"I should go home for tea soon." Simon said. "Will you come?" Claude never seemed to like going home. Simon only didn't like going home when he was in trouble, but Claude never seemed to know when he was in trouble at home. Father and mother never allowed Simon to go over to Claude's place.

"Your parents won't mind?" he asked with a wanting in his tone. Simon's place was so much better then his own, and thankfully his father wouldn't care if he was late if he had had tea somewhere else. One less mouth to feed and all that.

[Content warning: reference to child abuse]

"Nah," Simon said. His family had a lot of mouths to feed, but they never refused to share. Simon got up and held out his hand to Claude. There were marks across his fingers.

Claude looked at his hand for a moment before grabbing it and moved to his feet with his friends help. "What happened to your hand?"

"School." Simon muttered as he pulled his friend up. Claude was always jealous of him for going to school, and Simon was always jealous of Claude for not going to school. "I think I'm going to find glue and put it on Mr. Keats chair."

That received a frown of confusion. How had he gotten those marks at school? Did he get his hand stuck in the door? All was forgotten thought at the prank suggestion. “Glue isn’t cheap Simon... what about a fish?”

"It won't stick, Claude." Simon answered dryly. "It will just make him angry."

“And the glue won’t?” He smirked lightly bumping his friends shoulder.

Simon grinned, pleased to have the opportunity to explain the brilliancy of his plan. "Aye, but he won't be able to do owt, because he'll be stuck! Imagine 'im gettin' redder and redder and shouting, and I'll just laugh til I cry and I think his head will explode!" He waved his arms to demonstrate the explosion just as he imagined it. "It's a pity ye don't come to school, or we'd get him together!"

Claude’s smile grew tighter at the last statement, his eyes looking at his feet. “Yeah...maybe...”