"Hey there, sweetheart," Orion said with a light purr to his voice. Zachary had heard him walk into the bathroom, glad that he hadn't been startled by the man's voice.

"Hey Master. Xena and I finished up while you were checking your room so I figured I'd take a shower and rinse off the tomato soup she'd managed to spill on my arms." Thankfully it hadn't gotten onto his new, or well, used, clothing.

"Ah," Orion said, but when he didn't leave Zachary grinned and shook his wet head back and forth before opening the shower door. "Come on, Master."

The grin that lit up the man's face as he quickly tugged off his shorts, boxers, and shirt, made Zachary smile. He backed up so that Orion had space, then calmly settled into his waiting arms once he had the door shut again. "That's my boy, I'm so proud of you for working so hard." He whispered against Zach's hair, making him give a quiet, content hum. Tilting his head up, he welcomed the chaste kiss he knew was coming from Orion.

"Zachary, before our shifts begin in a few hours, would you do me the honor of a... a short date?"

Immediately Orion straightened, his cheeks warming as he glanced sideways at the tile. After knowing the guy for several days, Zach caught the odd stutter and grinned, poking Orion's belly with a playful smile.

"I'd love to, Master."

Orion turned back to him with excitement in his eyes before he scooped Zachary up. "Awesome! I know you'll love it!"

Ah, so he's already got something planned? Zachary thought to himself as he quickly scrubbed at his body while Orion finished with his hair. Since Orion didn't seem to want to actually wash, because he'd already taken a shower earlier, they both got out at the same time and headed to the closet to get dressed. What Zachary saw inside both surprised him and warmed his heart.

He hung up all of my clothing that he bought for me... right next to his own.

"Zachary?"

Zach looked up with a curious smile, not the least bit worried that he was still standing in front of Orion naked. He trusted the man, so he had no reason to worry.

"May I choose your clothing for the day?"

Considering he wasn't even used to switching his outfit more than once a year, Zachary agreed without a second of hesitation. "Yes please, Master."

Orion set his hand atop Zach's head and then leaned over to steal a quick kiss from his cheek. "Thank you, sweetheart. You make me very happy."

Zachary blushed at his words and followed Orion into the closet, standing quietly until he was handed a pair of dark red boxers, which he slid on immediately. Next, even though he could tell that Orion really wanted to pick out the inappropriate ripped jeans, he handed him a pair of black, form-fitting, but not skinny jeans. The shirt took him a bit longer, eventually ending up with him holding two different choices up to Zachary.

"Which one would you prefer, Zachary?"

Without a second though Zach grabbed the dark red one with black highlights and tugged it up and over his head before pulling on his shoes. "Yeah, definitely the right choice." Orion mused before he got himself dressed in a pair of blue boxers, worn blue jeans, a dark red tank top, and his normal pair of black boots. Zachary liked the outfit, a lot. It wasn't Orion's normal leather by any means, but the jeans hugged him in all the right places and the tank top was a perfect offset. Without really thinking his words through, Zachary said. "You are very handsome."

To his surprise, Orion reached over and picked him up, pressing a kiss to his nose before hugging him tightly against his chest. "And you're an angel, sweetheart. I'm very glad that you find me attractive, because if I haven't said it yet..." Zachary wrapped his legs around Orion's waist when the man paused, then realized he probably wanted to look him in the eyes. When they did meet, Orion continued with a warm smile. "I love you. Even though we've only known each other for a few days, I will do my best to keep you happy, healthy, and hopefully, mine."

Zachary was completely out of commission for a few moments as he hid his face in Orion's neck, trying to keep his blush from being too obvious. As if hiding wasn't. Orion let him get away with it though, but he didn't set him down as he toted him outside after grabbing his wallet and keys. They exited the storeroom door into the back alley and Orion carried him all the way until they got to his car. The drive took a few minutes and a few turns, bringing them to a part of town that Zachary wasn't familiar with. He'd been there a few times, but never found a reason to stay. When they turned into a long stretch of roadway leading back into a forested area, Zachary's curiosity piqued, but he bit back the questions on his tongue, not wanting to bother Orion.

When they finally pulled into a parking space, Zach looked around and easily spotted a large multi-court play area. When Orion helped him from the passenger's side and then walked around to grab a basketball from the trunk, Zachary fidgeted. Orion caught it, of course, but he just smiled and tucked the ball under his arm, then offered Zach a hand. "Come on, sweetheart."

Zachary took it, though he wasn't very interested in making himself look like a fool playing basketball. Jeans weren't exactly the correct thing to wear, too, though he assumed the dresscode was because of the cool weather. When they got onto the court he stared up at one of the hoops warily.

"Head's up, sweetheart."

Turning, Zachary got his arms up just in time to catch the ball Orion had tossed to him.

"Show me what you've got?" He asked with a goading grin.

I don't have much, but here goes nothing... literally.

Grasping the ball tightly for a moment, Zachary took a deep breath and then began to dribble towards the hoop Orion was now guarding. His first shot was easily blocked, but when Orion tossed him the ball back, Zachary pursed his lips and focused on a second try. It, too, was blocked, but not strictly because it was a bad shot, but because Zachary got distracted when several guys walked onto the courts. He immediately straightened, not very comfortable with the sudden intrusion.

"Hey there, Orion," one of the guys called as he walked over. The two exchanges half-hugs where they patted each others backs briefly, then all five sets of eyes turned to Zach briefly, making him want to shrink back into the bushes beyond the wire fence surrounding the courts.

"Hey Donald, nice to see you again. Wanna play some?"

Zachary felt his face flush, worried about playing a game he was barely able to fake being okay at. And with other people, to add to it.

"Sure," Donald replied right away, grinning at Orion before giving Zachary a smile and splitting his friends into teams. They ended up with one guy named Mark, while the other three made up the other team. When the game started Zachary was a bundle of nerves. He tried his best passing the ball to Orion or Mark, but he didn't dare shoot because he was always guarded by someone far taller than himself.

When they decided to take a break Zachary made his way over to Orion, but couldn't really figure out what he wanted to do. He originally wanted to pretend that he was too tired to finish the match after the break, but he couldn't help but feel that doing it that way would be wrong. Orion was having so much fun, and even if he wasn't, he shouldn't lie to him. So, Zachary grabbed Orion's hand and tugged him away from the group regathering for the second half of the game. When he was sure they were far enough away to be able to talk, he forced himself to look up and meet Orion's excited eyes.

Darn it. He's eager to play more... but don't lie. Don't lie.

"Orion I... I'm having fun."

Orion seemed a bit surprised by Zachary's words, but smiled and rustled his hair when they were called back to continue the game. "I'm glad. Let's go finish them off, eh?"

Feeling absolutely terrible, Zachary nodded and followed. They played for another twenty minutes before Orion suddenly told the group that they both had to go. Zachary was relieved, but at the same time he was jittery and stressed to the point of feeling sick to his stomach. When they both slid into the car they remained silent, but as soon as Orion drove a little further into the park and stopped the car, putting on the parking brake, Zachary just fell apart. He snapped his seatbelt off and literally climbed into Orion's lap. His tears ran down Orion's muscular chest and soaked part of his tank top. He cried for nearly five minutes before forcing himself to sit back against the steering wheel and look up at Orion.

"Zachary."

His tone was serious. Crap. Even when Orion lifted his finger to swipe at a stray tear, Zachary knew he was upset.

"What should you have told me right from the beginning, Zachary?"

"That I-I wasn't good a-at basketball."

Orion shook his head slowly and pressed his palm against Zachary's left cheek, making Zach lean into it out of instinct for his touch.

"You're getting more stressed, sweetheart. I'm not mad, just a little upset that you're not telling me the truth."

The uncomfortable feelings in his stomach clenched to an unbearable tightness and Zachary forced himself to speak, though many of his words came out slurred from worry. "I-I'm not good at basketball a-and I wasn't having f-fun."

The second the words were out of his mouth he sagged against Orion's chest, hiccuping as he grabbed at the man's tank top, silently begging for some kind of comfort. He had never felt so frustrated with himself as he did right then. He wasn't a baby and he didn't need someone to tell him that it was okay and to give him attention, but ever since he met Orion the feeling of just needing to be something to him wouldn't leave him alone. Orion was an amazing person, and he hadn't done a single thing wrong, but Zachary just couldn't handle it right then. Going from nothing to suddenly having someone nearly worship you? It was too much.

"Talk to me, Zachary. There's something else. Don't be afraid to tell me."

Swallowing hard, Zachary sniffled one last time and licked his dry lips. "I-I think I need t-to go back."

Orion tilted his head and looked down at him, but Zachary refused to look up at him as he continued to speak. "I'm o-overwhelmed. I-I think tonight, a-after work..."

Tightening his hold on him, Orion pressed several kisses to his soft hair, trying to urge him on. What he heard, however, Zachary knew he didn't like considering how much his arms strengthened around him further.

"I think I need to go back to my alley for the night."