Tuesday morning, Jude woke up to his cell phone vibrating. He groaned into his pillow. His shift today wasn't until four, and so he'd been planning on a nice, late, sleep. The fact that it was already eleven in the morning meant nothing to him. He could have lazed around for several hours yet. But he dragged his phone toward his face and jabbed his thumb at where he knew the answer button was.

"'Lo?"

"My abortion was today," Taylor whispered into the phone.

"Are you done now?"

"Yeah. They need to watch me for a few. Daria's waiting for me."

Jude sat up, needing to focus his sleepy head. "Are you okay? How do you feel?"

"Not sure. But I didn't feel pregnant either when I was." Taylor sighed. "Maybe it'll sink in soon."

"Are you going to be okay when it does?"

"I don't know. I just wanted to call and tell you. I just wanted to talk to someone that wasn't Daria."

"What do you mean?"

"She's mad I was drinking. She hasn't let go of it yet." Taylor sighed again. "I don't want to be sad, Jude."

"I'm sorry you are," Jude said. "Is there anything that I can do?"

"No. I'm going to go now. Thanks for answering."

"Always."

"Bye, Jude."

"Call if you need anything."

"Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow," she whispered, and then she hung up on him.

Jude let his phone fall to his mattress as he collapsed backward. He wasn't used to hearing Taylor sound so awkward and unsure and he really hated it. Even when Taylor was doing the wrong thing, she always seemed so confident in herself. He wanted to help her, but he was almost certain that he'd make it worse if he tried to do anything. He stared up at the white ceiling above him, pondering, and then it hit him.

He bounced out of bed and rushed through his morning routine, and then he drove off to one of the main streets that was covered in shops rather than houses. He left Gerald next to a meter and headed through the shops. He picked out chocolates and a giant lollipop from a sweets shop and then he found a pink and purple penguin with whose eyes, feet, and beak were all glittery. He wanted to find things that would bring comfort to Taylor, which he thought he had, but now he wanted to find something that would make her laugh. He found a mug and tea infuser set: the mug said 'live slow, die whenever' in green, cursive writing, and the tea infuser was a sloth. The small shop he was in also had their own kinds of loose tea. He picked out the three with the funniest names: Wiggly Toes; Pink Elephant; and Scrumpdiddlyumptious. He also found a small poster of Deadpool, which he thought that she might like better than a sappy, thinking of you card. He carted his small haul off to the post office, where he was gifted a box and a label.

He had to look up Taylor's address on his phone, but he wrote it down and then he paid for next day delivery. He hoped that just receiving the package would start to put a smile on her face before she even started to open it. He could do this for her and, importantly, she would let him do this for her. Taylor was independent. Being coddled wasn't something that she liked. This, though, Jude knew that she would appreciate.

He sent it off and then returned to Gerald. He took himself back to his apartment, hoping that she'd like it.

(-.-)

Jude finished his midterm forty minutes into their allotted hour. He took a seat outside of the classroom in order to wait for Connor. More and more students started to filter out, but there was no sign of Connor. Jude kept checking his phone, waiting to see if Taylor would text him. He was alone and bored until the time for the exam was completely over, because, only then, did Connor walk out of the classroom.

"How'd you find it?" he asked, falling into step with his boyfriend.

Connor shrugged. "Exams always make me worry."

"Is it a cookie day?" Jude asked.

Connor hesitated, but then he nodded. "Okay. Let's do that."

"What did you do yesterday?"

"I went to class. I talked to no one but Dad. I took my bike for a ride around campus. It was nice. I feel better."

"I'm glad." Jude nudged Connor's shoulder with his own as they walked and reached for his hand. As soon as his fingers brushed the side of Connor's hand, Connor had skittered away from him, just out of arm's reach. Jude watched him take a few deep breaths and then slowly return to Jude's side. "Are you okay?"

Connor nodded. "Sometimes I just forget I'm supposed to be okay now."

"You're not supposed to be anything," Jude said. Connor's fingers gently scratched at his hand and Jude held his hand. "And you don't have to."

"But I like you and I want to," Connor murmured. "I … I'll figure it out."

"You won't be alone," Jude said.

"What about you?" Connor asked. "What did you do on Tuesday?"

Jude told him about Taylor as they walked to the cookie place. Connor was even quieter about the whole thing than Jude had been and he seemed awkward as Jude talked. Still, he said that he hoped Taylor was all right and that everything went okay.

"Me too," Jude said.

They bought their cookies and Connor sat down at the same table they'd had the last time they were here.

"The box of things sounds sweet," Connor decided.

"I hope so." Jude shrugged. "I won't know until I hear from her. But, uh, let's talk about something else, okay?"

"Sure," Connor said. "Um. About Friday?"

"Did you make a decision?"

"A little. Meeting your parents is a big deal, Jude."

"Do you think we're moving too fast?"

Connor leant back in the cushy seat and broke a section off his cookie. "Um. Maybe. Um, but, not in a bad way? I like how we're going. I like knowing if I said I didn't like it you'd listen. I'm scared but not because it's scary, does that make sense?"

Jude nodded, thinking that he did get it. With Connor's past, it would be silly to think that he would be absolutely fine in a new relationship, right off the bat.

"I'm curious about your parents," Connor admitted. "And I like that you want me to meet them."

"I really do."

"I think that if my Thursday is like my Tuesday, than I'd like to go. You know, just nice and quiet and some breathing room. Because Friday will be a long day too, right?"

"A little bit of one," Jude confirmed. "So, on Friday, you'll tell me in class if you want to go?"

"If that's not too late."

"Not at all, baby."

Connor smiled. Jude leant back in his chair and started picking at his lunch, and then he felt a small tapping at the side of his foot. The tapping continued, until Jude definitely felt Connor's foot sneaking around his ankle. He looked up at met Connor's bright eyes.

"I j-j-j-just wanted to touch you," he whispered, and then he looked down at their food. "Our hands are busy."

"You're cute, baby."

"Oh, I-I-I," Connor stuttered. "You're the cute one."

He whispered so softly that Jude nearly didn't hear him. But when he finally processed what Connor said, he felt a warm feeling come over him.

Connor looked up suddenly. "On Halloween … Taylor rambled at me."

"I know," Jude said. "The romantic thing."

"Well, also she brought up Dylan," Connor said. "And I didn't know if it would bother you or not. And I thought it would be good to tell you now, because both of us were … feeling … not okay … before …" Connor gasped. "Was I wrong? I'm so sorry, I should have told you right away that she brought him up. I'm sorry!"

"Baby, baby, baby," Jude said, "It's not a big deal. I understand. Did she say anything bad about Dylan?"

Connor took a deep breath. "She … said I was cuter."

Jude laughed. "Well, it's not a lie. Dylan really wasn't that attractive. I mean, he looks sweet but he's very … average. His facial features were a little too small for his face," Jude said, still chuckling in remembrance. "That's not why I liked him though."

"It's why you like me," Connor whispered.

"No, it's why I noticed you," Jude corrected. "I like you for a lot of other reasons."

"She said you didn't really love him and that she thinks you should have sex," Connor said in a rush.

Jude cocked his head to the side. "Didn't really love him?"

Connor pulled his hand away. "You sound angry."

"Not angry. Not at you." Jude took a deep breath. "I'm offended."

"It was … It was … Said you didn't l-l-love hi-him l-l-like r-real love."

Jude paused. "Oh … No, still offended. Just because he wasn't the last person I'll love or the person I'll fall deepest in love with doesn't mean I didn't really love him. I did. I love him, a lot. He was my boyfriend for years and my friend for years."

"I didn't mean to u-u-u-upset you," Connor sniffed.

"You didn't," Jude crooned. "Not at all. I know how Taylor thinks. I think I know why she said it. I just want to make sure that you know how I think of him. He mattered to me."

"You always gave that impression," Connor said. "He seems like a good person."

"Maybe you'll meet him someday," Jude said.

Connor looked hesitant and unsure of the words. "What about the other part? Do you think you should have sex?"

Jude could have sighed, but he knew how much sex worried Connor. Even disregarding the age difference that automatically made sex with his ex-boyfriend non-consensual, Connor had said small things that made Jude think his new boyfriend had been raped. Jude wasn't going to overlook Connor's trauma; he couldn't let himself. "Sex is something that I want, eventually, with the right person. I don't want to have sex just to have sex. Doing that with someone means something more to me. Taylor thinks I'm weird for it; she likes casual sex. I don't know. That doesn't sound like something I want. I don't want to have sex right now. I don't think I should have sex. It's a someday thing."

Connor nodded, although he was looking past Jude, not at him.

"Are you okay, baby?" Jude reached his hands across the table.

Connor stared at his hands and then he lifted his trembling arms and clutched at Jude. "Can I ask one more question?"

"You can ask me as many questions as you want. I want you to know me."

"Well, it's just … Um, I mean … Does it bother you that I have had sex?"

"No!" Jude exclaimed. "No, never. This is how I feel. I know it's not how other people feel."

Connor visibly relaxed.

Jude wanted to say more about it. He wanted to tell Connor about he wished that Connor had a better experience than his first boyfriend, but then other things that Connor had said came back to Jude. About how his ex had been gentle, spoilt him on his birthdays, and did things that Connor called the epitome of romance. As much as Jude hated this person he'd never met, he knew that there was still something in Connor that thought of the good from their relationship. He bit down on his lip. He wasn't going to say anything about Connor's ex-boyfriend.

"If I promise to stop after this one, can I ask one more question?"

"You know you can ask as many as you want."

Connor went red and stared at the table top. "Just because you say it doesn't mean that I know it. It'll … take me time to learn. But I can, Jude, I can!"

"I know, it's okay. I want you to feel safe with me. Comfortable too."

"I do. You wouldn't understand how much I do," Connor said earnestly.

"What's your question, baby?"

"H-h-have you ever done anything?" Connor asked. "Are you … c-c-c-completely a virgin?"

"Well, I've kissed a boy," Jude teased, and that coaxed a small smile from Connor. "Uhm. No, not a total virgin. I think I'm okay with hand jobs; Dylan was definitely okay at them. Um, I've given three blow jobs in my entire life and gotten three blow jobs. That's it."

"Oh." Connor put his head down on his arms. "I don't want to talk about sex."

"We don't have to talk about sex. There's a million other things that we could talk about instead. It's not important right now. If it's ever important to us."

"You're sweet, Jude."

"You're very easy to be sweet too." Jude kissed the knuckles on both Connor's hands. "I think it's time for me to talk you to class."

Connor nodded and they slowly packed up and left the cookie place. Connor took his hand on the walk.

"So, you just want a quiet Thursday?" Jude asked.

"Yeah," Connor said, and he squeezed Jude's hand. "If you needed me then you could call b-but I'd just like to be by myself tomorrow."

"Which is perfectly okay." They stopped in front of Connor's building. "I hope it's a good day. I'll see you on Friday."

"See you."

Connor pulled him into a hug and Jude held him tightly. He felt Connor shift in his arms and Jude loosened his grip; he was worried that he'd been squeezing Connor too tightly. But then Connor gently kissed him.

"I could cuddle with you forever," Jude murmured. "You're very comfy. You make me happy."

"Whether or not I go to meet your parents, I'd like to see you this weekend."

"Sunday works best for me," Jude said. "What do you think?"

"Okay," Connor agreed. "Sunday." He went to take a step backward as Jude went to kiss him again. "We have class."

"One more."

"You'll be late if you kiss me again."

Jude grinned. "I'd rather be late."

He thought Connor would deny him, as Connor started shaking his head, but then Connor kissed him quickly. Jude pulled Connor back into his arms for a bit of a longer kiss.

"Okay, go to class," Connor whispered. "I don't want to be late."

"See you Friday, baby."

"See you."

Jude didn't turn to go to class right away. Instead, he watched Connor walk into class, a smile on his face. He didn't know why he had met Connor, but he was so glad that he was lucky enough to. When Connor was out of sight, Jude finally turned around and walked off to class.

The chapter's title is after the song Return to Innocence by Enigma. If you have a song that reminds you of Barefoot And Bruised and would like it to be on the playlist – and possibly a chapter title – send it in and let me know! I'd love to hear your playlist suggestions! (Chapter titles are mostly chosen via shuffle.)

So, on tumblr I'm: we are all of legend now (with dashes between every word). If you want to find my replies to anon reviews, add backslash tagged backslash anon dash replies. If you want to see anything I post about Barefoot And Bruised, go to my tumblr URL and add backslash tagged backslash barefoot dash and dash bruised dash. Punctuation is spelled out due to Fanfiction's restrictions. If you're having any trouble accessing the tumblr content please send me a pm and I can format it for you in a different way.

~TLL~