Knocking on Xena's office door was so much harder right then than it had been at any other time in his life. But you have to do this. Zachary is everything you've always wanted and you were about to drop him off early in order to go find some damn meth. Just the thought of the drug sent a shiver down his spine. Disgusted, he shoved her door open, not waiting for her to answer it, even though he knew she hated when people just barged in.

When he stepped inside she was already standing, a glare on her face though he knew it wouldn't last. He quickly turned and shut the door, locking it, then moved to take a seat in the only chair across from her large wooden desk. Thankfully Xena noticed his tense posture and understood he had something important to say that shouldn't be interrupted. His leg leg bounced slightly as he tried to find the words he'd practiced over and over again in his head, but they were all missing.

Dammit.

"You're having withdrawals, hun."

Orion's head jerked up, eyes wide and worried as his leg continued to tick out a rhythm on the hardwood floor with the heel of his boot. When Xena just set her hands in her lap and waited, Orion grabbed his hair and pulled, hard. "Zachary is helping so much. He knows. It's so obvious sometimes, but I almost dropped him off early from our date! The one we've been planning for the past two days! Just so that I could get some damned drugs!"

The room quieted as he finished speaking. The only thing audible to either of them, his heavy panting as he tried to regain control. They sat that way for several seconds until Xena calmly spoke.

"What would you like to do, Orion? I know Zachary means a lot to you..."

"He's my boy. I-I can't believe I even considered doing drugs again with such a sweet guy by my side. I don't need them, I have him!"

"Then he needs to be your grounding thought. You know that you're an uncaring asshole when you do drugs. Do you think Zachary is going to stay if you treat him like that?"

Of course not. He wouldn't expect him to, or want him to. Zachary deserved better than what he had been like in the past. When he'd spent his days doing drugs, or doing anything he could to get them.

"No."

"I think maybe getting away from this place for a little while might help you get your control back. You have plenty of paid vacation time and since Zachary has been working his butt off since I hired him, I'll let you take him with you, too."

A vacation. That actually did sound really nice.

"Okay. I think that would do me some good."

Pushing the chair back from the desk, Orion stood and gave Xena a reassuring smile. "Zachary is gonna be so excited!"

She nodded, grinning at him before flicking her wrist towards the door. "Get going, you. Pack up your handcuffs and leather thong and go wow your guy at some resort or something."

Orion stepped over to the door and unlocked it, but instead of walking out right away he glanced over his shoulder. "I don't have a leather thong... but that would look amazing on Zach." Xena shook her head, heaving a sigh before Orion darted from the room, not wanting to risk having something thrown at him.

Wonder where I can get a leather thong.

"Hey Orion."

Stopping abruptly in the hall, Orion turned, only to grin as Zachary came walking over to him. Resisting hugging him, Orion greeted him with a smile, then gestured for him to follow. The place had just opened a few moments ago so there weren't many patrons yet. When they stepped into his room and the door slid shut Orion couldn't help but turn around and tug his boy into his arms.

"Xena said we needed to take a vacation."

The look on Zach's face was adorable and quite humorous. "A... vacation? But I only just started here. And don't they need us?"

"David is already back in the kitchen, though George doesn't seem to like it. Xena will probably take over washing dishes until we're back, but since it was an order, we can't exactly argue."

Orion winked after he finished speaking, getting a confused blush out of Zachary.

"Oh... okay. Um, where are we going?"

Er. Um. To bed for several days?

Grinning to himself, Orion shrugged and walked to the closet to tug out a large red suitcase. He had three, but he wanted their things to be packed together. Tossing it on the bed, he unzipped it, then looked over at Zachary.

"Pack for four days, okay?"

Nodding, Zach grabbed four pairs of boxers and socks and set them next to the suitcase, then stared up at Orion. "Would you like to pick what I bring, Master Orion?"

He knew. Of course he knew. It was impossible not to see the signs of withdrawal after living on the streets for so long. He wanted Orion to tell him outright that he was having trouble still, but at the same time he understood that he couldn't. It was hard, and being in a position where you were normally the one others leaned on, then suddenly feeling weak? Zachary understood. In all honesty, he didn't need nor want a vacation, but if it would be with Orion, and help him, then it was worth it.

"Yes please, sweetheart." Orion replied as he leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to Zach's forehead, then turned and walked into the closet. Not knowing what else to do, Zach followed, watching as Orion meticulously chose different shirts and pants for him. He did notice Orion grabbing the pair of slashed pants, but didn't comment. If showing a little skin would make him not think about getting a fix, then he would gladly wear them for him.

"Will you pick out one of the outfits please, Zachary?"

Nodding, Zach began reaching for clothing. His hand was caught gently in Orion's, making him pause and look up at the man. "Let me turn around. It's a simple thing and I don't want you to pick anything that won't be uncomfortable, but I'd like you to choose something I won't see until you wear it."

"Oh. Okay." Zach said with a small smile. He waited for Orion to turn, then quickly grabbed down his favorite outfit and went to pack it away in the suitcase, then added his boxers and socks overtop of it so that Orion wouldn't see.

"Alright." He called back. A moment later Orion was beside him, setting his other clothing in the suitcase before turning and grabbing his own outfits. While Orion was busy Zachary slipped the book they'd been reading together beneath his own clothing, Orion's laptop, then added a pair of handcuffs he knew were in the nightstand drawer.

"You look like you just stole a strawberry," Orion chided as he set his things in the suitcase. Zachary licked his lips and shrugged. "I wouldn't call them strawberries?"

The slight joke had a little spark light in Orion's eyes, making Zachary smile impishly.

"Alright. I'm sure whatever you sneaked in will be the most innocent of things."

"Of course." Zachary chimed as they zipped the suitcase, him holding the top down as Orion worked the stubborn zipper. "There. Let's get the hell outta here, eh? Grab your coat, and do you have your wallet on you?"

Zachary nodded as he ran over to where he'd tossed his coat on the edge of the bed and pulled it on. When Orion got his own on and grabbed the suitcase, he grasped Zach's hand with his free one and promptly tugged him out of the room, then out into the chilly evening. Their feet crunched on the settled snow out on the sidewalk before Orion stepped in front of him and opened the car door. Zachary thanked him as he slipped into his seat and buckled up, allowing Orion to shut his door before he walked around to put the suitcase in the trunk, then get in and start up the car and heater.

"So," Orion said as he pulled out into traffic heading toward the interstate. "Since this hadn't exactly been planned, wanna just drive and stop whenever we see something interesting during our random vacation?"

It was pretty random, but Zachary wasn't picky. "Sure." He said as he settled back in his seat and began watching out the window. Snow twinkled down from a cloudy sky, dancing along the slight breeze before settling on the ground. He was so used to sitting outside in that snow. Feeling it drift down to land atop his hair.

He remained lost in his memories until he felt Orion's warm hand settle overtop his left one and squeeze gently. Zachary returned the gesture and closed his eyes as a yawn took over.

Just a quick nap.

"Hey sweetheart. Your belly's been growling for the last hour. So, wanna open those pretty eyes and get some dinner with me before we find our hotel?" Without much thought Zachary nodded, getting a kiss as a reward before his seatbelt was unbuckled and he was helped out. The chill of the night's cold brought him around quite fast. He blinked a few times, wiping the blur of sleep from his vision as he looked up at the sign hanging on the restaurant in front of him.

Bob's BBQ Joint.

"I love barbecue!" He said in a surprisingly excited, yet slightly slurred voice.

"I'm glad," Orion replied as he settled his hand on Zach's shoulder and began leading him up the steps and into the restaurant. It was comfortably warm, but with his stomach grumbling at him hungrily, Zachary knew better then to let himself slip into slumber again. Instead, he ordered a sugary iced tea after they were seated and made sure to take a few good sips of the cool drink to help wake himself up.

"Your hair is adorably messed up," Orion said as he tried to hide his grin behind the menu he now held up across from Zach. Grumbling under his breath, Zachary reached up and tried to flatten his hair, but he already knew that it was useless. Foregoing wasting time when he was hungry, he instead grabbed the menu their waiter had placed in front of him and immediately saw what he wanted.

When the waiter returned a moment later he quickly told him his order. "I want the pulled pork sandwich with the two sides as macaroni and cheese and corn nuggets."

Orion eyed him, surprised that he'd ordered so much, but eh, Zachary felt like being a little piggy. He was on vacation, after all. He could afford to eat himself into a coma because there was no need to wake up early to help with prep. Orion seemed to realize that and smiled as he gave his order of a platter of ribs, french fries, and baked beans with bacon. When the waiter walked away with their menus Orion darted around the table and slid into the booth next to him, nudging Zachary over a bit with his thigh so that he could fit. "Hey there, cutie."

Zach rolled his eyes and grabbed his tea as Orion moved his own drink to their side. "Hey yourself, muscles." Orion smirked, taking a sip of his drink, likely to keep from saying something that wasn't appropriate for the restaurant.

"So, the signs along the road said that there was a nice hotel about ten miles ahead at the exit. Want to crash there tonight and then drive around like lost tourists looking for stuff to do tomorrow?"

Zachary nodded. "That sounds good."

Considering the restaurant wasn't very busy, their meals were out in about fifteen minutes more of random banter. It might have just been simple talk, but the entire time Orion hadn't looked stressed or awkward, which left Zachary content. Zach ate a little faster than he normally would, but it was delicious! He could feel Orion's eyes on him every few bites but he couldn't slow down until he was halfway through the sandwich and the corn nuggets were completely gone. Once he'd taken a sip of his drink and sighed with relief as his stomach settled, Zachary finally looked up to see Orion staring down at him with slightly watery eyes.

He was going to ask what was wrong, but before he could Orion reached over and gently cupped his cheek with a warm hand. "I'm so glad that you're eating a lot."

Oh. Of course he would be happy that I'm eating a lot. I'm still pretty underweight for my age.

Smiling, Zach turned and pressed a soft kiss to Orion's palm before licking it outright. They both laughed, the tension broken in an instant. Zachary went back to his food, finishing everything before Orion was even halfway done. Of course, the guy didn't surprise him in the least when he slid some of his ribs onto his plate. Zachary ate them without comment, continuing when Orion added french fries and some beans, too. By the time Orion's plate was empty like his, Zachary felt more than a little chubby. His belly was even bloated from the food!

"You're gonna make me fat," he mumbled quietly as Orion paid the bill, then helped him out of the booth with a hand that he refused to release once Zach was standing.

"Oh? Is barbecue your weakness?"

Zachary yawned after he descended the steps outside, grateful for the chilly air on his flushed skin. "Mm, yeah."

"I'll have to remember that," Orion said as he got the car door for Zach and held his hand until he slid in. Feeling more sleep than before, Zachary was grateful for the help. Once Orion slipped into his seat and got the car started, but didn't put it in drive, Zach glanced over.

"You look like you're already about to pass out again, sweetheart," Orion whispered as he reached over to press his palm against Zach's cheek. "Can I get a goodnight kiss before you leave me for your dreams? I'll carry you to bed if you do." He said with a heartwarming grin on his face.

Just seeing Orion looking so happy had Zachary forcing down his need for sleep and scooting over into the man's lap. Orion initiated the kiss and Zach did his best to match the slow but sensual pace. He felt hands on his sides and wiggled slightly, sighing when the action had Orion's fingers tightening gently. When the kiss finally broke they were panting softly, their breath mixing with the scent of their meal.

"Orion?" Zachary mumbled, trying to fight a yawn.

"Hmm?" He answered as he began to rub up and down Zach's back. Smiling sleepily, Zachary reached up and wrapped his arms around Orion's neck before snuggling into its crook. "I love you and I'm proud of you. And if you ever need me to say that again at a certain moment, I'll be more than happy to, m'kay?"

"M'kay, sleepyhead." Orion whispered as he helped settle Zach back into his seat. Buckling his seatbelt, the man leaned over for one final kiss, then mussed up his hair before getting the car on the road. Zach managed to stay awake for a few short minutes before he fell into a deep sleep on Orion's soft whisper. "I appreciate it."