Deliverance [malexmale]

Chapter Three

Men were pigs? I don't recall being the one who touched her inappropriately. Worse, she'd done it in public. While this modern era seemed to approve of public displays of affection, I certainly did not and I definitely didn't want her hands on me. I hated being touched... And I didn't care how I looked in those jeans. I didn't want them.

Annoyed, I went to Akin, who was about to hand the person at the register his strange shiny card that he called a credit card. Apparently it contained electronic money called credits... yet another thing that left me in confusion.

"I don't want any of those things," I told Akin, making him blink and look at me in surprise. The person behind the register frowned instantly and Akin sighed, offering him a quick apologetic smile.

"Sorry, just give us a minute," he said, and the person nodded, moving onto the next customer as Akin stepped out of line.

"Menoetius, it's fine, really. I want to buy you these--"

"Why?" I demanded. Akin looked surprised.

"Because. It's fun shopping for someone. I love buying things for people."

"Why?"

"I need a reason to be nice?" Akin asked, appalled. I clenched my jaw and said nothing more. There was no point in hassling him about it. He was going to buy them whether I wanted them or not. Of course, no one said I had to wear everything he bought. I could easily return it the next day once I got Akin off my back. I'd feel guilty for a while sure, but I felt worse with him buying me things that I wasn't going to need.

Akin bought the clothing, and unfortunately that left us with several bags to carry between the two of us, and I suddenly regretted not telling Akin to put half that shit back where he found it, but he sounded so thrilled at having bought things for me... which continued to baffle me.

"Oh, crap," Akin sighed as his cell phone rang in his pocket and he set down a couple bags near a bench at the center of the mall to answer it, "One sec." I said nothing, but set the bags down and folded my arms over my chest as I watched Akin discuss his phone call. Judging from his annoyed expression, it was one of his siblings. Probably not Raven. Akin adored him. And while he adored the rest of his siblings as well, he tended not to get along well with Jaques.

No one did, from what I'd heard.

Suddenly, the sound of a child sobbing reached my ears and I scowled, confused at the source of it as I scanned the crowded mall. Surely someone would have noticed a crying child by now. The thing sounded like her entire world had fallen apart. I finally spotted the tiny screaming child sitting on the floor almost smack in the middle of the mall, but not a single person stopped to bother with her. They walked on as if they hadn't even noticed.

Irritation crept up my spine and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I suppose I wasn't surprised at people ignoring their crying children. At least they weren't beating her for it. Still, a strange ache tugged at my chest as I watched her sit there and weep and not a single person stopped to see what was wrong with her. All these people, and not one person was paying attention to her.

I glanced at Akin, who was plugging one ear and talking into the phone angrily, probably an argument. I looked back toward the child, waiting another moment to see if someone was going to help her. And no one did.

Goddamn it.

I made sure the bags were close enough to Akin that no one would mistaken them as being abandoned, then made my way over to the small girl. When I approached, I realized how truly tiny she was. My god, I could hold her in one arm and she wouldn't be heavy. She had to be no more than three-years-old. Her curly black hair framed a chubby cherub face speckled with freckles, and big green eyes were red with tears. She wore a strange dress made of red velvet.