Waking up to the smell of bacon was something completely unfamiliar to Zachary. Well, not exactly unfamiliar because there were a few restaurants close to his alley, but as he sat up and saw the plates set on the nightstand beside him, he knew that he would actually be able to eat what smelled so good. Before assuming and just reaching for one of the mouthwatering plates, Zachary looked around the room. He was a bit confused when he didn't see Orion anywhere.

"Orion?"

Surely he had left the food, but then why did he bring two plates if he wasn't going to eat as well? He waited for a few moments before the sound of the closet door opening caught his ears and he turned to see Orion stepping out. Their eyes met immediately and they smiled, but then Zach couldn't help but look at the man's new wardrobe. Gone were his fitted leather pants, replaced with a nice pair of stylish black jeans and a light grey sweater. Both articles hugged his body like a glove, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a tad bit jealous for some reason.

"I brought breakfast, go ahead and pick whichever plate you'd like."

Zachary nodded, returning his attention to the plates as his stomach grumbled loudly. Now that he was actually focusing on them, he realized they were actually really different. One had sausage links, bacon, scrambled eggs, two small waffles, and toast with butter and jelly. Odd. The other one had pancakes, sausage patties, bacon, and the same toast with the odd combination of butter and grape jelly. He'd never had toast that way, but that wasn't an issue. He'd eat it even if it tasted funny. However, he didn't want to be the one to choose. It didn't feel right when Orion had made the food and likely paid for it.

Orion sat down beside him on the bed and gently rustled his hair before reaching for the two plates, handing him the one with eggs and waffles on it. "Thank you for asking. I hope you enjoy the meal."

Zach thanked Orion for cooking and in general, for the food, before beginning to dig into his breakfast. Heck, his first breakfast in at least three months. It was heaven right from the beginning, but when Orion produced a small container of syrup and offered it, he would have done something for the guy he'd never consider normally if he didn't have a plate of food in his lap.

Bad thoughts. No!

He nodded, swallowing his mouthful of food as he watched Orion drown his waffles in syrup. Not a millisecond later and Zach was murdering his waffles and laughing maniacally in his head as he consumed ever single morsel.

"Pardon me for this," Orion said, making Zachary look up as he finished chewing his last bite of waffle. When the man's tongue pressed against his chin and began to inch its way up toward his mouth, Zach froze. He didn't move a hair until Orion's tongue tucked back into his mouth right before it was going to meet his lips, though he didn't pull away until he finished mumbling, "Best to lick off the sticky stuff before it dries."

The joke went right over his head, and thankfully Orion let it, likely to be sure he didn't spoil Zachary's appetite with embarrassment. They both finished their food in silence after that. Zach was surprised that he could actually eat everything on his plate, and was even more surprised when he really liked the flavor of the toast.

"Alright, ready to head out?" Orion asked. Zachary nodded, but then paused and slid out of bed to run to the bathroom. He shut the door most of the way, then relieved himself with a sigh. Once that was done he opened the door, but then paused as a toothbrush caught his eye.

"Orion? Do you have an extra toothbrush?"

Orion walked over and dug through a few drawers before pulling out a sealed red toothbrush and handing it over. "Yup."

"Thank you," Zach said as he took the toothbrush and quickly stripped the wrapper away and got down to brushing. While he worked on scrubbing his teeth for the first time in a month, he couldn't help but watch Orion move behind him in the mirror. He wanted to ask what he was doing, but the man soon showed him as he reached around Zachary and grabbed a bottle, then flicked the lid to it open and squirted some of its contents in his left hand. After he replaced the bottle on the counter he got busy rubbing his hands together, then started working the minty-smelling stuff into Zach's hair.

He really likes mint.

He'd never styled his hair before, not even when he had a home and allowance. Orion finished right as he leaned down to rinse his mouth, leaving Zachary's breath minty fresh, as well as his mussy-yet-styled hair. When he turned to look up at Orion and question why he'd styled his hair, the guy just smirked and stuck his tongue out, then grabbed his hand and tugged him back to the bed before pointing down.

"Get those back on. I took them off when you fell asleep last night but you need them to go into the stores."

Zach quickly did as told, pulling on his shoes, then tying them before straightening. He was glad that Orion had untied the laces instead of just pulling the shoes off. It was greatly appreciated, though he felt the man already knew that since he remembered from yesterday. They headed out after that, Orion leading him out of the alleyway and to the sidewalk. When Orion stopped in front of a nice black car and hit a key fob, the car unlocked and Zachary stepped forward to open the passenger's side door. Except, Orion was there before he could even reach out, opening the door for him. It was a bit odd, but he just thanked the man before carefully sliding into the spotless car.

As Orion walked around to enter the driver's side, Zach got his seatbelt fastened and waited patiently. Soon they were off, though the drive wasn't too far away. After about eight blocks Orion got the car parked and slid out. Zachary reached for the door handle, but when he noticed the other man walking around to his side, he put his hand back in his lap and waited. Sure enough, Orion opened the door for him, then offered him a hand to get out.

Zachary grinned to himself and began to get up, only to realize that the seatbelt was still fastened.

"Oh, oops."

Orion chuckled and reached over before Zach could do so, undoing his seatbelt and helping him out. "No problem. Let's go have some fun."

Fun. That was a word Zachary wasn't used to hearing. At least not when directed to him. "Y-yes, that sounds good."

He had been so focused on just walking without tripping over his broken shoes that Zachary didn't notice where they were going until Orion held the door open for him and they stepped inside.

A thrift store.

He didn't expect it, but it made him feel so much better, and also a little cheated. The clothing wouldn't cost much at all, but he couldn't exactly donate it because they were literally buying it from the place you would donate it to! He cut a glare to Orion but the man was already busy stalking toward the junior's section.

Hmph. I'll get my revenge!

Until then... Zachary ran after him, stumbling a few times as he tripped in his shoes. Orion caught his last near-fall and immediately changed direction to the shoe area. When he finally caught up Orion already had two pairs of nearly-new tennis shoes pulled down, waiting for Zachary to try them on. He did just that after getting his own shoes untied. The first pair were black Nikes. He liked the way they looked, but they were a bit too tight. It would have been useless to buy them since he was likely going to grow just from the insane amount of dinner and breakfast he'd already eaten. The next pair, while so bright red that they almost seemed pink, actually fit really well and had some room to grow into.

"I really like these," Orion mumbled as he suddenly appeared kneeling down in front of Zachary. His sure fingers felt the tips of the shoes. "Wiggle your toes, Zachary."

He did as told, feeling his big toes tap against Orion's fingers. "Perfect. I think they're keepers, you like them?" He asked, making Zach nod immediately.

"Great. Keep them on, we'll pay for everything once we're done."

He felt odd wearing something he hadn't bought yet, but when Orion got up, taking his old shoes with him, Zach quickly hopped up and followed. The new shoes felt amazing on his feet, but not being used to real shoes, he found himself stumbling and over-striding more than a few times. It was a relief when they finally made it to the clothing rack of jeans. The idea of actually looking through all of the clothing made his head spin, so he guessed it was good that Orion seemed to know exactly what he was looking for.

Zachary waited and watched, holding whatever was passed to him before they moved on to the shirts, then shorts. By the time they were standing in the dressing room Orion had to help Zach remove the mountain of clothing from his arms so that he could actually begin trying things on. The woman helping with the dressing rooms eyed them when they asked for a room and Orion went in with him, but she kept her mouth shut about it. It was a relief, because he was honestly embarrassed when Orion got all of the stuff hung up on different hooks, then turned to him expectantly.

It's okay. We're both guys and we've already seen each other naked...

Pursing his lips nervously, Zachary quickly tugged off his shirt, then undid the knot on his shorts to allow them to drop to the floor.

"Here, put these on," Orion said, offering him a pair of boxers from a pack he'd taken from a rack. They had been sealed, so Zach didn't hesitate to tug them on. They made him feel much better about being in the dressing room with Orion, too, allowing him to begin to go through the clothing. He did the shorts first, since those were the easiest to determined whether they fit or not. Once he was finished with them, he moved onto the shirts. Most of them were too big, but Orion refused to hear that excuse as he kept telling him that he'll easily grow into them.

Zachary couldn't even find a reason to argue once Orion made his decision, so he finished trying on the remaining shirts, then stared at the pants when he had finally pulled the shirt he'd borrowed from Orion back on.

"Time for the pants." Orion said with a snicker. Zachary rolled his eyes but began tugging them on and off. Most were jeans, which he preferred for their durability. When he got about three pairs in Orion suddenly grabbed the top hem and slid his thumbs inside.

"I love these and they seem to fit perfectly. Lift your shirt and turn, please?"

Zachary glanced up, getting another "Please?" before doing as told. It took all of his focus to not move when Orion's fingers skimmed his skin. He had to be doing it slowly on purpose because it didn't take two minutes to check jeans! In fact...

"You're doing that on purpose."

Orion's fingers paused and he glanced up, having knelt to check the jeans. Without an ounce of hesitation he smirked and winked. "One hundred percent. Though I did check the jeans, and they fit like a glove and look great."

"R-really?"

Sure he was a bit embarrassed to have Orion touching him, but did he really think the jeans looked good on him? He hadn't had anything look good on him in forever... and even when he did, his parents and friends had barely noted it. Hearing it from Orion actually made him feel good. Great, even.

"Yes, definitely. They look really good."

The praise warmed Zach's heart, making him blink a few times to keep tears from his eyes. He had no doubt that the older man noticed, but thankfully Orion ignored it and instead got another pair of pants from a hanger and held them up. Zachary took the hint and shimmied out of his definite pair of new jeans, but when he reached up to take the other jeans, Orion turned them around, getting a blush from Zachary.

"There's slashes all over them..." Especially on the butt, though they at least looked stylish. There was no way he could see himself wearing them! He was about to toss them aside, since they were useless in any practical situation, but when Orion raised his brows suggestively, Zachary knew that he was going to have to try them on.

At least I've got boxers on.

Reminding himself of that, he took the pants and carefully pulled them on. Or at least up to his knees. They were tight, obviously not fitting. Zach was about to take them off, relieved, but then Orion's hands were on the jeans and tugging them up a few careful jerks at a time. Because the pants were so tight, when Orion finally got them fitted around his hips, Zachary's boxers had ridden up to the point where his bare backside was the only thing visible in the slashes on the back of the pants. He knew it and felt uncomfortable immediately, wanting to take the pants off. The only thing that stopped him was the look on Orion's face as the man looked in the mirror over Zach's shoulder, obviously staring.

"O-Orion?"

Zachary made sure to whisper, not wanting anyone standing outside of the tiny dressing room to hear him. Orion looked like he was struggling with himself, a faint sheen of sweat forming on his brow before it was quickly swiped away by a shaky hand. When he managed to get ahold of himself he slowly leaned over and tugged Zachary into an awkward hug, burying his nose in his neck.

"Please." Orion whispered, the vibrations the word caused against his skin making Zachary shiver.

"Please just say Mas--- Orion, you can touch, just a little."

The sheer need in his voice stunned Zach. He swallowed and shakily raised his hands up to place one on each of Orion's shoulders.

"Y-you want to touch me?"

It was a foreign thought to him, just like when Orion had told him the previous pair of pants had looked good on him. There was no hesitation with the man's answer, though, just like before. "Desperately."

That's all he'd needed to hear. If someone could take him in, feed him, and overlook the fact that he looked like someone who had lived on the streets for years, which he had, then the least he could do was trust him. The only thing Orion had ever done that was a tiny bit odd was putting the collar on him, but he took it right off when Zachary had asked him to, so he couldn't think of a reason to decline him such a simple request.

"Okay... y-you can."

He didn't expect him to say anything else, as he had been given the 'okay', but while he did feel Orion's hand begin to slowly descend down his back, the man also spoke. "How much? I need specifics, Zachary."

Not really able to think, Zach muttered "A-a little?"

Orion chuckled and nodded, then rested his chin on Zachary's shoulder as his left hand finally lowered to rest overtop the cut fabric. While he was barely adding any pressure, Zach felt himself stiffen slightly, not used to having anyone touch him in such a personal area. Or at all, really. There was a very light tap before Orion moved his hand, surprising Zachary with how fast he ended the contact. When Orion leaned back, Zach didn't hesitate to meet his eyes this time, curious.

"Thank you, Zachary. Those pants look amazing on you and I'm really happy that you let me touch."

Blushing, Zach nodded, then let Orion help him out of the tight pants before returning to trying on the others. He got through about three pairs when Orion spoke again. "If something happens like that again, I want you to choose a word that lets me know that you don't want the attention to continue. No is too common a word, so pick something random you know will catch my attention right away, okay?"

It was an odd request, but he supposed it made sense. Zachary spent the next few minutes trying on pants and thinking, then, finally, pulled his borrowed shorts back on and turned on Orion.

"Waffles."