Shut Up, Cinderella

Idiots Don't Catch Colds

Cinder couldn't sleep.

It was the middle of the night, and he lay awake in an unfamiliar bed, tossing and turning and searching in vain for a comfortable position. The worn-out inn bed would be hard to most people, but to him it was almost irritatingly soft. It had only been some hours, and he already missed his bed with a mattress and pillow that didn't give way beneath him.

They hadn't gone to this town's shoemaker today after all. It had taken him and Gem the better part of the afternoon to fully warm up, and Olive had forbidden them from setting foot outside again today. Gem had complained, of course. Cinder, meanwhile, had been happy to retire to his room and be left alone after dinner.

He rolled over. This room was too spacious for him. It was still just a small inn bedroom, of course; but compared to his chamber at home it was huge. The moonlight fell into it in a way that couldn't be right. It was impossible to sleep with that patch of light glaring at him from the middle of the floor.

Sighing, Cinder stood up and closed the shutters, feeling his way back to the bed in absolute darkness. That was better. Now maybe he could block out the size of the room, close his eyes and sleep at last.

How long had it been since the last time he hadn't slept in his room? Cinder tried to remember, but he couldn't recall. Had he ever? If so, then he must have been so small that it escaped his memory. Maybe that was why he was so restless now. He wasn't used to falling asleep in unfamiliar surroundings.

Guess I'll have to get used to that now, huh.

He rolled over again. Now he was facing the wall, a simple wooden thing covered in outdated patterns. Cinder felt for the structure in the dark, tracing it with his finger. He wondered how things at home were going. Not out of any concern for Hestia and her daughters. He was simply worried about the mess he might find after coming back home.

What he did miss was his workshop.

And his books.

And...many things, really.

Cinder sighed and closed his eyes, trying to block out the thoughts. It had been a long day, he told himself. He needed the rest.

But now that he had closed his eyes, he couldn't help but notice a noise he had successfully ignored so far.

Gem's room was right on the other side of this wall. And so, it seemed, was his bed. Either that, or he was snoring very, very loudly.

Cinder gritted his teeth. That lucky bastard. He could simply crawl into his bed and fall asleep on the spot, without being kept up by discomfort or all the worries going around in Cinder's head. Must be nice, Cinder thought, being so stupid. Or maybe he just didn't worry because he was a prince, and princes never needed to worry about anything.

Rolling over, he covered his ears, trying and failing to block out the snores. So loud. He'd definitely have to tell him off tomorrow morning. Not that Gem would care; he'd probably just complain right back or throw a childish tantrum...

Cinder paused in his thoughts. When, exactly, had he started calling him Gem in his head?

All reason and common sense told him it was a stupid idea, calling him that. Gemstone Crystalline, stupid as he was, was still the prince of the kingdom. He shouldn't be getting away with even a fraction of the things he said to him; there was no need to stretch the limits even further. They were temporarily stuck together to search for a person that didn't exist. Sooner or later their ways would part, and then they'd never see each other again. What was the point of addressing him by a nickname?

Although...he did feel more like Gem than Prince Gemstone, right now.

It was the way he acted, Cinder mused. He didn't act in a way that inspired the awe usually expected from a prince. The way he had been today, spoiled attitude, brattiness and childish fits included, had been much more like...like a regular teenager.