Summary: It's Jude's birthday and his siblings decide to get Jude the best present he'd ever receive. For Clato 27.
Birthday Surprise
"So, apparently, Jesus can't go back to boarding school," Jude explained to Connor through the phone. It had been three months since Connor had moved in with his mother and it had been hard on both him and Jude. They texted constantly and called or Skyped for at least an hour at night. Right now, Jude was updating Connor on the latest Adams Foster family drama that his boyfriend said he missed.
"Oh, yeah? What'd he do? Sleep with the dean's daughter?" Connor asked, laughing. Jude smiled, loving the sound of Connor's laugh.
"No, surprisingly. I guess his grades were failing, and he got into a fight with one of the guys on his team. Like a physical fight, without the fancy moves and stuff," Jude explained. The Adams Foster family had originally thought Jesus was staying for a few weeks at most. But, when Jesus continued to delay his leave, he had to finally admit what happened.
"Oh, interesting. So, you have to share your room again?" Connor mocked.
"Yeah, it's not that bad. I missed having him around, anyway. The downside is I have to stay as quiet as possible, or else he wakes up and tells me to, and I quote 'Get off the phone before I whip both you, and your boyfriend's asses," Jude whispered, laughing.
He heard Connor laugh, then speak. "And how does he plan to get to LA?"
"He says he will whip you through the phone," Jude answered immediately, laughing along with Connor.
"Oh my god, well if that's possible, could you kiss me through the phone?" Connor flirted. Jude laughed.
"You're so cheesy sometimes, you know?"
"You love it,"
"That's the problem," Jude agreed, shaking his head and laughing. "I should go. Don't need my ass whipped before my birthday," Jude whispered into the phone, a smile grazing his lips.
"No, please, wait one more minute," Connor pleaded from the other end.
"Why? We can talk in the morning," Jude reasoned.
"Please, just wait. If you love me you'll listen," Connor wagered.
"What if I don't love you?" Jude teased, smiling against the phone.
"Ha! Too late, you already told me. Unless you were lying," Connor answered, making his last sentence sound upset.
"No, of course I wasn't," Jude sighed, closing his eyes briefly. "I miss you," Jude told him.
He heard Connor sigh on the other end. "I miss you, too. Annnnnnnd, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Connor shouted into the phone. Jude laughed, hearing Connor shout "Sorry, Mom!" a moment later. He then heard Connor shuffle and speak again. "There. Now I'm officially the first one to wish you a happy birthday," Connor whispered. Jude smiled, biting his lip. He looked at his alarm, seeing it was midnight.
"Thanks, Connor. I love you," Jude told his boyfriend.
"I love you, too," Connor spoke. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
"Finally!" Jude laughed as he heard Jesus exasperatedly speak from his side of the room. Jude laughed, putting his phone on the night stand.
"Sorry, Jesus," Jude answered.
"Eh, it's alright. You guys are pretty cute," Jesus answered sleepily. "And happy birthday, little bro, now if you excuse me I'm gonna go to sleep. And quit gossiping about me," he added lazily. Jude shook his head, rolling his eyes as he heard his brother move around in his bed. Jude laid his head on his pillow and settled into sleep.
[][][][][][][]
"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Jude groaned as he heard Callie shout, bouncing on his bed.
"Again, really? We went through this last year," Jude laughed, opening his eyes and sitting up. Callie shook her head, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, but it's not just me," Callie told him.
"Wakey wakey, Judicorn!" Mariana shouted, leaping onto the bed beside Callie.
"Oof!" Jude groaned as his sisters tackled him in hugs. "Okay, okay, I get it! Let me breathe!" Jude laughed, struggling out of his sisters' grip and standing beside his bed.
"Alright, come on, let's go!" Callie exclaimed, leaping off the bed and standing behind Jude. She placed her hands on his shoulders and steered him out the door and down the stairs, Mariana following quickly behind.
"There's the man of the day!" Stef called as the three entered the room.
"Hey, happy birthday!" Lena greeted as Jude laughed and was hugged by his mothers.
"Happy birthday, bro," Brandon said, laughing as he took a bite from his pancakes.
"Jesus, say happy birthday to your brother!" Lena told her son as the rest of them sat down. Jude took a seat between Mariana and Jesus, who shrugged at their Moms.
"I already did," Jesus explained.
"When?" Stef asked, confused as she set a plate overflowing with pancakes and maple syrup to Jude.
"Midnight, when he finally hung up with Connor," Jesus answered casually. Jude shot Jesus a glare. He had gotten in trouble before for staying up too late talking to Connor a few weeks ago, and now Jesus was sending him down the road again.
"Oh, really?" Stef asked, looking at Jude with raised eyebrows.
"He uh, he wanted to be the first person to say happy birthday to me," Jude explained, looking down and feeling his cheeks heat up.
"Aw, that's so sweet!" Mariana squealed, giving Jude a side hug.
"Shut up," he mumbled, rolling his eyes.
"No, she's right, that's adorable," Lena commented. Jude groaned, knowing his siblings wouldn't let this go, nor would his mothers.
"But, Jude, we talked about this," Stef added, raising her eyebrows at her son.
"I know. I'm sorry," Jude told her, looking up. She breathed a sigh as she saw her son's pained face and shook her head.
"It's your birthday, we'll talk about it tomorrow," Stef settled. Jude smiled at her and dug into his meal. The conversation around the table flowed naturally, talking about plans for the day.
"Just a small party with just us, right Jude?" Lena asked, standing and putting her plate in the sink. Jude nodded.
"And, we can get Connor on Skype, right?" Brandon suggested suddenly, looking over at Jesus. The two locked eyes and smirked before looking over at Jude.
"Sure," Jude said, perking up, ignoring his brothers' looks.
"Well, Brandon and I have to go out for a bit, but we'll be back by noon to celebrate, alright?" Jesus told Jude, ruffling his hair. Jude laughed, nodding.
"Wait, where are you guys going?" Stef asked, looking up from her coffee.
"We have some last minute stuff to prepare," Brandon answered simply.
"But-"
"Okay, later Jude!" Jesus cut in. The two brothers raced out of the house, shutting the door behind them.
"Odd," Lena commented.
"Well, what's new for them?" Mariana teased, earning a laugh from Callie and nods of agreement from Stef and Lena.
"Okay, now we need to get everything ready!" Stef told her remaining three children, standing up and placing her coffee mug in the sink.
"Okay, you guys can start, I'm gonna help get Jude ready for his big day!" Mariana explained, grabbing Jude's wrist and dragging him away. Jude shot Callie and his mothers an apologetic look before following Mariana up the stairs.
"Mariana!" Jude laughed as she dragged him into her and Callie's room. "It's just the family, why do I need to be dressed up?" he asked. He watched Mariana falter, then look away.
"Because any day is a good day to be fashionable, and it's your birthday so, why not?" she finally decided, raising her eyebrows. Jude laughed and shook his head.
"Alright, fine," Jude agreed. He sat down on Mariana's bed, watching her move around the room quickly. She then turned toward Jude with a long, thin box. She placed the box on Jude's lap and sat beside him.
"I know it's early, but you need to open this one," Mariana told him. Jude rolled his eyes, figuring it was better not to argue with Mariana. He unwrapped the box and then pulled off the top part, laughing at the contents. It was a simple blue and black stripped shirt and blue skinny jeans.
"Alright, what's so special about this? What's the difference between this and my normal clothes?" Jude asked. Mariana raised her eyebrows and blinked at him as if he had just said the dumbest thing in the world.
"Okay, for one, feel the shirt," she told Jude, lifting a sleeve of it.
"Why do I have to-" he started, but Mariana cut him off.
"Just do it!" Mariana told her brother, rolling her eyes. Jude sighed and mimicked her motion. He placed his hand on the material and rubbed it between his fingers.
"Soft," Jude mumbled smiling. It was soft and felt almost like a cloud would. Mariana nodded.
"Yes, and the jeans are brand name. I spent good money on this, Judicorn!" Mariana frowned.
"I know, I'm sorry Mari," Jude told her, leaning over and giving her a side hug. She grinned and stood up, taking the clothes out of the box.
"Now, go change!" she told him, shoving the shirt and jeans into Jude's chest who laughed and took them from her. He went into the bathroom and changed. He also freshened up a bit before going back into Mariana and Callie's room. Mariana had changed from her pajamas as well, now sitting in some skinny jeans and a nice black shirt. She grinned and patted the spot beside her. "Now, for you hair," Mariana told him, grabbing some hair gel from her bedside table. Jude rolled his eyes.
"I can do my own hair, Mariana," Jude laughed. Mariana gave Jude a stern look, to which Jude held up his hands. "Alright," he gave in. Mariana grinned, then poured some of the gel into her hands and started styling his hair in his usual upward fashion. Jude sat laughing, feeling a bit odd about having someone's hands in his hair. That only ever happened when he was getting a hair cut, or, well, when Connor and him made out, but that was COMPLETELY different and felt much nicer.
Jude stayed as still as possible as Mariana finished and then grinned at him. "Here," she handed him a mirror. He looked into it and rolled his eyes. He looked exactly like he normally did though his hair was slightly shinier. "Okay, I'm gonna go wash this off my hands, stay here, we have one more thing to do!" Mariana told him, standing up and going into the bathroom. Jude stayed on the bed, smiling a bit. As much as it was annoying being bombarded by his family, he loved that he had one to suffocate him on his birthday and special days. He was excited to spend the rest of the day with them. The only thing to make things better is if Connor were here.
"Hey, why so sad?" Mariana asked as she came back in, a bottle of blue nail polish and a towel in her hand.
Jude looked up. "Nothing. I just wish Connor were here," he explained. He wasn't going to lie to his sister, but she didn't need to know just how upset he was about it.
Mariana gave him a sympathetic smile, then sat down beside him. Her smile turned into a confident grin. "I'm sure you're still gonna have fun today," Mariana explained. She crossed her legs on the bed and faced Jude. She placed the towel on her knee and grabbed his hand. "Now, let's get these nails painted, shall we?" she asked. Jude smiled, laughing.
"Yeah," he agreed, placing his hand on her knee. She unscrewed the nail polish and began painting his nails. Jude smiled as he thought of the last time the two of them had been in this position was over a year ago when him and Callie had only been there temperately. And now they were both adopted.
"You remember the last time we did this?" Mariana spoke his thoughts as she finished working on his thumb. Jude nodded.
"Yeah," Jude informed.
"That's when you told me about Connor for the first time," she reminisced, moving his hand gently onto his lap and taking his other one onto her knee. "He was just the pretty cool kid in your math class then," Mariana added, smirking over at Jude. He rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, and now he's my boyfriend, I get it," he laughed, smiling. She shook her head and dipped the brush in the polish before continuing.
"It's like a cheesy love story. Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. Boy moves away, leaving other boy heart broken," Mariana whispered, focusing on the nails. Jude focused his eyes down.
"I'm not heart broken, Mari. I told him to go," he told her. She looked up at him, tilting her head. "He needed it. His dad couldn't accept him," Jude explained, watching Mariana frown.
"That's sad. I never really liked his dad," Mariana informed. Jude gave her a stiff nod as she finished off his nails and placed them on his lap. "There, now wait until their dry and come downstairs," his sister explained, closing the nail polish and placing it on her bedside table. "Love you, Judicorn," she promised, kissing his cheek. "Happy birthday!"
"Love you, too," he called back as she walked out of the room. Jude blew on his nails. He was slightly worried about what his family was planning for the day. He could tell his siblings were hiding something, but he wasn't going to pressure. Sometimes, his siblings were smart. Sometimes. Once his nails dried, Jude stood up from Mariana's bed and walked into his bedroom, grabbing his phone off his bedside table. He unlocked it and open his texts.
Connor
HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYYYY!
Again.
R U awake?
Dont tell me UR family let U sleep this late on UR BIRTHDAY!
THEY HARDLY LET U SLEEP IN ON A REGULAR SATURDAY!
Jude laughed, biting his lip and texting Connor back quickly.
Jude
No Im awake, they attacked
Mostly Mariana. I have been fashioned, Connor
Jude laughed to himself, then put his phone in his pocket, jogging down the stairs. He walked into the backyard where Stef and Callie were blowing up balloons. They were having the party outside because even if it was November, it was warm, being in San Diego. "Where's Momma and Mari?" Jude asked, sitting beside his sister on the bench. Callie removed the balloon from her lips and tied a knot.
"Getting the cake," she answered, grinning at him.
"You guys did a nice job decorating in the time Mari held me captive," Jude complimented, looking around the backyard. There were balloons scattered around the area, and a table with presents from the family on the porch. The picnic table had a nice table cloth on it and there were a few un-blown balloons on it.
"Yeah. You look nice, though, love," Stef commented, smiling at her son.
"Jude, you know I love you, but blue? Again? Really?" Callie teased, glancing at his nails. She tied a string to the balloon and let it go, watching it float up to the porch ceiling. Jude raised his eyebrows at Callie.
"It's my favorite color, and it was Mariana's choice," Jude explained. He watched Callie smirk and turn away from him. Jude shook his head, then paused as he felt his phone buzz. He pulled it out of his pocket.
Connor
Oh how terrible!
Well, have fun.
Jude smiled as he texted Connor back.
Jude
I will, Love U.
The reply came instantly.
Connor
Love U 2.
"Is it the boyfriend?" Callie teased, grinning at her brother.
"Maybe," he responded, putting his phone back in his pocket. His siblings had told him before that it was obvious when he was texting Connor. He would, as they put it, 'light up like a Christmas tree'. "Can I help?" he asked. Stef looked at her son, then looked around the yard.
"Uh, no, I think we're good bud, why don't you go ahead inside?" Stef suggested, smiling at him. Jude nodded and glanced at Callie as she pulled out her buzzing phone and widened her eyes.
"Uh, wait!" Callie quickly stopped Jude. "Why don't you, uh, help me tie these strings to the balloons?" she suggested, putting her phone away and grabbing her brother's wrist and pulling him back down onto the bench. Jude furrowed his eyebrows at Callie, looking at Stef who just shrugged her shoulders.
"Alright," Jude agreed, taking the balloon from Callie and tying on the string. Callie let out a relieved sigh. The three finished blowing up the balloons and tying on the strings rather quickly. When they were done, they all went inside and met with the rest of the family. Mariana and Lena were sitting by the study area, while Brandon and Jesus sat at the kitchen table, mumbling to each other.
"Look who's back!" Stef greeted her sons who just smiled. The two moved their conversation into the living room, and Callie seemed to sneak away to join them. Stef shook her head at her children, before turning back toward Lena, Mariana, and Jude. "So, are the pizzas here yet?" she asked, raising her eyebrows and moving over to join her wife.
"No, but when they are, we move the party outside," Lena explained. Stef nodded, kissing her wife's cheek before dragging the other woman out of the room and into the living room where their other kids were. Jude shook his head and sat across from Mariana.
"What are you guys planning?" Jude asked. Mariana looked at him, playing innocent.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Judicorn," Mariana chirped, batting her eyelashes as innocently as possible.
"Yes, you do. Moms clearly don't know, Brandon and Jesus have been acting weird all day, you gave me, basically a make over, and Callie wouldn't let me go inside earlier. So, what is it?" he asked. Mariana shrugged her shoulders.
"Don't know, Jude. I guess you'll have to find out," she mused, shrugging and standing up, walking out. Jude sat there for a moment before hearing the doorbell ring and Stef talking to the delivery person. Jude stood up, smiling as Lena and his siblings came from the living room and herded him out the backdoor. The six got settled before Stef came out with three pizza boxes and placed them on the picnic table in front of her children and wife.
"Alright, now, before we eat, presents!" Lena told them, standing up and going over to the present table.
"Hold on," Jude spoke, pulling out his phone. "Connor said to facetime him when we were opening presents because, apparently, his is the best I'll ever get," Jude explained, tapping the facetime app and calling Connor. Jude smiled as his boyfriend's face appeared on the screen a few moments later.
"Happy birthday!" Connor cheered, his voice crackling through the microphone. Jude laughed, rolling his eyes.
"Dork," he mumbled.
"Here, let me take it so you can open the presents," Callie suggested from across Jude. Jude nodded and handed the phone to his sister and smiled as Callie positioned it so Jude could still see Connor and Connor could see him.
"Hey, Connor, why is it so dark where you are?" Jude questioned, looking at the screen and seeing the darkness around Connor.
"Uh," Connor started, eyes darting around on the screen.
"Presents!" Jesus shouted.
"Wait, wait!" Mariana shouted, leaning forward and grabbing the birthday hat the sat in the middle of the table. "Put it on," she told Jude, handing it across the table to Brandon who sat next to Jude.
"No, what, Brandon!" Jude protested as a grinning Brandon forced the hat on Jude's head.
"Oh, how cute!" Connor teased.
"Right! Hey, Mari, hold this," Callie spoke, handing the phone to her sister and pulling out her own and taking a picture as Jude glared at her. (A/N: His bitch face guys.)
"Alright, here," Lena handed Jude his first present. "From Mom and I."
Jude smiled, pulling off the wrapping paper and grinning as he pulled out a notebook. "Cool," Jude mumbled. It was a writing notebook, with a binned edge and writing prompts inside. "Thanks, Moms," Jude thanked, leaning over and hugging both Stef and Lena.
"What is it?" Connor asked. Jude held up the present so Connor could see the gift through the camera.
"Alright, next!" Stef shouted. They went through all the presents until the ground was covered in wrapping paper and all the presents were off the table. Callie had framed a photo she'd taken of the family, Jesus had gotten him a skate board, swearing he'd teach him to skate. Brandon had gotten Jude the new Call of Duty, and Mariana had already given him her gift. Connor's gift was an extremely expensive book that Jude had been wanting to get for a while.
"How did you get this?!" Jude shouted, turning it over in his hands. Connor laughed from the phone.
"I have my ways. Oh, sorry, I gotta go," Connor added, looking away from Jude for a moment.
"Oh... okay. Bye, I love you," Jude dismissed, rolling his eyes as his family cued and awed.
"I love you, too," Connor smiled, blowing Jude a kiss before disappearing from the screen. Jude reached over and took his phone back from Callie, pushing it in his pocket. He smiled sadly as he felt Brandon's arm around his shoulder.
"Well, we do have one more present for you," Brandon informed. Jude frowned, opening his mouth, before Stef cut him off.
"You do?" she raised her eyebrows.
"We do!" Jesus answered.
"We'll be right back," Callie told her brother, then Jude's four siblings got up and went inside. Jude furrowed his eyebrows and looked at his mothers.
"Do you-"
"Nope," Lena answered, shaking her head. It was a few minutes before Jesus came out, carrying a large box on a hand truck.
"Woah!" Jude gaped as his other siblings followed, grinning. Jesus removed the box carefully from the hand truck. The box was about as high as Jude's hips and was wide. "What is this?" Jude asked, furrowing his eyebrows at his siblings.
"You'll find out in a minute," Callie explained.
"And just so you know, we all chipped in to get it," Mariana added, grinning.
"But, it was our idea," Brandon commented, motioning to him and Jesus.
"Um, guys, how much did you spend on whatever this is?" Lena asked, standing up, followed by Stef to join their family.
"Shockingly, not that much," Jesus smirked, glancing at his siblings.
"Well, open it!" Stef told her son, placing a hand on his back.
"Alright..." Jude mumbled, moving forward and removing the top of the box carefully. Jude gasped, dropping the lid and throwing his hands over his mouth and stepping back as he glimpsed what was in the box. Now standing up from the inside of the box, stood Connor with a golden bow on his head and a grin on his face. "Oh my god," Jude mumbled, gasping, his eyes widening.
"Surprise!" Connor shouted. Jude stayed silent. His eyes flew from Connor, around to his family. His siblings were all grinning, and his mother's looked as shocked as he felt. Jude took a step forward, dropping one of his hands from his mouth. He took in every detail of Connor, making sure he was real. The same sandy, styled hair. The same hazel eyes, sparkling at the sight of Jude. The same full lips, pulled into a goofy grin. "Jude?" Connor asked, slightly concerned. "Are y-" Connor was cut off by Jude rushing forward and holding tightly to Connor. But, Connor didn't expect Jude to come at him with such force so he fell backward, taking Jude and the now broken box down.
Neither of them cared though. Jude clung tightly to Connor's neck, gaping and laughing happily. He nuzzled his head into Connor's neck, shaking his head. "Oh my god," he whispered, feeling Connor's arms around his waist, pulling him to his chest. "You're here, how are you here?" Jude whispered, still gripping Connor tightly. Connor nodded, laughing and hiding his own head in Jude's shoulder.
"They called me and told me to come for today. They got me a train ticket and everything," Connor whispered back. He pulled back from Jude's shoulder, resting his forehead against his boyfriend's and laughing with him. They both had tears of happiness running down their cheeks. Jude looked away from Connor briefly, over at his siblings.
"Thank you so much," Jude told them, gripping Connor's hand and untangling himself from his boyfriend's embrace so they could stand. They weren't separated for long before the two were wrapped up in each other's arms again. The golden bow that had been on Connor's head laid on top of the broken box.
"We'll give you guys a minute," Stef informed, looking at her other kids and ushering them inside. Once his family was inside, Jude tightened his grip on Connor and shook his head.
"I can't believe this. How long are you staying?" Jude asked, pulling back and pressing their foreheads together again. Connor bit his lip, grinning.
"Until Tuesday night," Connor answered. Jude was suddenly glad for the storm that had knocked out the school's power so they couldn't go until further notice.
"Really?" Jude asked, unable to believe that not only was Connor here, but he was going to be staying for the next three days.
"Really," Connor nodded. Jude closed his eyes briefly. He pulled Connor impossibly closer, then connected their lips in a soft, sweet kiss. They pulled back shortly after and grinned at each other. "I missed you so much," Connor confessed, lifting his hand from Jude's neck and onto his cheek. Jude lent into the touch, smiling as he did so.
"I missed you, too. I'm gonna have to thank Callie, Brandon, Jesus, and Mariana a hundred times," Jude mumbled. He moved his head onto Connor's shoulder, still gripping the boy as if he let go, he would slip away and be gone forever.
"Okay, as much as I love this, I think it's time we go celebrate your fourteenth birthday," Connor whispered, though he didn't loosen his grip on Jude. Jude nodded slowly against Connor's shoulder. Jude pulled back slightly, pressing a soft kiss to Connor's lips again before separating himself from Connor. Their hands quickly found each other's and interlocked.
"I love you," Jude smiled, glad he could say it in person.
"I love you, too," Connor responded instantly. "Now, come on, let's go get your family, make sure they don't think we're doing anything we shouldn't be," Connor teased, laughing. Jude joined his boyfriend's laughter as he tugged on Jude's hand, leading him into the house where Jude's family was.
Adorbs. This goes out to Clato 27, as I put at the beginning. Y'all should read her stories, they are really good! Hope you liked it, oh and P.S, I know you requested shirtless Connor, but you know, I got in a very fluffy mood, so.
Alright! Also, I would like to inform everyone that this series of one-shots and Family Bonding will be put on hold for a little while. I have school coming up and I'm gonna be rushing around and really busy, and I really want to focus on Bring Me Home and Warpaint (I'm working on making video trailers for those two, maybe :P). They won't be on this little hiatus for long, two months at most, but I'm trying to work on updating Bring Me Home weekly from now on, and I already have that for Warpaint. Once I get into the groove of school and stuff again, I'll start them up.
Okay, see y'all later!
Disclaimer: I don't own The Fosters or anything you recognize.
-HJ