"Welcome back," Xena said as she saw Orion carrying Zachary through one of the side entrances behind the kitchen. He rarely used it, but there were people hanging out near the entrance to the alley that he didn't want to bother with.

Xena watched him as he strode inside, a stupid grin plastered on his face. He was almost glowing with... "You just did your boyfriend, didn't you?" She asked, making his grin shrink a little, if only for Zachary's sake.

The signal was sent loud and clear, however, making Xena shake her head as she finished scrubbing a dish and set it aside to dry. "Normally I'd make fun of you for being such a weird dork with your leather and control issues, but..." Her eyes rose to his and then lowered to Zachary's sleeping face for a brief moment before returning to Orion's. "He really likes you, so I'm glad that you two finally sealed the deal."

Of course, the collar kind of sealed it in concern to the BDSM community, but Orion knew what she meant. He squeezed Zachary a little more in his arms and nuzzled his nose into his soft hair. "I'm glad, too. We've been going out for a bit, but I didn't want to push him into it. He's had it rough, and I almost lost him because of my stupidity. I'm so glad that I snapped out of it fast. He's mine and he'll never be back on the streets."

Xena laughed quietly and walked over, tugging at the collar around Zach's neck lightly. "He deserves you, too, you know? I've seen him outside here a few times talking to George. I knew he was homeless after the first few times seeing him, but he never stuck around for long when the line to get in grew."

She smiled up at him, but Orion was having trouble focusing since her fingers were still on Zachary's collar. On his adorable submissive's collar.

"Oh don't give me that look. No need to be jealous or guarded. He's all yours, Master. Besides, you need him as much as he needs you, so get your butt to bed cause you both still have to work tomorrow."

Orion shook his head and hurried out of the kitchen, then back to their room. Once he got Zachary tucked into bed, he spent the next several hours studying. Zach had already told him that he'd gotten his work done earlier in the week, so Orion wanted to be sure that he was caught up. The semester wasn't going to be over for awhile, but he wanted to be sure that they were both near the same point so that they could help each other when needed.

It wasn't until two or three hours after he'd put Zachary to bed that he felt the bed shift a little and looked up. His love was leaning back against the pillows they had propped up near the headboard, a sleepy yet-content smile on his face. His hair was mussed, just begging for Orion to run his fingers through it.

Needs a haircut... another day. He thought as he set aside the laptop and crawled on his hands and knees until he was sitting flush against Zach, one arm reaching around to settle on his shoulders as his fingers teased the soft strands of hair that fell near Zach's right ear. When Zachary leaned against him, Orion hurried to move his head until it rested atop his, then sighed, content.

"Were you catching up on your homework?" Zach asked after a few minutes of silence between them.

Orion nodded, loving the feel of Zach's soft hair as it brushed against his cheek.

"Hey Orion?" Zachary asked quietly, making Orion blink open his tired eyes and lean back just enough so that he could see his face.

"Yeah, Sweetheart?"

"We um, haven't read from your book in awhile." He said.

Orion blinked, realizing that Zach was right. There were still some chapters left and, in most of the situations he found himself in with subs, those were the important chapters. But...

"I don't think we need to read anymore of that."

Grinning, he reached over and tugged Zachary into his lap and hugged him tight, Zach's back against his chest. "I think our relationship is just right as it is."

Zachary chuckled and leaned his head back, then tilted it so that he could look up at Orion and grin. "Is that so?" He asked, a hint of mischief in his beautiful eyes.

Orion raised a brow, smiling even though he was a bit confused by Zachary's behavior.

"Yes?" He asked, a little nervous all of a sudden.

When Zachary's grin widened, Orion felt his insides begin to melt while at the same time twist into an awkward knot.

"Master, how much control do you want?" He asked, taking Orion by surprise again.

It took him a minute to come up with an answer. "What do you mean? In terms of our relationship?"

Zach seemed to realize that he was having trouble figuring things out, and probably that he was a little confused, because he carefully turned around and straddled Orion's lap. Looking up, Zachary smiled a little bigger, then spoke. "How much control did you use earlier?"

Orion pursed his lips, thinking back to the only situation earlier could be.

"Not much." He answered.

Zachary leaned forward, pressing himself closer and making Orion tighten his arms around him instinctively. "How much do you want in that type of situation?" He asked quietly as he turned his head to rest the side of his face against Orion's chest.

The question had Orion's heart stumbling over itself. He was afraid that if he answered truthfully, he might scare Zachary away. The thought of his Sweetheart no longer wanting him hurt a lot more than he'd ever want to admit, but he also knew that trust was a big part of what they had.

"A lot."

Zachary nodded, but didn't run. Orion couldn't help sighing in relief.

"How much is a lot?" Zach asked.

The question made Orion smile. If Zachary hadn't run away already, hopefully he wouldn't with any other answer he gave.

"I want you tied up. No shirt or pants. Just leather and gorgeous skin." He purred as he pressed soft kisses to Zach's face. His Sweetheart chuckled, making his own smile stretch a little wider.

"And a blindfold, yes?" Zach added, making Orion laugh quietly.

"Yes, Sweetheart. Definitely a blindfold, but I think I might get used to seeing your beautiful eyes more and more during that."

Zachary snuggled in closer and Orion carefully shifted them so that they were lying down, the blanket tucked up near their chins.

"Okay. I'm willing to work to get to that point, if you're willing to work with me." Zach whispered, ending his words with a yawn.

Orion had to close his eyes to keep them from watering. When he felt a gentle kiss press to each, he opened them and sniffed quietly.

"I love you, Orion. I want to be able to give you what you want. To give you the control. I'll just need help getting to that point..."

When Zach's words drew into silence Orion hurried to speak. "I-I love you, too, Sweetheart. So much. And I can't think of anything I want more than to be with you and help you each step you take as my beautiful submissive."

Orion expected some type of reply, but when soft, adorable snores met his ears in the dim room, he grinned. We're still in our clothes, but at least I took his shoes off before he got in bed and I slid my own off. Since the laptop he'd been using already looked like it was in sleep mode, he just gave a quiet yawn, then settled in with Zachary in his arms and closed his eyes.