Archive of Our Own ^beta

Connor's hazel eyes did a once-over of the room. In the four months since he had moved in with his mother, he had made the room completely his own. His mother had originally had the room set up with the twin bed in the middle, plain white sheets, a desk off to the side, and one of those reminder boards with push pins stuck in it over the desk. It had been painted a disgusting beige color. That had changed. The color had been the first to change. He and his mother had painted the room a royal blue color, close to his favorite shade ("Jude's color" as he called it). The twin bed had been moved to the right, leaving the rest of the fairly large room open. The sheets had been replaced with his green and blue set (including a giant soft comforter, of course). Of course, he had his array of pillows stacked up on the end, near the window. He had a few stuffed animals and extra blankets shoved underneath the bed. His nightstand was near the head, his alarm clock sat atop, the red numbers flashing 10:17. Behind the alarm clock was a framed picture of him and Jude before the LGBT prom (the one of them on the staircase holding hands). Normally, he would have his small key chain, with an even smaller amount of keys on it, tossed carelessly between the photo and the clock, and his phone charging at the end. His closet was slightly ajar, his dresser next to it. On the top was an assortment of knick-knacks and old birthday cards, along with a few books he's neglected to finish. A shirt hung out half-way of the second drawer, one of the few things left in it. The curtains of both windows - thin green ones - were drawn shot. His desk had a lamp, school books, his shut laptop, and half-finished papers spread across it, of course he wouldn't have to worry about those until the new year. Above the desk was his push-pin board, holding up pictures of him with Jude, Jude's family, Adam, and a couple of him and his mom. There was a calendar held up as well, a new one he'd put up showing January. A few reminders of things were up there as well. His book shelf was a few inches beside it, stacked with his favorite reads (he doesn't tell many of his fascination with books - pretty much only his Mom and the Adams Fosters know). His TV was shoved against the opposite wall to his bed, a flat screen (his mother insisted), on top of his TV stand, which held his X-Box, and his video games.

Normally, he'd have papers, clothes, trash, and an assortment of other items tossed around the floor. But, now he stood in the center of the room as his eyes scanned for any last-minute things to shove in his suit case or backpack. His hair was neatly styled upward, and he wore his usual green and yellow flannel, his red t-shirt peaking out from underneath. He had a gray hoodie thrown over his shoulders, the strings hanging unevenly. Accompanied with that, he had his maroon skinny jeans, and his traditional black and white converse.

"Connor! Hurry up, honey!" his mother, Diana, called from downstairs. "If we don't leave in the next three minutes you're going to miss the train!" she shouted. Connor's lips stretched into a smile. Also in the months since he'd moved in with his mother, he'd felt more at home than ever. Diana Maganda (she'd gone back to her maiden name after the divorce) loved her son no matter what, and didn't hold any restrictions now that she knew he was gay, (though, as she disclosed, she had suspected), which was more than Adam Stevens could say. In fact, Diana had found out as much about Jude as possible when she was told he was dating her son ("I just want to make sure he's good enough for my son." "Trust me, he's great. I'm the one not good enough for him." "Connor Stevens, cut that!"). Aside from his mother, Connor was loving his new school. He had made friends easily, willingly joining the baseball team there, and all the kids were very accepting of him when he calmly explained that no, he didn't have a girlfriend, he had a boyfriend. Honestly, he only disliked one thing about LA. Well, more hated it. It was that he couldn't see Jude everyday. That's why he was so excited for the next two weeks. You see, up until now, the two had only been allowed weekend visits. Due to that, they had only been able to find a weekend once a month, and they were the best damn weekends of both boys' lives. Somehow Connor had convinced his mother to let him go to the Adams Fosters for the entirety of Christmas break. But, she'd said, she would be coming there for Christmas to spend it with her son and the rest of his family. Her words exactly (which had made Connor very happy).

"Coming!" Connor shouted. He lifted his backpack off the ground, then pulled one strap onto his shoulder, then twisted his arm around his back and pulled the other on his shoulder. He grabbed the handle of his suitcase and walked toward the door, shutting off the lights, then shutting the door behind him. He jogged down the stairs, the rolling suitcase bouncing as it followed behind him on the stairs. He turned toward his mother with a grin. She smiled at her son, shaking her head at him.

"Are you going for two weeks or a month?" she laughed, twirling her keys around her index finger.

"I'd go for a month if I could," Connor answered truthfully, bouncing on his heels. He refused to make his smile seem sad, because he was anything but at this moment. It had been a month, two weeks, three days, seventeen hours, seven minutes, and thirteen seconds since him and Jude had last seen each other in person. He's totally just guessing, (truthfully, both boys had been counting, though they'd never admit it to each other).

Diana shook her head at her son, moving forward and resting her hand on the back of his neck, kissing his forehead. "I know, sweetie," she told him, moving her hand from his neck to his arm and rubbing the length of it. Connor laughed gently.

"So... can we go now?" Connor asked eagerly, bringing his bottom lip between his teeth as he finished the question. Diana laughed at her son's excitement, then removed her hand from his arm.

"Of course! Come on," she ordered, turning toward the front door. She pulled her jacket off the rack, then pulled it onto her shoulders and pulling her hair out of it. She opened the door and the two stepped onto the front door. Though it was usually hot in LA no matter what the season, a December chill had set in and it was one of the colder mornings, leaving the crisp air to sink through the fabric of Connor's hoodie and flannel and nip at his skin. He breathed out, seeing his breath appear in a white could as he did so. He laughed softly, remembering when he was younger and he had almost hyperventilated because he loved watching his breath materialize in the cold air.

Connor followed his mother toward the car, watching as she opened the trunk and then putting his suit case and backpack in it, then pushing it shut. The two moved to the front of the car, then got in quickly. Connor bounced in his seat, much like he'd seen Mariana do after eating a four lollipops and two packages of Starburst. Diana laughed as she started up the car. "Calm down, little man," she told him, using his childhood nickname.

"Sorry," Connor mumbled, his cheeks burning a light pink, his eyes cast downward as he stilled his body. The rest of the car ride was filled with back and forth talk of what the plans were for the next two weeks and light banter between mother and son. When the reached the train station, Connor was nearly bursting with excitement. He rushed out of the car, grabbed his things from the trunk and then waited for his mother to lead him inside. Once they were in, she gave him his ticket and led him toward the platform.

"I am gonna miss you so much," Diana told him, squeezing him into her side. Connor laughed.

"Mom, I'm only gonna be gone for a week and a half before you come back, we didn't see each other for months before I started living here," Connor laughed, lifting his arms and hugging her arm that was across his body. Diana frowned, kissing his temple.

"I know, but I still missed you like crazy. But, I am happy you're still going to see your dad when your out there. He's really trying," Diana encouraged. Even though she wasn't very fond of her ex-husband, she knew he was trying hard to accept his son and keep Connor in his life.

Connor smiled at his mom. "I know, Mom," he told her. Then the speaker sounded.

"Train 245, San Diego to LA, about to leave the station. Train 245, San Diego to LA, about to leave the station," the monotone spoke.

"You've gotta go!" Diana ordered, giving her son one last hug and kiss. "I love you, have fun!" she called as he stepped onto the platform.

"I love you, too, bye!" he waved, then stepped onto the train, and the doors closed behind him.

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One month, two weeks, three days, nineteen hours, five seconds. One month, two weeks, three days, nineteen hours, six seconds. One month, two weeks, three days, nineteen hours, seven seconds. The train pulled into the station in San Diego and Connor was off the train when his counting hit one month, two weeks, three days, nineteen hours, eleven seconds. It's about to hit zero. Connor thought with a grin. He pulled his phone from his pocket and pulled up his text messages. He clicked on the ones he shared with Jude (his boyfriend was under the contact name 'Jude' with a heart emoji and the emoji of two boys holding hands. Cue consecutive 'awwwww's).

Connor
Just got off the train. U here?

Connor hit send, and then lifted his eyes, searching for his boyfriend. His fidgeted with the handle on his backpack, chewing on his bottom lip. His phone buzzed in his hand and he quickly unlocked it, checking the message.

Jude
Yes! Searching 4 U right now.

Connor's grin grew and he turned off the screen, shoved his phone in his pocket, and went back to his earlier task. And he spotted him. Jude was across the room, his own head lifting above the sea of other's, searching for Connor. Jude had grown a somewhat significant amount in the past four months, and now was a few inches taller than Connor, which offered him some leverage in his search, but he still hadn't spotted his boyfriend.

Connor's lips grew into a soft smile as he watched his boyfriend for a moment before gripping the top of his backpack, now in his hand, and the handle of his suit case and rushing forward until there was only about ten feet from Jude. "Jude!" he called, his voice filled with emotion. Jude's ears seemed to perk at the sound of Connor's voice and his head snapped toward his boyfriend.

"Connor," he breathed, then ran forward. Connor managed to brace himself as Jude threw himself onto Connor, his arms wrapping tightly around his shoulders. Connor dropped his stuff and snaked his arms around Jude's waist, squeezing the boy's sides, along with his eyes shut. Zero. He thought, smiling into Jude's shoulder as he breathed in, smelling mint and cologne coming off of Jude. He felt Jude's arms squeeze his shoulders and he decided that he'd never happier. "I missed you so much," Jude breathed in his ear. He changed his mind. Now he'd never been happier.

"I missed you, too. I love you," his mumbled against Jude's shoulder. He felt Jude's smile against his neck, then a soft kiss there, which sent shivers down his spine.

"I love you, too," Jude whispered. He changed his mind again, and now that he thought about it, he'd probably be changing his mind on his happiest moment for the next two weeks. The two swayed gently, not seeming to find balance, which wasn't surprising, since they were both in a haze. Connor repositioned his arms, holding onto Jude tighter than he thought possible.

"Do I have to let go?" Connor whispered, gently brushing his nose against Jude's neck, feeling Jude's own shiver.

"Not yet," Jude responded, moving his arms up Connor's shoulder and gripping him tighter, as if to keep him there. Connor laughed softly.

"Good, because I wasn't planning on it," he spoke honestly. He heard a small chorus of 'aw's from behind them, but he refused to let go of Jude to acknowledge whatever jackasses wanted to interrupt their reunion. Then he heard the click of a camera and saw the blinding light of a phone flash. "Was that Mariana?" he asked, still refusing to move. Jude leaned his head back slightly, only to press his forehead to Connor's.

"Probably, she came with me and moms to get you, 'cause she said she wanted to 'witness the cuteness' as she put it," Jude answered with a laugh. Connor laughed along.

"I forgot how much I love your family," Connor laughed, nuzzling his nose against Jude's.

"Oh, so you love my family? I see," Jude teased, playfully moving back out of Connor's embrace.

"Oh, no," Connor gripped Jude's waist as he tried to move backward. "You're not going anywhere," his voice left no room for disagreement, not that Jude would want to disagree. He pressed his forehead back against Jude's. "I may love your family, but I love you more," he muttered, pressing a feather-light kiss to Jude's lips. Jude smiled softly against Connor's lips, moving his hands from Connor's shoulder's to his cheeks and pressing his lips back in return.

"Okay, how is it that Jude managed to score the perfect boyfriend and I can't even get a date?"

"You know, honey, maybe there's a reason for that."

"Mom!" Connor laughed against Jude's lips and pulled away gently, keeping one arm around Jude's waist. Jude sighed in response, moving his head onto Connor's shoulder as they turned toward Stef, Lena, and Mariana.

"Hey, Mari," Connor greeted her with a laugh. Mariana squealed and jogged forward the few feet and hugged Connor. Connor laughed, hearing Jude do the same as he hugged Mariana back, not nearly as tightly or needy as he'd hugged Jude. Or as long, for that matter, as they both pulled away only a second later.

"It feels like years since I've seen you," Mariana commented, ruffling his hair.

"We video-chatted two weeks ago," Connor retorted, though of course he understood. Another thing about his months in LA, he'd kept in touch with all of Jude's family, almost as much as he'd done with Jude. He was even in their family group chat, which he felt sincerely honored about. Not a day went by in LA when he didn't get a text full of emojis from Mariana, a cool photo from Callie, a sports tip from Jesus, a music clip from Brandon, or a kind catch up talk with Stef and Lena. Truthfully, he felt more at home with the Adams Fosters than he did with either of his parents (though, don't tell Adam or Diana he said that).

"You know what I mean," Mariana answered, rolling her eyes with a smile. "Seriously, you need to stop talking to Jude, his sass is rubbing off on you," she teased, earning a soft glare from Jude, which was only half-hearted as he couldn't be resentful or angry in this moment.

"If you ever see a day where I don't talk to Jude, you might have to dig a grave, because there's a good chance I'm dead," Connor told Mariana truthfully. He glanced at his boyfriend, smiling at the pink color that dusted Jude's cheeks and the smile that reached his eyes.

"True, it might be the first sign of the apocalypse," Mariana bantered back, smiling at Connor.

Connor laughed, then looked behind Jude's sister to Stef and Lena, who had moved to stand just behind Mariana. Connor maneuvered himself around Mariana, his hand still holding Jude's. "Welcome back, Connor!" Stef cheered, pulling the boy into what Jude referred to as a 'Momma sandwich'.

"Glad to be back," he spoke, hugging both woman back. After a moment, the woman let go, smiling at the boy.

"Are we ready to go?" Lena asked. Connor stepped back beside Jude, near his bags.

"I am!" Connor told them with a smile.

"Jude, be a gentleman and take Connor's stuff for him," Stef teased. Connor laughed, as Jude almost actually moved to do it. Connor pulled him back.

"No, I've got it," Connor assured, dropping Jude's hand briefly, before lifting his backpack onto his shoulders and grabbing the handle of his suitcase.

"Alright, come on," Stef ordered and turned on her heals, leading the four toward the exit and the car. Connor laughed as Jude placed his arm around Connor's shoulder and pulled the boy closer. The two walked after Stef, Lena and Mariana with Connor's arm wrapped around Jude's waist and Jude's arm around Connor's neck and shoulder.

"This is gonna be the best two weeks of my life," Jude admitted as they made their way through the train station.

"Yeah, mine, too," Connor answered with a soft smile and he squeezed Jude's side, earning a giggle from Jude. Connor grinned, thinking of how he'd only found out Jude was ticklish a few months ago when Connor had come out in September and they had been wrestling. Connor had Jude pinned down again, like the day in the backyard, and this time he had actually kissed Jude. When his arm moved down and brushed Jude's stomach Jude had burst into laughter, revealing his small secret. Since then Connor had used the weakness to make Jude smile or laugh whenever he was with him in person.

Once the five made it to the car, they put Connor's stuff in the back and then filed into the car. Jude and Connor were placed next to each other in the backseat beside Mariana, their sides pressed closely together. "Do you ever let go of each other for longer than three seconds?" Mariana teased.

"No," Jude answered simply and he tucked his head in the crook of Connor's neck for emphasis. Connor smiled, kissing the side of Jude's head.

"Honey, I think I'm going to need to go to the dentist," Stef told Lena, looking in the mirror at the boys.

"Why?" Lena asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Because these boys are giving me a cavity," Stef answered, laughing gently. Lena shook her head at her wife, while Mariana giggled. Jude turned red and he buried his head further into Connor's skin. Connor laughed and squeezed Jude's shoulder.

The group pulled into the driveway of the oh-so familiar house and Connor grabbed his things from the trunk before they headed inside. Connor had hardly taken two steps into the house when Callie had nearly tackled him in a hug. Connor laughed, letting go of his suitcase handle and hugging the girl back.

"Hey to you, too, Cal," he laughed, giving the girl a squeeze before pulling back. She laughed, squeezing his shoulder.

"It's good to have you back," Callie told him.

"It's only for two weeks," Connor reminded her.

"Which is the longest we've had you since August," Jesus spoke, coming from the living room behind Brandon and throwing his arm around Connor's shoulders and giving the boy a small side-hug. Connor nodded.

"I just figured you were sick of me, considering I was hardly ever not here when I lived with my dad," Connor told them.

"If we were gonna get sick of anyone, it'd be Mariana," Brandon teased, nudging his youngest sister as he shifted into the circle that had formed in the entryway and ruffling Connor's hair.

"Hey! Mr. Music, I beg to differ. We could use a little less piano and a little more sleep," Mariana commented, glaring at her brother. Brandon narrowed his eyes back, shaking his head.

"Alright, alright, that's enough, let us get Connor settled in, alright?" Stef suggested, but her tone left no room for discussion as she looked at each of her children. The older teens nodded, and dispersed about the house, Brandon and Callie heading up the stairs, Mariana heading into the living room, and Jesus heading through the dining room and into the kitchen. Connor watched Jude's siblings go, before leaning closer to Jude and grabbing his hand in his again. Jude smiled at him, scooting closer to his boyfriend.

"Okay, boys, you know that Connor has to sleep on the couch while he's here, as he has every time, because you two aren't allowed to sleep n the same bed," Lena started.

"Though you seem to forget that rule every now and then," Stef added with a raised eyebrow at the boys, referencing the times when Connor has stayed the weekend and she'd find Jude had snuck downstairs and fell asleep with Connor and vise versa. The boys flushed, glancing at each other. Connor bit his lip, knowing one of them would probably end of breaking the rule tonight. Stef and Lena never punished them for it, as they seemed to understand how much they had missed the physical affection, which their relationship had severely lacked in the last four months.

"You boys know the rules, Connor you can keep your stuff in Jude and Jesus' room, but we will be setting up the couch for you tonight," Lena finished off, looking at both boys to make sure they understood. They nodded their heads, glancing at each other once more.

"Alright, go ahead up," Stef told them. The women stepped aside as the boys started up the stairs. "Come down in a few minutes, we're gonna be doing the drawings for secret Santa!" Stef called after as the boys raced up the stairs, Connor dragging his things along. When they finally reached the top of the stairs, they made their way to Jude's room. Connor placed his things down beside Jude's desk, pulled off his hoodie and placed it on top of his backpack, then turned back to Jude, furrowing his eyebrows as he saw the other boy with his back to the - closed - door.

"Uh, what about the closed door rule?" Connor asked, tilting his head.

"I don't really care about that right now," Jude told him, smirking as he moved forward, purpose in his step. When he reached Connor, he pressed his lips to his boyfriend's fiercely. Connor's eyes went wide in shock for a moment, before they fluttered closed, and his moved his arms around Jude's neck. It still surprised Connor how confident and forward Jude could be when it came to the physical part of their relationship. When they had first met and up until before they started dating, Connor had been the one to initiate everything and Jude had always been shy and reserved. But, once they'd started dating, Jude had become more confident and started coming onto Connor more often. In fact, when they had been caught making out the first time, it had been Jude who'd started it and had the shirt-taking off idea, not that Connor had complained, he was a hormonal teenager who enjoyed it very much. Not that he was ready for anything more than that, of course. Neither of them were. But, truthfully, Connor loved seeing Jude like this.

He moved his hands through Jude's hair, tugging gingerly on the stands and twirling his fingers through it. Jude's hands gripped at his waist, squeezing gently. Jude's lips parted against Connor's and Connor groaned softly, backing up and falling onto the bed, Jude coming with him. Their lips moved together in sync, hungry for what they hadn't received in over a month. Connor's tongue ran against Jude's bottom lip and he moved his hands further into Jude's hair, knowing that his boyfriend would have to fix it before they went downstairs. Jude tugged gently at the hem of Connor's shirt and Connor laughed, pulling back and breathing heavily.

"Jude, as much as I love this, we have to go back downstairs soon," Connor spoke through heavy breathing. Jude pouted, lifting a hand onto Connor's chest and tapping his fingers against it.

"Okay, but more of this, maybe?" Jude asked, pressing his lips to Connor's again quickly, then pulling back.

"Definitely," Connor answered. He pressed his lips back to Jude nipping gently on his boyfriend's bottom lip as he did so, his moved his hands onto Jude's back, pulling the boy as close as possible.

Before the two could go any further, they heard Stef's voice sound from downstairs. "Everyone come down, we're doing the secret Santa drawing!"

The boys pulled back and Jude lifted himself from Connor, offering his hand. "Come on, let's go," Jude told him. Connor laughed, taking his boyfriend's hand and pulling himself on the bed. They heard feet on the stairs, figuring it was Brandon and Callie as they made their way out of their rooms. The two made their way down the stairs after the older teens, turning into the kitchen where everyone had gathered. As the two entered the room, the chattering seemed to cease in the room and the group stared at them wide eyed.

Connor furrowed his eyebrows, looking at them curiously. He saw Stef and Lena look at each other with slightly worried looks, saw Callie shaking her head and pressing her palm to her forehead, saw Mariana cover her mouth in a giggle and saw Brandon and Jesus look at each other, trying to hold back their laughs. Connor turned to look at Jude and suddenly realized what they were laughing at. The boys hadn't been very prompt in making themselves look presentable. Jude's hair was a wild mess, Connor's flannel crooked, and both their lips swollen. Their eyes widened in sync as they realized they'd been caught and they both turned identical deep shades of red, avoiding the families eyes. Connor tried to subtly adjust his shirt, and he saw Jude run his hand through his hair.

"Have fun?" Jesus blurted, causing laughter to run through the older siblings and Stef and Lena to shake their heads at their son. If possible, their cheeks turned a darker red.

"Jesus," Stef spoke, her tone warning. Jesus shrugged, then glanced at the hat Lena was holding with the names in it.

"Okay, moving on. Everyone pick a name, if you get your own, put it back and pick another," Lena told them. Connor watched Lena pick a name, then pass the hat to Stef, who took a name, then passed it to Brandon and so on around the group. Connor had seen Callie groan, while everyone else just shrugged, as if they didn't care about their picks. The hat was passed to Jude and Connor watched him pull out the name and then grin. Connor took the hat and pulled out out the last name, then placed the hat back down on the counter. He unfolded the name, reading it and biting his lip. Mariana. Connor folded the paper and leaned closer to Jude.

"You might have to help me with mine," Connor whispered, laughing gently. As well as he knew the older girl, he probably wouldn't be able to get a good gift by himself, as he sucked at getting gifts. Jude turned to look at Connor, stifling a laugh.

"Mhm," Jude answered, shaking his head. He was very much aware of Connor's terrible gift-buying ability.

"Alright, you guys can go, but we are having movie night tonight, so be down around six-thirty," Stef informed the kids, turning her eyes to look at each of them. The kids nodded, and then dispersed about the house. Jude and Connor were last to move to leave, but before they could, Lena called them back.

"Hey, boys, can you stay back a moment?" Lena asked, but it definitely wasn't a question. The boys' eyes met and they both knew the women were going to talk to them about their appearance when they came down. The two turned back around in sync, moving back toward the table and leaning on it, watching Stef and Lena.

"So, uh, what were you guys doing before you came down here?" Stef asked, her eyebrows raised in a knowing manor as she looked at the two. The boys exchanged another look.

"Uh, we were just, um, talking?" Jude lied feebly, knowing they'd been caught, but not willing to give it up right away.

"Really? Wow," Lena spoke, looking at her wife, her voice full of fake surprise.

"Yeah, Jude, your hair seemed quite messy for just talking," Stef added, her voice equally sarcastic.

"Looked more like, what we call, sex hair," Lena added. Connor coughed, his eyes widening and his cheeks turning a dark red as he shifted his eyes to the ground. He heard Jude's hand smack against his forehead.

"Moms!" he groaned, Connor looked at Jude out of the corner of his eye, seeing him with his head back in annoyance and embarrassment.

"Yeah, and both your lips seemed awfully swollen. Must have been from all the talking," Stef added.

"Okay, are you done? We were just kissing, alright, we weren't gonna do anything else. We haven't seen each other in person in a month, of course we're gonna kiss," Jude protested. Connor bit his lip, scratching at the wood at the table.

"I'd watch your tone, young man," Stef warned, a half-attempt.

"But, yes, we understand, we know neither of you are ready for anything more," Lena added.

"And God, does that make us happy!" Stef spoke, laughing softly.

"Can we go now?" Jude asked, looking at his mothers hopefully.

"Yes, you can go," Lena told them. Connor and Jude turned back around and headed for the stairs.

"Door open!" Stef called after them. Connor laughed gently as they made it to Jude's room. Jude sighed and plopped down on his bed. Connor giggled as he watched Jude, cheeks flushed and arms crossed over his forehead groaning.

"You okay?" Connor asked, smiling softly and sitting at the head of Jude's bed, beside his boyfriend's head.

"Yes, it's just super embarrassing to talk to two lesbians, who also happen to be your mothers, about my sex life with another boy," Jude answered, uncrossing his arms and running his hands down his face, then placing his arms over one another on top of his stomach and looking up at Connor. The boy nodded, smiling softly as Jude moved his head onto Connor's lap. Connor leaned closer to Jude, moving his fingers through his boyfriend's hair. Jude smiled back, relaxing against Connor's hand in his hair.

"Yes, I remember you telling me about it after we got caught the first time," Connor stated with a laugh.

"You do?" Jude asked, moving his eyebrows together, his eyes trained on Connor's calm face.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" Connor asked, his expression matching Jude's.

"Well... I mean you had a lot on your mind when I told you about that. The whole thing with your dad..." Jude mumbled, his face contorting into a frown, his eyelids half closed as he moved his arms off his stomach and fidgeted with his fingers. Connor sighed, letting the silence settle between them for a moment, while he thought.

"I did. I was trying to figure out how to tell you, but I was still listening. I always listen when you talk," Connor answered. Jude smiled, a light pink color dusting his cheeks as he turned his eyes up at Connor. Jude lifted his hands, gripping Connor's flannel and pulling the boy closer to him and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Connor laughed as they pulled away and resumed playing with Jude's hair.

"I love you," Jude whispered, his eyes focusing on Connor, a cloud-nine look on his face. Connor smiled, tilting his head as he looked back at Jude.

"I love you, too," Connor whispered back. Jude smiled and breathed a content sigh, closing his eyes and moving his head against Connor's leg.