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Once upon a time, there was a young man named Cindercund. Cindercund was born as an illegitimate child to a kind young woman by the name of Kitty, who has the misfortune of dying early. Because of this, Cindercund was stuck having to live with his evil stepfather, Glarn, and his two evil stepbrothers, Pascal and Lazlo.
Since they were evil, Cindercund was forced to live in the attic of their house with only the company of stray cats to keep him company. He entertained himself with learning how to sew, which then developed into an interest in fashion. Two of the stray cats, consisting of one fairly plump cat and one cat that had little wooden pegs in place of their front legs, would often sit on the still and watch.
One day, the princess Cassandra announced that she was going to be hosting a ball at the Pleasantview Palace in order to decide on who her husband would be…
—
Vidcund opened his eyes, feeling a cold, wet towel on his forehead as he noticed Pascal's blurry face staring down at him.
…Oh, thank goodness. I'm not stuck in an attic anymore.
"Good afternoon," Pascal said, "I was going to wake you up earlier, but I noticed you had a fever. I'm assuming you caught Lazlo's cold."
"Just my luck…"
At least it's a day off for lab assistants today, which means that I don't have to worry about calling in sick to work.
"I'm assuming you're hungry, right?" Pascal asked, holding a bowl in front of Vidcund's face, "Since you skipped breakfast and all. I made you some rice porridge."
Vidcund sat up, feeling woozy as he looked down at the white slop that looked like a failed attempt at cooking rice.
"…You added too much water in the rice cooker, didn't you?" Vidcund asked, his voice sounding oddly hoarse.
"Well…it's rice porridge now. And I added some spices to make it taste a little better. I know how much you and Lazlo like your spices."
"Because we like eating food that has flavor in it," Vidcund said, taking the bowl from Pascal, "Did you even add anything else to this so-called rice porridge?"
Vidcund winced, his throat feeling scratchy as soon he finished speaking. He looked down at the bowl and sighed, before putting a spoonful of wet rice into his mouth.
It tastes…like cinnamon? Combined with something that tastes like the smell of burnt wood? What exactly was Pascal trying to make here?
"You added cinnamon?"
Pascal's eyes widened in shock, before he quickly grabbed Vidcund's spoon from him and ate his own spoonful.
"Oh, shoot!" he said, "I thought it was pepper."
"How did you mistake cinnamon for PEPPER?"
Vidcund's voice cracked as he collapsed back onto the bed, his throat now too sore for him to speak. He frowned as he scooted upwards, shoving a couple of spoonfuls of wet cinnamon rice down his throat before swallowing it.
Despite the awful taste, the porridge is oddly soothing for my throat.
…I can't let Pascal know that, though. His ego will get too big.
"I'll make a proper porridge later," Pascal said, "…I'll get you some medicine. Do you want some vodka with it?….actually, no, I think that'd just make it worse…I'll just leave you alone, alright. I put a bell on your nightstand that you can ring if you need something from me."
Vidcund closed his eyes, faintly hearing Pascal scurry away.
—
"No! Not my suit!"
Cindercund watched in horror as his evil stepbrothers tore the suit he made apart, while the two stray cats watched on with widened eyes.
"Mwahaha!" Pascal cackled, "Now you have nothing to wear to the ball!"
"Yeah!" Lazlo added, "Princess Cassandra will never notice you! Mwahahaha!"
Pascal glared at Lazlo, before angrily grabbing his brother and pulling him out the door. Cindercund could faintly hear Pascal scolding Lazlo for copying his evil laugh as he stared at the remains of his suit, which were now tatters of fabric resting on the ground.
"Three whole days of my life, flushed down the drain…"
The amputee cat walked over to Cindercund, meowing sympathetically as the chubby cat remained by the windowsill. Cindercund could vaguely hear Pascal and Lazlo walking down the stairs away from the door of the attic, before a bright light suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Woah!"
Cindercund backed away as the light formed a silhouette, before revealing a tall, lanky old woman with dark skin and silver hair.
"Greetings," the woman said, "I'm Olive Specter, your fairy godmother. I'm here to help you get to the ball using my magic."
"Where were you earlier?" Cindercund asked, "You know, when I got forced into this attic and forced to clean up after my family?"
"…I plead the fifth. Anyway, do you want help or not?"
"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt…"
"Great! Abracadabra!"
Olive Specter pointed her wand at Cindercund, dark sparkles flying through the air and surrounding the entire room. Cindercund levitated, spinning in mid-air before his outfit transformed into a fancy black suit, complete with a black mask and a violet corsage. He glanced over at where the cats used to be, noticing a plump, formally dressed Indian man with long, curly hair and a formally dressed Indian person with prosthetic arms and a mullet in their places.
"You two are to escort Cindercund to the ball," Olive demanded, "And ensure that he gets back home before midnight. The spell will wear off by then."
"You can't use your magic to make it last longer?"
"I already used most of my magic for the month to hide a dead body. Unless if you'd prefer the next body be yours?"
"Alright, alright…geez…"
—
"Vidcund!"
Vidcund opened his eyes, noticing Pascal's face again as he held a small cup with liquid medicine inside alongside a cup of water.
"Medicine," he said, "I couldn't find the non-drowsy version, but since you've been sleeping anyway I figured it wouldn't hurt. Might make your dreams more pleasant."
Vidcund nodded, forcing out a "thanks" before chugging down the medicine. He washed the taste out with the warm water that Pascal gave him, feeling his brother place a hand on his forehead to make sure that the towel didn't fall on his lap.
"I'll get you a new towel," he said, "Do you want anything else?"
"I'm okay."
"Good. Again, let me know if you need anything, 'kay?"
"Yeah."
Vidcund laid back down, feeling Pascal remove the towel from his head before his consciousness faded once more.
—
The ball was crowded with people from all over the kingdom, which normally would've been overwhelming for Cindercund had he not been dancing with Princess Cassandra.
Time seemed to have slowed down when he was with her, the two holding hands and dancing in sync to the orchestra playing from a stage near them. He admired her
"Fuck, it's nearing midnight! I've got to go!"
"Wait!" Princess Cassandra shouted, "I didn't get your-"
Cindercund ran off, hearing Princess Cassandra sprinting after him as he reached the stairs of the palace. He continued sprinting as he felt one of his shoes fall off, briefly glancing back before turning ahead and continuing to run. He stopped in front of a violet carriage, lunging inside and slamming the door shut before it took off.
"That was close," one of the two former cats said as the carriage began to move, "For a second I was worried you wouldn't get back in time. Now, let's hurry back home before we all start transforming back."
Cindercund nodded as the carriage sped up, stopping in front of their home before he quickly hopped out and sprinted up the stairs. He slammed the door shut as the two cats ran inside, transforming back into cats as his clothes began to transform back to his regular suit.
"What a relief," he said, "Let's…"
Not do that again? Despite the rush, Cindercund had to admit that he had a good time. And most likely, that was his only opportunity to go outside for who knows how long.
"…All go to sleep," Cindercund said, "I'm tired, and I'm sure you two are as well…"
—
Vidcund opened his eyes as he felt Pascal violently shake him awake, his throat no longer feeling sore at the price of his eyelids feeling unusually heavy.
"It's time for dinner," Pascal said, "Lazlo got held up at work, so I removed most of the spices from the other rice porridge and added new ones for your dinner. Also, I know your secret now."
Vidcund's eyes widened, trying to figure out which secret Pascal was referring to.
"You have a crush on Cassandra," Pascal said, grinning, "You were talking about her in your sleep…I think. Most of your words were very incoherent."
Ah, fuck.
"I get it," Pascal said, shrugging, "She's hot. Honestly, I'd ask her out too."
"Just like you did with Circe?" Vidcund asked.
"That was years ago," Pascal said, frowning, "And you never told me that you two even dated until AFTER I tried to make a move on her. Don't paint me as a homewrecker."
"Well, that's what you were."
"I really don't want to have this conversation again…" Pascal said, sighing, "I know we've had our grievances, but you're my brother. I don't want to continue fighting you over some petty high school drama, especially when neither of us are in contact with Circe anymore."
Vidcund remained quiet as he noticed Pascal place the bowl of "rice porridge" on his lap.
"…I don't want to fight you either."
"Really? Because you sure act like it."
Vidcund stared down at the porridge, before reluctantly taking a spoonful of porridge.
Okay, this one tastes…slightly better. Pascal added a bit too much salt, but it's somehow still edible…
"My brain likes to replay events from the past," Vidcund said, "Specifically the bad moments, so it's hard for me to move on."
"…I see."
Vidcund took another spoonful of porridge as Pascal looked out at the window of the room, contemplating something.
"…Is there anything I can do to help?" Pascal said, "In regards to those moments?"
"I don't know."
"Well…if there's anything you can think of, let me know, alright? I want us to be friends."
Vidcund nodded, finishing up the rest of the porridge before laying back down.
"…Add less salt next time," he said, "And make sure you get some food too."
Pascal nodded as Vidcund closed his eyes, feeling his head pounding.
"I will," Pascal said, his voice distant, "Thank you."
—
"Princess Cassandra has declared that the owner of the other half of a shoe that she found on the stairway would become her new husband!"
Cindercund sweeped the floor as Glarn read out the newspaper. Vidcund continued to keep his eyes on the floor as he felt the glares of Glarn, Pascal and Lazlo on him, unsure of what he did to warrant their anger this time.
"We know it was you, Cindercund," Pascal said, "That bowlcut is very recognizable."
"Maybe you should've asked your fairy godmother to disguise your hair, too," Lazlo added, "Just a thought for next time."
Cindercund looked up as Pascal and Lazlo suddenly grabbed his arms, dragging him up the stairs towards the attic.
"Tell us where that shoe is."
"It's-"
Lazlo kicked the door open as Pascal dragged Cindercund inside, throwing him onto the ground as Lazlo began searching the room.
"Found it!" Lazlo said, pulling the other shoe out from under the bed, "Let's go."
Lazlo and Pascal made their way towards the doorway of the attic, before Pascal turned his head towards Cindercund.
"And you are staying here," Pascal said, "We're not letting you ruin our chances with Princess Cassandra."
Pascal slammed the door shut as Cindercund heard a lock from the other side, before he ran over to bang on the door.
"Fuck, it's locked!"
Cindercund kicked the door, before the meowing of a cat near the window. He glanced over at the attic's window, noticing the plump cat carring a net with an axe in its mouth.
"Oh, that's genius!"
Cindercund grabbed the axe from the plump cat, then used it to break down the attic door before sprinting down the stairs to notice Pascal presenting the shoe to Princess Cassandra. Lazlo and Glarn stood beside him, all three oblivious to Cindercund's presence.
"Ah, lovely!" Princess Cassandra said, "Now, would you put the shoe on?"
Pascal raised an eyebrow as Princess Cassandra pointed at the shoe, before pointing down at Pascal's feet.
"Put the shoe on," she said, "So I know whether or not it's you."
"Just do what she said, Pascal," Glarn said, "We shouldn't keep the princess waiting."
Pascal removed his slipper, then placed the shoe on his foot.
"Just as I suspected," Cassandra said, frowning, "The shoe's too big for you. Which means that it wasn't you."
Cindercund stepped into view as Cassandra glanced over at him, before her eyes lit up with glee.
"Oh, it's you!" she said, "I didn't realize that was your actual hair."
Glarn, Pascal, and Lazlo glanced over at each other in defeat as Princess Cassandra walked over to Cindercund.
"Before I go," she asked, "Can you put on the shoe? Just so I can make sure that it's you and not some other person with impeccable hair."
Cindercund nodded, removing his current shoes in order to place the other shoe on his foot. Princess Cassandra clapped as they realized that it had fit, before Cindercund removed the shoe and handed it back to her.
"Ah, wonderful!" she said, "Now, come with me. We've got a wedding to plan…"
—
Vidcund opened his eyes, noticing Lazlo and Pascal both inside of the room as Pascal held a tissue over his face. He sat up, feeling unusually better, before noticing Lazlo placing a hand on Pascal's forehead.
"You got a fever too now," Lazlo said, "…We're taking turns getting sick?"
"How could this happen?" Pascal asked, "Normally my immune system's good at stopping these sort of things."
"Probably from when you used the same spoon as me, maybe?" Vidcund asked.
"You WHAT?" Lazlo said, moving his hand away from Pascal, "Dude! You're not supposed to do that!"
"I wasn't thinking!" Pascal said, "He said the porridge tasted wrong, so I used it to taste it!"
Lazlo turned to Vidcund with a slightly angry look on his face, in what appeared to be a rare moment of him finally getting the chance to lecture his brothers about health and safety. Vidcund remained quiet as he noticed Lazlo closing his mouth, before sighing.
"Well, you two can deal with that," he said, "I'm fucking tired, man. Crystal left early so I had to do her share of the work too."
"Surprised you're still working with her even after your break-up," Vidcund said.
"Yeah, but I'm not going through the hassle of asking for another partner for the project. We're already halfway through, so…might as well just finish it, you know?"
Lazlo forced a grin on his face, before sauntering off towards the door. Vidcund watched as Lazlo stopped at the doorway, before turning around to face both him and Pascal.
"Another thing," Lazlo said, "Cassandra asked me today if you were single. I think she's interested in you."
Pascal looked at Vidcund with glee as Vidcund's eyes widened in surprise.
"She is?"
"Yeah," Lazlo said, "I mean, might be a bit hard to live up to Dr. Don Lothario of all people, but I'm sure you should be able to handle it!"
Lazlo chuckled to himself as he walked out of view, before Pascal and Vidcund turned to face each other.
"So," Pascal said, smiling, "I suppose we should begin planning your wedding soon."
Pascal laughed, then cleared his throat and coughed into his arm as Vidcund grunted in annoyance.
"But in all seriousness," he said, "It seems like your dream might become a reality. Congratulations."
"Oh, I hope not. I was stuck in an attic and you and Lazlo were my evil stepbrothers."
Pascal raised his eyebrows, confused, before eyeing the towel on Vidcund's head.
"I meant as in one of your fantasy scenarios, not whatever weird fever dream you were having," he said, "…What exactly were you dreaming about, anyway?"
"…Might be better if I don't go into it."
"Alright, then…but again, if you do want to talk about it, I'm happy to listen."
Pascal stood up, crossing his arms over his chest as he walked towards the door, before turning back around to face his brother.
"I'm glad we were able to talk today," he said, "Maybe you should get sick more often."
Pascal's awfully jokey today. Maybe he's starting to become delirious from the fever.
Or maybe this is just how he always was, and I never bothered to notice.
"Tomorrow, it'll be your turn." Vidcund responded.
Pascal chuckled, letting his arms drop to the side before using his right hand to lean agains the doorway.
"Fair enough," he said, "We can talk more then. Goodnight, and don't go sneaking outside to look at the stars. I don't want us both to be sick at the same time."
"Goodnight, and same to you too."
Pascal walked out of view as Vidcund laid back down, pulling the covers over him as he closed his eyes to sleep once more.