Old Chains; New Bonds

 It was now Monday, and Deacon had come home from school. He was afraid of what that night would be like, but he knew there was nothing he could do. Eventually, Jade knocked at the door, and he opened it. "Oh, you look amazing, my pet!" She says. "Thank you, Jade. You look amazing as well." He says, out of obligation. "Oh, come on. Say it like you mean it!" She says, gripping his chin. "You look amazing, Jade!" He says again, more out of fear than anything else. "That's better. Now come along. I wouldn't want to keep your family waiting." She says, walking through the door. He then shuts the door and walks with her into the kitchen. They then sit down at the table with Deacon's Mother and Valerie. "Oh, Jade! Aren't you just a gorgeous young woman!" Deacon's mother says. "Aw, thank you, Ms. Cross!" Jade says. "Of course! Deacon should feel so lucky." Ms. Cross says. "Speaking of, does he ever cause you any trouble?" Ms. Cross asks. "Oh, no. Your son is just lovely, Ms. Cross. Though, he does have some hiccups now and then." Jade says. "Hm? What kind of hiccups?" Ms. Cross asks, glancing at him. "Oh, don't worry, Ms. Cross. It's just a few things here and there." Jade says. "Besides..." She starts to say before grabbing his chin and forcing him to meet her gaze. "I love putting him in his place." She says, smirking. "Well, that's great! I'm glad someone can find some positivity in his occasional misbehavior." Ms. Cross says. "Heaven knows we can't," Valerie adds. "Now, Valerie: this isn't about us; this is about Jade." Ms. Cross says. "Of course. Sorry, mother." Valerie says. "Now then, how about you tell us about yourself, Jade?" Ms. Cross says. "Well, I grew up in Halix, and I moved here about a year ago," Jade says. "Oooh, Halix! Pardon me for asking, but did your family ever have their own automaton?" Valerie says. Jade chuckles. "Yeah, we did. Unfortunately, my mother lost her position because of a bunch of stupid stuff. I'm still happy, though! After all, I have Deacon now." Jade says. "Hm. Well, I think I've heard enough. Have fun, you two. Valerie and I are going to be out for a while." Ms. Cross says, getting up. "H-huh? B-but I thought you wanted to get to know Jade!" Deacon says. "Yes, I did, and I already know all I need to know. I'll see you later tonight, Deacon." She says, walking out of the door with Valerie. "Oooh, how perfect," Jade says, pulling Deacon closer to her by the collar of his shirt. "Alone at last." She says, kissing him. She then suddenly stops and smirks. "Let's go to your room instead." She says. He sighs. "Okay... Follow me." He says, leading her to his room. They then walk into his room. Books were arranged neatly on the shelf, his bed was made up, and there was a desk with books of varying genres resting on top of it. Jade then closes the door. "Sit." She commands. He then sat down on the bed, not that he had much choice in the matter. She then gets on top of him and twirls his curly hair with a finger before suddenly pulling at it. He yelps. "Mmmm, this is going to be so much fun~!" She says before she starts to kiss him violently.

 The next day, Deacon was at school, and all his emotions had caught up to him. He sat down with his back against a wall as tears streamed down his cheeks. Adira then notices and runs over to him. "Hey! Hey! What's wrong?" She says, kneeling down. He looks at her for a moment before hugging her lower waist. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just... really need this." He says, sobbing. "I-it's okay. Whatever happened, I'm here." She says, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you... so much." He says, resting his head on her waist as he continues to cry. Eventually, he manages to talk to her about what happened the night before. "Last night... Jade... My sister invited her to our house, and we were left there alone, and then... there was a lot of physical pain... I don't know why I'm so sad, though. It's always been like this... I'm so confused! It hurts so much more this time, and I don't know why!" Adira then hugs him tighter. "It's okay. I'm here for you, Freckles." She says. Just then, Jade walks up to them. "Oh, Adira! I see you've taken a liking to Deacon. Well, don't worry. I'm happy to share." She says. Without a word, Adira gets up, walks up to Jade, and punches her in the face. "Gah! What the hell?! I thought I was being generous! He was mine first." She says. "Stop talking about him like he's just... something for you to play with! Fuck, why can't anyone see that this isn't right?" Adira says. Jade then puts a hand on her shoulder. "Adira, listen to me. You're spouting nonsense, and I don't want to have to fight you. You are a great friend, after all." Jade says. "You know what? Fuck it! Bring it on, cunt!" Adira says. "Hm, what a pity. I hate that I have to do this, Adira, but..." She starts to say before punching Adira in the face multiple times. "No one ruins my fun." She finishes. Adira then knees her in the crotch and punches her in the face. She then tries to punch her in the face again, but Jade blocks her fist and uppercuts her. She then pins her against the wall and punches her in the gut. Then, Adira headbutts her and knees her in the stomach, causing her to fall to the ground. Adira then gets on top of her and punches her in the face over and over. "How does it feel, huh?! How does it feel?! Go on; tell me!" Adira says, pulling at her hair. Jade grunts. "I see what you're getting at, but to be frank, I don't give a damn." She says. Adira then grits her teeth and forces Jade's head onto the floor, which knocks Jade unconscious. Adira then gets up and walks toward Deacon. "Come on, Deacon. Let's go." She says. "U-um, okay." He just barely managed to say as he walked away with her. As they were walking, Deacon managed to speak up. "N-no one's ever done that for me before... What do I need to give you in return? A kiss m-maybe, or..." He seemed to struggle with what he was going to say. "No! You don't need to do anything, Deacon." Adira says. "I-I don't understand... If you didn't do that for a reward... Then, why did you do it?" He says. "Because I'm tired of seeing this happen over and over again! It doesn't feel right! It never did..." She says. Deacon is silent for a moment. "H-hey! Did you get hurt at all? If you did, I'd be happy to care for your wounds!" He says, scanning her for any bruises. "No, I'm fine, Freckles. I've been in worse fights." She says. "Well, is there anything I can do? I just want you to know how grateful I am." He says. "As I just said, you don't need to do anything." She says. There is a moment of silence. "Hmm... Hey, how about you come with me, Freckles? I want to show you something." She says. "I don't think I can. Mother would be furious if I kept her waiting." He says. "Well, I have a hunch that we may be able to get away with it. Lead the way." She says. "Oh, well... Okay." He says as he leads her to where the car is usually parked.

 They approach the car, and Ms. Cross rolls down the window. "Oh, hello. What's your name?" She says, completely ignoring Deacon. "It's Adira. Ms. Cross, right?" Adira says. "That is correct. Is there anything you need?" She says. "Um, yes, actually. I just wanted to tell you that I am now Deacon's girlfriend. You see, I won a fight against Jade, and as you know: if there is ever a dispute, whoever comes out on top gets their prize." She says. "Hm, that's a shame. I actually liked Jade quite a lot. Oh well, you're just as beautiful, I suppose." She says. She then sighs. "Anyways, do what you will with him. I don't have time for another dinner." She says. "Thank you, Ms. Cross. Is there any particular time you'd like him to be home?" Adira says. "Around eight, if you can manage that." She says. "Okay, I'll have him home by eight," Adira says before walking away with Deacon.

 They had arrived at a forest, and Deacon stopped. Adira looks at him. "Aren't you gonna walk in with me, Freckles?" She says. "I... I don't know if I should. Mother always said forests are dangerous." He says. "Don't worry. I'll be right beside you." She says, holding his hand in hers. "O-okay." He says, following her into the forest. Eventually, they reach a beautiful spring. "Wow, this place is so pretty!" Deacon says. "Isn't it?" She says. She then sighs, looking at the water. "I come here to think or cool off." She says. "Y-you don't ever swim in it, do you?" Deacon asks. "Nah, too many risks. But, even so... just looking at the water helps me calm down..." She says. She then sits down on the grass and pats a spot next to her. Deacon gets the message and sits down beside her. He then stares at the water for a moment. "I see what you mean, Adira. This place is pretty calming. Is that why you decided to take me here?" He says. "Yeah. I know how most families are when it comes to males... So, I figured you needed a moment of peace." She says. "T-thank you so much! I know I've already said that today, but I really mean it. You've been so nice to me, and... I-I appreciate that..." He says. "It really isn't a problem, Freckles. I'm happy to help." She says. There is a moment of silence. "Um, c-could you... H-hug me again? I-if you don't want to t-that's fine! It just felt really nice, and I-" Deacon starts to say before Adira embraces him. "Of course, Freckles. I'm sure you need all the hugs you can get." She says. "T-thank you." He says, before gently - and somewhat nervously - wrapping his arms around her as well. Adira then sighs. "You don't deserve the treatment that you get, Deacon. None of you do..." She says. "Well, even if that's true, there's nothing we can do about it. You know Ms. Millicent's rules." Deacon says. Adira sighs. "I know... I just wish there was something I could do." She says. "Y-you've already done m-more than enough for me, Adira! I don't think anyone's ever been this nice to me." He says. "Well, I guess that makes me feel better." She says. "Regardless, I'm sure it's been a long day for you. You can rest here if you want." She says. "O-okay. But, I-I don't want to stop hugging you." He says. She chuckles slightly. "Okay. Just give me a second." She says. She then finds a comfortable position, and he lays his head on her chest. "There. And don't worry. I'll be here when you wake up." She says. "O-okay. Thank you, once again." He says, closing his eyes. She chuckles. "You're welcome, Freckles." She says, patting his head. Then, she went silent, and eventually, Deacon fell asleep.

 "Hey, Freckles. Wake up." Adira says softly. Deacon's eyes slowly opened, and he saw Adira. "Hey. Sorry, I had to wake you up, but I need to take you home." She says. "Oh, right..." Deacon says as he looks down. "Hey, it's okay, Freckles. I'll take you here whenever I can, okay?" She says. He sighs. "Okay." He says. She then takes him home and knocks on the door to his house. After a few moments, Valerie opens the door. "Oh, hello. You must be Adira. Pleasure meeting you." She says, extending her hand for Adira to shake it. "Pleasure." She says, shaking her hand. "Hmph... I honestly don't see how he managed to attract someone prettier than Jade, but I suppose life is full of surprises." Valerie says. "Yeah, I suppose so," Adira says. "Regardless, thank you for not getting carried away, Adira," Valerie says. "Of course. I'm not one to let my lust get the better of me." Adira says. Valerie laughs. "I'm the exact opposite. But I appreciate that you can control yourself. Now, brother, come inside." Valerie says. Without a word, Deacon walks inside. "And with that: I bid you farewell, for now, Adira," Valerie says. "Farewell," Adira says before Valerie closes the door. "Whore." Adira says, walking away.

 Deacon had just finished school and noticed Adira. His face then lights up. "H-hey, Adira!" He says, walking up to her. "Hey Freckles. I assume you're happy to see me?" She says. "Heheh, um, yeah! I'm also just happy in general because I haven't seen Jade at all today!" He says. "Yeah. I think she's still recovering from that blow to her skull." She says. "Probably. Um, anyway... Do you think I could go with you to the spring again? Not that home life is all that bad at the moment. I just... Wanna be- um, I mean! I just don't want to be there at the moment." He says. "I'm sorry, Deacon. I have practice..." She says. "O-oh. Alright." He says, looking down. "But I can take you with me!" She says. "R-really?!" He says as he looks back up at her, his face lighting up again. She chuckles. "Yes, really." She says, with a smile. "Oh, thank you so much!" He says, hugging her. She chuckles again. "Of course, Freckles." She says, running her fingers through his hair. "Now, come on. I don't want to be late." She says before she starts to lead him to the gym. "Oh, wait, I almost forgot!" He says. He then calls his mother, and a holographic projection of her is displayed. "Oh, hello, Deacon. I assume this is important, since you decided to call me?" She says. "Um, yes, mother. I wanted to ask you... If I could stay with Adira today?" He says. "Hm... Is she there with you?" Ms. Cross says. "Yes, Ms. Cross. I'm right here." Adira says. Ms. Cross sighs. "Fine, I suppose. But I do need you back home as soon as possible." She says. "Don't worry, Ms. Cross. I'll be sure to bring him home as soon as I can." Adira says. "Good, and please don't let him make a habit of this, Adira. His absence can be... inconvenient." Ms. Cross says. "Understood, Ms. Cross," Adira says. "Perfect. Goodbye." She says. "Goodbye," Adira says. "Goodbye, mo-" Deacon starts to say before the holographic projection of her shuts off. "...ther..." He finished, sounding defeated. "I-I'm sorry, Deacon..." Adira says, putting a hand on his shoulder. "N-no, it's fine! Let's just go. I don't want you to be late because of me." He says. "Freckles..." She says, concerned. But she decides to drop the subject. "Okay, come on." She says before she continues to lead him to the gym.

 They walk into the gym, and Deacon sees one of the more life-like automatons. "Hey, Ms. Carnell! I'm sure it's okay that I brought Deacon, right?" She says, walking up to the automaton. "Hm? Oh... Yes, yes... You can keep your toy with you, Adira..." Ms. Carnell says. "He's not my toy," Adira says. "Eh, toy, pet, whichever... You girls and your labels." She says in a sigh. "Just go join the rest of your peers, Ms. Tivona, and he... can sit on the bleachers." She says, before walking away. Deacon looks down. "Hey, it's okay, Freckles. I won't be far." Adira says. A slight smile appears on Deacon's face, as he looks back up at her. "Okay, Adira." He says. He then goes to sit down on the bleachers. As he watched them practice, he noticed a familiar look in some of the females' eyes as they glanced at him. Eventually, he managed to get Adira's attention, and she walked over to him. "Hey, Freckles. What's wrong?" She says. "Some of them are looking at me... like Jade does..." He says, hugging himself nervously. "Don't worry, Deacon. If anyone tries anything, I'm right here." She says. He then sighs in relief. "Okay..." He says before she smiles and walks back to the group.

 After they finish practicing, one of the females walks up to Deacon. She had creamy white skin, blonde hair, and gray eyes. "Hmm... I assume you're Deacon?" She says. "Y-yes ma'am!" He says, crossing his legs and putting his hands over his crotch. She chuckles. "Quite the polite one, aren't you? I always love to see that." She says. "Hey, I'm sure Adira wouldn't mind if I borrowed you for a bit, right?" She says, caressing his cheek. "Back off, Estelle," Adira says, approaching her. "Aw, haven't you ever heard of sharing, Adira?" She says. "I said: back... off..." She reiterates, gritting her teeth. Estelle chuckles. "Fine, fine. I can see your possessive of what's yours, and I respect that. See you Friday." She says with a wave before walking away. Adira sighs. "I'm sorry, Deacon." She says. "It's fine! That... happens to me a lot... Before you came along, I just had to power through and hope they'd get tired of me. Most of them did, but..." He says before trailing off. "Hey, none of that matters now. Because now, you have me... and I will protect you to the best of my ability." Adira says before placing a hand on Deacon's cheek. Deacon then starts to cry before hugging her. "I can't thank you enough for how nice you've been to me, Adira." He says. "You don't have to, Freckles. I may have practically just met you, but, despite the short time that I've known you, I've come to care about you." She says, as she puts an arm around him and softly pats his head. "You're an amazing person, Adira." He says. "Nah, I'm just one of the few that decided to be decent." She says. "That, and my mother hates how things are, as well. So, I kinda learned from her." She adds. "Your mother... sounds nice... I'd love to meet her." Deacon says, looking up at her. "Maybe some other time. I do need to get you home, after all." She says, as she stops hugging him. He whimpers slightly. "Do I absolutely have to?" He says. "Hm... Actually, fuck your mother's rules. You can come to my place." She says. He then smiles brightly, before saying: "Yay! But... What about your promise to have me home?" He says. "I'll just let you call your mother back, and I'll tell her that I changed my mind, and if she has a problem with that, I'll tell her where she can stick her problems," Adira says, with a smile. "Now, come on! Let's go, Freckles!" She says grabbing his hand and leading him out of the gym. Deacon then calls Ms. Cross. "Hello, Ms. Cross. Sorry to say this, but there's been a slight change of plans. I actually want Deacon to spend the night with me, if you don't mind." Adira says. "Excuse me? We already made plans, and I'm not fond of my plans being changed." Ms. Cross says. "Stick your plans up your dirty cunt like that marital aid I know you have, bitch." Adira says, surprising Deacon. Ms. Cross' facial expression then turned to one of shock and anger. But mostly anger. "Have a swell rest of your day, Ms. Cross!" Adira says, mockingly, before hanging up on her. "That was... Kinda vulgar of you, Adira." Deacon says. "Yeah, sorry... I had been wanting to tell her off since yesterday..." Adira says. "I'm just kinda worried that she's going to..." Deacon starts to say, before stopping himself. "N-never mind... Let's just... Keep going." He says, continuing to walk. Adira looks at him worriedly before closing her eyes and growling. "I'm gonna slap that bitch one day." She mutters before walking with him.

 They walk into Adira's house, and Adira notices her mother sitting on the couch, a holographic screen in front of her. She looked a lot like Adira, just without the highlights in her hair, and she had hazel eyes. "Hey mom!" Adira says. "Hm? Oh, welcome home, Adira! Oh, and you must be Deacon!" Mrs. Tivona says with a warm smile. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Tivona." He says, bowing. "Oh, there's no need for that nonsense, Deacon. Call me Diana." Diana says. "Oh, okay, Mrs. Diana." He says. Diana chuckles. "You're just like my husband was when he was younger." She says. "Speaking of, where is dad?" Adira says. "Probably in his room working on a new machine," Diana says. "Oh, Mr. Tivona is an inventor? He must be really smart!" Deacon says. Diana chuckles. "Yeah, well, it wasn't easy for him. Especially when his school only taught him the most basic things." Diana says. "Oh, well, in that case: it's even more impressive!" Deacon says. Diana chuckles again. "Yeah, I suppose that's one way to look at it." She says. "Anyway, I'm a tad busy at the moment, but make yourself at home." She says. "Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Diana." Deacon says. "Of course, Deacon." She says before looking back at the holographic screen. "Come on, Freckles. I should probably go ahead and take you up to my room because I don't want to distract mom from her work." Adira says as she starts to walk up the stairs. "Oh, okay! Coming!" He says, following her.

 They walk into Adira's room. It was a lot larger than Deacon's room. It was also a tad messy, but nothing unbearable. Just clothes strewn about, and a bit of trash. "Wow! Your room is so big compared to mine!" Deacon says. "Yeah. Sorry if it's a mess. I haven't found the time to clean it." She says. "It's not a problem at all! I've seen bigger messes... I'd be happy to clean it for you if you want." He says. He then seems to realize something. "It's not to repay you! I just genuinely want to help!" He quickly adds. Adira sighs. "Fine. But only if I help you clean." She says. "Um, okay!" He says. They then clean up her room, and once they finished cleaning, Deacon yawns. "You getting tired, Freckles?" Adira asks. "Kinda... I don't know why, though. I slept practically the whole day yesterday." He says. "Well, you're welcome to sleep on my bed." She says. "R-really? You don't mind?" He says. She then smiles. "Not at all, Freckles." She says. "Well, in that case, would you... m-mind sleeping with me?" He says, as his face turned a tad red. "It's just... Yesterday... you made me feel... Nice, and I want to feel that way more often." He says. Adira chuckles. "Sure, Freckles." She says before laying down. "I usually don't tend to sleep with much on, but since you're here, I think I'll make an exception." She says. Deacon's face turned even redder because he hadn't imagined that until now. "I-I mean... if you want, you could just cover up after you... undress... I don't mind." He says. Adira chuckles. "I guess that works." She says. "Do you wish for me to look away?" He asks. "You can do whatever you want to do, Freckles." She says as she takes off her varsity jacket and lays it on a dresser. "But, I think that wall would be a less appealing view. Just saying." She adds. He was curious, but he decided to be polite and look away. "Okay, done!" She says. He then turns back around. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come here." She says. He then lays down with her and hugs her. She then puts an arm around him. "You know... I just had a thought. Maybe I could give you something of mine to hug when you need it." She says. "Well, I don't think it would compare to your... Warmth..." He says, rubbing his head against her. "But it would probably help..." He adds. "Hm, well, I'll think of something while you're asleep, okay?" She says. Deacon then yawns again before closing his eyes. "Okay, Adira." He says before quickly drifting off to sleep.