Chapter Text
"Tell me a bedtime story!" Blaine begged from his bed. He hugged a dragon stuffed animal in his arms and snuggled deeper into his covers.
"I told you all the bedtime stories I know!" Kurt laughed exasperatedly. Blaine was adorable. He really was. But that could only get him so far. After a long day of babysitting, he just wanted Blaine to sleep.
"Make one up!" Blaine cried. Kurt rolled his eyes, and just as he was about to tell Blaine to go to sleep without it, Blaine bit his lip and relinquished his full-potential puppy-dog eyes. "Please, Kurt?"
But, oh. "Okay, okay," Kurt relented as he settled back into his seat by Blaine's bed. "One last one and we're done, okay? No more. You're going to go to sleep and dream about your Dalton knights and dragons, and I'm going to go watch some late night Style on your TV."
Blaine giggled in response, and Kurt started after thinking a moment, "Once upon a time there was a little Cheerio, who lived in a great, big, dark, rectangular space with his parents and all his brothers and sisters, and aunts and uncles, and cousins and second-cousins. It was crowded, but cozy."
Blaine laughed from his bed, "That's silly, Kurt! It's just a Cheerio!"
"Well if that's how you feel…" Kurt trailed as he made to move away.
"No! I like this story! It's my favorite!" Blaine said.
Kurt smiled and continued, "However, there was a problem. Every so often, there would be a huge earthquake that shook his whole home! Everyone would be tumbling and falling! Sometimes a great bright light would fill the Cheerio's whole home and some of the Little Cheerio's family would be taken away!"
Kurt paused as he tried not to laugh at the serious look on Blaine's face. He was making it up as he went along, so he was amused to see such a response. Blaine had sat himself up and rumpled his covers.
"Then, one day, when the earthquake came, the Little Cheerio felt himself falling!" Kurt continued, almost cracking at Blaine's sudden gasp, "'Oh no!' is right! The Cheerio landed in a great, round dish! He was surrounded by his brothers and sisters, and he didn't know where he was or what to do!"
"Then, a great, white waterfall fell from the sky! The Little Cheerio didn't know what it was, but he and his brothers and sister began to float. 'It must be a swimming pool!' the Little Cheerio thought!" Kurt told Blaine.
Blaine began giggling, and Kurt smiled, becoming more and more animated as he told the tale, "Then! Out of nowhere, a scary silver U.F.O came and began scooping up the Little Cheerio's family! Just as the Little Cheerio tried to swim away, he was scooped up and carried into this dark cave full of white rocks!"
Blaine pointed to his teeth and Kurt nodded and laughed at how wide Blaine's eyes were. He calmed down to tell Blaine in a mock-serious tone, "The white rocks began smashing up and down. The Little Cheerio watched in terror as his brothers and sisters were crushed. Just as the Little Cheerio felt as if all hope was lost, he felt himself being pushed toward the back of the cave. He fell a long, twisting slide, and…" Kurt ended.
"And!" Blaine asked.
"And the end!" Kurt yelled.
Blaine laughed and pat his stomach. He finished the story for Kurt, "And the Little Cheerio died a true hero's death, giving up his life for the common good."
Kurt laughed and agreed. "Okay, then, little Blainers, it's time for bed," he said as he got up and pulled Blaine's covers up to his chin.
"No, Kurt! You can't!" Blaine cried, trying to struggle out of the covers.
Kurt tucked Blaine in and told him, "Yes, Blaine, I can. I gave you one last story- now it's time for you to go to sleep."
Blaine glared and rolled over to face the wall. "Night, Kurt," he pouted.
Kurt ruffled his hair and shut the light off as he walked out. "Good night, Blaine."
Kurt headed to the Anderson living room and laid himself down on the couch. As promised, he flipped to the Style channel as he yawned into one of the throw-pillows. As tired as he was, he didn't actually mind babysitting Saturday nights every once and a while.
He curled himself up into the side of the couch and was asleep by the time Mrs. Anderson got home.