Chapter Text
Jude felt a pounding that made him want to die. He was afraid to open his eyes as the light was stabbing him like a knife in his head and his mouth, dear god it tasted like something died in there. All he could think of was that dying would be easier than living with this agony.
“JUDE” the pounding in his head was now calling his name too?? Jude tried to pull the blankets over his head but somehow it made it worse – now he could smell what had died in his mouth!
“JUDE, CONNOR!! YOU NEED TO GET UP!” why did the horrible tormentor sound like Jesus Jude wondered? Pushing down the covers, Jude cracked open his eyes and sure enough the light made the pounding in his head even worse. But before he could hide again that terrible voice returned “DUDES, YOU GOTTA GET UP!!” Jesus yelled again.
Jude pushed himself to a sitting position and regretted it almost as fast. He felt his stomach shift in time with the pounding in his head. Looking around the hotel room, Jude remembered that they were supposed to head back home today. Jude looked over at the body next to him in the bed and saw Connor drooling in to the pillow and his hair messed up.
Jude pushed himself up and stumbled towards the door. Finally getting there, he cracked the door to see his brother standing there. “Jude” Jesus smiled and laughed at the disheveled boy standing, well leaning, at the door. “It is 2:30 and we have to be out of the rooms by 3pm. You two have to get up and out now!”
“Jesus” Jude whispered “please stop screaming at me.” Why was Jesus so loud?!? “We haven’t showered, packed, or anything. Give us an hour…maybe two.” Jude pleaded.
“No Dice Bro” Jesus said “we got a late check out but unless you two plan to pay for another day in that room, you have to be out ASAP!” Jesus laughed at his youngest brother trying to deal with the aftermath of his first hangover. “MOVE IT!” Jesus said “or if you want, Brandon and I can come help you?”
Jude really wanted to give Jesus the look, he really did, but that was too much effort right now and he was really afraid that he and Brandon would actually come in to their room. “Fine” Jude finally gave up “we will be out in 20 minutes.” Jude shut the door and turned back to the room. Shuffling to the bed he knew that waking Connor up would be harder than ever. Connor normally slept like the dead, but after the last two days of partying, he knew drastic methods were required.
First, he grabbed the sheets and blankets and pulled with a tug. Suddenly they were on the floor and Connor didn’t flinch. Lying on his side wearing a pair of sweat pants and no shirt, he was still snoring and Jude figured he would need to up his plans. He pushed on Connor trying to shake him awake with no result. Grabbing a pillow, he even whacked Connor in the head…still nothing.
Time to go nuclear! Stumbling to the bathroom he grabbed one of the cups and filled it with cold water…he was so going to pay for this. Walking back to the bed he paused over Connor and extended the cup over his boyfriends head.
Squinting his eyes as he shifted away from the bed, Jude tossed the cold water at Connor and leapt backward. “WHAT THE HELL!?!” Connor screamed and jumped out the bed looking for someone to punch. By this time Jude was halfway across the room and started to giggle.
Narrowing his eyes Connor saw his boyfriend trying to get away with the incriminating cup still in his hand. “You are so dead Jude Adams Foster” Connor growled and lunged.
Holding up his hands Jude smirked as Connor missed and he danced away from the slow moving blonde. “Sorry Connor, but I had no choice. We have to be out of the room in 20 minutes…well 15 now…and I couldn’t wake you up.”
Connor collapsed on the bed “Oh God” he moaned holding his head “I think I am going to die…and what the hell did I eat, my mouth tastes like feet!”
Jude sat down on the bed next to his suffering boyfriend. “I think this is what they call the morning after hangover” Jude said rubbing a circle in Connor’s back. “The price of too much drinking.”
Connor lifted his head enough to look at Jude sitting there and groaned. “I am never drinking again” he swore. “I don’t even remember anything from yesterday. Last thing I remember we were going to that dance club and started drinking that stuff in the test tubes?” Connor struggled to remember but everything was too hazy.
“TEN MINUTES” Jesus screamed from the door, pounding on it again.
“Oh god” Connor moaned. “Why is he so loud?” Jude started to laugh but his own headache suggested that was a very bad idea at the moment. “Okay. First, get up. Let’s find shirts and shoes. We can sleep in the car. I am going to brush my teeth and you are going to stuff our stuff in the bags. When I am done, we can switch.” Jude hauled himself up and headed for the bathroom determined to drive this foul taste out of his mouth.
“What about a shower” Connor begged. “No time” Jude replied from the bathroom door.
Jude stepped out of the bathroom with all of his stuff in his hands and saw Connor tossing stuff into their duffle bags that they brought on the trip instead of suitcases. “Your turn” Jude said. “I left the toothpaste and your toothbrush…hurry up.”
Connor shambled towards the bathroom and Jude started to gather up what Connor had missed. Luckily they hadn’t brought much, they were only here for two days, so they didn’t have much. By the time he got the last of their clothes, minus a shirt for Connor as he had already put his on over the sweatpants he was wearing and slipped on his shoes. Connor tossed the last of the bathroom stuff in one of the bags “What else?” Connor mumbled just as the banging on the door returned. “OPEN UP!”
Connor walked to the door pulling on his t-shirt before opening it to see Jesus standing there grinning. “MORNING SUNSHINE!” he said loudly. “Ready to go?”
“God Jesus, could you be any more obnoxious?” Jude asked. Tossing one of the bags over his shoulder and handing the other to Connor. Connor slipped on his shoes as they walked into the hallway. “Where is Brandon?”
“He is getting the car” Jesus said smiling. “We already had a late breakfast and checked out. Shower was great – very relaxing.” He was really enjoying tormenting the two younger boys, a job that as older brother he relished. Besides, when you have your first hangover, it should be memorable.
The three of them shuffled to the elevator and then downstairs. As they walked through the casino as they headed for the exit, Jude really hated his brothers. Why had he listened to them?
Flashback to three days ago
“VEGAS BABY!!” Jesus said walking into Jude’s room.
“What?” Jude said jumping up surprised. Jesus wasn’t due in for another four days for the holidays but here he was and Brandon was right behind him. Jude hugged his brothers excited as he hadn’t seen them for several months. Texts, skypes, and phone calls weren’t the same as seeing them in person.
“It’s not everyday that you turn 18 Jude” Brandon said smiling. “Jesus and I decided that we need to take you out to celebrate. And since your birthday is Sunday and you don’t have school next week for the holiday, Jesus and I have decided to take you to Las Vegas to celebrate. We leave on Saturday, stay over till Monday, and then will be back in time for Thanksgiving.”
Jude was stunned. He couldn’t believe that his brothers had come up with this, let alone that they were willing to go to all the trouble. “But what about moms?” Jude asked. “There is no way they will approve this.”
Jesus smiled. “Well, we are telling them we are taking you on a boys' only camping trip.” He smiled at his older brother, sharing a secret look “Besides, we have to keep up the Adams-Foster tradition!”
“What tradition?” Jude asked nervously.
“Brandon took me to Vegas when I turned 18” Jesus said smiling. “Did you ever hear about it?” Jesus asked.
“No” Jude said uncertainly. That would definitely had made for some serious drama in the house.
“So, we keep up the brotherly tradition of a secret Vegas trip” Brandon said wickedly. “Besides, it’s time for you to loosen up. And to make it more fun…We got two rooms at the casino.”
“Why two rooms?” Jude asked. “Wouldn’t it be easier to all pile in one room?”
“Easier maybe” Brandon answered “but not really what we were thinking would be fun. We figured you might want to invite Connor and then we would definitely want two rooms!” Jesus snickered.
Jude blushed but smiled as his brothers before grabbing them in a hug.
Back to the present
Connor, of course, was all for it and surprisingly his moms seemed to buy the idea of the boys’ trip. They had arrived after the nearly six hour drive on Saturday and checked in. By midnight, Jude was 18 and they started hitting up places. Though underage, it really wasn’t hard to get drinks at these places. Jude and Connor had drank too much that night to celebrate both their birthdays, but Sunday morning was tough. They had gone out for a dinner without his brothers – they were gambling in the casino and didn't want to do anything else, but Jude and Connor wanted to have some fun. So they enjoyed a great meal before hitting up an amazing club with those terrible, mind numbing drinks in test tubes. Jude couldn’t remember much after that and once they had piled back in Jesus’s car, Jude and Connor passed out in the back seat and didn’t wake up till they were back in San Diego.
They had made one stop on the way back for dinner at a fast food joint eating in the car in the parking lot because they really didn’t want to be seen by other people. A traffic jam delayed their return even more and by the time they pulled into the driveway of the Adams-Foster house, it was after 11pm.
Walking in the house, the boys were quiet as they tried to avoid waking their moms. They went up the stairs and as they reached the landing a door opened and Stef was standing there. “Have fun camping boys?” she said with her arms crossed.
“It was great” Jesus replied first “the traffic back was terrible though.” He smiled at his mom looking innocent. Brandon just smiled while Jude and Connor winced. Their nap in the car really hadn’t helped much and that greasy food on the way back wasn’t really sitting well with Jude. Connor had a stomach of iron but even he looked a bit green in the face.
“Jude honey” Stef said towards her youngest “you okay, you look a little queasy.”
“Just some bad food mom” Jude said softly. “Connor and I are gonna crash now.” Jude shambled to his room with Connor right behind him. They walked in and tossed their bags on the floor by Jude’s desk and collapsed into Jude’s bed after taking off their shoes. Arranging themselves quickly, they were asleep in seconds.
Jesus and Brandon were still standing in the door as Stef walked over and they all looked down at the two snoring boys. “Wow” Jesus remarked “that was fast.”
Brandon snorted.
“Why don’t you two get to bed too” Stef told them. As she walked to her room “We can talk about Vegas tomorrow.” The door closed behind her.
Brandon and Jesus looked at each other. Uh-oh.