Mini golf definitely wasn't his thing. Zachary forced himself not to throw his club like that actor in Happy Gilmore. His parents used to watch that movie every Christmas, why, he had no clue. The specific part with the mini golf was what he always remembered... and he should have taken it as a warning not to try it. He'd already tried putting his way through six holes and failed miserably, then when Orion stepped into the green area to try and help direct him, he hit the poor guy in the shin with his ball.

"This is hopeless..." Zachary mumbled. He wasn't one to just quit, but considering Orion's limp and his terribly high score on their card, he had a feeling golf really wasn't his sport.

"As much as I'm against being negative, my ankle is begging me to agree." Orion said with a half-smile as he walked over and put his arm around Zach, leading him back towards the small building they entered the course from so that they could return their clubs and pencils.

"Hmm, hey Orion?" Zachary asked, looking up after they ducked inside the small entry building.

"Yes, Zachary?" Orion replied as he set his club in its holder, then took Zach's and placed it next to it. They both dropped their pencils in the box for them on the counter before stepping outside and throwing out their score paper.

"Doesn't the hotel we're staying at have an inside pool?"

Orion got the car unlocked and held open the door for him as he nodded. "Yeah, they do." He waited until they were both seated in the car and getting it turned on before looking over at Zach again. "You wanna go swimming?"

Pushing back his nervousness, Zachary nodded. "Yeah, I think it would be fun. Since it's inside, it should be heated, too."

Orion grinned as he got them back onto the highway headed towards their hotel. "True. Sounds like a plan. I think they have swimsuits in their giftshop, too, so we can just grab two before heading to the pool."

"Sounds good."

Well, it had sounded good. Getting the swimsuits wasn't a problem, as the giftshop did have several different ones to choose from. Zach let Orion pick his out, of course, not minding relinquishing the option at all. He actually liked the zebra-striped pair of trunks Orion decided on, matching them with his pair of tiger ones. The hotel even had a small locker room to change in by the pool. The real problem was when Zachary actually got close to the water and his fear shoved past the barrier he had put up to try and keep it at bay. He couldn't swim.

Orion slipped into the water seamlessly, his body relaxing as he slowly moved backwards in the water. Zachary wanted to follow, desperately. Those big strong arms called to him. He belonged there, but he couldn't even make himself move down onto the first step, the one that only had an inch of water on it.

"Hey sweetheart," Orion whispered as he reached up with one welcoming hand, startling Zach.

When had he swum back over?

Now he sat on the second step, the water halfway up his chest, looking completely comfortable in the water... and delicious. Droplets of water slowly meandered down his bare chest, the faint marks from his leather work uniform no longer visible on his smooth skin. When his fingers wiggled playfully Zachary couldn't help but take a step closer. No one else was in the pool area, thankfully, but people were the least of his worries. That water just didn't look as great as he'd imagined it in his mind earlier. He wouldn't let his worry keep him from Orion, though. With a bit of forced renewed vigor, he took that last big step to put him at the edge of the pool.

The smile that slid across Orion's lips spurred him on a little further after he recollected himself. Before Zachary knew it he was standing on the first step, hands clenched in a death-grip around the railing leading down into the water. He knew it was stupid to be afraid, especially of an inch of water, but after having an accident at the pool when he was five, swimming had been shoved to the back of his mind and the will to learn, locked away. Until now. He reminded himself. After all of the years watching other people enjoy swimming, he wanted to try. He really, really did.

"I'm proud of you, sweetheart. You're doing really well."

Zachary licked his lips and gave a jerky nod, glad for the words, but even more glad that Orion wasn't touching him. Not that he didn't like it, but in his current situation his mind would immediately think that he was trying to help him into the water, and that would only flip a panic switch. He took a full five minutes to make himself slowly, ever so slowly, move down to sit on the top step. That, of course, forced his legs down so that his feet landed on the third step. Almost immediately his legs began to lift in the water, making him want to shift his weight as his nerves kicked up.

"It's okay. It's normal for the water to lift you slightly."

Zach nodded, but kept his grip firm on the silver rail. He felt Orion move before he saw him, looking up from the fluctuating surface of the water to see the man move about five feet away.

"Have you ever seen a dog swim, Zachary?" Orion asked, standing up where he was so that the water was only up to his waist.

It's not that deep there...

"Y-yes." Zach mumbled.

"Good. Okay, I want you to think about how a dog swims. Using all four of their legs, right?"

Zachary nodded, trying to calm his breathing.

"Try to do that to get to me."

Zach's eyes bulged, making Orion frown as he moved closer and reached up.

"Okay, will you hold onto me instead? No swimming at all, just... give me a tight hug?"

It was a reasonable request. That's what Zachary kept telling himself as he slowly uncurled one finger at a time from the railing they felt like they were glued to. When he was done to just his thumbs, he bit down on his lip hard, then jumped. Of course he slipped on the thin layer of water on the upper step he'd moved back up to for the jump, but before he could even come closer to going under, Orion was there.

Strong arms. Check. Soft lips on neck. Check. Terror subsiding. Check.

"Good boy, good boy, good boy. You did it. You're okay, sweetheart. I've got you."

Zachary reached up to wrap his arms around Orion's neck, quickly following them with his legs around the man's waist. With his chest pressed firmly against Orion's, he had no doubt that the man could feel his heartbeat slamming against his warm skin.

They were still for a long while, exactly how long, Zach wasn't sure. It was long enough to allow him to calm down, though, which made all the difference. Curiosity eventually overwhelmed his ebbing worry and he gingerly peaked open his eyes to glance at the large expanse of water over Orion's strong back.

"Th-this was a-a bad idea," he mumbled, feeling his heart begin to stumble through his chest again.

"Actually, Zach, I'm really glad that you decided on this." Orion said as he tilted his head so he could nuzzle against his hair.

"Why?" Zachary replied with a quiet whisper.

"Swimming is very important. You may never use the skill after you learn it, but you also might find yourself in a situation where knowing how to swim can save your life. And I will do anything I can, even if it worries you some when learning it, to give you any skills I can to prevent you from being in danger if a situation ever does arise. Because you'll know how to get yourself out of it."

Wow...

Zachary was surprised, but also a little envious. Orion was so mature and said exactly what he meant. And he cared about him. Not just said things he didn't mean or wouldn't back up.

He really cares a lot about me.

Determination welled up in his belly and before he could scare himself out of it, Zachary slowly began climbing down from Orion's arms. Thankfully, the man never truly let go of him, but when his toes finally hit the bottom of the pool he couldn't help but hop. Literally. He felt awkwardly off-balance with his body so light. He bounced up and down three times before Orion's hands, having moved to his waist, carefully slowed him until he stood still in the water. Zach made sure he had a solid grip on Orion's forearms, just in case, but when he looked up at Orion, he knew he'd done it. His heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest, but he'd done it! He was actually standing in a swimming pool!

"I'm in a pool!" He half-shouted, just in case Orion didn't notice. 

"You are!" Orion said cheerfully as he began to move backwards. Zachary didn't even notice that he was being moved into deeper water, his legs lifting to drift behind him while Orion moved. "I've been so afraid for so long. I had a really bad fall into the pool when I was a kid. I almost drowned and now, I'm in a pool!"

"You are, sweetheart. Kick your legs for me a bit, splash us."

Zach obliged with a smirk, kicking his legs enough to send water raining down on them. They both laughed at it and Orion reached up to muss up Zachary's hair. "That all you got?"

"Hmph! I'll show you!" Zach growled playfully as he kicked like crazy, moving his right hand through the water as Orion continued to try and mess up his hair with his left one. When Orion leaned over and stole an abrupt kiss, Zachary took a deep breath and kicked hard, sending him up against the other man so that he could wrap his free arm around Orion's neck and steal a much longer, aggressive kiss. He moved his other hand up to press against Orion's cheek, kicking his legs slowly as he enjoyed his lips.

"Look behind you, sweetheart."

Zach didn't want to stop kissing, but he didn't want to disobey such a simple request, either. So he looked over his shoulder... and realized that he was all the way across the pool in the deep end with Orion. Fear surged through his body, but relief came right after it, putting out the fire of worry.

I got out here with just a little help from Orion. I did.

He forced himself to remember everything he'd done for the past several minutes. Regulated his breathing. Kicked just enough to keep himself steady. Paddled with his front legs so his head stayed just above the water. He probably looked a bit funny, since his butt felt like it was a bit too high and his chin was dipping below the water's surface every few seconds, but who cares!

"I'm swimming!"

Zachary dipped beneath the water right as he said that, but Orion's strong arms easily brought him back up as he moved them over to the shallower area. Zach stood as soon as he could, spitting out a bit of water with a big grin on his face.

"So, wanna chalk this up to a win and go shower?" Orion asked, figuring out that even with the accomplishment, Zach was ready to call it and rest.

"Yeah, that sounds good."

They briefly considered using the one in the locker room area, but instead decided to grab their stuff and run up to their own room. It was a good idea, because they would have likely gotten in trouble if anyone found them making out as much as they currently were in the public shower. Their swimsuits were tossed on the floor, one on the carpet and the other on the tile in the bathroom. The shower was running hot, but neither of them noticed much as Zachary sat against the back of the tub and Orion leaned over him while kneeling, their mouths locked together, tongues dancing eagerly. There was no struggle for dominance between the kiss. Orion was in complete control.

"Can I touch you?" Orion asked breathlessly against Zachary's mouth. He had already had his hands on a good portion of him, but he was asking for permission to touch private parts, as he likely would several times before deciding that it was okay between them without permission.

"Y-yes." Zach huffed, struggling to get in breath as well. He had even more trouble the moment he felt Orion's firm right hand wrap around his length. Just the touch had him gasping, head leaning back into Orion's other hand, keeping him from hitting it on the tile wall. He half expected Orion to ask him if it felt good, perhaps because that's what he'd seen in the few movies he could remember that had sex scenes, but when he just began nibbling down his neck, tugging at the tender flesh, Zachary knew he shouldn't have expected such a bland question to come from him. Of course it felt good! He was moaning like he was in freakin' heat and bucking his hips into Orion's hand!

When he finally felt his body orgasm he noticed Orion was also releasing with a loud moan right along with him. It was odd to see someone able to do that without even touching himself, but then Zach realized that Orion was an extremely visual person... who perhaps also enjoyed having some control over another. Being his sub, of course he'd get turned on getting to touch. It was just surprising how much.

"Sorry, sweetheart. I lost a bit of my control."

His voice was deep. Sexy. And his eyes? Zach took several moments to swallow the drool building in his mouth before he was able to speak coherently. "I-it's okay..."

That had Orion smiling as he leaned back and grabbed a small washcloth that they had packed. He lathered it up with some of the hotel soap, then began washing the mess he'd made from Zach's chest. He didn't take care of his own body until Zachary was completely clean, and maybe a bit more than that. When he started rubbing Zach's seed from his own chest Zach gently stopped his hand and removed the washcloth. He was about to question Zach, but when he started to gently clean where he'd left off, Orion seemed to understand.

"Thank you, Zachary."

Zach glanced up at Orion's words, but quickly darted his eyes back to the man's chest as he scrubbed it gently, cheeks burning. Instead of commenting on his growing blush, Orion just ran his hands through Zachary's smooth wet hair, tugging softly at the tips with a content smile.

"It might be a bit early, but would you like to go out for dinner?"

Zachary nodded, getting a pat to his head before Orion let his hand rest there while Zachary worked.

"And uh, I don't believe I've actually said this, officially. So uh, will you please be my boyfriend?"