* Two months later *
Throughout these couple months Connor was over at Troye's house a lot more, still never had spoken more about the topics that bothered them most, Connor's injuries now a lost memory besides the scars. He was over there so often it got to the point where even Troye's parents felt it was strange when Connor was not there. Connor joined the swim team again, so he didn't have to be home even less and got home late, making it easier to sneak back into the basement without Kate noticing.
When he was not at the Mellet house, like on the weekends, he never went through the front door; he carried on going through the window Troye had broken. Kate never came down stairs, he hadn't seen her since the last time she hurt him. He only ever heard her come through the front door and go to the kitchen, to fetch what Connor knew had to be alcohol, and then would slam the door to her bedroom. Connor felt it was almost as if she thought he had not been down there the whole time, maybe left him for dead thinking no one knew him there anyway so he would not go missed.
Connor had no idea how correct his theory was.
He still feared however that she may come downstairs, so he made sure the door could not be opened, he got a door stop and a new lock. He pushed furniture up against it for extra safety measures, he was certain she would never be able to get down there again. Connor was welcome to the Mellet house whenever, Troye's parents could see something was not right with the boy and also they noticed how happy Troye had been since Connor showed up. Tyde and Sage also took a major liking to him; they all got along extremely well. But he still feared that he was a burden to them even though the whole family loved having him there. He didn't not want to be anyone's problem, only his own. He didn't need to ruin another family.
The day was Friday, last day of the third term. He was excited to get out of school and not have to stress over work for about three weeks. He was now on his way to school, wearing a black sweater may or may not have been Troye's that he 'accidentally' stole, and jeans with his white converse.
"Connor!" Tyde shouted, Troye and Sage behind him.
Tyde and Connor had conversed for once on the way to school. In fact Tyde and Connor became oddly close in an almost brotherly way. Tyde loved gaming with Connor and Connor would show Tyde how he took pictures, how he edited them and teaching him how to have a photographers eye. This always made Troye smile while he saw that the two got along so well.
They then came up to the school for their last day of term. Troye and Connor walked their way to homeroom and Tyde and Sage to their respective classrooms.
"You know Tyde really kinda looks up to you in a way I have never seen him before with anyone before," Troye said almost glumly.
"Really?" Connor was dumbfounded, he knew that Tyde was fond of him, but he never thought of himself as a sort of role model to him.
"Yeah?" Connor noticed a sort of gloomy look on Troye's face. "Is that okay with you Tro?"
"What? Yeah i-it is fine really," Connor knew Troye long enough to see he was lying by the way he fiddled with his hands, wringing his fingers.
"Tro? Your face says something else," Connor stopped in the corridor, there was a while before school would start.
"Okay, yeah, I know it does. I just wish sometimes that Tyde could look up to me like that," Troye stopping as well, and looked to Connor in the eye.
"Well, does he not?"
"No Con, to be honest. I wish I could be closer with Tyde, with my whole family really. But I'm just..." the boy trailed off, looking to the ground. Connor wrapped Troye in a tight embrace.
