Work Text:
The steamwhistle of the train blew as Bunsen crept through the tight halls of the carriage. He had offered to take his and Beaker’s luggage to their cabin before heading back to the main carriage to socialise.
They had a busy week ahead of them, this new Muppet Tour Kermit and Dominic had arranged was certainly a large journey for the group. Bunsen would have to make sure all their experiments were in order and ready for them to perform.
He cautiously unlocked the door and opened it to their small cabin bedroom before entering and standing in the doorway. The sight before him startled him slightly.
What laid before him left him in slight confusion, as not 2 beds were presented in front of him but one double bed.
"..Oh dear."
⋆.˚⭒⋆
Beaker laid awake staring at the ceiling of their cabin room, trying to get over the fact he was sleeping next to the person he was sure he had unrequited feelings for. The subtle silence filled the room with tension as he lay there, subtly glancing over at Bunsen who was facing with his back towards Beaker, curled up close to the wall.
The two had discussed their sleeping arrangements with Kermit but after a long, heated conversation, he told the two that there was absolutely no other rooms the two could sleep in with seperate beds. So, here they were.
Beaker let out a tired sigh, pondering how he'd ended up in this situation. Kermit.
He listened to the clatter of train tracks from below the carriages, trying to focus on anything but his boss.
Beaker had been quietly but quickly falling for Bunsen over the last couple of years. Every time their eyes locked when they exchanged equipment during experiments or when they would brush against each other when moving around the lab or stood in a large crowd, Beaker would spend hours thinking about those little moments and building up that sense of yearning desire he had for him. Beaker loved Bunsen and at this moment he knew it more than ever.
But, with his current predicament, his unrequited feelings made the situation infinitely more difficult.
Whenever Beaker would have to share a room with Bunsen in the past, it always turned out alright. Bunsen would sleep separately from Beaker, they’d wake up, get ready, and start their scientific endeavors for the day. But sharing a bed was something Beaker was significantly new to, and his newly accumulated emotions made it endlessly more awkward for him. He glanced over at Bunsen once more, examining his features he’d spent endless nights pining over before falling asleep.
He let out a meep-ish sigh, returning his view to the ceiling for a few seconds before fluttering his eyes shut and trying to sleep once more. Hopefully he’d fall straight asleep, wake up before Bunsen to get straight out of bed, and pretend this awkward scenario had never happened.
Bunsen slowly rolled over and rested his head in the crook of Beaker’s neck.
Now he was certainly in a predicament. Beaker immediately reddened and tried his best to hide his face in his pajama shirt but to no avail, doing so would wake his sleeping associate and figured that would only worsen his circumstance.
His position was impossible. His left arm was now awkwardly trapped under Bunsen’s neck and Bunsen unconsciously laid his arm on Beaker’s chest. Within those few seconds, Beaker’s temperature went from hot to hotter.
With the little movement he could do without waking his boss, he slowly turned to face Bunsen assessing his situation. Was he awake? Surely not, he’d never do something this scandalous, especially not to his co-worker. And with no prior relationship of the sort? He had to have been sleeping. The conclusion calmed Beaker slightly.
But what was he to do when Bunsen woke up? Even if Beaker were to wake up before the other, he wouldn’t be able to move without waking him and making the following day incredibly awkward afterwards. And what would he do the following night? What if it happened again?
Beaker sat in his worries for a good 15 minutes. The terror of turning his friendship with Bunsen into an awkward timid mess petrified him to his core, reducing his chance of getting to sleep severely.
Without thinking, Beaker weakly raised his arm under Bunsen’s neck and rested his hand around Bunsen’s back. Hopefully it was subtle enough that if Bunsen were to notice it in the morning, he wouldn’t pass it off as purposefully done.
He and Bunsen laid in the quietness of the cabin with only the sound of Bunsen’s light breathing to accompany the rattling clatter of heavy metal wheels upon train tracks. Bunsen’s warmth flustered him, not used to his prolonged touch.
“Good night, Beakie.”
Beaker turned the whitest shade of pale he possibly could’ve. Bunsen lightly tittered against his neck, nudging his cheek closer to Beaker’s.
Beaker internally and somewhat externally lost it. His breathing quickened as he realised what had happened before Bunsen slowly started caressing Beaker’s chest in a fragile attempt to calm him.
The realization hit Beaker like a wall. Bunsen had been awake seemingly the entire time. He quickly and promptly passed out.
⋆.˚⭒⋆
Beaker awoke the next morning with tired eyes. The sun beamed in through the windows dazzling their room with golden light, the clattering of wheels on tracks still rattling beneath the carriage.
His little situation from the previous night returned to Beaker's mind. Slowly and carefully, he glanced down towards where Bunsen was.
Once again, Bunsen was still resting with his face in the crook of the other's neck and was now unconsciously hugging onto Beaker's chest, his legs tangled with Beaker's. The heat built up in his face as he gently started quivering. Never in his entire life did he think he'd ever have such an intimate moment with his boss.
He sat there for a while, just admiring the other. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep.
Sooner than he would've hoped, Bunsen soon started to wake up. Beaker, once again panicking pretended to be asleep to avoid possible confrontation.
Bunsen quietly tittered to himself before quickly pressing a kiss to Beaker's cheek and running a hand through his hair.
He slowly sat up, glancing at Beaker who was now completely red in the face before sleepily giggling again.
"Can't waste the day Beakie, science calls-"
Before he could turn to get out of bed, Beaker quickly but impulsively pulled his aquantience back into the covers, somehow cuddling him closer than before.
"Well, if you insist," Bunsen whispered with a smile as Beaker got themselves comfortable once again.
They made no haste to leave the bed after that.