Everyone was finally settled on their sleeping mats though excitement still hung in the air. Chad sighed, staring up at the arching ceiling painted to depict a rather nice ocean scene. It had a big storm making for a choppy sea while some kind of giant octopus thing attacked a ship. If you squinted a bit, you could see some tentacles holding screaming sailors.

  "Okay, I give up. I can't sleep!" He announced grandly after a very patient total of about ten minutes. "I require entertainment to distract me from how I ruined Fin and Claire's future wedding."

  Fin gave a groggy chuckle nearby, a bit of rare gravel in his tired tone. "Chad, I told you you didn't ruin anything."

  "Yet, one day I shall have to look your little tadpoles in the eye and know the weight of my sins."

  "Not gonna lie, still super fucking unclear why the song is so bad." Jace proclaimed.

  "PG version is that it's a misogynistic asshole talking about how all women are fickle and untrustworthy."

  "Gross." Jace mused. "Yeah, you fucked up their future wedding." April giggled over where she was with Bren.

  Chad twisted to lay on his stomach, leaning on his elbows and propping his head on his hands so he could see everyone.

  Bren had a soft expression from their position directly across from April with their head facing hers. Now seemingly fixated on the little curl of her auburn hair they were gently twirling around their finger.

  Purnima and Wednesday were chatting quietly with Kazarious, Pugsley quietly reading nearby. Claire had a soft smile as a very sleepy Fin held her hand across the empty space between them. Jace had ended up closer to Chad, which he didn't mind at all. Just to be sure, though...

  "Hey Jace, are you a cuddler or nah? Because I'm a heat seeking missile in my sleep and you're in arm's reach." Jace's face scrunched up slightly.

  "Sorry, not the cuddly type." Chad sighed.

  "Yeah, thought so. Purnima isn't, either."

  "Try to use me as a teddy bear again and you lose an eye." She called out sweetly.

  "Love you, too!" Chad cooed back before looking pitifully towards Kazarious.

  "Sorry, babe. Last time you cuddled me there was a scare with my topical, not doing that again." Chad flopped facedown into his pillow with a groan. Not that it was a big deal, honestly. That brief hug session with Fin had left him wanting more physical affection, and he and Bren's standing nap appointment was still a few days out. He could deal, though.

  "C'mere, Princess." His head snapped up to see Bren giving a cocky smile as they tapped the empty spot of floor next to them.

  "Really??"

  "Mhm. Better get over here quick. It's prime real estate and I'm in high demand." Bren drawled, earning a few chuckles. "Ask nicely and I might even play with your hair and give you a kiss goodnight before you go to sleep."

  "Bet!" Chad scrambled to drag his sleeping mat over, settling it directly against Bren's.

  "Look at you, so eager for me." Chad let out a squeak as he found himself yanked down, soon tugged up against a grinning Bren. "There ya go. Think you can settle down to sleep, now? Or do you need a bedtime story?"

  "Wait, that's been an option this whole time?!" He demanded, unphased by the overt flirting. He and Bren both knew it was all in good fun when they did it and didn't mean anything. Besides, when Bren did flirt and mean it, everyone knew because they always ended up an absolute wreck of nerves. Not that Fin's viewers knew that. Apparently Renegade and their Princess already had hard core shippers.

  "No, but I'll bet April could be persuaded if you beg prettily enough."

  "April?"

  "Yes, Chad?" She hummed, bemusement in her tone, used to their antics.

  "Bren said you'd tell me a bedtime story."

  "April don't spoil the ungrateful brat I'm indulging him enough as it is." Bren scoffed despite shifting them around to get in a more comfortable cuddle position, fingers starting to run through Chad's hair. He melted a bit, leaning into it happily. Bren having so many younger siblings that liked cuddling definitely was a factor in his favor.

  "Bren." She chided calmly, sounding eerily similar to Morticia's tone she sometimes took with Gomez.

  "What? He's over here just demanding the two of us entertain him when he knows better."

  "What in the porno intro is going on here?"

  "Jace. PG language. Minors in the room." April scolded firmly, all warmth gone from her tone. "One more slip and I'm sending you to Bren's room."

  "Sorry. Won't happen again."

  "It better not." Her tone warmed once more. "So, bedtime story, hm? Anyone else?"

  "Will there be bloodshed?" Wednesday questioned, sounding a bit hopeful.

  "It can have bloodshed, sure."

  "Well, then I wouldn't mind you entertaining him with one." The girl mused, Fin's soft snores drifting in the air. First down.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "Okay...how about a classic? Cinderella?"

  "I thought you said there would be bloodshed?" Jace huffed.

  "There will be, if you're patient. We could do a different story, though?"

  "I like Cinderella." Pugsley piped up.

  "Yeah, been a minute since I heard that one." Purnima agreed. "Tell that one."

  Chad happily relaxed, listening as April's voice filled the room with the old fairytale. It had been a long time since anyone had bothered to read him a story, longer still since someone had taken the effort to conjure it from memory and add embellishment. In this version, a few noticable differences were apparent.

  For one, the cast of characters had grown. Every secondary character suspiciously being described similarly to someone in the room. Each with a small, but appreciated effect on Cinderella's journey. From kind shop keeps to helpful servants, guards, and nobles. The stepmother, classicly, gave Cinderella impossible tasks to do each evening to be completed by the time of their return. Usually having to to with separating beans and lentils. Though Cinderella's bird friends were happy to help her do the tasks while she went to the ball. This version had her visiting all three nights of the ball, with a new dress and magical glamour to conceal her from her step family's gaze for each appearance. First a gown of silver, then a gown of gold. Finally, a gown woven of spider silk and moonlight, with the iconic glass slippers accompanying it. Each night leaving in haste down a back set of stairs a servant who looked at lot like Pugsley had shown her.

  The third night was when things got interesting. A Lady who was a blatant mirror of Purnima had mentioned seeing the mysterious woman leave by those stairs the night before. With this knowledge, he had the servants spread pitch on the stairs. Which April had clarified as super sticky stuff used generally in construction when Jace asked.

  For a man who had initially wrinkled his nose at the suggested story, he was rather invested in it.

  Anyways, Cinderella went to race down the steps, only to panic as one of her shoes fully stuck into the pitch, trapping her as the tolling of the clock rang in her ears. Counting down her short window of escape. Hearing a commotion as the strange, wonderful man she had danced with the past nights came after her, she pulled her foot out of the stuck slipper, slipped off the other one, and ran barefoot to the carriage. Just barely managing to race away in time! Upon arriving home, she stored the dress and shoe under the loose attic floorboard where she had hidden the others. Resigned to live her life content with the memory of her three nights of freedom in the arms of the kind stranger she had met.

  Meanwhile the prince was, to put it concisely, down bad and losing his shit. Anytime he tried to imagine his mystery Love's face, it looked a little different. The fairy godmother's glamour had worked incredibly well. Making her look just a bit different every time one thought they focused to much on what she looked like. Which was obviously a problem for a guy desperately trying to find her. All he had left to pin his hopes on was the strange glass shoe she had left behind and the long conversations they had shared...as well as the fact that she had calluses on her dainty hands.

  So like any reasonable person he went on a tour around his kingdom, demanding each and every woman try on the glass slipper. With the assistance of his loyal guard who looked remarkably like Kazarious.

  Somehow, the shoe never fit anyone who tried it on. Seeming to be just a bit to small with each wearer. The Prince didn't really care about the slipper, though. He just used it as an excuse to talk to the women and try to find the voice and opinions he had fallen in love with. Finally, they came to the moment they had all been waiting for: The Prince came to Cinderella's house.

  As per tradition Cinderella was locked away while the Stepmother shoved her daughters at the Prince. The shoe, of course, was too tight for the first, pinching her toes to tightly to go on...and that was when Wednesday got her promised blood.

  "The fuck do you mean she cut off her daughter's big toe to make her fit the shoe?!" Jace whisper-yelled, having been chastised earlier for almost waking up the few who had fallen asleep.

  "The girl's power hungry mother assured her not to worry. For, once she was married to the Prince she would be so rich she wouldn't need to walk!" April went on to tell of the stepsister limping to join the Prince on his horse, the two about to ride away as the Prince had promised. When out from the surrounding trees the birds began to swoop and give shrill cries. The loyal guardsman, spying blood welling from the shoe, spoke and told the Prince that he spoke the language of birds, and that they warned his highness to look within the glass slipper and see that his would-bride was false! Of course, blood came pouring out of the shoe and he dumped the girl with her mother. Which meant the younger sister had to try it on.

  "The heel this time??" Jace squeaked, looking a bit squeamish as he clutched his own heel. April merely hummed a confirmation before continuing. Of course, about the time they rode off, both Prince and Guardsman knew what was up and had simply entertained the second attempt to let them suffer. Upon returning the second false bride, the Prince demanded to know if there were any other young women in the house. The stepmother denied it, only for the Prince's attendant, a quiet young woman with two dark braids in her hair, came to his side. Reporting of a woman she had seen with hair of gold filling a water pail before they had arrived. Caught in her lies, the guards kept the stepmother at bay as the Prince and his men searched the house.

  Cinderella was startled as the door to her attic room was kicked in, revealing the young man she had fallen in love with at the ball. As soon as she spoke, the Prince knew she was his sweet love, but needed to have proof in order for his father to allow the marriage. Seeing the blood-slick slipper, Cinderella lifted the loose floorboard and produced the other half of the pair...alongside the gowns and shoes from the nights of the ball. Overjoyed, they rode off into the sunset together as the birds sang sweetly.

  The Stepmother, enraged, went to drive the carriage after her, taking her daughters with her to demand the king deny the wedding. As they set off, however, Cinderella's bird friends came swooping down and attacked. Pecking out their eyes and tongues as the carriage careened off the road, never to be seen again.

  "And so Cinderella and the Prince were wed, and lived happily ever after." April concluded happily.

  "....remind me never to fuck with birds." Jace insisted, earning a drowsy laugh from Bren.

  "Noted. Now, everyone off to bed. I'm tired."

  "Thanks for the story, April." Chad hummed with a yawn.

  "You're welcome, Hun. Bren's right. Off to bed." He pouted slightly.

  "Bren promised me a good night kiss, though." A heavy sigh sounded before Bren pulled his chin up to glare as menacingly as a half-asleep person could at him.

  "I made no promises and you know it, ya ittle cretin. You aren't getting shit you haven't earned. Now shut up and go to sleep." Despite the harsh words, Bren's hold stayed gentle, the hand running up and down his back admittedly lulling in it's pattern as his head fell back to the pillow. Chad gave a final grumble before closing his eyes, easily drifting off.

  Soon, the room was filled with the sounds of sleep. The quiet broken softly as April spoke, curious. "Could he have actually earned a goodnight kiss?" Bren tilted their head a bit to look at her as best they could in their current position.

  "Possibly, but probably not. He's not who I wanted to kiss goodnight."

  "Oh, regardless, I'm glad you two have such a close relationship. I know it means a lot to him." Reaching over, Bren gently grabbed the hand resting on her pillow, pulling it closer. Gathering their courage, they brought it to their lips, placing a feather-light kiss to her palm before releasing her. Quickly settling in, they avoided her eyes as they tried not to blush.

  "Sweet dreams, April." The velvety quiet fell once more, and the final two drifted into sleep's embrace. April's hand now held close to her heart as, indeed, she dreamt sweetly.