curiously_cora | (no subject)

Coraline walked slowly along the path, trying to drag her walk home out as much as she could. It wasn't that she didn't love Adam or want to go home to see her baby sister or see Sarah even, it was just she was fed up of being treated like a child and then like an adult and then like a child again. So, she was going to go home but not get there a minute before she had to. Not when she could drag this walk out all she liked.

It was really, really rubbish being thirteen. No one told you that. They told you about teen romances but they never told you how much they hurt, they told you about all the freedom you had but didn't tell you about the responsibility and they told you about how cool it was to be a teenager but they didn't tell you how much it sucked too. Coraline hated being thirteen. Thirteen might have been just a number but it was a stupid number. She'd rather be old like Bill than spend one more minute being thirteen

"Stupid island," Coraline said kicking a rock, watching as it almost hit a Roman guy. Except it wasn't a Roman guy at all. It was Bill. Wearing a really, really stupid outfit. Coraline paused, looking at him curiously before she began to laugh loudly.

Nah, she'd definitely rather be thirteen than Bill. Bill looked stupid.

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"I'm going to theme night at the club," Bill said, realizing Coraline was likely laughing at him and not particularly caring. "It's Movie Night, so I'm dressed as King Leonidas."

"I can see your knees," Coraline said, letting out a loud bark of laughter. Coraline paused, looking at Bill seriously as she took in his outfit. King Leonidas, well she wasn't sure who that was but she was sure his mother wouldn't have let him prance about nearly naked like that. Wait, naked? "Bill? Are you wearing any... underwear?"

Coraline burst into more laughter.

Bill looked down at his own knees, bending forward slightly to see them. "What' wrong with my knees?" he asked, then straightened with raised eyes and a vaguely Molly-like reproachful expression. "Am I wearing underwear? What sort of a question is that, Coraline?"

Coraline erputed into more laughter as Bill bent forward in that ridiculous outfit. King Leonidas musn't have gotten much Kinging done what with all his subjects wetting themselves laughing at the sight of his knees.

"No one should see your knees, it's just wrong Bill." Coraline said as if that made perfect sense. Coraline rolled her eyes when he made that face. The grown up Mum face. "The kind of question someone should ask when you're going out. You know if you get run over by a truck or have an accident because you're drunk and wearing a silly costume then you're going to be very embarassed to not be wearing any underwear."

"What about swimming trunks? They don't always cover the knees," Bill pointed out. "And if anyone's meant to ask me that question, I'm fairly certain it's not you."

"No, I know but that's different Bill. That's something you have to wear otherwise you'd get very, very wet." Coraline said simply. Besides if Bill was wearing swimming trunks Coraline was never looking at his knees. Now, he just looked silly. In a funny dress, if it had been Lucius or Pullo they probably would have laughed too at his knees. His nobbly, wizardy knees. "Why not me?"

"It's hardly an appropriate topic of conversation for me to have with you," said Bill, eyebrow arched. Apparently, he'd turned into his mum somewhere along the way. At least, when it came to dealing with the underage set.

Bill didn't realise what he had done. Not many grown ups did until they were too far in to get safely out. Bill had walked into the Why trap. It was a tricky trap, one that only led to more why questions and Bill had stupidly walked into it.

"But... why?" Coraline said, grinning at Bill.

She was grinning. Bill had a feeling that was a bad sign.

"You really need me to explain it to you?" he asked incredulously.

"Ahuh. I mean, why wouldn't you explain it to me?" Coraline said grinning at him.

"Has anyone ever told you you're a real smart arse, Coraline?" Bill asked with an amused smirk. "You're thirteen, I'm more than twice your age, and I'm not your father or your older brother. We're not discussing my pants." Except they were kind of discussing them, really.

"Maybe," Coraline said grinning at Bill. Coraline might have spent a bit too much time with Bill's younger brother when he was here on the island. The younger brother who was cheekiness and mischief personified and whose name began with a G. "Age is just a number Bill. And you're not related to me so I can ask. So, why are we not discussing your pants. Are you embarassed?"

He chuckled at the notion that he was embarrassed, something that almost never happened with Bill. "I think the question is, why are you so keen on discussing them?" he asked.

"Because," Coraline said grinning even brighter when Bill fell for the because line. Really, grown ups never learned with her. She could go for days with just whys and because's. The only reason she gave him a proper answer was because she liked him. "It's fun. And you're my betrothed, I don't want you dying because you didn't wear underwear."

"I hadn't realised not wearing underwear was fatal," replied Bill, amused.