Work Text:
Scooter taps away at his keyboard listlessly, a yawn contorting his face as exhaustion nips at the corners of his eyelids.
Currently, the young muppet is stuck at his desk, coffee cups and paperwork scattered haphazardly across the surface. His eyes grow heavy from the lack of sleep, but he’d already resigned himself to pulling another all-nighter to finish the most recent episode of Muppets Now, so he stayed put.
If he was more coherent, he might’ve taken a break to lament over why he’d even agreed to take on the jobs of an uploader, editor, and social media manager all at once, or why there seemed to be some unseen force keeping him from getting a good night’s sleep (like, for instance, a company lead by a talking mouse that runs on money while actively ignoring the mental health of its employees...y’know, just as a ‘for instance’!) in the first place, but he was presently much too tired to even lift his head from his palm, much less form a complete thought.
Scooter isn't the only one who wishes he could take a well-deserved break, however, as his boyfriend Walter enters the room with yet another cup of coffee cradled in his small hands. Walter didn’t look nearly as tgroggy as Scooter, but he wears a pinched and slightly worried pout on his face in reaction to Scooter’s tired state.
He sets the mug next to Scooter with a soft plunk where ceramic met mahogany, and Scooter pats his boyfriend’s arm blindly, almost missing the limb entirely due to exhaustion and his own messed up depth perception, in a show of thanks before he was once again completely absorbed in his work. Walter let out a sigh, one Scooter was too zoned out to acknowledge.
“You’re still working on the new episode? I thought we wrapped shooting like 3 weeks ago.” Walter says worriedly. Scooter makes a noise of discontentment, more to himself than his boyfriend, before he responds.
“Well, I was supposed to be done with it, already, but Pepé decided that he wanted his game show segment to be longer, and then Piggy requested a reshoot of her segment because she didn’t like how she looked in the outfit wardrobe picked...and now here we are,” Leaning back heavily in his chair, running a tired hand down his face, he sighs out, “All night editing.”
“Wow,” is all Walter could really say. He knew his co-stars and idols could be considered a bit high maintenance (in the nicest way possible), but even he had to admit that the work hours they were inadvertently forcing upon Scooter was ridiculous.
“Yup.” Scooter huffs, going right back to work as if he and Walter hadn’t even been talking. The tapping of his keyboard resumes, the sound only intercut by the clicking of his mouse and the rubbing of his eyes.
Behind him, Walter went to sit on his bed, the same worried pout on his face as he watched the gofer work. He greatly admired his boyfriend’s work ethic, and normally, he would love to watch him work all day (and sometimes, he actually did watch him work all day), but it didn’t sit right with him how overworked Scooter had been since they started production on Muppets Now - Scooter had been pulling all-nighters for weeks, now, living off black coffee and day-old bagels and staving off sleeping so that he could have the episodes ready in a timely manner. On top of that, he wasn’t even being appreciated for it did, and it did wonders to drive Walter up the wall. He did realize that they all had their own jobs to do, but that didn't really get rid of his annoyance.
Not only did their treatment of Scooter nag at Walter like a bad mosquito bite, but he also didn’t like the conditions Scooter was working under, or the way it was affecting his health- he rarely sleeps, only eats if Walter comes over to bring him food or if he takes a break long enough to order in, and is always stressed out about the deadlines of the episodes and the paperwork he has to fill out (even still, Scooter never seemed to accept help, even when it was offered; he seemed to like keeping his hands busy on normal days, but there was no way he could actually like being worked to the bone day in and day out based on the whims of his co-workers...at least, that’s what Walter surmises).)
Turning his attention from his swirling thoughts back to Scooter, watching as his boyfriend rolled his neck this way and that to relieve some of the pain that bloomed from his awful posture, Walter thinks that his boyfriend needs a break.
“Hey, Scooter?”
“Hmm?” Scooter continues typing, the only sign that he’d even heard his boyfriend being his own verbal affirmation.
“...Can you whistle?”
At that, Scooter actually does stop typing, turning around in his chair to face Walter with a confused expression on his face.
“Huh?”
“I said ‘can you whistle’?” Walter asks again, crossing his arms and looking like the picture of innocence. Little did Scooter know, he was planning something.
“Uh, yeah, I guess. I’m not as good at it as you are, though.” Scooter says, voice lilting as if he was asking more than telling, still clearly confused.
“Show me how you do it.”
“...Why?”
“Just show me!”
“Walter, I really gotta get this scene done-”
“Just humor me for a bit, OK? It won’t take that long to whistle.”
Scooter raises an eyebrow at Walter, a small smirk playing across his felt face at his boyfriend’s antics. He really did need to go back to work, and his fingers were already flexing with the need to get back to typing, but Walter had such a cute smile on his face as he waited for Scooter to comply, and well...he never could tell Walter ‘no’.
With a small shrug, Scooter’s lips pucker to accommodate the action of whistling...only for the noise to be muffled by Walter pressing his lips to Scooter’s.
Scooter let out a surprised noise between them, and under Walter’s hands on his face, his cheeks burn a bright cherry red. Eventually, he forgets that he has a video to edit, and instead pulls Walter into a sweeter, closer kiss that lasts all of 10 seconds before Walter pulls away.
“Wow…” Scooter says, eyes slightly glazed over from the unexpected kiss. He leans in for another, hands slipping onto his boyfriend’s hips as if they’d already known where to go, but Walter softly pushes him away with a small smile.
“Uh, uh, uh- Take a break and go to sleep, first, and then you get another kiss.”
Scooter pulls back, an incredulous pout on his face that makes him look like a puppy being denied a treat.
“Wha- Ah, come on, that’s not fair..!” He groans, hands slightly reaching out as if he meant to bring Walter back in. With a self-satisfied smile, Walter leans back in and presses a quick kiss to Scooter’s cheek to assuage his pouting- though it was a smaller kiss than the one he was given before, and the one he’d just been asking for, Scooter’s cheeks still flush in embarrassment.
“Go to bed for more than an hour, at least, and I promise I’ll give you another, bigger kiss.” Walter grins. Scooter pretends to be indignant, though there was a small smirk upon his fiery red face.
“...Two or you’re helping me edit.”
“Is two gonna get your butt outta this chair?” Walter playfully tugs at his boyfriend’s outstretched arm, trying to get him up and moving. Scooter, however, doesn’t budge as an amused smirk grows on his face.
“It might, yeah.” Scooter’s smirk only grew as Walter pulled at him, knowing that Walter couldn’t actually pull him up if he went full dead weight.
“Scooteeeerrrrr,” There’s a fond exasperation in Walter's voice as he draws out the last syllable of his boyfriend’s name- there was also a hint of warning in it, as if he really did mean to physically pull Scooter out of his seat.
“Waaaallllteeerrrrr,” Scooter draws out the sentence, mocking the tone his boyfriend had used on him earlier. The gofer even had the nerve to show off a mischievous grin, as if he knew the story couldn’t progress without Walter giving into his demands.
Walter sighs good-naturedly after a beat, and with another smile, promptly gives in.
“...Fine. If you take a nap now, you get two kisses.”
“...Sold! Time for bed, I guess!” Springing up from his seat and stretching comically, finishing off with a bigger yawn that made Walter giggle, Scooter starts off for his bed. However, he pauses in taking off his hoodie when he sees Walter turning towards the doorway. “...Where’re you going?”
“...The couch? It’s where I always sleep when I stay over, and it is getting kind of late.” Walter says. Scooter has a sort of flustered expression as he goes to speak, hands fiddling with the zipper of his hoodie.
“Well,” He starts, voice quiet even despite the ticking of his heart. “I kinda...Well, I’ve been thinking that it’s pretty rude, me making you sleep on the couch and all, even after we’ve been dating this long...not to mention that it can’t be fun sleeping on the pull out every other night-“
“Oh, I really don’t mind..!” Walter interjects, not wanting Scooter to think that he was a bad boyfriend because he had Walter on the pull out; they were trying to go slow with this relationship, going at their own paces instead of rushing into intimacy, and Walter was understanding of that. “Really, I’m OK with it!”
“I know, Walt! And I appreciate that!” Scooter replies, trying to reassure him.
“...But I want you to be comfortable, too, and…If you’re comfortable with it,” He continues, trying to ignore the fact that, in his nervous state, he’d said the word ‘comfortable’ twice in a row. “...I was thinking that we could share the bed? We don’t have to cuddle or spoon or anything- it can just be sleeping in the same bed! If you’re OK with sleeping in the same bed, at all, that is.”
Walter stares at Scooter for a beat, blushing bright red. This has to be a dream.
He blinks once, then twice. Scooter doesn’t move.
Oh! So it’s not!
A smile spews across the smaller muppet’s flushed face, but he tries to downplay it so he doesn’t look too eager, and therefore creepy. After trying to push his embarrassment and giddiness deep down into his stomach, he finally responds.
“...Actually, I’d like that.” He says. Scooter, despite looking at him like he’d grown a second head, can’t contain his pleased smile.
“...Really?” He asks. With a blush, Walter nods.
“Yeah.”
The two are silent after that, trying to figure out what they should do next.
On one hand, laying next to one another on a bed didn’t seem like anything anxiety-inducing- at the very least, it was less scary (in theory) than half the stuff they face at work everyday. In fact, it even sounded…nice.
On the other hand, they’ve never been very...affectionate before. They’ve kissed, of course (though not much in public), and were chronic hand holders, but they’d never actually shared a bed, both trying to see how things go and let it develop naturally (and plus...neither were very big on asking to go any further, for fear of making the other uncomfortable. They’d gotten better at that, but Walter still hasn’t gotten the courage to ask Scooter what the Netflix password is).
But still...it sounds too nice for them to back out now.
With their stomachs fluttering like butterflies and their hands shaking like they were caught in a tremor, they both climb onto opposite sides of Scooter’s twin-sized bed, trying to stay far away enough so as to not accidentally touch the other.
“...So…” Scooter says once they’re situated, trying to ignore the way the bed would creak every time Walter would move.
“...So..!” Walter’s tone is cheerful to hide his nervousness, thankful that Scooter couldn’t see how red his face was in the darkness of the room.
Scooter was about to say something else- maybe something quite witty that would alleviate the tension between them-, but a yawn that came deep from his gut cuts through their awkwardness like a knife.
Next to him, Walter snorts.
“Shut up, alright? I’ve been awake since 3 pm yesterday,” Scooter says around another yawn. Walter only laughs harder.
“I thought you said you weren’t tired,” Walter quips.
“I changed my mind,” Scooter rolls onto his side to face Walter, whose giggles begin to die down. As he yawns again, voice sounding more exhausted than Kermit after just breathing, he remarks “...Five minutes won’t kill me.”
Walter’s laughter comes out a huff, but it's soft when he looks over at his bleary-eyed boyfriend.
“...Goodnight, Scooter,” Though Scooter can’t see it, Walter’s smile is nothing but fond as he reaches over and removes Scooter's glasses.
“Goodnight, Walter,” Scooter hums, leaning into the deft fingers that brush over his cheeks.
Just five minutes, was the last thing Scooter thought before he shut his eyes, the sounds of the room fading into comfortable static and shielding shadows until the only thing he could hear was Walter’s breathing.
...
He was later woken up by the sound of his alarm going off, the clips still open and half-finished on his computer and the clutter on his desk looking more like Tetris cubes than stacks of paperwork to his tired, blurry eyes.
Scooter curses under his breath, thinking about the work he still had to do and the day at work he had ahead of him...but then he caught sight of something else.
Walter’s still dead asleep and drooling on his own t-shirt, curled up on the other side of the bed. His normally messy hair looked tossed around, almost like a hurricane blew through it, and his mouth was wide open as he snored soundly, but Scooter still melted at the sight.
Scooter’s chest tightens at the sight, his heart banging against his ribs like a jackhammer (literally! his heart was beating so fast he could feel it in his ears!). Huh...so that’s what sharing a bed felt like.
Looking down at his boyfriend, whose breath came out as a high-pitched whistle between his snores, he supposed that he could get used to waking up like this.
He looked between the slumbering Muppet and his blaring alarm clock, contemplating whether or not he should get them up for work. Eventually, however, he sighs and decides to turn his alarm clock off...even though another alarm, even louder than the last, would soon take its place in the form of Kermit blowing up his phone.
Tucking himself back under his covers and casting one last smile at Walter (who almost seemed to be smiling back...y’know, through the drool), he decided that 5 more minutes in bed wouldn’t kill him.