Castiel averted his eyes as he followed his brothers through the crowded marketplace. He hated the idea of human slavery, and he hated witnessing it first hand even more.

Typically when the other angels would go to the sales, Castiel stayed behind, but today he was all but forced into joining them. He decided that he'd go if he had to, but he couldn't bring himself to look away from his feet. He didn't want to see the suffering, sickness, or fear. He didn't want to see the cuts and bruises. These humans are his father's creations, each one unique and special, and he couldn't bear to see them so mistreated. This was not what God had intended for them. Still, his brothers and sisters captured them, tortured them, killed them, forced them into a life of slavery and servitude, and Castiel despised his kin for it.

Walking through the crowded outdoor market, Castiel could tell when they entered the slave area. Though he kept his head down, he could see their feet. Some had shoes that were falling apart, others had none, and he could see the poles and ropes that separated theirs from the shiny new shoes of the angels.

Though he didn't want to, Castiel allowed his eyes to move upward from the humans' feet. He saw ragged clothes, dirty fingernails, tear soaked cheeks, and greasy hair. His heart hurt profoundly, and he cursed the Angels who had forced him into accompanying them. If they truly thought that Castiel was uptight or that he needed a little fun in his existence then they should've realized that this would not be place for him to find release or enjoyment.

He followed them as they laughed and cackled and discussed various humans as if they were mere objects, frowning as he heard their discourse, fighting back tears as his eyes connected to those of the slaves.

His brothers stopped ahead of him and began talking with some other angels he didn't recognize. He stopped a few feet away from their newly formed circle, scanning the humans with solemn eyes. They traveled from one human to the next, then another and another, but then they stopped suddenly.

His lips parted, and his vessel's lungs heaved as his blue eyes caught (e/c). This human, this woman, she didn't just look at him, she looked into his eyes. Though it only lasted for a second or two, Castiel was stunned by it. From what he'd seen of his brothers' and sisters' slaves, they weren't allowed to make direct contact unless instructed to. This tiny action felt like defiance, but the fact that it only lasted for mere seconds proved that it was being broken.

It angered Castiel to see such life in the woman's eyes hidden under her lashes as she was forced to stare at the ground. He swallowed harshly as he prayed that she'd look back up, trying desperately to remember the exact shade of (e/c) held within her eyes. Saddened that they were destined to see only floor, that the world could not experience their beauty and that they could not experience what beauty was left in the world, he continued to gaze at her. Watching her confident stance become masked by slumped shoulders as guards walked by her, Castiel was pleased to see that her submission action may not have been as sincere as it seemed. She bit her lip, watching the guards take a slave away from the ropes to which they were bound.

Studying her expression, her side eying, her lip biting, Castiel couldn't tell if it was one of nervousness, unease, anger, or even a combination of the three. When the guards had vanished, Castiel watched her move to her heels, using the chains that tethered her to a pole in the fence to keep her upright as she leaned back almost playfully and allowed the wind to cascade through her seemingly clean (h/c) hair. There was spirit inside of her, even if she was capable of hiding it, and Castiel felt an overwhelming need to protect it, to keep it from breaking. He had to preserve it.

Pushing through his brothers, Castiel made his way to the salesman with fast determination.

"Hey, there–"

"I want that one," Castiel interrupted, pointing the woman with the (h/c) hair and (e/c) eyes.

"That one?" The Angel chuckled, "That one's not as well trained as some of the others. Maybe you'd rather–"

"No, she's the one I want," his rough voice demanded.

"Alright, but we don't take returns on our human–"

"I won't need to return her," Castiel dug in his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. "Are you going to sell her to me or not?"

Grinning, the angel took the money from Castiel and quickly shoved it in his pocket. Sending a mental message off to two of the angelic guards, Castiel watched them appear behind her, removing her shackles from the post as she struggled to break free of their grasps.

"Told yah she was a feisty one," the Angel chuckled to Castiel as the guards vanished with her.

"Where are they taking her?"

"Building on your far right," he nodded toward one of the structures in this distance as he scribbled on a sheet of paper. "Take this to the second building from the left. Second floor. They'll give you her papers, proof that she's yours, all that. Then after you've filled everything out, you can head over to the last building and pick her up."

Castiel's brothers eyed him, a menacing happiness in their features as they watched the angel vanish.

He hurried through his paperwork, using his grace to fill the stacks of files out in a matter of seconds.

"Someone's excited to get to his new human, huh?" The Angel at the desk smirked as she took the pen she'd laid on the counter back into her hand.

"Am I done now?" He asked with hopeful nerves.

"Yes, you're done. Oh, wait, you'll need this," she said, handing him what appeared to be a leash, "It's the last building on the–" the sound of Castiel's exit interrupted her.

–

(Y/n) leaned against the wall, arms crossed tightly over her chest, in what appeared to be some type of holding cell. She kept her back turned toward the windows, wanting to avoid eye contact with the angels who stood outside as well as to delay the sight of the angel who had purchased her for as long as she possibly could. Her lips twisted in disgust as she kicked over the chair that sat lonely in the middle of the empty space.

It reminded her of a tv jail cell or maybe an isolation room in a mental institution, either of which she'd prefer at this point in her short human life– short in comparison to the angelic beings who have been here since creation, but long and slow in terms of slavery and solitude.

Her jaw clenched as she fought back tears, memories of her family flashing through her mind. The fact that they were safe and warded was one the happiness that remained in her mind, and she was thankful for the pack of hunters they'd met just before her angelic abduction into servitude. She exhaled deeply, trying to convince herself that this new owner, this master, may not be as bad as the last two, but life has been difficult on (y/n), and those hardships had turned her into a realist, if not a complete pessimist. Her mind had washed away any idea of a kind or understanding angel, a clean one, one that inhabited a younger body or a less grotesque one.

As images of grimly, gaunt, unsightly, and unattractive angels flashed through her memory, sending her into a disgusted panic, a noise that resembled the flapping of wings rushed into her ears from the left side of the room.

Castiel stared at her in awe for a moment or two, unable to believe that he was this close to her. He was drawn even further into her from this distance– her attitude, the way she stood, the fact that she refused to look at him but did so with a careless ease. Though her (h/c) hair was more vibrant and appeared softer up close, Castiel was saddened by her averted eyes. He knew they'd be even more stunning than they were from afar, but they stayed fixed on a point in the opposite end of the room as his.

He parted his lips to speak, but found himself at a loss for words. He swallowed, looking at the ground briefly, before deciding to approach her.

With each step he took toward her, Castiel felt his heart quicken its pace. His vessel's lungs took oxygen in at an erratic pace, and he grew nervous at such a close proximity to her.

"Hello," his gravelly voice shook softly, prompting him to clear his throat a bit before he attempted speaking again.

Inhaling deeply, (y/n) closed her eyes at the sound. She shifted her head in his direction, but she couldn't force her eyes to look up at him.

"They, uh, they didn't tell me your name," he looked at her curiously, hoping to learn her name and utterly thrilled by the prospect of hearing her voice.

Instead of speaking, (y/n) licked her lips, pulling her lower one into her teeth, as she exhaled harshly again.

Castiel looked away from her solemnly, hoping that with his rusty social skills, he'd eventually be able to find a way to have some type of conversation with her.

Looking back down, his eyes locked onto the leash in his hands before they moved back up to her, and he decided to move closer and step in front of her. Though her eyes remained down, she flinched a bit when he raised his hands, prompting him to pull them back to his sides.

"I've frightened you," he looked at her through solemn eyes, hurt by the instinct humans now possessed to fear of even the tiniest movement of an angel, "I didn't mean to."

Her brows furrowed as she became perplexed by this angel and by the fact that he exhibited what appeared to be tenderness.

She felt his gaze on her, and her breathing quickened, her heart raced in her chest, and she knew that this was it– This was the moment; She had to see him, his eyes, his expression. She had to try to read his face for malice, lies, manipulation. So, she took a deep breath, holding it in tightly, and raised her eyes to meet his.

Her lips instantly parted as her eyes locked onto piercing, bright blue oceans. Although his eyes were wondrous, (y/n) only allowed herself to stare at them for those few brief seconds before her eyes rushed quickly over his face then to the floor as she tilted her head away from his.

He was beautiful. Her brows creased again as she shook her head slightly in disbelief. What kind of cruelty was this?

"Please," Castiel tried again, "What's your name?"

"It's (y/n)," she stated plainly, anger still apparent under her surprise.

"Well, you have nothing to fear from me, (y/n)," he dipped his head and looked up at her imploringly, "I assure you, I mean you no harm whatsoever."

"Yeah, ok," she exhaled, her lips twisting a bit.

"I, um, I should put this on you," he slowly raised the collar and leash again, "Not because I want to, but because I think it'll be safer for you."

"Safer for me?" She snorted.

"Even if I'm accompanying you, a free human is quite the target. But if you are bound to me by a collar, no angel will try to abduct you."

"And if another angel would abduct me, tell me, how would it be any different than my situation right now."

"Because they'll keep you a slave, and I want you to have freedom."

"Sure, you do," (y/n) responded, and Castiel, unable to catch her sarcasm, smiled. "That's why you just bought me, right?"

"No, I…" His brows creased, and he exhaled through his nose as he looked away from her. "I can't just free you. You'll be right back here in a matter of hours. But if I keep you, I can protect you. I… I want to protect you."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I see… Fight in you. Spirit," Castiel raised the collar back up and looked at her almost as if he were asking for approval.

Though she rolled her eyes, (y/n) uncrossed her arms and tilted her head so that he loop it around her neck.

As he fastened it, Castiel continued, "I'd hate to see that spirit die out. That's all."

She eyed him curiously, still not fully trusting his words, but there was a sincerity in his eyes that made her question her suspicions of him.

"I'm Castiel, by the way," he said nervously.

"Whatever, Castiel," she raised her eyebrows as she looked to the leash he held in his hands, submitting apathetically, "Chain me up."