Mikey awoke in the middle of the night, shivering from cold. He kicked away his blankets and rose from his bed, feeling a desire to be near something living, something warm and comforting. He hugged his arms tightly around himself, though it did not stop his tremors. He went down the hall to Bunsen's room, softly opening the door and standing beside the bed. The beast was sleeping soundly, cuddled up in his blankets.
"Bunsen?" Mikey whispered, receiving no response from his furry friend.
He quietly crawled into the bed, lying next to Bunsen as he lay his head against the beast's chest, his fur feeling warm and soft on his skin.
Mikey felt comforted hearing his friend's heartbeat, steady and strong, soothing to his ears. He got under the blankets and felt the warmth from Bunsen's body heat. He pulled the blankets over himself and got comfortable near him, wrapping an arm around Bunsen's torso, wanting to feel some kind of reassurance that he was not alone.
He felt Bunsen stir lightly, and he froze, not wanting the beast to wake up and see his friend in bed with him. After a moment of nothing happening, and assuming he was still asleep, Mikey sighed and lay back down, listening to the sounds of gentle breathing.
He could feel Bunsen's warm breath against his neck as his shivers lessened significantly, nearly stopping entirely due to the warmth consuming his body. He moved slightly to adjust his position, being as quiet as possible so as not to wake the beast sleeping next to him.
The bed creaked suddenly as he moved, and Mikey gasped softly as he heard Bunsen sit up. "Mikey?" He asked tiredly, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "What are you doing in here?"
"I'm cold." Mikey whispered as he snuggled up against his friend, his shivering returning full force. Bunsen felt it, sprouting his multiple arms and wrapped them around his friend. "Don't worry, Mikey. I will keep you warm!"
The human's shivering began to fade again as Bunsen nuzzled him on the cheek, making soft noises almost like purring. "You can stay with me tonight." He pulled Mikey closer against his body to provide him with the maximum amount of warmth and heat.
Mikey surrendered to the loving embrace of his best friend, sinking into bliss as Bunsen's breath felt hot against his throat, sending small shivers of pleasure down his spine. He sighed contently and snuggled closer into Bunsen's warm body.
Bunsen used one of his arms to grab the blanket and pull it over Mikey more securely to help keep away the cold, the heavy comforter trapping the warmth of their body heat within it, leaving Mikey feeling tired and safe at the same time.
The beast began gently rubbing his back while still holding Mikey close to him. "You can sleep if you want to," he whispered, "I'm not going anywhere until you're warm again."
Mikey smiled softly into his friend's fur as he closed his eyes and tried to relax. "Thank you." He murmured quietly.
"You're very welcome, Mikey." Bunsen responded, his voice soft and gentle. "I'll always be here for you when you need me, and you can snuggle with me anytime you want to. I love cuddling with you."
Mikey nodded sleepily, "I love cuddling with you, too."
"So, is there anything else you want to tell me?" Bunsen asked, staring into Mikey's eyes as he gently stroked the human's face with his fingers. "Or were you just cold?"
"Well, I also dreamt that you left and went back to Beast World without telling me." Mikey looked away, slightly embarrassed. "I woke up crying over it, and I guess I also came in here because I wanted to make sure that you were still with me."
Bunsen hugged him tighter, offering a sad smile, his eyes full of sympathy and concern. "Oh, Mikey, you know I'd never do that. I love you too much to leave you all alone here. At the very least, if I ever did go back, I'd tell you first so you could say goodbye."
"But it seemed so real. Like it might actually happen."
"They are only dreams, Mikey." Bunsen whispered in that adorable voice of his as he wrapped his arms tighter around his friend, pulling him closer to reassure him. "I'll never leave you."
Mikey stared into his friend's yellow eyes. He'd never noticed it before, but Bunsen's eyes were beautiful. He was transfixed by their beauty, hypnotized by it. He felt like he could drown in them.
"Mikey?" Bunsen asked, slightly confused by his friend's behavior.
"What?"
"Is everything okay?"
Mikey nodded. "Everything is fine now. Everything is okay." He
responded quietly as he buried his face into Bunsen's fur again.
Bunsen began softly humming a tune while running his fingers through Mikey's hair, hoping to calm him. He felt the human relax in his embrace, the sound of his voice doing as he was intending.
"I'll still be here when you wake up." He whispered into Mikey's ear.
"Don't leave. Please." Mikey responded, his voice slightly slurred due to sleepiness.
"Never." Bunsen replied, still running his fingers through Mikey's hair. "Close your eyes, Mikey."
"I can't," He held onto Bunsen like his life depended on it. "I can't go back there. You're gonna leave me again."
"I'll be right here. I won't go anywhere."
Mikey continued struggling to remain awake, just barely aware of his surroundings. Bunsen nuzzled him lovingly again, rubbing his back in small circles with one of his many arms.
"Do you hear that?" He asked, as Mikey stopped to listen. He heard the faint sounds of crickets chirping, and cicadas buzzing in the trees around them. "They're singing you a lullaby. Even they want you to sleep."
Mikey yawned tiredly and snuggled into the sheets, not being able to fight his fatigue anymore. "Okay." He responded, slipping fast into unconsciousness. "Love you."
Bunsen continued rubbing his back while he turned out the light with one of his arms, resting his head against Mikey's shoulder. "I love you, too."