Summer of Jonnor

Tell the Truth

The next morning Jude woke up before Connor did, and he laid still so as not to wake his beloved. He wondered for a moment about what Taylor was doing with Project Ronnoc and if he should ask her for some details. But thinking about it more, he decided he didn't want to know too much. It was the what that was going to be really awesome, not the how. But he was certain that Taylor would find a way for the how to live up to the what. She'd never failed them before, and she certainly wasn't going to now, especially since Jude knew she realized just how big this was going to be. It would be her most intricate mission ever—a challenge worthy of her considerable skills, a gift they were giving to each other as best of friends.

Jude thought of how in science class they had learned about the history of the Universe and Earth. How one day an immense star exploded and sent shock waves through a huge gas cloud, causing areas of it to condense and gravitationally contract, until those areas became so dense that nuclear reactions began. The Sun and her sisters were born. For billions of years life struggled to dominate and survive on Earth and become better and better at everything until this chain of life led to him—Jude Jacob Adams Foster, stardust made self-aware. That like every new living thing he began knowing nothing and yet feeling everything, then grew until he was old enough to know what purpose was and why it was important to have one. And maybe his purpose wasn't building monuments or solving the future's problems—he had scarcely any idea of what he wanted to do for a career or a job. It seemed instead that his purpose was Connor—could it really be that fourteen billion years of history had an answer as simple as that? It felt very right somewhere deep inside.

His right hand was resting on Connor's leg and he brushed the inside of Connor's thigh, feeling Connor's thingy pushed against his own leg and reacting to the touch. Connor's warmth intensified, and Jude snuggled in tighter to him, stroked Connor's thingy with the back of his hand, and it responded.

"God, what a way to wake up," Connor whispered in his ear.

"Sorry," Jude said, "I really shouldn't just have my way with you when you're asleep."

"I love it when you have your way with me." Connor kissed his cheek. "What time is it, anyway?"

Jude squinted at the clock. "Five-ten a.m."

"Why are we up so early? Is everyone else still asleep?"

"They should be," Jude said, nuzzling the back of his head to Connor's forehead. "We should probably go back to sleep too."

Connor kissed and licked his ear. "Unless you want to create a sticky mess."

"Yeah but then we'd have to shower and that might be kinda hard to explain this early in the morning."

"We really need to spend a night at my place. Maybe we can make moms think my dad is there when he isn't."

"He tends to keep them up to date on his travel plans," Jude reminded him. "Are you really sure you're ready for this? Once we get started with that it's probably not going to stop."

"I don't think I'll want it to stop. What are you worried about, baby?"

Jude turned towards him, nuzzled Connor's face with his. "It's just, when you went missing, the stuff I felt was overwhelming. If we had been, you know, doing it then I don't think I could have made it. It would have been too much to bear. I know our bodies are ready for this but that's just part of it, is the rest of us really ready for it?"

Connor thought about it. "Maybe not. I know what you mean. That night would have been even worse to get through."

"Maybe we should just wait until our feelings catch up to the biology. Or maybe not. I don't feel like I can resist it much longer, no matter what we decide. There's four billion years of DNA inside me telling me to jump your bones."