#abcfam

Chapter one here.

Chapter two here. 

This chapter turns sour quickly, but it gets really sweet in the end. I really have fun writing these, so please enjoy!

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It was top of the sixth inning at the Padres game versus the Diamondbacks, with Arizona scoring two more runs. Jude was dozing on Connor’s shoulder, with Connor’s arm wrapped around him. Connor’s arm had long since fallen asleep, but he refused to move it incase Jude woke up. It was one of Connor’s favorite pastimes to watch Jude’s face as he slumbered. Whenever Jude was asleep, was the longest period of time Connor had ever observed worry completely erased from Jude’s face. Jude carried way too many cares for a boy his age, and Connor felt it his personal duty to ease some of those burdens when he was with Jude.

“Is the game really that boring?” Jude mumbled with his eyes still closed. Connor was startled, “You knew I was looking at you?”

“I could smell your breath oh sweet one.” Jude replied.

 Connor self-consciously closed his mouth and glanced away. Jude giggled, his eyes now open. “I don’t mind it, your breath,” Jude said, “it reminds me that I know something about you almost no one else does.” Connor rolled his eyes and pecked Jude on the cheek.

“Gol, a couple of queers at a baseball game. Cuter ‘n shit.”

A few laughs put the teenagers harassing them at least three rows up.

Jude tightened up in Connor’s arms.

Connor looked up at the three boys. They were roughly his age. "Can I help you?" Connor asked coolly.

"Nah, just enjoying the view. Fucking queers."

The other two laughed at their friend's joke.

Connor turned back around and saw Jude had his eyes closed again. Except this time Jude's face had worry all over it. And that broke Connor's heart.

"Hey, don't worry about them." Connor said. "Worry about the Padres. They're losing quite spectacularly right now…" His joke petered off as he saw Jude open his eyes and look at Connor. There was nothing but pain in those beautiful eyes.

"It just reminds me of... everything. All the times I've been seen as less of a person. By people at school, by my foster dads," Jude's voice broke at the last word. He was in a pretty bad placement before being taken in by the Fosters.

Connor hugged Jude to his side. Jude was breathing deeply into Connor's chest, trying to keep it together.

"Hey, hey. We can't control how those jerks feel about us. What we can control is how we feel because of them." Connor said to Jude.

Jude just continued to breathe into Connor's chest. But he was shaking a little less.

"I love you Jude. I love you, I love you, I love you. So much. I refuse to look back at my life before I met you, because-" Connor's voice was cracking now, "because I don't see the point of my life before I met you. You've been the greatest thing to happen to me.  I love you more than you will probably ever realize.  I love the way your eyes almost disappear when you're smiling extra hard. I love how much you care for everyone else- to the point that it can hurt you too, sometimes. I love how you stand up for what you believe in, and how you didn't give up when my dad didn't want us together."

Jude wasn't shaking anymore.

“And Jude, you have so many people in your life who love you so much. Stef took you in without a second thought all those years ago, because she saw in you an amazing person who had had too much bad luck. Lena stands up for you at school, because she knows the goodness and awesomeness that is you, Jude, and can't fathom why anyone would try to put you down. Callie loves you, and she's always put you first, because you are the type of person that is so easy to love. Mariana sees your inner strength and gave you your nickname, Judicorn, because she knew…”

-Connor was crying at this point-

“…That you are indescribable. There are so many people who love you Jude. Every day I have to mentally pinch myself to see if it's not a dream. I GET to date the most incredible boy I've ever met. I GET to be a part of your life. I love your laugh, because, even though I think it doesn't happen often enough, when I do hear you laugh, my heart speeds up.  Your laugh could melt a giant's heart, Jude.  That slightly puzzled look you get when you don't understand something. It gives me butterflies because every time, I think to myself…”

-Connor was whispering at this point, barely able to speak through his tears-

“’…how can he NOT realize how cute he is right now?' I love it when you look at me. Because I KNOW how you feel about me, and it gives me so much warmth to feel fully loved by someone.  Jude, I love you. I want you to remember that whenever you are feeling picked on, or feeling like less of a person because you love a boy. You are too amazing of a person to have to feel anything other than love."

Connor stopped talking and looked down at Jude. Jude was looking at the Padres strike out (once again), but tears were running down his face. They both had stopped listening to the boys behind them long ago. In fact, if they had looked behind them, they would have witnessed those girls from before, as well as several other people, heckling the boys to shut up until, fed up, the three of them left the stands. But neither of them were looking behind themselves.

"Connor?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." Jude relaxed even more into Connor's chest.

Jude felt Connor's heart speed up by Jude’s ear, and then Connor say, "Jude, I love you too."

Jude reached out for Connor's free hand, and, together, they watched the Padres continue to lose the game.

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Because I’m still on that Monday night “Fosters” high, and enjoy watching Tumblr explode with new gif sets and discussions about the episode, about Jonnor.