A Christmas to Remember

Part 1

*10 Days Until Christmas*

"Don't bother coming home ever again!"

That was the last thing Connor's dad had said to him before hanging up the phone. It was a week and a half before Christmas and now he was on his own. Exams would be over in three days and he didn't have anywhere to go after. Coming out to his dad had been an unmitigated disaster. Not that Connor, in all honesty, had expected any different, but he had been holding on to a sliver of hope that maybe his dad wouldn't totally hate his guts.

"Hey Connor, is everything alright?" Jude asked, noticing Connor's blank, almost shocked expression as he walked into the room. Jude and Connor weren't particularly close, but that didn't mean Jude didn't care about Connor's well-being. If it looked like something was wrong with Connor, he was going to find out, so he could help him as best as he could.

"I uh—not really Jude." Connor said quietly, breaking his staring contest with the wall and lowering his head to stare at his feet instead.

"You mind telling me what happened then?" Jude said, pulling up a chair to sit down next to Connor. Connor just started shaking gently, tears falling from his eyelashes onto his shoes. Jude placed his hand on Connor's back, rubbing small circles, trying to comfort his roommate.

"My dad—" Connor choked out. "Told me not—not to come home—because I'm—I'm gay." he blubbered before beginning to bawl. Jude grabbed Connor's hand, gently squeezing it.

"Connor, I'm so sorry." Jude said, trying to comfort Connor, surprised to find out that his roommate was gay. Not that Jude cared (he had two moms for heaven's sake), it was just that Connor outwardly didn't strike him as gay, though he supposed that was because all he had to go off of were stereotypes that he didn't think would fit Connor in a million years. They sat there for a few moments while Connor cried, Jude continuing to hold Connor's hand and rub his back.

"So who else in your family can, I guess, sort of take care of you now that your dad's kicked you out?" Jude asked when Connor had calmed down a little.

"My dad was the only family I had, Jude. I don't have any siblings, I don't know where my mom is, my grandparents are dead and my dad was an only child so I don't have any aunts or uncles." Connor answered, still sniffling heavily. Jude's heart sank. So Connor was all on his own now. Jude knew that even though Connor was eighteen, he was still going to need a lot of support from someone, Jude just didn't know from whom. Jude sat there, thinking for a moment, before the light bulb went off in his head.

"I—uh look, I've got to ask first, but um, maybe you could come home with me? You know, so you're not spending Christmas all by yourself." Jude suggested nervously.

"Really Jude?" Connor said, looking up, eyes shimmering with hope.

"Yeah, let me call my moms and see. I'll be right back." Jude replied, patting Connor on the back as he stood up and walked over to the bedroom to call.

"Hey love, what's up?" his mom, Stef, answered.

"Um, mom, so I was wondering something. My roommate's dad just uh, kicked him out I guess because he's gay and he doesn't have any other family, so I was um, wondering if it would be okay if he came home with me? So he's not alone." Jude said anxiously, wondering why he was suddenly so worried about Connor.

"Absolutely love. We would love to have him join us for Christmas." his mom said, voice tinged with a little sadness, obviously upset that someone would kick out their child for who they are.

"Alright thanks mom. See you in a couple days." Jude chirped happily, hanging up the phone. He was really glad his mom said yes. He and Connor may not have been close, but he did not want Connor to be all by himself on Christmas. That was a pretty awful thing for anyone to go through. And, hopefully his moms might take Connor under their wing as kind of another member of the family. Connor didn't need to go through this without a family, and Jude's family would be more willing than most to make him a part of theirs.