Diamond in the Rough (Reserved)

It was a rather sketchy store, filthy and stuffy, avoided by most. The grimy windows blocked most of the light, and a single dim bulb illuminated the store. If the appearance wasn't enough, the strange things the store contained turned most off, and it was a miracle it hadn't been shut down. There was one thing in the room however, that was the opposite of the terrible surroundings. A small rusty cage set on a rough slab of a table contained a pale boy, fluffy white wings sprouting from his back and wrapped around his naked form. Face buried in the knees of his curled up form, a mess of white hair covered his head, choppily cut, the a few long strands at the back hanging almost to his waist. The boy was still most of the time, other than the slight movement of his breaths, keeping his face hidden from the fear that surrounded him in this dismal place.

Cyric flinched slightly at the sound of the flithy door creaking open, knowing it was time for another scary, fat, bearded man to be peering at him through the bars of the tiny cage. His enclosure had barely enough room for him to stay curled up inside. Whenever he got out for his daily exercize, he was stiff and tired, not used to moving. He was given little water, and even less food. He wrapped his wings tighter around him, wishing nothing more than to be gone from this place. He couldn't even remember what it was like before he got there. He couldn't remember if he ever had been free. Pulling his arms closer to his torso, he decided to chance peering over his knees to see who it was who had come to visit this terrible place. Bright, clear blue eyes fearfully rose up to watch, ready to look back down at any moment.

Cayden stepped into this sketchy store finding it quite amusing looking into places like this, he always found the oddest stuff here, and he had to admit these strange oddities were something that he quite enjoyed. He stepped into this store and he walked towards the first thing that caught his eye. Glimmering white against the dim white of the rest of his surroundings. He stepped closer and looked at the gorgeous white wings that were wrapped around a very thin very small body.

He pushed his own long silver hair out of his face to make sure his eyes weren't tricking him, letting the full of the dim light help him since this poor little creature. The creature in the cage who didn't look like he could be more then seventeen years old, probably younger, looked up and he looked directly into those bright blues. The fear in them deep and almost hurtful, but, what did Cayden care. He smirked slightly before looking at the one thing he had to. The price tag. He almost flinched at all the zero's on the flimsy little piece of paper taped to the side of the cage.

Sighing Cayden walked off heading farther into the shop and surrounding himself with the strange stuff that occupied the shelves. He did need to contemplate this purchase. He was almost 100% set on it but he would have to try and haggle, he didn't think it was worth that much money. He had to admit looking at the boy in the cage was reminding him more and more of himself. The fear in his eyes not was never something he had felt but he knew he could feel for the boy, he had had to deal with such horrid treatment for one hundred years of his life, and he didn't think any creature should have to deal with such horrid treatment.

After looking at other stuff for a while though, having been in the shop for nearly fifteen minutes without doing anything but look around the owner approached him. "I saw you eying our little angel earlier. Fascinating, no?" The man said. Even this guy looked sketchy, it matched his store perfectly. Cayden glanced over at the winged boy for a moment again before looking back to the store owner.

"Actually. I would like to buy him." Cayden started reaching into the pockets of his leather pants, pulling out his wallet and opening it up. The man looked like he was going to say something but Cayden quickly held up a hand, silencing him. "You will accept the amount I give you. You will not argue with me. Besides I believe my price is fair." He pulled a small wad of cash out of the leather wallet and handed it to the man, watching him carefully as he counted it. "As I thought, it's enough." he said looking at the almost shocked expression that crossed the mans face, probably at the fact that Cayden had paid for the kid in cash. He threw another couple bills at the man and picked up a very old looking robe from a rack, "This'll do too." He said with a smirk.

The two of them walked over to the cage and the owner of the store opened it pulling the angel out. "Meet your new owner." the man said in his gruff voice, motioning with one hand to Cayden who smirked down at the very small boy. Cayden threw the article he had just purchased at the boy figuring the reason was quite obvious.

"I have one rule for you at the moment." Cayden said a smirk running a hand through the rugged white hair on top of this angelic boy's head. "Run and you die." The owner ducked away and left Cayden and the boy alone. Cayden looked around and waited for the boy to put on the clothing he had passed to him. In a more quiet voice Cayden spoke again, "You should be thanking me kid. Trust me, I know what being locked up like that is like. You better respect the man who saved you." He said looking to the cage that back down at the bright little boy, his appearance glowing in comparison to the rest of the room.

Cyric was surprised when his eyes met silver, almost dead looking ones. He shrank back in the cage as best as he could, which really wasn't much. This man looked different than the rest of the people in this place. He didn't look like he could be much older than he was himself. He kept his eyes trained on this man, positive that he had the longest hair he had ever seen. And such an odd colour, although he couldn't say much about that, given his own snowy white hair. There was something about this silver haired man that was very intimidating, but he didn't know what it was. As he turned to look at other things in the store, Cyric moved his head back down, burying his face in his pale knees.

Tensed, the angel boy waited for the man to either make a purchase, or leave. He seemed to make very little noise when he moved, so Cyric was continuously glancing up, checking on the only customer in the store. It was very rare for more than one person to be in the shop at once, other than the owner and himself. It took a while, but then the owner, the person he feared most of all, approached his customer. He peeked up over his knees, since they were talking about him. Alarm shot through him at the first words he heard the silver haired man say, his eyes widening. He was getting out! But he was also going with some stranger, into some unknown place, where he could quite possibly be treated worse than he was here. He focused his eyes on the man who had voiced his wish. He hadn't had anybody even consider it before. The price tag was enough to scare them off, even if everybody wanted a little angel boy all to themselves.

He watched the money pass between the two men, and then another item was purchased, the reason for that very obvious to the boy. Cyric drew a deep breath as the two approached him, and his cage was opened, wincing as the store owner pulled him out. Drawing his wings tighter around him, steadying himself against the table behind him by leaning on it for a moment, getting used to standing. His body ached from being curled up for so long, as it always did. He kept his eyes on the ground, only glancing up once to grab the article of clothing thrown at him, wings loosening so that he could use his arms to grab it. He didn't mind how filthy it probably was, so used to the grime by now.

Cyric pried his eyes from the floor to look at the man who was now his master when he was adressed, though he avoided the man's eyes. He flinched as the hand moved to his hair, his whole body tense. He let out a quiet whimper at the rule mentioned, looking back down at the floor. He didn't think the man had to worry about him running, since he wasn't used to getting much exercize. Twenty minutes a day was his maximum time let out of the cage, other than his designated bathroom breaks. He kept his white wings covering his lower body, slipping his arms through the sleeves of the robe, doing it up and crossing his arms across his chest, for some form of comfort. It was awkward with his wings underneath the clothing, but he would deal with it. This was the first time he could remember actually wearing clothing, and he shifted at the strange feeling.

The man who had tormented him for as long as he could remember had gone, and his new master spoke to him quietly. He looked up, wondering why this man knew what it was like to be locked up, but he knew better than to ask something like that. He had been beaten in the past for asking questions. "Thank you" he whispered, blue eyes back on the floor, afraid of what was to come.

Cayden couldn't help it, he smiled at the two words uttered by the adorable little boy. "Alright then. Follow me." he stated, a sharp order, loud enough for the shop keeper to hear. He walked out of the store with his hands in his pockets, expecting the boy to follow him closely without any other order. He seemed like he'd be obedient, but Cayden had yet to see this. He glanced over at him and noticed the looks they were getting. It was nothing out of the ordinary he was used to getting them all the time when he was by himself. His hair was enough to drag far to much attention to himself. He guessed having this awkwardly little boy didn't really help his strange appearance.

He didn't speak on the walk home. He was trying to think where he would keep this strange new purchase. He guessed he could always try the guest room as his new room. He would have to get him clothes...maybe...Cayden was pretty sure he could scrounge something up in his house. He had to admit he was quite looking forward to it, this kid could be a good maid if he was trained Cayden was a sure. All these things he thought about eventually landed in what most people he was sure automatically thought about when they saw this kid, in other words, the perverted stuff. He almost blushed at the thoughts that passed before him. He cleared his throat loudly in an attempt to get the images to leave, glad instead to see his house quick approaching.

The sight of his house made Cayden sigh as he walked up the long driveway through the gate and onto his immense lawn. He was well aware that this house was far to larger for him to live in by himself, but he had been plenty happy here, but maybe this new little pet would be a happy edition to his regular environment. He looked over his shoulder just to make sure the boy was still following him before walking up to the door and digging his key out of his pocket. He stepped inside and kicked off his shoes next to the door. Waiting for the little angel to step inside, he closed the door and smirked at the boy again. "So..do you have a name...or do I get to give you one?" he asked leaning against the door crossing his arms over his chest and analyzing the barely clothed boy, the outfit he had bought hardly going below his knees. He could assume, for now, that he would have a lot of fun with this boy.

Cyric gave a slight nod, grabbing the front of his robe with both hands, holding it close to him, looking for some sort of security. He followed close behind his new master, narrowing his eyes against the bright sunlight. He couldn't remember the last time he was outside. It felt so. . . big compared to his tiny cage, and the little shop that was his home. He didn't look back as he followed closely behind the silver haired man, not wanting to get lost out there all by himself. He looked anywhere but at other people, made uncomfortable by the looks people gave the pair of them.

The pair of them were silent, the angel boy looking at the sky most of the time, once his eyes adjusted. His wings rusted against his back, wondering what it would be like to fly up there. The sky was so open. The ground was rough against his feet, and he stumbled a few times, otherwise having no problems following the man who had bought him.

Soon enough they came to a huge house, and Cyric's eyes widened, lips parting in surprise. This was where he was going to be living? It was the opposite in every way of the dirty little shop. He tried to take in everything at once, wide blue eyes passing over the building that he followed his Master to. He followed inside once the door had been unlocked, feeling very small in such a large, nice house. Standing on the clean floor in his bare feet, he also felt very dirty. The entire place he had lived before this was filthy, so he had never guessed how clean places could really be. He had never been inside somebody's actual home before, but he liked what he saw. He looked up at the silver haired man once the door had been closed. "My name is Cyric" he said quietly, looking away. He had been taught that it was rude to meet somebody's eyes who was superior to you, and that avoiding eye contact was a sign of respect. It made him nervous to look somebody in the eyes, thanks to the number of times he had been beaten for it in the past.

Cayden couldn't help but be rather annoyed by the way this boy kept avoiding eye contact, that wasn't something he was used to. He had never been seen as someone of higher authority, always equal or lower, so he had never dealt with this kind of behavior. He knew it was probably out of respect but thinking back to the days when he had been in Cyric's position he had never once done such a thing he had always been to much of a jack ass to bow down and do as he was told, he was always trying to make things as difficult as possible for the people who kept him locked up. He couldn't help but be relieved that that was the difference between himself and this angelic young man.

Cayden would admit he didn't like the name the angel gave to him. Cyric just didn't seem...'cute' enough for the boy. He had already picked a name he was going to refer to him as, he didn't care if he had little to know creativity, it worked and that was all that mattered to him. "Well, I don't like that name..." he stated bluntly, "So I'm going to call you Angel." He said with a smile. He looked the boy over before sighing, "Now follow me. You should wash yourself up..." he said heading up the stairs and into the bathroom.

In the room he turned on the and turned back to Angel, "Now can you do this yourself, or do you need me to hold your hand." he said sarcastically thinking it was quite obvious what to do, besides he had to concern himself now with finding something this boy could wear aside from that ratty thing he had bought for him. The last thing he was expecting was for Angel to actually say he needed help. He remembered when they had kept him locked up his 'bath time' was getting a run over with a hose, and not very nicely at that. Looking down at himself for a moment he couldn't help but wonder how he even lived back then under such treatment and why he kept something like the jacket they had given him which still hung to the back of his knees, exposing a good chunk of his finely tuned body.

He looked back to Angel, he knew he and this boy were similar, but probably still incredibly different. Angel didn't seem...like the rebellious type as Cayden had been he found it hard picturing this cutie pie yelling back at his captors and refusing to do as he was told until they punished him in ways that could only be justified in the person's death. It was...to Cayden, an almost amusing thought though, and he wondered what he would do if Angel were to fight back against his words...he could think of a few things. He waited for the boy to get in the tub, figuring he would be nice enough to make sure he was okay before leaving him to his own devices.

"Okay" was all Cyric said when he was told that his master didn't like the name. He was used to being called something along the lines of Angel anyways. His real name had been told to him, but he was never referred to by it. It was always either 'Angel boy', or some crude insult. That was all he had ever been referred to as. Cyric figured he should start thinking of himself as Angel now, since he was pretty sure he wasn't going anywhere soon. New home, new life, new name. His hope was growing by the minute, but this man still scared him to death. He nodded when he was told to follow, knowing he needed to get cleaned up.

Approaching the stairs, the boy let out a sigh. He hadn't gone up any stairs in a very long time. He grabbed the railing for some support, following his master up the stairs as quickly as he could manage. Angel looked into the bathroom, biting his lip slightly. "I, uh, don't know what to do" he admitted, looking to the side and flushing slightly. His version of bathing when he was back in that terrible place was being scrubbed down with some damp old rags by that creepy old man in the cooler months, and dragged outside and practically shoved into the nasty pond in the back in the summer.

The winged boy was used to doing as he was told, and he always did, too afraid of the consiquences if he didn't. But he had no idea how to bathe himself, in a place like this. The only bathroom he had seen was in the back of the store, and contained a grimy toilet and sink, with a dirty cracked mirror hanging on the wall. He was almost afraid to touch the things in this place, not wanting to make everything as filthy as he was sure he was.

Cayden sighed heavily at Angel's words, pinching the bridge of his nose and holding his elbow for a moment, closing his eyes to actually think that one over. He had to be honest he wasn't expecting that. Maybe he himself had just been some sort of exception to every rule known to man, and just always had a deeper understanding of stuff like this. He looked Angel over before approaching him again, making quick work of getting him out of the filthy outfit he had bought for him, sure he was going to burn it as soon as this was done. "Actually going to make this difficult for me..." Cayden said under his breath. His fingers ran over the soft wings and he almost flinched back, he hadn't expected them to be so soft and feel so real. Wings...weren't something he was familiar with on a humans body.

"Now...just step under the water." Cayden said moving his hand quickly to the boys back, between the feathery appendages, ushering him into the shower, he had no idea how he was going to dry these feathers afterwards but he would worry about that when it came to it, or maybe Angel would know how to do something like that. "Just...call me when you need me." He went to walk towards the door when he realized that he had never told his new pet his name, "My name's Cayden. Please don't add anything to it, don't call me sir or master. My name's Cayden." He said before leaving the room. He was sure he would hear from his new little angel again very soon but he could at least get some things done before that.

Downstairs he threw the article of clothing he had bought next to his fireplace and placed some firewood next to it, deciding a fire would be nice, it would help the little guy dry faster. After this he headed into the kitchen trying to find something for himself to eat. He looked through the nearly bare fridge and made a quick mental note that he had to go buy food, one of his least favourite things to do. He sighed deeply before just pulling an apple out of the crisper. He headed back upstairs and grabbed a book, lying down on his bed which was attached by a door to the bathroom where Angel would be. He had a feeling this would be the best place to stay...just in case.

Feeling uncomfortable after a while though he stood up and took of his gloves and jacket throwing them to the floor before taking his hair out of it's tie and pulling it all over his shoulder letting it rest in his lap. He would change his pants later, he just didn't feel like pulling himself out of the leather at the moment. He pulled up the book again and let himself be dragged away. Stories were one thing he loved, the impossible events that happen within the pages always seem so likely to him. With all the things he had gone through some of the stuff between the covers of novels were silly and boring so it was a fun game to find something that is truly interesting. He was prepared for an interruption at anytime but he was really hoping that one wouldn't come.

Angel felt bad that he was making his new master have to show him what to do right off the bat, but he really did have no idea what he was doing. He was clueless when it came to the simplest things, since he had been locked up his entire life. "Sorry"he said quietly as the silver haired man muttered under his breath, and the dirty robe was pulled off of him. Used to wearing nothing, being naked in front of this man didn't phase him.

He took a step forward towards the water when he was pushed forward. This water looked so much nicer than anything he had ever touched, other than the water he had to drink. "Um. . . okay" Angel said a bit hesitantly when he was told to call when he needed help. He looked up when his master told him his name, and he nodded obediantly, glad he had been told. He probably would have ended up calling him by both of the things he had been told not to. Stepping into the water, he let out a light gasp at the feeling. It was nice and warm, and he immediately relaxed under the spray.

After spending a minute or so just letting the water soak him, Angel looked around at the items in the shower with him, having no idea at what any of the bottles contained, or what to do with them. Biting his lip, he let out a sigh through his nose. He would call Cayden in a minute, he decided. The water was just so nice, and he was pretty sure he never wanted to leave. Deciding to get this over with and actually get properly clean, he decided to call for his master.

Sticking his head out of the shower, the winged boy brushed back his wet hair. "Cayden?" he called uncertainly, unsure if the man could hear him, wherever he was. "I need help. . . " he hated having to admit that sometimes, wishing he could just do things like this that everybody else did every day.

Cayden had been throughly enjoying the story he was reading and was quite happy that he hadn't been interrupted. But of course he spoke to soon as he heard the boy calling his name from the bathroom. He looked up at the door before sighing and closing the book. Standing up he pushed all of his hair back behind him again "One second." He said putting the book to the side and throwing out the apple core from his snack. He smoothed out his pants slightly before heading into the bathroom.

"You need help?" he asked looking at the boy in the shower he looked him over and figured it out very quickly, now that he was in there had no idea what to do with himself. He sighed loudly before the boy could have a chance to say anything to him. "Well I guess it can't be helped..." Cayden said shaking his head before unbuckling his pants and pushing them down his legs. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking at his now nude body in the mirror before turning back to the shower, "I'll just join you, it should be less of a hassle that way." He was fine with being naked in front of this boy, maybe it was because he sensed that he felt the same way or because of past experiences...he didn't really know.

He stepped into the shower in front of Angel so he could look the small man in the face. Trying not to hog all the water was his only struggle. The streams of water hitting the back of his head were comforting though. He reached to one of the bottles, a very nicely shaped glass bottle. He looked at the contents slightly before opening it, letting the wonderful smell fill the stall. He splashed a bit of it into Angel's hair. "Don't worry, this stuff is amazing. You'll shine like a diamond, kid." he said rubbing his fingers through the roughly cut, snow white hair. His face had little emotion on it as he ran his fingers through the locks of the angel though. He didn't know how the wings would be cleaned but figured the boy could figure it out himself.

Letting go of the boys hair he turned to pay more attention to his own. He used a different bottle for himself, one quite a bit bigger. With one hand he held his hair and turning it around his hand until it was manageable. He worked then with both hands to clean his hair as best he could. Motioning with his chin to another small shelf he said, "You can wash your body with any of that stuff. Just...pick whatever you think smells best." he said before quieting to deal with his long hair, it was always a chore to clean and maintain his hair but he found it completely pointless to cut it. He had turned to face the water again, his back to Angel but still trying to let a good half of the water hit the smaller boy.

He let his hair fall back down again and let the water work it's way through the silver locks, he only ran his fingers through to ensure the water was getting rid of everything. He let out a content sigh, almost completely forgetting that he was not alone in the shower. He knew though if the boy ran into any more trouble he would just call him out again, it would be much easier to respond from here anyways.

Angel pulled his head back into the shower once he heard Cayden respond. Waiting was something he was very good at. He stood in the hot water, just enjoying the feeling some more. Bathing like this was something he could get used to. His only problem with it was standing on the slippery wet floor. He was used to standing only on the filthy floors of the little shop he had lived in. Being unsteady from lack of standing often, he used the wall to keep himself balanced, keeping himself upright.

The winged boy looked up when the door opened, his new master walking in with his hair down, and shirtless. He simply nodded at the question, waiting for Cayden to give him the solution to his problems. It came soon enough for him, the taller male shedding the last of his clothes and stepping in to join him. He nodded again at Cayden's decision, having no problem with sharing the shower with him. He was used to being around a creepy old man while he bathed, and plus, he had no right to be selfish with the luxuries he was discovering. He moved to the side a bit when the taller stepped in front of him, allowing more room for the man.

Angel watched his master's hand move to the bottle, unsure of what was held within it, but whatever it was, it smelled wonderful. Most of the things he smelled in his life were putrid. He held still when the stuff was put in his hair, and then Cayden's hands were there, massaging the stuff into his hair. He let out a light noise of appreciation, loving how that felt against his head. He was a bit disappointed when the hands left, but he didn't let it show, simply rinsing it out, making sure he got it out of the long parts of his hair as well.

"Okay. . . thank you" the boy nodded as he looked at the bottles on the shelf, wondering which one to choose. He opened the lids and sniffed each one, delighted by the scents, having a hard decision to make. Making his decision, he poured some onto his hands and started to wash his body, knowing what to do with that easily enough. It felt so good to be washing away all the dirt on his pale skin with this wonderful smelling stuff, feeling more refreshed than he ever had before. He rubbed some of it onto his wings, making sure to rinse the white feathers out afterwards. His wings weren't really hard to dry, the feathers keeping the water off very well, like a bird's would.

Soon enough, all of the soap was rinsed away, and Angel let out a happy sigh. He shifted slightly, wondering what to do next, but his foot slipped in the soap that was going down the drain, along with the water at the bottom of the tub. He let out a startled yell that really wasn't all that loud, throwing his arms around the only solid thing in the shower that would hold him up, which just happened to be Cayden.

Cayden was, surprisingly, quite happy with the content sounds Angel made, they were so adorable they seemed to even strike Cayden. He acted like it was nothing though continuing to wash his hair before moving to washing his body. Being the narcissist he knew he was he had to examine his body as he washed himself, looking at every muscle on his finely tuned body. They wanted a weapon of mass destruction? They sure got the body type down. Very muscular, but not to the point that it got overboard and a bit ugly. He sighed and smiled flexing his muscles as his hands ran over them, unable to help himself.

He had to admit he jumped slightly when Angel fell and wrapped his arms around him. His eyes opened wide and he looked over his shoulder at the kid. He sighed as he took an arm in either hand and turned himself around to face the boy again. "Hey, be careful, you'll end up getting yourself hurt like that." he said unable to help the sharp look in his eyes. "Well, you look clean enough, we should just get out." he said turning back around and turning off the water. He rung out his hair as much as he could in the tub but knew it was a fruitless effort, as always.

He stepped out of the shower and took a towel from the rack next to it. He ran it through his bangs but aside from that just patted himself down a little before wrapping it around his waist. Holding it in place he used his powers to get about 80% of the water out of his hair. He picked up another towel and got to work drying off Angel, he didn't know why he had to do this himself, it just sort of happened. He put the towel over his head and ran it through the boy's hair haphazardly, using his powers slightly as well since that was how he was used to drying off. He wouldn't use enough for Angel to notice though.

He got down to his knees as he wiped down the rest of Angel's body, not particularly caring and from previous actions he was sure the white haired boy didn't care much at all either. "You think you'll be able to do this all by yourself next time?" he asked quietly not knowing whether he actually expected an answer to it or not. He did hope the answer would be yes though, he didn't really want to go to the hassle of washing this boy everyday. He had been right though removing the towel he stood up straight again and examined his new pet who shone with some sort of surreal brilliance. Cayden felt a blush starting to form on his cheeks so he was quick to throw the towel over Angel's head and walk out of the room. "I didn't get you anything to wear." he stated, practically mumbling before he headed back to his room and lay on the bed with a heavy sigh.

He got back up and rummaged through his drawers not finding anything that was small enough for the kid to wear. "Damn..." he stated. He pulled on a pair of pants for himself but walked back to the bathroom with a pair of underwear for the kid. "Here...these'll do until I get you some clothes..." he said his voice back to being as sharp as usual.

Angel looked up when Cayden grabbed his arms, turning around to face him. "Ah, sorry" he appologized, avoiding the taller man's eyes again. He had a feeling that even if he found it fine to look somebody in the eyes, he wouldn't with his master. Cayden's eyes scared him, and the sharp look in them made it a bit worse. He brushed his wet hair back from his face as the silver haired man turned the shower off. The lack of hot water made him shiver slightly once he stepped out into the cooler air. Angel felt amazing after that shower, clean and refreshed.

He waited as Cayden dried his own hair and body, unsure of whether he should grab a towel of his own or not, deciding not to very quickly, not wanting to get in trouble for something. He held still as Cayden picked up another towel and started to move it along his body, letting out a light sigh. It was nice to have something like that to dry off instead of being shoved back into his cage to dry on his own. He closed his eyes as it was run through his hair, only opening them once it was elsewhere on his body. It didn't bother him to have his master drying him off like this, used to being touched by other people, to an extent.

"I think so, yes" Angel nodded, pretty confident he would know what to do for next time. He watched in silence as Cayden stood up, looking him over. He let out a surprised noise when the towel was thrown over his head, pulling it off as the man left the room. He ran it through his hair a bit more, and then over his wings, getting them almost completely dry very easily. It was made so much easier with the fact that they had shed almost all of the water from the shower. He stretched the feathered appendages out, careful not to knock anything over with them, moving them around to work out the stiffness from being stuck in his cage for so long.

The winged boy was just starting to untangle his hair with his fingers when Cayden walked back in, nodding and looking at the article of clothing. "Thank you" he said, taking the underwear and pulling it up his legs. They were a bit loose at his waist, since he was smaller than his master, but they hung on his body well enough, just being rather low on his hips.

Cayden had noticed the boy struggling to brush his hair with his fingers and moved to the counter as Angel put on the boxers he had been given. He picked up a large round brush and moved back to the angel. "You can use this for your hair..." he explained wondering if the boy had ever even seen one of them. Cayden had no idea how long the boy had been in that cage and how much of the outside world he knew. He would ask another time, now it was best to just let him get used to his new surroundings. Nothing that would scare him more then it should he decided. He took the boys chin in his free hand and angled it up slightly, looking it over, before letting him go and running the brush through the white hair.

"You're going to have to get good at this yourself...I'm probably going to have you do mine for me eventually." Cayden stated, no matter how much he loved his hair he had to admit he found it a hassle to brush. He had had other people brush his hair before, despite being very particular with who touched his hair, he just happened to have plenty of friends who were as hair crazy as he was. He took the long parts of Angel's hair and pulled them to the front running the brush through them. He had been good with this sort of thing for a long while now so he knew for a fact there was no way he could make it hurt. He was surprised with the lack of knots for such a unkempt boy, but he wasn't about to complain about that.

When he finished with Angel's hair which wasn't that bad and didn't take a hair pro like Cayden himself very long to deal with, he moved to his own hair pulling all of the thick silver over his shoulder to the front of his body. He stood in front of the mirror and started running the brush through it. The first section he worked on was the bottom wanting to get rid of all the knots there first. His hair was usually manageable though it was just tough working through all of it.

"You can go look around. Compared to where you're coming from this place must look huge...but it's not." Cayden said knowing that Angel would just be standing there awkwardly not knowing what to do. "You can go downstairs and watch TV or get something to eat." he continued, "Though there isn't much..." he added quietly to himself. "If you need any help with anything just come get me...this could just take me a while..." he said, ending with a note of finality showing that the conversation was over and he had nothing more to input and he didn't expect the boy to say much in return. Cayden just hoped he would be able to keep himself entertained while Cayden fixed himself up.

Angel looked at the brush in his new master's hand curiously, not knowing what it was. By 'use this for your hair', he assumed it was to untangle it, but he had never used one. He spent a lot of his time untangling his hair with his fingers, since there was nothing else to do. It was a good thing to pass the time, since it was either that or watch customers, who generally scared him. Occasionally he would hum, or sing to himself quietly, songs he only distantly remembered, but he got yelled at if the owner of the store walked by while he was doing so. The winged boy met his eyes master's eyes when his chin was tilted up before he looked away, allowing himself to be looked over before he was released, and he felt the brush running through his hair.

He felt his eyes slip closed as he relaxed, the feeling of the brush methodically working through his hair extremely nice. "Okay" Angel acknowledged his master, sure he could do that with a bit of practise. It didn't seem too hard, but it felt very nice. He wondered why Cayden's hair was so long, but he decided not to ask. It seemed like it would just get in the way, and be a pain to have to deal with. Angel found his own hair troublesome, when he was kept it such bad circumstances. He hummed lightly, a content sound, finding himself extremely relaxed with Cayden brushing his hair like this, despite his mistrust of the man.

Too soon the brushing stopped, and Angel opened his eyes, running a hand through his hair, amazed at how it felt, clean and brushed through like this. He looked to Cayden, who was brushing his hair now, looking in the mirror. This one was so much cleaner than what he was used to, the images reflected perfectly clear, making his hair and wings look even more white, and his eyes more blue. He studied his reflection for a moment before looking away, not really concerned with how he looked.

Angel looked up at his master when he was adressed, clasping his hands behind his back while he listened. He nodded to show he was listening. He had no idea what a TV was, but food was sounding very good, if he could figure out where it was. He decided to chance it and ask, not entirely sure what kind of reaction asking a question would get. "Alright, thank you. Umm, where's the food kept?" he asked, tilting his head to the side, biting his lip slightly. "And what am I allowed to eat?" he added, unsure of that as well.

Cayden paused as Angel spoke again, he had been sure he had made it clear that their conversation was over and he had expected the boy to figure it all out himself, Cayden didn't think it would be that difficult. As in his nature he glared at the mirror, indirectly at Angel. He sighed loudly, "Just sit down. I'll show you in a minute." His voice was sharp and demanding, something he just couldn't help. He was used to being rather demanding like this so he wasn't going to stop just because this kid was a little bit scared of him. He seemed to be more scared of Cayden's gaze anyway, Cayden looked at himself in the mirror and into his own pupil-less, dead looking grey eyes, he guessed, in hindsight, he couldn't blame people for being a little scared of his eyes.

He continued to brush his hair taking as much time as he wanted to make sure it was perfect. He ran his fingers through it once before sighing. He looked at himself in the mirror again, pushing all his hair back behind his shoulder. He picked up a small piece of black ribbon from the counter top and tied his hair up, refusing to use elastics, they took forever to get on and ended up being more of a hassle then they were worth. When he was happy with how his hair fell about his face and shoulders he turned his attention back to Angel, "Alright. Follow me then, kid." he stated before walking out of the bathroom and down the stairs.

He walked into the kitchen and opened up the fridge, "You can have whatever you want, what's here is as good as yours." he said. "Close it all when you're done." he said before walking into the living room, glancing over at the fireplace he saw all that he had already set up and decided to set it ablaze. He started up the fire at first using his powers to keep it at a reasonable before letting it burn freely, closing it he went and sat down on the plush white couch closest to the fireplace, enjoying the warmth and enjoying watching the fire burn the fire wood and clothing he had thrown in.

He curled himself up on the couch and grabbed the remote for the TV turning it on and starting his endless channel surfing knowing he would just end up on some documentary, though they were never anything he didn't already know. He ended up on the history channel on some show about leaders of the past, the cruelest men in history. He was pretty sure he could get into this. He sat there silently watching wondering what Angel was doing with himself. Cayden was sure he was being a relatively good person, but he wasn't sure, he could of course be the same old jackass he was to everyone and he wouldn't know any different. He sighed lightly, pushing at his bangs slightly and trying to get back into the show.

Angel flinched at the glare on his master, looking down at the floor, wishing he hadn't angered his new master already. "O-okay" he said quietly, responding to the sharp command and sitting down on the floor where he stood, looking down at his hands in his lap. Doing nothing was something he was very good at, so he simply sat still and waited, hardly moving. He glanced up every once and a while to look at Cayden, but his eyes not lingering for very long. He took a bit of time to look around the bathroom, comparing it to the one back at the shop, amazed at how clean everything was here.

The winged boy's eyes snapped up when the brush was set down, and he watched as Cayden tied up his hair. Angel jumped to his feet when he was told to follow, landing a bit unsteadily but spreading his wings a bit to keep his balance. He followed out of the room and down the stairs, keeping up as best as possible, his legs a bit tired from walking and standing so much today. He was hoping to get used to it more, and get to walk around more often. He followed into the kitchen, looking with wide eyes at everything in this huge, that really did seem huge.

Eyes widening even more at the amount of food in the fridge, which may not have been very much, but it seemed like mountains of it to him. He couldn't name any of the things in there, but they all looked very good. "Ah, thank you!" Angel said, not having anything like that said to him before, and he really hadn't expected that. The most he had ever had was a piece of bread a day, and that amount had stayed the same for as long as he could remember. He just stared at the food as Cayden left the room, stepping closer to the chill of the fridge, not knowing what to pick. He didn't even know where to start.

Angel decided in the end on something that looked easy to pick up and eat, a piece of cold pizza left on a plate. He had no idea what it was, but after one bite, he didn't think he could stop. He wolfed it down before he even went anywhere, his growling stomach practically demanding that he finished it right then and there, setting his plate down when he was finished. He closed the fridge as he was instructed, looking around the kitchen before walking back the way he had come, unsure of where to go, so he decided to go find Cayden. He found the man curled up watching TV, and he stared in wonder at the screen for a moment. His eyes pried away from that and landed on the fire, walking towards the inviting heat, a contrast from the chill of the fridge. He sat down on the floor in front of the fireplace, his bare skin appreciating the heat.

Cayden glanced over at Angel for only a moment as he walked into the room seeming to examine everything before his eyes quickly and Cayden couldn't help but wonder how overwhelmed the boy must have been by everything. It was almost amusing. Cayden smiled but turned his attention quickly back to the television as Angel took a seat in front of the couch closer to the fire but he was still within arms reach of Cayden. The silver haired man knew that he had started off on the wrong foot and he knew he would be living with this boy for quite a while to come so he had to think of a way to get him to warm up to him, to make his life a little bit easier with this new pet. He looked at the winged boy who looked very comfortable where he was seated and let his mind wander over all the little possible situations he could get himself into right now.

He ended up settling with himself in a minute or so. He put out a hand, resting it on Angel's head, speaking in a low, hopefully gentle voice, "Come sit up here with me." He shifted slightly freeing up the space closest to the fire and moving his legs out in front of him, one over the other, with his free hand he patted the warmed up section of couch and tried his best to put on a warm smile for the boy but he had no idea whether he could possibly succeed with looking nice, he figured with his dashing good looks he would be able to pull it off, but he would have to wait for Angel's reaction before he could really judged.

His mind was buzzing with all the possible things he could do or say, what was appropriate what wasn't. He knew he would eventually end up in bed with this boy, but he probably shouldn't push his luck on the first day. His best options were the ones that let the new boy get accustomed to Cayden's presence and Cayden's rule. He didn't think he'd be able to be very strict with Angel but he would have to enforce some sort of rules, that much he was sure of, he just didn't know how to go about it right now. He would think something up eventually and he would have to think of a way to tell the boy these rules without coming off as mean...this was going to be quite the challenge, but it was one he was willing to accept.

The winged boy settled down where he was, his muscles visibly relaxing, wings half draped over him to retain the heat the fire gave him. He looked at the screen on the wall for a moment, not sure what it was talking about really, before he ended up staring into the flames. He had only seen a fire twice in his life before this, but he did like them. He was sure he could see something in there that was something other than wood, but he wasn't too sure what it was, since it was being consumed by the flames. His white wings and hair were dry at this point, the heat making quick work of whatever moisture was left.

Angel jumped slightly when a hand was put on his head, looking up into his master's face. That was the gentlest voice he had heard the man use so far, and he was a bit taken aback by that, paired by the smile. Nobody was actually 'friendly' to him. Ever. He was treated as a piece of merchandise, to be stared at and sold off. "Um, okay" he said, nodding and rising to his feet, pulling the boxers up a bit with one hand, keeping them from slipping too far down. He sat down a little stiffly beside Cayden, adjusting his wings slightly so he didn't sit on them. Angel almost gave a happy sigh at how comfortable the couch was, but he held it back, keeping his body tense, unsure of what was going on, or whether he could trust his master or not. He was sure he would relax after a while.

The white haired boy's mind was spinning with change, trying to get used to the large house he was in, that seemed so clean, and there was so much food, and he could be clean, and the list went on. He knew he was going to have to get used to it, and it was definitely a pleasant change so far, but he had no idea how nice it really would be. He found it impossible to believe that there wasn't some catch to all of this, or some horrible treatment he was going to have to go through.

Cayden moved his hand as Angel stood up and moved up onto the couch next to Cayden. Cayden kept his eyes on the TV as he let the boy get himself comfortable. It didn't seem to take as long, he didn't seem to relax as quickly as he had next to the fire though and Cayden would have to assume it was because he was still nervous being so close to Cayden. That probably wasn't going to change for a while. He sighed as he put one arm over Angel's shoulders running his fingers up into his soft white hair which really did seem to shine now that he was all cleaned up. He pulled the boy closer making him rest his head against Cayden, pulling his head into his neck and just stroking his hair.

Cayden had noticed that the boy had to adjust himself so he could sit without bothering his wings, he had no idea what it could possibly be like to have such large appendages sprouting from your back. He guessed if any of his friends would know it would be Sephiroth, he laughed slightly at the thought of the two of them having a bonding moment over something like. The closest thing Cayden himself had to worry about like that was his hair, which was currently lying gently at his side, he always tried not to sit on it, it was uncomfortable and messed it up much faster. Maybe he would ask at another point how he dealt with those wings, or more about him in general...for now though he was fine with simply trying to get the boy used to Cayden's presence and watching television.

Angel sat stiffly beside his master, hands in his lap, looking up to the screen that Cayden was watching. Something about cruel people, was all he knew it was talking about, not knowing who these people were, or what they had done. He had never met anybody but cruel people. He wasn't even sure if nice people existed. The winged boy remained tense next to his master, not trusting the man beside him. Being close to him and touching people in the shower was one thing, because Cayden was helping him, but now they weren't doing anything. They were just. . . sitting there.

The movement was a surprise to the boy, his master's arm moving around his shoulders and into his hair, pulling him closer. He was reluctant to move any closer, but he knew better than to resist, and he knew that struggling wouldn't do anything anyways. It was clear that Cayden was so much stronger than him, like most people were. Angel's head rested against the silver haired man's chest, face in his neck. His bright blue eyes were wide, his body rigid, afraid of being so close to this man. The hand in his hair was slightly comforting, but his fear cancelled that out. This was the first time somebody had done something like this, and he struggled to keep his breathing steady, trying to calm himself down. He was overwhelmed by everything he had gone through today. Hands in his lap, he adjusted his wings again to be more comfortable while lying against this man, despite how tense he was.

Angel wasn't even looking at the TV, not quite sure what to do with himself, just lying there. He was more than used to just sitting, but this was different. The winged boy held back a sigh, wanting to start off on the right foot here, but he didn't know if he could do it. From the position they were in, he guessed that Cayden was just trying to get him to relax, and get used to where he was, and who he was around. He decided to at least help with that, because he was going to have to get used to this, and the sooner the better. Trust or not, Angel made up his mind, taking deep breaths and unclenching his fists, shifting slightly to get more comfortable against the larger male, moving one hand to rest against his chest somewhat hesitantly, forcing his muscles to relax. He was still rather tense, and he held still other than his breathing, still afraid of this man he was resting against.

Cayden didn't like how awkward it was right off the bat, how this boy didn't seem to want to relax at all was quite annoying. Cayden was seriously considering dropping the nice guy act and just make things straight for this new kid. No matter how tempting this idea was though just looking at the boy made him rethink that plan, he didn't know if he could be really mean to this adorable boy especially not now while he was still so amazed by how beautiful this boy was. He sighed slightly to himself looking off to the side but still holding the boy where he was.

After a moment though Angel seemed to make an attempt to get more comfortable, he leaned more into Cayden, he seemed to be forcing himself to relax but even then he still seemed very tense. Cayden may have been being just a little to pushy with his thoughts, he had to keep in mind that this boy had probably never been around nice people and had just made such a drastic change in environment he was bound to be a little freaked out right now, so even this small attempt by the boy should please Cayden. But Cayden wasn't completely thrilled by it, despite himself. He turned his attention back to the TV having only looked at the boy for a moment when he leaned more into Cayden's body.

After a while Cayden let out a sigh as he leaned and let his head rest on top of Angel's as though the boy was a pillow. He had to admit he was quite comfortable but this would probably still be very awkward for Angel. Slowly but surely, though, Cayden's care on that matter was decreasing, if Angel didn't accept him soon it was just a matter of time before Cayden forced himself upon Angel completely and he wouldn't care about whatever consequences it brought. His hand still ran through Angel's hair casually but he hardly noticed as he pulled the boy even closer to get himself more comfortable.

Angel's thoughts were racing, not knowing what to do in this situation, but he just remained where he was, holding still against the older man. He wasn't bothered by either of their lack of clothes, more bothered by the fact that he was so close to Cayden. The man hadn't done anything to hurt him, but there was no telling what he was thinking. His life was the only thing driving him to think this, as he knew virtually nothing about Cayden. The winged boy let out a light sigh, unsure why he was thinking this. His master had only gotten angry once, and even then he hadn't exactly acted on it. He had yet to be mean to him, so he had no reason to be so scared of him, despite his eyes.

Feeling a head rest against his, Angel tensed slightly again, but he soon relaxed, despite being pulled even closer to this man. Despite his thoughts, he was very comfortable. He closed his eyes, blocking out the sound of the TV, focusing on allowing the feeling of Cayden's breathing, and the hand running through his hair relax him. He could feel his muscles slowly relaxing, and he let out another sigh. He was still unsure of this man, but for now he was being nice, so he would accept that, and act appropriately. He allowed the rest of his muscles to relax after a bit, unable to help himself. This was the most comfortable he had ever been.

Angel was quite happy to relax, but at this point, his nervousness could get him to tense at any stray thought passing through his mind. He knew he would get used to Cayden's prescence eventually, but for now he was glad with how he was progressing with this. After few minutes, the winged boy hummed lightly, nuzzling closer into Cayden's neck, pulling himself a bit closer, amazed with how comfortable it could be curled up to another person like this.

Cayden was quite pleased with this despite how awkward he had thought it had been right off the bat Angel seemed to be very quickly warming up to the closeness. The boy nuzzled up against him and he heard a small sound of contentment leave the boy. Cayden hummed a laugh as he kept his eyes close simply smiling. He could stay like this for a while he knew. But it wasn't his luck to have something like this tender moment go uninterrupted. The door bell rang and he growled slightly, sure Angel could feel the vibrations in his neck where his white haired head was resting. He pulled himself away from the boy and headed towards the front door trying to see who it was through the tinted glass window that centered itself on the door.

Upon opening the large wooden door he revealed to himself the tall frame of Sephiroth. Cayden's brows furrowed as he looked at the man not knowing what could have possibly brought up the very unexpected visit. "Hello Cayden." the older looking silverette said crossing his arms over his broad partially exposed, almost completely if it weren't for the sides of his jacket covering his pecs and the suspenders that formed an X across the exposed pale skin. Despite himself, Cayden could not turn down this man and muttered a greeting before letting the man into his house. Sephiroth would take a minute to take off the tall knee high boots he so fancied and Cayden took this opportunity to head back to Angel and give him a quick warning.

"Don't say anything unnecessary." Cayden hissed sharply into the boy's ear. "This man's name is Sephiroth and he will not hold back if you piss him off." He had noticed that Sephiroth didn't have his sword on him but he knew the man could summon the sword to himself, in a flurry of black mist and feathers, in an instant. "If you don't want to get hurt, speak only when spoke too and agree with whatever he says to you." Cayden said, finishing mere moments before Sephiroth walked into the living room and questioned who the boy was. "A new pet I bought." Cayden said resting his hand on Angel's head. Sephiroth looked the boy over with sharp green cat eyes, raking over his entire body. Sephiroth smiled.

"How wonderful...with those wings...he reminds me of someone I once knew." He said with a smirk and a short, low laugh. Cayden was quite pleased with the reaction he got from Sephiroth, it didn't seem like anything was going to go bad, but just as the thought passed his mind he was sure he had jinxed himself. "So what are you doing here, Sephiroth?" Cayden asked turning around and looking at the man who now sat down on the couch opposite the fireplace who glanced up at the TV not really seeming to care what was on the screen. "In due time, Cayden." Sephiroth stated in the laid back, slightly slurred tone of his. Cayden was all to aware of what those words meant and he had to admit it was, for once, almost worrisome.

He sat himself down in the middle of the couch. Looking sharply at Angel then sharply at the floor at his feet, trying to convey the silent order that he should sit on the floor and stay quiet and Cayden hoped he would do as he was told and later he and Sephiroth could go off without any questions being brought up to the young, winged boy.

Angel was surprisingly content where he was, and he would be until Cayden gave him a reason not to be. In his comfort and warmth, he began to doze a bit, exausted by the day's events. The sound of a bell ringing startled him awake and he jumped, eyes snapping open, letting out a slight squeak. He could hear and feel the growl his master let out, the sound scaring him a bit. But at least it showed that Cayden had been as comfortable as he was, and it was always a good thing that the person who could potentially harm him was happy. The winged boy held back a sigh as his master pulled away, getting up to walk to the door.

He was silent and still as Cayden answered the door, not sure what to do with himself. He looked up as his master came back into the room, only to hiss something in his ear before another man joined them. His eyes widened slightly, but he simply nodded. Not speaking, and agreeing to things were what he did anyways, so he didn't think he would have any problems on that part. He had to admit that Cayden's hand on his head was slightly reassuring as the tall man walked in, even if he had only known the man for a short time, and he still scared him immensely. He didn't move as the eyes passed over him, used to people examining him. He couldn't help but wonder why both of these men had long silver hair. Was it a trend around here? He had never seen the style before.

Listening to the two talk, Angel wondered briefly what they were talking about. Cayden seemed to understand what this Sephiroth man was saying perfectly fine though. He fiddled with the hem of his boxers nervously, unsure of what to do with himself. The taller of the silver haired man scared him as much, if not more, than Cayden. There was just something about both of them that was so intimidating. The boy caught the sharp look his master gave to him, and then the floor, and he took the hint, sliding off the couch and onto the ground, crossing his legs and adjusting his wings, glancing up to Cayden to make sure he had been guessing right, and that was what he wanted.