes the man's hand in a very professional manner, glancing at Xisuma for some sort of affirmation that this is okay. Xisuma simply messes his hair, holds in a chuckle when the boy bristles and puffs up his feathers in silent protest. Spoke just ignores the gesture, keeping his arms folded at his chest defiantly and sniffs in disinterest.

"Whose friend are these two?"

The question is completely unexpected. Xisuma almost chokes on his own spit. Hastily sucking in a breath, tongue clicking against the roof of his mouth, he responds with no small amount of nervousness.

"Uh, a friend."

Spoke steps on his foot, although it isn't effective thanks to the armour plating covering his body. It gets the message across, anyway, because Xisuma may be a bad liar but he also knows that his lies are terrible. His brother excels at the craft, though, which makes up for the lack of it in his blood.

"A friend?"

"Yep."

Xanthus shrugs his shoulders and leans back in his seat, uncaring. He crosses his arms over his chest, not interested in the origin of the two boys. This is for the better. The less the questions, the less the risk of Xisuma witnessing a murder. Parrot nudges him with a wing and when he gains the man's attention, he gestures for him to lean down.

"Why is he here?" the boy hisses into his ear. Xanthus has picked up the unsolved crossword on the table, paying them zero mind.

"I don't know."

He honestly doesn't know why his brother has visited him so late in the day. Couldn't he have visited in the morning; a time when the littles aren't in the house?

"Tell him to go away before I do it for you."

Xisuma straightens up before Parrot can throw a threat at him.

"Okay, boys, you can go play outside now."

All three pairs of eyes are on him, all sharing the surprise –even Parrot, who just threatened his brother's life. Xanthus must be surprised that he is letting two small children play outside at such an hour. As for the boys, they must be surprised he is letting them go out without finishing their homework. Well, this is going to be the first and last time he lets this happen.

"Really?" Parrot asks, bewildered. Spoke jabs his elbow into the avian boy's side, as if to say don't change his mind!

"Yes, really, unless you'd like to stay here with us?"

The two run off to their shared room to get ready. All sorts of noises of falling objects and shuffling can be heard from the bedroom, undoubtedly because they can't find their shoes.

"Why would you let them go out at this hour?" Xanthus questions now that the boys aren't within earshot. Xisuma gives him half a glance as he takes the crossword puzzle from his brother's hands. "I thought you were the responsible one."

"And you are the irresponsible one." then, Xisuma realizes– there must be something that his brother did that has led him to his house in the first place! "What did you do?"

His bold accusation is met with faux offense, one that Xisuma knows has some guilty activity hiding under it. He looks at him through narrowed eyes.

"Don't tell me you started a fake charity again..."

Xanthus has the audacity to appear smug about his past devious misdeeds. Back then, they were in a tight spot financially and Xanthus, being the younger of the two, whom Xisuma always asked to continue his studies despite their money situation, wanted to help out. That was how that devious mind of his came up with the idea of running a fake charity for animal rehabilitation. Long story short, he got in a lot of trouble once Xisuma found out –when his older brother came to pick him up from the police station.

"No, I didn't."

Xisuma gives him an unimpressed look, raising an eyebrow behind the purple visor. "Xanthus..." he drags the name out with obvious disappointment and utter suspicion.

Xanthus' shoulders hunch up at his tone. "It isn't anything really bad, honest!"

"I'll be the judge of that." Xisuma sits in the chair opposite of his brother. The boys run into the living room, passing right behind him to get to the door. Right before they . "Stay safe and don't cause trouble, okay?"

"Okay!" Parrot throws that at him thoughtlessly. He doesn't see Spoke but he can imagine the boy nodding his head or not responding at all. Either way, the door closes and the kids' footsteps running down the stairs are heard crystal clear through the walls.

With that done, Xisuma turns his attention to his brother once again –though he hadn't looked away from him in the first place.

"Spill the tea, little brother."

Huffing, Xanthus leans his elbow on the table and rests his chin on his palm.

"I ran into some trouble."

"What sort of trouble?"

His brother looks away for a moment. The red glow of his eyes has dimmed enough that Xisuma can barely make them out behind the combined darkness of the helmet and the black visor. Then, he looks back at him, staring right into his purple eyes.

"So, I'll start from the beginning. I have started up a small business with a buddy behind campus with my own cryptocurrency–"

Xisuma is absolutely speechless. He knows his brother is smart but to start his own business? To run into trouble whilst running said business? A business surrounding cryptocurrency, no less? That is a lot to unpack and the mere thought has him blinking his eyes as his poor brain tries to process the information.

"–and my own supplies. It's all legal, don't worry! It's recognized by the government and everything. Lately, there has been a gang trying to sell protection to us and I've seen some shady people lurking around the store and... Well, I needed to get away for a day."

"Xanthus..." the name leaves him breathlessly, the void stolen from his lungs. His own brother is a victim of some street gang and in danger of getting hurt. He's heard of such gangs before, who usually bully their way into being "employed" by the owner of a bar or any small business smelling of money.

Wordless, Xisuma stands up and rounds the table. He puts a hand on his brother's shoulder in a show of support and comradery. Xanthus simply lies his head on the table, suddenly looking more tired than he did a minute ago. All of this must've been a huge burden to carry on his shoulders.

Those men, those people –whomever it was that Xanthus saw watching him and the shop– certainly meant harm. If his brother got hurt or, even worse, kidnapped, Xisuma doesn't know what he'd do. Cry, maybe punch a wall, be angry, and then he'd go out to find him. They are brothers and Xisuma basically brought up Xanthus all on his own; the bonds that bind them are so strong that they can't be severed no matter how many illegal activities the younger commits.

"You'll sleep in my room tonight and we'll figure out the rest in the morning." he says, tone soft and calming and his brother visibly relaxes. Xanthus is rarely like this; pliant and mentally exhausted or asking for emotional support. Even through his teenage years or when their finances weren't good, he was like an unyielding boulder in a storm.

"Yeah, sure." Xanthus straightens up, shaking off the hand on his shoulder. "Thanks." he walks off to Xisuma's room and Xisuma sighs tiredly when he hears the door click shut.

When Parrot and Spoke get home, it's almost 11o' clock. The lights are off, meaning that their unwanted house guest has left and Xisuma has gone to bed or he's waiting in the dark to ambush them. That last one is probably not true, though they have witnessed the man waiting in a chair for them to return, often asleep because they took so long.

Tonight is apparently different. Parrot's, just like a parrot's, night vision isn't great, barely seeing anything other than outlines in the low light that spills in from the shutters of the windows. Spoke, on the other hand, can see perfectly and this leads to him grabbing Parrot's arm and halting them the moment his eyes land on the living room couch.

"What is it?" he asks in a whisper, oblivious to whatever Spoke has seen.

"Your dad is lying on the couch."

"Huh?"

This perplexes Parrot so much that he doesn't even deny Xisuma being his dad. Maybe the guy got uncomfortable waiting on a chair all night and lied on the couch instead. Still, wouldn't the bed be better? So, he shrugs his shoulders, prompting Spoke to lead him there. In the dark, he waves around a hand until his palm comes into contact with the hard armour plating covering the voidwalker's chest.

Just a few centimeters below his head, he hears the familiar echo of a breath, distorted by the tubing and the air filters. It is a sound that Parrot doesn't take note of very often, mostly because he's learnt to ignore it and he can't help but find it slightly disturbing. It reminds him of a hospital, sort of.

"Do we really need to wake him up?" Spoke asks, with audible distaste. Parrot doesn't want to wake Xisuma up either but having a panicked voidwalker in the house in the morning doesn't lead to nice conversations, as he's learnt, so he shrugs. Before he can answer, though, his friend cuts him off. "Wait, do you hear that?"

Parrot raises an eyebrow. "Hear what?"

"There's... Hmm..." the boy disappears into the shadows, leaving Parrot alone with the sleeping man under him. Absent-mindedly, he slides his fingers over the metal and then up one of the tubes when his hand bumps into it. Snuffing the life out of him would be so easy, he'd just need to sever the connection from the helmet to the small tanks that cling onto the crevices of the armour like mussels.

He shakes his head, tossing that intrusive thought out. That was the plan for the other guy, the one who had barged into the house like he owned the place. What was his name again? Anthus?

"Parrot!" he hears Spoke hiss from the other side of the room. He sounded frightened and that immediately puts Parrot on edge.

"What?" he whispers back, tensing up when the tube moves out of his hand. Xisuma isn't awake but he was obviously disturbed by their voices.

"The guy is in there!" he sees the outline of Spoke run towards him, mostly the rainbow bandana in his hair and his glowing eyes that stick out no matter how dark it gets.

"What?! Where mpf–!" a hand is slapped onto his mouth. A groan from below makes him glance down. There are no glowing eyes staring back at him, thankfully but they obviously need to keep their volume down.

"He's sleeping in your dad's bedroom. That Xanthus guy." Spoke continues calmer. The hand is removed slowly from Parrot's mouth and the boy's upper lip twitches. His feathers ruffle, the pin feathers on his cheeks itch.

"I'm not sleeping next to him."

"Me neither."

That leaves them with few options. Sleeping in their room, which is a few paces away from Xisuma's bedroom is a no-no now that there is an utter stranger sleeping there. He may be Xiusma's brother but he still gives off bad vibes and therefore, he can't be trusted.

"Suma." Parrot speaks up without keeping his voice down, intent on waking the man up. Spoke's glowing eyes widen like dinner plates.

"Why?" is his simple question and honestly, Parrot doesn't really know how to answer. He merely nudges the man's shoulder, earning a stifled, annoyed and sleepy sound.

A few moments pass before Parrot nudges the man again and again and then a few more go by until glowing purple appears. The abnormal eyes catch on his own, their light reflecting on the helmet's visor –Parrot wonders why the guy sleeps with the whole helmet on; wouldn't a gas mask be better?

"Parrot?" the name falls ungracefully from the man's mouth. Vibrant eyes flicker to the other. "Spoke?"

Spoke stiffens momentarily before relaxing so much that he is partially leaning on Parrot or maybe he's doing it on purpose. The couch groans as Xisuma shifts upon it, dragging his body to sit up against the high armrest. With the purple glow, Parrot can see around better –not by a big margin but better nonetheless. The man looks them up and down for a second but pauses when his eyes meet Parrot's and then Spoke's. A shaky exhale escapes him, sounding relieved.

"I'm glad you've both returned unharmed." his voice is deeper right after waking up and the distortion of the filters doesn't help much but they manage to make the words out.

Parrot takes on a stern tone at that. "Yes, we're back but he is still here."

"Xanthus?" –Parrot nods– "There is trouble at his house, a leakage, I think, so he's staying the night. I wouldn't want him to drown in his sleep."

"Don't beds float?" he's seen some do that in cartoons. Xisuma blinks exactly once before responding in a groggy but playful tone.

"They don't. I think we should cut the hours of TV."

Parrot rolls his eyes at that. As if he'd let him take away Batman and Ben10! Spoke wouldn't be happy if he missed out on Justice League either. Not to mention that they wake up extra early (something that Xisuma was shocked to see) just so they don't miss an episode! Darn TV programme and showing cartoons at 5AM on a school day.

"But a water leakage can get pretty serious, so I thought it best that he stay over."

At this, Spoke perks up unexpectedly. "Wait, do voidwalkers get hurt by water like endermen?"

Silence. So, that must be a yes. The information makes Parrot take a step back, though Xisuma looks vaguely concerned.

"Please don't test that out while I sleep." he says because obviously that will deter both from filling a bucket and chucking it at him or his eerie brother.

Spoke grinned sharply like the man's request was a challenge. "Why?"

"You'll ruin my couch."

When Xisuma wakes up, it's very early in the morning. He never sleeps enough on the couch as the previous times he did it always had him waking up at sunrise. A few more hours of sleep wouldn't hurt but he's already awake and his mind is weirdly clear unlike most mornings.

Blinking his eyes open, his gaze finds rays of smooth sunlight slipping through the window shutters, painting even lines on the floor. This lighting reminds him of lazy evenings spent in the old house with his brother watching a movie together or chatting over an afternoon snack.

Something brushed against his armour, sending vibrations like a tremble through the hard material. Furrowing his brows in curiosity, he only has to sit up an inch to see what's going on. He finds Parrot sprawled across the thick backrest of the couch on his stomach, tiny hands gripping at the plush material like an anchor and his wings splayed freely; one hanging off one side and the other finding purchase on Xisuma's midsection. Looking a little further down, he finds a blanket that wasn't there the night before, which the boy must've covered up with and accidentally kicked off in his sleep.

When he raises his hand, his covered fingers come into contact with some blue and green strands. Maybe he should convince Parrot to cut it soon or somehow sit the boy down to brush all the knots out. The mess that is his hair swallows his hand, only allowing his fingers to resurface as he languidly pets the boy's head. A short groan is the only response and Parrot turns his face to smother himself against the couch. Fond, Xisuma takes his hand away in order to sit up.

A mop of black hair catches his attention next. Spoke is sitting on the floor, his back against the couch and head resting on the cushion. His mouth is open, letting out quiet snores that Xisuma barely before he paid the kid any mind. The rainbow bandana is slack around his neck, so his bangs cover his eyes completely. It makes for a funny sight but Xisuma refrains from chuckling in favor of not waking either of them up. A similar blanket rests on his legs, bundled up around his waist as if it was hung around his shoulders, only to fall during the night.

The question of why they decided to sleep in the living room will go unanswered for the time being. Carefully curling his arms around Parrot so as to not bend a wing the wrong way, he slips the kid off of the backrest and into his chest. The boy mumbles something unintelligible but Xisuma doesn't think he's woken him up, though he does look a little unsettled by the cold surface of the plating pressing against his cheek, no doubt.

Once he stands up, he turns and maneuvers Parrot to lie on a big pillow, which must be much better than where he was sleeping a moment ago. He is proven true as the boy curls under the much bigger blanket Xisuma covers him with, wings limp and peeking out of the blanket.

Next up, he picks up Spoke by the armpits, easily lifting him up despite the boy being heavier than his avian friend. He sets him on the other side of the couch, getting some pillows to make it more comfortable and then covers the boy with the other end of the blanket. There is an annoyed sound when the man lets go completely and Spoke sleepily swats at the air as if a mosquito buzzed in his ears. Finally, he resumes his quiet snoring, body taking advantage of the new bed as he spreads his legs on the cushions and then Parrot kicks out with a leg, probably because Spoke's bumped into his.

Xisuma scoffs, taking a step back to admire the peaceful moment in full. He has never witnessed the boys be so at peace, sleeping without a care in the world and the picture they paint is calm and domestic. Well, neither of them slept in so much that he had to wake them for school and this was the first (and perhaps last) time the man woke up before them.

Still, it's a nice picture to see.