Connor looked up as Daria and Maddie dropped a lollipop on his desk.

"Happy Halloween!" Maddie chirped. She moved on with the candy while Daria lingered behind.

"Do you have Halloween plans?" she asked.

"Um, spending the weekend with a friend. Just going to watch movies and stuff," Connor said. "Dad's out of town, so …"

Daria's brown eyes widened. "You have the house to yourself?"

"Yeah."

"You should throw a Halloween party," she said. "You know, I bet a lot of people would come."

Connor toyed with the pencil on his desk. "No one would be there for me, just for a house free of parents."

"Does it really matter that much?" Daria asked.

It did. Not only would it overwhelm Connor but he couldn't imagine Jude at a house party. It was about a weekend alone with Jude to Connor. He just wanted to spend time with his friend.

"Some kids at this school still think I'm contagious," Connor said flatly.

"Oh, come on. It's a party. You might meet friends again. I'll definitely come," she said sweetly. Connor knew about her parties. She probably would use anyone to go to one.

"No, thanks. Not worth it," Connor said. "I don't need to throw a party."

Daria narrowed her eyes at him and flounced away without another word. Connor was suddenly glad that Daria didn't know where he lived – he had a feeling, if she did, she would show up with her friends in tow and take roost on his front lawn come Halloween. He watched her take her own desk, leaning over to talk to Taylor, Maddie nearly tipping out of her chair as she stretched to hear the conversation. Connor knew that they were talking about him and, once, it would have dug at him. It would have bothered him. He wanted to think he was growing up and that he was old enough to not care about anyone's opinion of him but he knew it wasn't true. He knew the difference was that he had a friend to turn to now.

And Jude was going to be over tonight.

It was that thought, and that thought alone, that got Connor through the day, even though his body was tired and his jeans felt harsh against the inside of his calf. He wanted to be home, in sweatpants, comfortable on his couch. He had never thought to ask Jude if he liked horror movies. He'd do that once Jude arrived. It was Halloween weekend, after all. Connor got off the bus in front of his house, scrubbing his hands with sanitizer. His father's car was still in the drive and Connor checked the time. Adam should be gone in just a few minutes. In less than half an hour, Connor was going to have the weekend free from his father. Connor knew that he shouldn't be so excited about that but he couldn't help it. Adam could be too overbearing.

Connor opened the front door. There was a suitcase sitting in the short hall, Jellybean perched on top of it. Connor kicked off his shoes and threw his backpack down before pulling his car into his arms. She purred as she hooked her paws over the top of his shoulder.

"Dad?" Connor called.

"Kitchen!"

Connor padded around the corner. Adam had the cupboard open, staring at the rows upon rows of medication bottles.

"Are you going to remember –"

"Yes," Connor said, grumpily. "I'm not stupid. And I've been doing this forever. I've got it down. It's not like you're around to babysit me all day every day and I haven't offed myself yet."

Adam's glare was cutting.

"Accidentally offed myself. I'm, uh, not doing that on purpose. Promise."

Adam's look didn't soften. "Are you actually having a friend over? Do I have to worry about you this weekend?"

"No. I told you, his name is Jude. Ms. Adams knows him. His, um, mom, isn't home until after six, so he won't be able to come over until she's home."

"I could go and pick him up," Adam offered. "We have time."

"It's his mom's rule," Connor said. "You know how parents can be."

"Don't let the cat scratch you."

"And that's how parents can be," Connor muttered to Jellybean. At his voice, she tilted her head and he reached up to itch her ears.

"I just don't feel right about leaving you. I'm worried something is going to go wrong."

"I'm fine. Nothing's going to happen and I won't be alone until you get back," Connor said. "Jude will be here soon."

Adam sighed. "Okay, well, I have to go or else I'm going to miss my flight."

"Don't do that," Connor said. "It's okay."

Adam nodded. "Okay. I love you. I'll be home soon. Don't forget your meds. I'll call."

"Bye, Dad."

"Bye."

Connor carried Jellybean with him as he followed his father to the door. Once Adam was out, he closed the door and locked it behind him. He watched out the window until Adam had backed his car out of the driveway and then he let Jellybean jump from his arms. Connor wandered around the kitchen. Food and groceries were stocked in the kitchen but Adam had also left the emergency credit card on the counter, telling Connor to use it for delivery if he and Jude wanted. Connor tapped the credit card against the counter, already thinking that pizza was in the cards for him and Jude. He didn't know what Jude liked on his pizza but Connor fully intended to find out. Connor didn't want to settle down on the couch, knowing that he was just going to have to get back up in a minute to let Jude in. He topped up Jellybean's food bowl and tossed her treats until the doorbell rang.

Connor thought the smile on his face was a little too big for answering the door for Jude.

"Hey," Connor said. "I'm glad you didn't get lost."

Jude shrugged. "I remembered. My brain's not dead."

"I know."

Connor shuffled to the side to let Jude in, watching Jude take in his house. He wondered what it looked like from an outsider's point of view.

"Um, you can just leave your shoes here."

Jude nodded but he didn't move. Connor followed his stare, catching Jellybean's face peeking around the corner.

"Oh, that's Jellybean. Don't mind her. She's not usual a fan of new people. Be careful with her, though, she's getting old."

"Jellybean," Jude repeated. "Okay. Um, sorry. I've never had a pet."

"She's fine, I promise. No biting or anything."

"Okay."

Jude pushed off his shoes.

"Um, come on. I'll show you around a little."

"Sure."

Jude had a battered bag on his shoulder and he clung to it tightly. Connor led him around his house. There wasn't much to see. The wide ground floor essentially went in a circle – kitchen, living room, dining room. Their bedrooms and the only bathroom was upstairs. And that was it. Simple, small, cluttered with knick-knacks and other things.

"Where's the bookshelf?" Jude asked.

"What bookshelf?"

"Your million copies of the book," Jude said.

"Oh, it's up in my room," Connor said.

He gripped the railing tightly as he pulled himself up the stairs, Jude on his heels. He led Jude to his room, instantly wondering what Jude would think of the green comforter and the airy white curtains. Jude put his bag down just inside the door and went over to the bookshelf.

"Connor, this is all almost the same book!"

"I know," Connor said, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "I told you. I have a thing about it."

Jude pulled one off the shelf. "You couldn't give me this one? You can actually read the print!"

"We can switch if you want," Connor said. "The one you have is the smallest one. It's easiest for me to carry it around."

"No, we're not switching," Jude said sternly.

Connor had a feeling he was going to say that. "Okay. Whatever you want."

Jude glanced over his shoulder. "I feel like I have something to prove now."

"You don't have to prove anything to me," Connor said.

"Maybe it's not about you," Jude said, and there was a stark honesty in his brown eyes as he met Connor's eyes. "I think it's about me."

"You'll get through the whole book, Jude, I promise."

"Thanks." Jude pushed the book back into its spot and sat up. "So, um, what's the plan?"

"Well, Dad wanted us to stick kind of close to home, just because we're alone, you know?"

"Sure," Jude agreed.

"So, I thought we'd just order pizza and watch too many movies. Unless you think that's too boring." Connor was suddenly worried that Jude would think it was too boring but he was also concerned that he wouldn't have the energy to do anything more than that. To his relief, though, Jude nodded.

"What kind of movies? Those Harry Potter ones?"

"It's Halloween," Connor said. "Do you like horror?"

Jude shrugged. "I don't hate it. I like … happy movies, though."

"Doesn't Sonic have any movies?"

Jude rolled his eyes. "You're not funny."

But he was smiling and so Connor took that at a good sign.

"Okay, well, no horror movies late, okay? Sometimes, I don't sleep well."

"That's fair," Connor said. "I don't really sleep well a lot either."

Jude didn't ask why Connor slept uneasily and so Connor didn't ask him why either, though he knew that they had to be very different reasons.

"What kind of pizza do you like?" Connor asked.

"Pepperoni. I like to keep it simple." Jude stretched his arms above his head. "But, um, it's your house, so, whatever you like."

"I like pepperoni," Connor said. "Are you hungry?"

"Sure."

In the back of his mind, Connor thought that Jude must always be hungry. He ate most of the food Connor bought when they were out together and he was so skinny that Connor wondered if he was ever full. He didn't mind – Jude's eating hid his own actual appetite nicely and Connor could admit that if he could help Jude, he wanted to. He was just so at a loss to help him in a way that Jude wouldn't take offense to. Connor didn't want Jude to think that Connor pitied him at all. It was the furthest thing from the truth.

"I'll order food. Why don't you find something to watch?"

Jude nodded and Connor led the way down the stairs. He left Jude in the living room while he found the number for the closest pizza place and called. It only took a moment and then he returned to the living room. The TV was still off, though Jude was perched on the end of the couch, staring awkwardly down the couch. As Connor got closer, he realized that Jellybean was sitting on the arm of the couch, watching Jude as intently as he was watching her.

"She's just a cat."

"I don't think she likes me much," Jude confessed.

"She's just a cat."

"It's like she knows I belong somewhere else."

Connor didn't know if he had ever heard Jude sound so self-conscious.

"I like you here. Jellybean doesn't like anyone." Connor sat down on the couch, feeling like a sap. He pulled his cat into his lap and rubbed her head. "Pizza will be, like, half an hour."

"Okay." Jude slid the remote across the cushions. "Since you're here now."

Connor grabbed the remote and flicked on the TV. Sure, if that was what Jude wanted.

(-.-)

Jude jumped as the doorbell rang, echoing loudly around the house. He bit down on his lip as Connor got up off the couch and went to the door to get the pizza. He was in Connor's house, for the weekend. And the only thing that Jude could see was the differences in how he and Connor lived. He knew Connor might suspect the same thing but he would never really know, not the way that Jude did. He wouldn't be able to feel the way that Connor's dad cared enough to tell him to stick close to the house but if Jude never turned back up, no one would know where he had been. However long it took them to start looking. Connor had a room to himself and he even had a cat caring about him.

Who was Jude to be here?

Connor had a dining room table. Jude had seen it on his brief tour. Even still, Connor brought the pizza into the living room and dropped it onto the coffee table. Jude had never resented the fact that he didn't have a choice, really, on where to eat dinner before now. He tried to rein in his feelings. It wasn't like him. He got frustrated a lot but he rarely ever felt the flares of anger like he was right now. He took a deep breath. He was here for Connor. He liked Connor. More than he wanted to talk about. He could spend a weekend here without losing his mind. He didn't get to choose his life, just like Connor didn't choose his life. It didn't mean that Jude couldn't be his friend.

Connor lowered himself to the couch with the grace of an old man, reaching down and scratching at his leg before flipping open the pizza box. Connor grabbed the first slice and held it out to Jude. Jude took it, telling himself that it was an accident the way that he touched his fingers along Connor's. He pulled the pizza toward him, biting in and letting the cheese and grease explode across his tongue. He focused on it, instead of on the cheesy horror flick. Jude didn't mind it as much as he thought he would be the fact remained that there was too much going on in his personal life for him to say that he really did like horror movies.

"There's this girl in my class, Daria," Connor mentioned, casually, and Jude's heart plummeted. Girlfriend? No. That seemed impossible. Connor said he didn't even have friends. "She told him I should throw a Halloween party, since my dad is gone."

"Why didn't you?"

"Not a party person," Connor said, shrugging. "Also, a weekend alone with you means more."

Jude felt his mouth go dry. Connor was not going to make friends easy on him, was he? He took another bite of his pizza so that he wouldn't have an excuse to say anything.

"I'm kind of a grandpa," Connor admitted. "I don't know if I ever told you this, but I go to bed really early. I sleep a lot."

"Like a cat," Jude supplied, side-eyeing the animal.

"Like a cat," Connor agreed and he dropped a piece of pepperoni on the floor. Jellybean leapt on it immediately. "Dad says not to feed her. I think she should be spoilt."

"Is she your best friend?"

Connor didn't look up from his pizza. "One of them."

Jude felt like even his stomach was blushing.

"But," Connor said, and Jude's heart dropped, "I really only have two friends. I told you, people don't like me."

"You're still doing better than me in the friend department."

Connor smirked. "You know, you're better at conversation but she's known me longer, so I think that she'd have to win."

"I think that's fair," Jude agreed.

"Doesn't mean I don't like you," Connor explained, and Jude finally had to look at you. "My best human friend."

"It might mean more if you had other human friends."

Connor laughed. "I could say the same thing to you."

"You could talk to kids at school."

"You could talk to the kids at the Centre."

Jude snorted and took a second slice of pizza. "Have you met the kids at the Centre?"

"I met you there!"

Jude had absolutely no reply to that. He and Connor stayed curled on their ends of the couch, talking a little about what they were watching. Jellybean was in and out of the room a lot, mewing at Connor and shoving her head against his. Jude wanted to say that he paid a lot of attention to the movies but, really, he was just watching Connor. He thought it was fair, since Connor was mostly playing with his cat. Jude wondered if he was bored of him. He wondered if Connor regretted not throwing that party after all.

At ten-thirty, Connor stretched his arms above his head. "Are you tired?"

"Kind of," Jude said. "Are you?"

"Yeah. You want to go to bed? You can read to me."

"I didn't know this was a tutoring session."

"It doesn't have to be," Connor said. "Maybe I just like listening to you read."

"I don't see why."

"I don't see why you would," Connor agreed, and there was such a mysterious note to his voice that Jude frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"Means I like to listen to you read. Please?"

"Sure," Jude said, because as if he wasn't going to give in. "Where are we sleeping?"

"My room. Unless you wanted to sleep on the couch."

"The couch isn't that comfortable," Jude blurted quickly.

"Ha, okay. Come on."

Connor shut the TV off. Before they went upstairs, Connor fed Jellybean. Then, they were in the bedroom. Connor opened one of his drawers for pyjamas and Jude crouched in front of his backpack. He pulled out his ratty pyjama pants and changed quickly, keeping his eyes on the floor and his back on his friend.

"Did you bring your book?"

"It's your book," Jude said, reaching into his bag. He had very few possessions that actually mattered to him and he tried to keep track of them as much as possible.

"You should keep it."

"You're not crazy about your collection?" Jude asked, half-surprised.

"Not that crazy," Connor said. "And, you know, you learnt to read with this one. I think you should keep it."

"Thanks."

"Welcome. Do you mind sleeping on the inside?"

"No," Jude said, while his brain stalled out. He hadn't realized that sleeping in Connor's room meant sharing Connor's bed. "Your dad won't mind?"

"What's there to mind?" Connor asked.

Jude felt breathless, like he'd been punched again. He could think of a lot of reasons to mind. He held his tongue in front of Connor and gripped the book tightly as he crawled to the inside of the bed. It was a decent sized mattress; it wasn't as if he and Connor would be spending the night squished up against one another. It was close enough to make Jude conflicted, however. Connor, though, didn't seem to be the slightest bit affected – Jude was looking for any sign of it. He wanted there to be something. As much as he didn't want to have his feelings, he also wanted them to be validated, and Jude knew he was in a hard place. Connor did nothing but turn on his bright bedside lamp and turn off the overhead lights. He lowered himself in bed next to Jude.

"What chapter are we on?"

"Only chapter three," Jude admitted, shamefully. It wasn't as if they were long chapters. Chapter three occurred on page twenty-two. It was a hellish pace and he wasn't sure why Connor hadn't quit on him yet. He wasn't sure how he hadn't quit on himself yet.

"Go ahead," Connor said. "I believe in you."

Yeah, that was probably why Jude hadn't quit yet. He cleared his throat, glancing at Connor, as Connor settled down against the pillows, tucking one hand under his head.

"I'm listening," Connor assured him, but Jude had never been worried that he wasn't.

Jude cleared his throat. "Catching Walter … Walter Cun … Connor?"

"Cunningham," Connor said, not even bothering to glance at the book.

"Cunningham," Jude repeated. "You know, why do I bother to read this to you if you have it memorized?"

"Because I don't have it memorized yet," Connor said.

"Why do you want it memorized?"

"For Mom," Connor said, as though it should have been obvious and Jude did feel slightly guilty for not thinking of it immediately. "What's next?"

"… in the schoolyard …"

And, so, Jude read, until Connor fell asleep. When he realized that Connor was completely dead to the world, Jude folded the ear of the book down, like he had noticed that Connor had done to the book many times before him. He reached across Connor, sliding the book onto the nightstand and then turning off the light. He didn't know whether or not Connor usually slept with it on but he took the chance in turning it off. He laid down on his back and stared up at the ceiling, listening to the sound of Connor breathing. He was used to sharing a bed. He was used to someone being right there as he slept. Admittedly, for a lot of reasons, he didn't sleep as well when Callie wasn't next to him. But sleeping next to Callie was a lot different than sleeping next to Connor. Callie put a buffer between them while they slept. Callie stuck to her side of the bed. He and Callie had separate blankets. Yet, he and Connor were sharing a blanket. When Connor turned onto his side to face Jude, their feet touched, and it jolted Jude's heart.

Instead of sheep, he counted Connor's breath until he fell asleep.

So, on tumblr I'm: we are all of legend now (with dashes between every word). If you want to find my replies to anon reviews, add backslash tagged backslash anon dash replies. If you want to see anything I post about The Island Of Misfit Toys, go to my tumblr URL and add backslash tagged backslash the dash island dash of dash misfit dash toys. Punctuation is spelled out due to Fanfiction's restrictions. If you're having any trouble accessing the tumblr content please send me a pm and I can format it for you in a different way.

~TLL~