Free Changing Tides by Simone Anderson

They would be responsible for their own meals, but he still couldn’t wrap his head around the deference everyone paid to him.
    From a distance, he’d never thought about it. While working for the general, he’d met CFA members in different locations every time, only staying long enough for decisions to be made before leaving again. Now, confronted every minute by the course of action his life was taking, he wondered if he could measure up to people’s expectations. Was he smart enough? Good enough? Strong enough?
    After carrying the box to the kitchenette, he brought the clothes and boots into the bedroom. He’d been stashing clothes and other items in various places for years. Some had already been brought into the underground base, while others would have to be retrieved. Conversely, Brett had left home in his running clothes, with little more than his wallet.
    Listening to the water run in the bathroom, Orion heaved a sigh and returned to the kitchenette and started to put the food away. The mundane activity wasn’t enough to distract him from his responsibilities or what Brett’s body looked like. Would it be as strong, as perfect as the rest of him appeared to be? How was he supposed to sleep at night? There was one bed and a small couch. He hadn’t truly thought it out before bringing Brett back to his quarters.
    They hadn’t done anything more than kiss. Brett had hinted at wanting more, but Orion wasn’t sure he was ready for that. He wanted the other man. There was no way he could honestly deny that. He’d dreamt of him, had jacked off to fantasies of him. But that still didn’t mean he was ready for sex. Orion ran a hand through his hair and shook it out of the ponytail. It was less that he didn’t want to have sex with Brett and more that he didn’t want ruin what they had.
    Orion blew out a breath. What would those people who looked to him for answers think if they knew that at the end of the day he wanted nothing more than to be held and taken care of?
    Putting the last of the groceries away, he took a swig of his water then sat down on the couch. There was no way either of them could sleep on the couch and actually feel rested. That meant in bed. Together. Orion ran a hand through his hair. Sharing a bed didn’t mean sex. Especially if they went to bed at different times or were exhausted. Exhausted was his first choice.
    The water in the bathroom stopped. Orion pulled himself to his feet and pulled out a can of soup and the loaf of bread from the small pantry. He was pleased that their group was mostly self-sufficient. They’d made connections and developed relationships at every level, had taken the time to get to know the people who lived in the shadows. There were few luxuries, and there hadn’t always been enough to go around, but from the beginning everyone was committed to success. His parents had believed so much in the cause, they’d wagered his life on it.
    Food, shelter and relative safety had been their most pressing issues to solve before they began to stockpile weapons, equipment and knowledge. Gathering information wasn’t enough anymore. He could appreciate and understand the community that had been built, but they needed to act. The longer they waited, the harder it would be to get people to back them, to do anything about what was happening in Aelland. Taking no action in the face of the revelations they’d brought to light would undermine their credibility.
    Listening for Brett, Orion fixed the simple meal for them and set out two places. Orion bit back a chuckle at the absurdly domestic activity when they were in what had become an underground base, on the verge of a revolution and both of them most likely with death warrants sworn out against them.
    “Orion?” Brett asked, walking out of the bedroom wrapped only in a towel.
    “Clothes—” Orion began, swallowing the lump that formed in his throat. Brett was gorgeous. Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, corded muscles