Odd characters in fourth century shared bit of tittle-tattle in bed (5)
I believe the answer is:
futon
'bit of tittle-tattle in bed' is the definition.
'futon' can be an answer for 'bed' (type of bed). I am not sure about the 'bit of tittle-tattle in' bit.
'odd characters in fourth century shared' is the wordplay.
'odd characters in' means one should take alternating letters (the letters at odd-numbered positions).
'century shared' becomes 'on' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
The alternating letters of 'fourth' are 'fut'.
'fut'+'on'='FUTON'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for futon that I've seen before include "Padded unsprung mattress" , "Japanese-style mattress" , "Japanese quilted mattress used as bed" , "A Japanese bed-mattress" , "Mattress used as a bed or sofa" .)