Summer of Jonnor

Galleria

Jude's eyes fluttered open. He could tell immediately that Connor was already up, the bed had that empty feeling it always had when he was in it alone. He noticed there was a note tucked into his hand. He opened it. Making you breakfast. And since you're so good at math, here's one for you: I love you x 100,000,000,000,000. He smiled and rested on his back, smelled pancakes cooking downstairs. He smiled and rolled his head off his pillow, catching a whiff of Connor pheromones in the process and stopping a moment to inhale them.

He got up and walked downstairs and into the kitchen. Soft warm light was flooding in the window, and he saw Connor carefully measuring out batter on the griddle, his face hovering just inches from the heated surface. Connor paused for a moment. "Morning babe. I think this might be first time I smelled you before I heard or saw you." He turned and smiled.

Jude smiled languidly at him. "Yeah, well my bed now smells like you, which means I can never let Lena wash the sheets again." He shuffled over to his beloved and intertwined with him.

"It's kinda hard to make pancakes this way," Connor protested feebly.

"You'll figure it out." Jude held him tightly. "Do people have magnetic fields?"

Connor was doing his best to precision flip pancakes within a tangle of Jude. "You and me do, cakes. Maybe that's why we can't stay apart for very long, it violates some sort of conservation of energy rule."

Jude was nuzzling his neck with his nose. "Well I don't want to break any laws of physics. The last thing we need is Einstein and Newton mad at us."

Connor's body shook with a silent laugh. "I think my clinginess has completely rubbed off on you. You're picking up all of my bad habits."

Jude kissed him right under the ear. "Well, if you're a bad habit, I'm not breaking it. I don't wanna be cured. After we eat, can we just go back to bed? I had to wake up without you and I think we need to do it over."

***

Taylor, Jude, Connor and Sophia walked through the Galleria complex in that order, with Jude and Connor holding hands in the middle and Taylor to the left of Jude and Sophia to the right of Connor.

"Interesting how you get different looks from people," Sophia said to Connor. "Some of them seem to be really happy to see you hold hands with Jude, others look disgusted."

"I don't really notice it anymore," Connor said to her. "I love Jude and there's nothing wrong with me holding his hand. If other people don't like it, that's about them, not us."

She nodded. "It's really nice seeing you being all loving with each other. Boys aren't usually like that."

"Well, boys can be loving to each other, and wear nail polish, and girls can be smart and tough and go out without makeup. None of those things have to be one way or another. That's one of the first things I learned from Jude."

Jude looked at Taylor. "You hungry? I'm starving. I think I already worked off breakfast."

"In less than a block of walking?" Taylor asked, raising her eyebrows.

Jude leaned in to whisper. "There might have been some making out with Connor after breakfast."

She grinned. "Yeah, order for me, will you? Hey Sophia, run to the bathroom with me?"

"Sure," she gave Connor a pat on the back. She and Sophia veered off.

"What is it with girls always going to be the bathroom together?" Jude asked.