Jonnor at a Padres Game (ch. 2)
Hey everyone! Iâve wrote another chapter of âJonnor at a Padres Game!â (read chapter 1 here).
A note on chapter one: During the flashback, I used only italics to show that Jude was thinking about why Connor wouldnât ask his Dad to drive them, but on my phone (and probably some other mobile users), the italics were omitted. Which can make for a confusing flashback. So please read that flashback section as if Jude was thinking the first three questions, but only actually asked the fourth.Â
Iâll be more explicit from here on out about what they are thinking versus what they are saying. Enjoy chapter 2!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sun had passed over the top of Petco Park stadium, and Jude and Connor were now sitting in the shade at the bottom of the 3rd inning. Arizona was up by four, and Connor was fully engrossed in the current batter. Jude, while enjoying being so close to Connor, was fighting back some sleep in his eyes. The shade coupled with the hot air in the stadium (as well as talking with Connor on the phone until 2am the previous night), was causing him to fight to keep his eyes open. He was very cognizant of the fact that his head was jerking every few seconds, but was trying to negate it by back-channeling with Connorâs commentary (âMmhmm, yeah.â âYeah I canât believe he didnât hit that.â).Â
Connor looked over at Jude at the exact same moment Jude shut his eyes for a second before jerking them back open again. Jude glanced over at Connor, his face flushing red in an instant. âSorry,â Jude muttered before looking intently back at the game.Â
Connorâs lips turned upward at the corners for half a second, and then put his arm around Judeâs shoulders. âHopefully my arms are more comfortable to catch some zzzâs on,â Connor teased, Jude snorting at the clichĂ©.
Connor loved clichĂ©s. He also loved being with Jude, and Jude seemed to be bored out of his mind right now. âJude letâs talk.â
Jude stiffened in Connorâs embrace. âWhat do you want to talk about?â Jude said carefully.
Connorâs eyes widened when he realized what Jude was thinking. âJude I love you. Nothing is going to change that. I just mean, letâs chat.â Jude relaxed again and said, âOkay. What do you want to talk about?â
ââŠDo you think Callie likes me?â Connor said, while very carefully looking at the baseball game.
 Jude sat still for a moment. Although he had put himself out there with this question, Connor wasnât worried about Jude not speaking. Jude had gone weeks without speaking before they were dating, and whenever Jude took the time to say something, it was because Jude was being the extra-perceptive person that Connor had fallen for.
âWhat makes you think she doesnât like you? Like, has any of your interactions given you the thought she doesnât like you?â Jude asked.
âWell, we really havenât talked much, but the few times we have, I just feel like she doesnât like me.â Connor admitted.
âI think⊠she hasnât really gotten to know you. Since we were young, Callie was the more closed-off of the two of us. And while sheâs gotten better at opening up to people since we moved to our current home, her overall nature is of careful distance first, trust second.â
âSo youâre saying she doesnât trust me?â
Jude sighed. Jude loved Connor, and he knew that the amount of affirmation Connor received at home paled in comparison to what he got from Jude and his family, but that didnât help whenever Connor was feeling less-than. Because Connor still needed affirmation.
âCallie doesnât trust anyone she doesnât know. That doesnât mean just you, but to anyone she hasnât really gotten to know, you know?â Jude said.
âYeah. Iâve been trying to make our interactions positive, especially considering the crap I put you through last year.â Connor was stroking Judeâs hand as he said this.
Jude sat up in his seat and looked at Connor. âConnor, I love you dearly. If it helps, know that you and Callie have one thing in common: you are both way too hard on yourselves.â
Jude made a mental note to talk to Callie next time he saw her. Connor was his everything, and he loved it when Connor opened up to him. Connorâs sensitivity under his hyper-masculine veneer meant that Connor was extra-susceptible to disapproval from people who were closer to him. Regardless of how Callie actually felt towards Connor, Jude would make sure she understood that Connor needed to see nothing but approval from her.
Connor sighed in slight annoyance. âJude, that doesnât help me feel any better.â
âI know,â Jude replied, âCallie just wants my best interests at heart. So while I KNOW she likes you, she has taken last year into account, so I guess sheâs just⊠anxious? To see where this is going. She doesnât want me to get hurtâ
 -Connor was rising up in his seat, about to speak in protest-Â
âAnd while I KNOW that you have no intention of hurting me, just like I have no intention of hurting you, Callie is still in a place where she needs to âsee it to believe it,ââ Jude finished.
Connor sighed again. âIâve been tryingâŠâ
âI know. Thatâs what I love about you. You donât give up on something when it gets too difficult. And, while you understand that we donât need ANYONE elseâs opinion of our relationship in order to feel validated as a couple, if it would make you feel better, we can start hanging out with Callie more often. Maybe see a movie with her or something,â Jude said.
Connor snort-laughed. âMaybe not a movie. I highly doubt she would want to see her precious Judicorn being intimate in the dark with his boyfriend.â
Jude blushed as he laid his head back on Connorâs shoulders. At the bottom of the fourth inning, the Padres had just scored two runs. But Jude and Connorâs thoughts were both elsewhere.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That was really fun to write! Yay! Hope you all enjoy! More chapters to come!
