At the request of so many, a sequel to 'He's Not My Friend', my first Jonnor fic.
'He's My Boyfriend'
By the time Connor was released from the hospital school had been officially out for almost a week. Luckily for him, having a boyfriend whose mom was the vice principle at his school did, in fact, come in handy. Connor was able to complete all his missed school work from his hospital bed and get it turned in only a few days late. He would not have to repeat the school year. He would get to move on to the next grade, with Jude, just as he hoped. So far, all was well.
It only took two days of being home from the hospital before Connor broke down and begged his dad to let Jude come over. Shockingly, it didn't take as much persuading as Connor had dreaded it would. His dad wasn't perfect, as Connor was learning, but he was trying and for that Connor loved his dad more than he knew was possible.
"Are you sure your dad is okay with me being here while he's out?" Jude had asked Connor that first day. Connor remembered smiling, laughing a little, and hugging his boyfriend a little closer to him on the couch.
"Believe me, dad would not have left this room, let alone the house, if he cared about you being here. I promise, Jude, he's trying."
When Adam came home a couple of hours later and found Jude asleep, slumped against Connor's side, Connor quietly watching TV in the same spot he'd left him before, the older man couldn't help the small smile that graced his face.
If Connor chose to act as if he didn't see the smile on his dad's face, well, no one needed to know.
It was another week before Connor was well enough to make the trip to Jude's house. In that week, Connor and Jude had spent as much time together as possible. Thank god it was summer, which meant later curfews, which of course they both had now thanks to them sneaking out, drinking and Connor getting shot. They had no one to blame but themselves.
"So, no one but your mom, Lena, knows about us?" Connor had asked from his seat on the couch in the Foster-Adam's living room.
"Just mama." Jude had said. "I wanted to wait til you were with me before I told everyone else. I um, hope that's okay?"
"Of course." Connor smiled a smile that he'd found was becoming accustomed to only being smiled in Jude's presence. "Maybe we should tell your mom first though. Surprising her might not be the best idea. She does have a gun, ya know, and I don't have the best kinda luck surprising adults who carry guns."
"She's not going to shoot you, Connor!" Jude laughed, his eyes scrunched almost closed and Connor couldn't help but think how cute his boyfriend looked when he was happy. It was a look Connor decided he would always make sure Jude had.
"How do you know that?" Connor asked jokingly. "You don't know that! She could decide that I'm no good for you and chase me away with her gun!" Connor was teasing, of course. "Not that I could get very far. Crutches and all, ya know."
When Jude threw his head back and laughed, Connor mentally patted himself on the back for a job well done.
"I promise you, Connor, I won't let mom shoot you." Jude finally said once his laughter had subsided. "Besides, I don't think mama would let her anyway."
"And why is that?" Connor asked.
"Because she wants me to be happy and you, you weirdo, make me happy." Connor wasted no time in leaning forward and pressing his lips softly against Jude's. It was the smaller boys own fault for being so sweet. It had been a soft clearing of someone's throat that startled them, making them jump apart.
"Something I should know, boys?" Stef asked. She was fighting a smile, Connor could tell. He released a breath he hadn't even known he was holding at that.
Connor spoke before Jude could even comprehend answering her.
"Mrs. Foster-Adams," Connor started.
"Just Stef, sweetie," She'd said softly. "I'm pretty sure I can guess what's going on here. I also may have overheard mama and Jude talking last night so I think I know what you're going to say."
"You aren't mad?" Jude asked her and Stef immediately stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
"Absolutely not, baby!" Stef exclaimed, the shock evident in her voice. "Why on earth would I be mad?"
"Because I didn't tell you right away? Because I asked mama not to say anything yet? Because I hid the fact that I'm gay and Connor is my boyfriend?" Jude lowered his head, afraid of what his mom's answer might be.
Connor had immediately reached out and taken Jude's hand in his own, lacing their fingers together. He gave Jude's hand a quick squeeze to reassure him that he wasn't alone. He'd done so many things wrong up to this point and he'd be damned if he messed up now, when it mattered the most.
"Oh Jude, baby, no. I am absolutely not mad about any of those things! You had to do this at your own pace. It wasn't something any of us could have forced. You weren't ready to tell me so you waited and that's fine. Just because mama knew before me doesn't mean anything either. I will admit, she told me weeks ago that she thought something might going on here and I just brushed it aside. Suppose I should have listened to her, shouldn't I?" Stef smiled at the boys, hugged Jude tighter for a few seconds longer before releasing him and looking him in the eye. "I am proud of you, baby. You did a very brave thing. Not just coming out, but standing up for yourself. I heard what you said to mama last night about what happened at the hospital with Mr. Stevens and I only wish I had been there to see it too!"
"So, you're okay with this then? With me and Connor?" Jude asked.
Stef looked from her son to the other boy, smiling at them both.
"I will admit that it surprised me but honestly? It shouldn't have. You two are absolutely adorable together. Have been since that first day Connor came over. If you've decided to be more than friends, then of course I approve! I just want my baby boy to be happy and if Connor is what makes you happy then okay." Stef laughed when Jude suddenly threw himself into her arms, hugging her tightly.
"Thanks, mom." Jude said, his voice barely a whisper.
Telling Jude's siblings had been next and while Connor couldn't say how any of them might react, Jude reassured him that things would be fine.
"I promise no one's going to care." Jude had said.
"Not even Callie?"
Jude had remained quiet.
"If she does-" Jude, of course, was interrupted by all of his siblings making their presence known as they made their way into the family room.
"What's he doing here?" Jesus asked, throwing a look at Connor before looking back to his moms. "I thought this was a family meeting?"
"Jesus, hush." Mariana said, smiling at Connor before taking her seat.
"No, I'm just saying-"
"And I'm just saying, be quiet and sit down." Lena interrupted, daring him to do otherwise.
"Is everything okay, Jude?" Callie asked, taking a seat on the other side of Jude, a gentle hand on his back to assure him she was there.
Jude smiled and nodded his head.
"You're not back to not talking, are you?" Jesus snapped. "Cause that's not gonna fly this time, dude."
"So what if he was back to not talking?" Was the voice that managed to rise above the rest.
Everyone stopped and turned to face Connor. He remembered seeing Jude's moms' both smile.
"Uh, cause that was annoying, for one." Jesus, again, snapped.
"Jesus, stop it." Brandon ordered, as he glared at his brother.
"I was just saying." Jesus huffed.
"I haven't stopped talking. Obviously." Jude finally said, smiling. "I actually had something I wanted to tell you all."
"Are you sure you're okay, Jude?" Callie asked again, concern written all over her face.
"Actually," He smiled. "I'm really good."
Callie had seemed rather surprised at that. Connor almost snapped at her for being surprised but a quick look from Jude stopped him.
"I promise. I'm good. Um, a little better than good, to be completely honest." At this, Connor remembered how Jude had blushed. It took everything in him not to comment on it.
"Well, while that's great buddy, what exactly did you want to share with us?" Brandon asked, a smile on his own face.
The hesitant smile on Jude's face had Connor reaching out and taking the smaller boys hand once again. Jude had then taken a deep breath and spoke to his older siblings.
"I'm gay," Jude said in a bit of a rush, and before anyone could comment on that fact alone, he quickly continued. "And Connor is, he's my boyfriend." A quick squeeze on their hands from Jude had Connor scooting closer to him, their sides pressed together and hands lying in Connor's lap.
Complete and total silence was what they had received.
"Sweetie," Mariana stood and moved to stand in front of the boys. She had dropped down onto the floor in front of Jude and wrapped her arms tightly around him. "I sort of already knew." She'd said, shocking Jude.
"How?" Jude had asked, which caused the older girl to chuckle.
"Subtle you are not, dear Jude," She said, smiling at him. "Next time you want to hide a boyfriend from us, don't talk to loudly on the phone to him." Standing, she winked at Connor before making her way back to the other side of the room.
"Yeah, uh, and if something is really supposed to be a secret around here, don't leave your phone lying around where just anyone can see who you've been texting." Brandon said, a small blush on his cheeks. "Pretty sure I learned my lesson and I will never touch your phone again."
Jude groaned. Connor had laughed.
"Dude, you've had that whole heart eyes thing going on for a couple of weeks now. No way was it because of anyone other than Connor," Jesus snorted, rolling his eyes.
"I have not," Jude muttered, his cheeks quickly turning red.
"Nah, dude, you really have." Jesus teased.
Jude groaned and hid his face in Connor's neck. Connor laughed and wrapped his arm protectively around him. His boyfriend was ridiculously adorable.
"I think I always knew," Callie finally spoke up. "And for a while I hoped I was wrong. Only because I didn't want your life to be any harder than its already been. But before these last couple of weeks, you were miserable. We could all see it. I don't suppose that had anything to do with Connor suddenly starting to date that girl?"
"Callie..." Jude started, only to have his sister stop him.
"No, I know. I'm not trying to drudge up any sort of bad memories, I'm just trying to get a handle on things. You have to know that I could absolutely care less if you're gay, right? You are my little brother and nothing you could do would ever make me stop loving you. I just, I worry, Jude, you know that."
"I do and I'm thankful to have someone, anyone actually, in my life that cares enough to worry but Callie, this is me. This is who I am. I didn't chose to be gay. Believe me, its been hell trying to work through all these feelings I've been dealing with. But I am. I'm gay."
"I am too, um, for the record," Connor had spoken up, surprising almost everyone from what he could tell. "Yeah, I dated Daria for a few weeks but I only did that because I was scared and I knew it would get my dad off my back. I was scared of my dad finding out how I really felt about Jude and worried that the kids at school would make fun of me and so I just hid it. And it sucked, believe me. But then I just couldn't do it anymore. I snapped in the hospital and told my dad everything. I told him that I was gay and that, that it was Jude I cared about, not Daria. It was never going to be a girl. Its been Jude for a while now actually." Connor smiled.
The look Jude had given Connor right then was worth everything up til that point.
"See! That right there! Heart eyes, dude." Jesus laughed while Jude, once again, blushed.
"He's kinda right, sweetie," Stef spoke up causing everyone in the room to break out laughing.
"Oh my god, mom!" Jude groaned, his cheeks a bright red.
That day had been one of the best Connor could ever remember having. No one seemed to care that he and Jude were boyfriends now. They teased them both, sure, but that was to be expected. Connor had hung around until dinner when his dad had showed up and to his complete surprise, had stayed for dinner with them. Things were on the right track and Connor couldn't have been happier if he'd tried.
For the most part, their summer went on much like it had been going, what with both boys spending nearly every waking minute together, at one house or the other. They didn't often go out together outside of the comfort of their homes, mainly because Connor was still on crutches and it was honestly just easier to spend time at their houses.
Jude's birthday fell right in the middle of their summer vacation, and with a little help from his dad and Jude's mom's, Connor was able to surprise Jude with a trip to the movies. No girls were needed this time. And if, during the movie, Connor had reached over and taken Jude's hand in his own, it was no one's business. After, they'd gotten ice cream and spent a couple of hours at the arcade. All in all, it had been a great day for both boys.
So, that was how their summer went. Hanging out, going to movies occasionally, hanging out at the arcade from time to time. They spent as much time together as they could. Nothing much actually changed. Except that now Connor could kiss Jude whenever he felt like it without the fear of someone finding out. They were in the comforts of their own homes, where no one would judge them for being themselves. Connor never wanted the summer to end.
Except now, summer was over and school was back in session and Connor stood waiting at the schools entrance for Jude. He was nervous. His hands were shaking slightly. The urge to vomit was slowly creeping up on him. He'd made it this far without any odd looks from anyone. No sideways glances from his classmates, no hushed whispers behind their hands as they looked at him in disgust. Everything that Connor had spent so long worrying about was nowhere to be seen. Jude's hand suddenly grasping his startled him out of his thoughts.
"You ready?" Jude asked, a small smile on his face and just like that Connor's nerves settled. He squeezed his boyfriends hand back and dared anyone to say anything to either one of them. If Jude's brothers had been secretly teaching Connor ways to defend himself and Jude over the summer, no one needed to know. Connor was ready for this. He could do this. He would do this, not just for himself but for Jude. Jude deserved someone that didn't hide who he was or what they meant to each other. Connor swore to himself he was going to be that person for as long as Jude would let him.
"I'm ready." Connor finally said, hand held tightly in Jude's own slightly shaking hand.
Together the boys walked into the school, heads held high, smiles on their faces, ready to face whatever life, or their classmates as it was, had to throw at them.
"You realize your entire family, minus Stef, is walking behind us, right?" Connor asked Jude as they turned the corner heading towards their homeroom.
"Yeah," Jude sighed. "But you know your dads outside with my mom too, right?" He smiled.
Connor grinned. His dad had come a very long way in such a short amount of time. It made Connor proud to be his son.
"I do."
"We're really lucky, aren't we?" Jude asked as they stopped and stood right outside of their classroom.
"I would say we are extremely lucky, Jude," Connor admitted, thankful for everyone that surrounded them.
"Yeah, I thought so." With a shy smile and a quick squeeze to Connor's hand, Jude ducked inside the classroom and took his seat. Casting a look behind him, Connor caught Jude's siblings and even Lena, attempting to scurry away without being seen. Connor chuckled. Yeah, they were extremely lucky alright.
Connor made his way inside the classroom just in time for the bell to ring. He slipped into his seat, one row over and two desks in front of Jude, and smiled to himself. He could already tell that this year was going to be awesome.