Chapter Text
Gigantor offered to help them both back into their dioramas, but Jedediah waved him off. With a nod full of understanding, the big man lumbered off to say his fare thee wells to the rest of their friends. When morning came, they'd either be frozen forever, or dusted. Jed wondered about that. Get caught out of the museum in the morning, and you were a goner. The tablet was in a different museum now, and they were well and indeed outside of that one. They'd been aboard the airplane fleeing the break of day when dawn came in London. They hadn't gone to pieces then. Jed hoped that meant they'd be fine now. Stuck as plastic, or wax, or fur stuffed with sawdust, nothing more or less than educational pieces on display until the end of time, but fine.
"Sunrise is coming," Octavius said, as if he needed to. Jed felt the pull of the sun inside him like they all did. Night ended, the magic ended, and the tablet was staying in London with ol' Akhmenrah and his folks. During the flight back, pressed right up against his favorite Roman in Gigantor's carry-on, Jed had tried and failed to scratch up some bitterness about that. He couldn't begrudge their favorite mummy getting a chance to spend the afterlife with his parents. Jedediah had never even had parents.
"Do you remember the factory?" Jed asked Octavius, making no move towards the eerily quiet windows where they would spend the rest of time.
"Barely. I remember the mold. I remember a moment of becoming myself, then nothing until I was unboxed here."
"Yeah." Consciousness hadn't been one of Jed's problems until sundown that first night. All the plastic figures had arrived together. Mayhap they'd even been molded together. "Now there's a funny thought. One drip of plastic different, and you could've been a cowpoke."
"Or you a noble Roman soldier, firm and loyal at my side."
Neither of them had moved. At this rate, the sun would be up before they could climb into their boxes. It wouldn't be the first time they'd have been caught outside their displays, but Jed's heart ached a bit knowing it would be the last. "I'm by your side now, mi amigo."
"As it should be." Octavius took his hand, no permission asked this time. "I will miss you, Jedediah. More than I can say."
"I'll always be right next door."
"I will always wish you were closer." Octavius got like this sometimes, his face open and full of longing. Jed brushed it off every time. They were plastic men, created to educate little varmints about history. It wasn't their place in the world to fancy themselves like the romantic heroes in one of those movies Gigantor pulled up for them on the Net Flick. They didn't have parents, and they didn't have sweethearts.
And as it turned out, the creeping presence of the sun chasing them down said they didn't have time, either.
Jed bent close and pressed his mouth against his best friend's lips. In less than a minute, they'd both be plastic but for these precious seconds, Octavius was warm and soft against him, his hands clutching to Jed like a drowning man who'd found his dry land, and he tasted like clover honey.
Octavius's eyes were bright as he pulled away, knowing they didn't dare risk staying locked together forever after through the days to come. Jed tried to pull up a line from one of those romantic-type movies, something that said everything he'd always put off saying.
Before he could find the right words, the sun rose.
Three Years Later
Jed felt himself come awake with the full-body tingle of magic, which confused him since he had gone to sleep positive he was never going to come alive again. "Woohoo!" he shouted, slapping the backs of the three people next to him. From the diorama next door, he heard celebratory shouts.
The events of last night came back to him, along with the awareness that last night had been a lot longer than twelve hours ago. Had anything changed? Had the museum been redesigned?
Had the Ancient Rome display been taken away?
Jed slapped a fake smile on his face to cover the worry and moseyed over to the corner of the display case, ignoring his buddies in this one. Over the years, he'd perfected a nice lasso-and-pull motion to swing himself from his box into the box next door. He grasped his rope, telling himself there was nothing to worry about, things were fine, nothing had changed. He'd swing over there, and his pal would be his normal, kinda stodgy, kinda earnest self, and they'd be back to how things were, and never mind that Jed fancied he could still taste a lingering trace of clover honey in his mouth.
The music started up, blasting over the museum's speakers.
"I say," said a voice from the distant floor. "Are you going to stay in there all night?"
Jed peeked over the edge. The Romans had already thrown their ropes over the edge and were climbing down in a steady line of red capes and flashy armor. Octavius stood underneath the Western Expansion window, hands propped against his face to shout.
"Just getting myself presentable," Jed said. "Hold on." He waved to the others. "We're missing the shindig. Hurry up!"
The party was in full swing by the time the miniatures reached the entrance hall. Jed saw the banners overhead announcing the Treasures of the British Museum were here on loan. Akhmenrah, looking not a day over four thousand, bent down as soon as they came in. "Welcome back, my friends." Jed was so plum pleased to see him that he didn't mind the lift up to the turntable. He minded even less when Ahkmenrah plunked Octavius down beside him.
They ought to talk.
The music kicked back in, and Jed dropped that idea. He was alive again, and it was time to celebrate. Octavius caught his eye and started dancing with him. In the rest of the hall, the others were partying their hearts out, determined to live tonight like it was their last night on Earth, and it just might be.
Hours later, and his legs just about worn out, Jed sat by Ahkmenrah and Octavius, waving as Teddy and Sacagawea rode by. He leaned back, looking up at Ahk, "So how is it that you're back anyhow?"
"You saw the banners. The British Museum has started a traveling exhibition. Tilly arranged for the Tablet to travel with us."
"It is wonderful that you have returned home at last." Octavius leaned against Ahk's forearm.
"For a while. We're only in New York on a limited engagement, I'm afraid. In a few months, we'll be moving to the next museum."
Jed shivered. "You're leaving?"
"Cleveland beckons. And Chicago. St. Louis. City after city ahead of us." He gave Jed an amused look. "I believe we're scheduled to go to Dallas next year."
"You're going to Texas?" Jed had never set foot in Texas. He'd been molded in a plant in Taiwan and shipped directly to New York. His diorama was set in Colorado. But in his heart, he was a Texan. "And you're leaving us here."
"I wish we could stay. But the Tablet travels with my display, and although Tilly has been helpful in influencing where our entourage will go, ultimately none of us has any say in our fate."
"How long?" Octavius asked.
"We'll be on display here for three months."
Three months of living. It didn't sound like much, considering the decades they'd had. The old night guards had always locked them up in their displays and never let them out. Only when Gigantor had taken over had things turned fun around here. Ol' Doc McPhee was grinning something fierce and seemed to be having fun himself, not like someone who intended to lock them all up every darn night. Three months to enjoy themselves, then back into the box forever.
He grabbed Octavius by the hand. "C'mon, partner. We got some dancing to do."
High up with the turntable, they had a great look at the rest of the partygoers, even though a lot of them had dispersed to their own areas. A night alive wasn't something to be squandered.
"I should see to my men," Octavius said. "They should know the terms of our parole."
Jed leaned his head over, seeing about fifty Romans busy line-dancing. "Nah, let them be. We got three months."
"We do." This drew his attention back to Jed. "Last night, I thought we were facing oblivion."
"It wasn't really last night."
"No, and it nearly was oblivion." He stopped dancing. "We should talk about what happened."
Jed danced harder, gyrating in a way that he reckoned made himself look a bit silly and he didn't care. "Nothing to talk about. We thought we were going to die. We didn't. Nothing else to say."
"You kissed me."
Jed had just known he would bring that up. "What a man does when he thinks he's about to get dusted is no one's business but his."
"You made it my business." Octavius got that stubborn expression on his face that was always so darn annoying, when he didn't want to let something go.
"Look here. We can spend the next three months jawing about what may or may not have happened a few seconds before dawn three years ago, or we can spend them enjoying ourselves. I know which plan I like." He kicked the volume lever with his boot, sending the music level spiking.
Octavius said something, but he was drowned out by the bass, and Jed didn't even play the 'I can't hear you' game. After a while, Octavius started dancing again, but his face was stuck in an unhappy expression Jed didn't like, and tried not to look at.
By the next evening, everything was back to normal. Sure, there were some extra folks around who hadn't been there before. Tilly was too busy with Laaa to care much about what the rest of them got up to, and Jed had missed his cat videos. "Come on, Octodaddy," he said to Octavius, trying to remember how to activate the YouTube. "We haven't updated Facebook in years."
"You need Tilly's password," Teddy said. They glanced over at her. "Fortunately, I remember Lawrence's password." He typed it into the keyboard for Jed, who thanked him before hollering down at Octavius.
"You coming?"
His Roman buddy didn't even look at him. He'd made his way across the long hall to where Lancelot stood, keeping vigil over the Moai.
"Your loss," Jed said, and shoved the mouse around looking for his old bookmarks, which were gone. He considered the effort involved in looking them up again, tried jumping on some keys to search, and gave the effort up as hopeless. Maybe if Octavius could talk his boys into setting up The Apparatus. Octavius didn't seem inclined to do Jed any favors right now. In fact, he was chatting with Lancelot, who took out his sword as Jed watched, and showed Octavius its full, shining length. Octavius drew his own sword and displayed it proudly for Lancelot's perusal.
Jed found he didn't like that at all, nor the way Octavius stared up into the big man's eyes. Well.
He went back to the keyboard and grabbed a pencil with bad grace, using the eraser to stab the keys. He didn't need some stuck up sword-fancier to watch his cat videos with him. He didn't need anybody.
His resolution lasted two nights, fifty-three cat videos, and twice through the entire CD collection left behind in the guards' break room. Towards the late end of the night, spending one too many times glancing out to see Octavius practicing his maneuvers with his men, or worse, with Lancelot, Jed decided he'd had enough. He closed his window with a practiced click and shimmied down to the floor. He wandered, in no hurry at all, over to where the gigantic knight and the normal-sized Roman stood side by side going through their moves together.
Octavius ignored him. Lancelot made a joke that wasn't funny at all, and Octavius laughed like he was going to bust a gut. Jed felt his eyes narrow, then with a manly effort, he rubbed the expression off his face. "That ain't nothing," he said.
"Ah, greetings, small blue man," said Lancelot. "Do you also wish to learn the art of swordplay?"
"Play with your own sword, you giant poser."
Lancelot frowned. "I am not posing, thanks to the power of the magical tablet."
Jedediah rolled his eyes. His three months were dwindling away, and he wasn't going to spend them arguing with a man prancing around inside a tin can. "We gotta talk, mi compadre."
Octavius fixed him with a haughty stare like he had in the bad old days back when they'd fought all the time. "You have already stated we have nothing to talk about."
Jed glanced over at Lancelot, who did not take the hint to leave. Jed tilted his head, indicating the rest of the museum.
"What is that?" Lancelot asked, mimicking the gesture in large reply. "Are you all right?" Jed gestured again. "Something wrong with your tiny little neck?"
Jed tilted his head hard one more time. "It's a hint, you greenhorn. You get along now."
"Green horn?" asked Lancelot, making the neck gesture again as he rubbed his forehead. "I don't have any horn, green or other colors." He ran his fingers through his own hair, checking for points.
"It means scat. Vamoose. Depart. Go." He turned back to Octavius. "I want to talk about it."
Suddenly his world was tilted as Lancelot manhandled him into the air, holding him by the shirt and bringing Jed right to his face. Up close, Jed could see the repair job on his nose, and every fleck of color in his eyes. He didn't know what Octavius had seen in those eyes because right now, he only saw confusion turning to irritation.
"Stop manhandling me!"
Lancelot grinned a big, somewhat mean grin, and shook Jed back and forth. "You are a curious little man."
"Set him down," Octavius said from the floor. "He doesn't like being manhandled."
Lancelot spared a look down. "He's very unpleasant. Do you think I could flick him all the way across the entry hall?" He held Jed with one gauntleted hand, and brought the other close, center finger primed and ready to strike.
"Don't you flick me! Don't you dare!"
"Lancelot, this has gone far enough."
"What's that? You don't think I can flick him far enough?" He closed his hand, smothering Jed, and pulled back. "How about if I throw him?" He laughed. Jed didn't think this was funny at all. "I'm just joking with you," said Lancelot, bringing his arm back around in front of him and opening his palm. "No need to ---"
From far below, Jed heard Octavius let out his war cry, and didn't have to wait at all before the rest of the Roman army followed suit. "Free the cowboy!" shouted Octavius, and he attacked Lancelot's foot. They were quickly surrounded by Romans with their own swords. Lancelot gave Jed a look. Jed grinned back.
Carefully, so as not to antagonize the warriors further, Lancelot gently set Jed back on his feet. Jed straightened his clothes before walking away with a swagger. He went to Octavius. "Thank you."
"You were in danger. Of course I came to your rescue."
"You didn't really rescue me. I could've handled him."
Octavius gave him a flat look as he called up, "Lancelot, Jedediah has changed his ---" Jed grabbed his arm, shushing him, and for his efforts see the gleam of high amusement in his eyes. Lancelot's eyes might have been a little scary up close, but Jed had often noticed how nice his best buddy's peepers were when he smiled.
"Now can we go talk?"
"No," said Octavius. "Now we can go somewhere and you can apologize. Then I'll decide if we can talk."
That almost did it. Jed almost stomped off in a huff again. But he stopped himself. He threw out his arm and pointed toward the hallway down by the restrooms. Octavius walked that way, and Jed followed, muttering quietly to himself about lousy Romans and their lousy apologies and lousy knights in lousy shining armor. They reached their favorite potted plant, the one that always reminded Jed of warm nights drinking funny little drinks under palm trees like they did in the Net Flick movies. Out of sight of their friends and also Lancelot, Octavius turned around and folded his arms expectantly.
"Well?"
"'m sorry."
"I didn't hear you."
"Too bad. You're not hearing it again."
"I see." Octavius turned to walk back towards his troops. Jed stopped him with a firm hold on his arm. Octavius looked down at where Jed touched him. "Remove your hand."
"You wanted to hold my hand a few nights ago."
"Years."
"Nights, years, it ain't like we noticed. During the day, I just go away somewhere. I went away for a long time and I didn't even know I was gone, but the part of me that was still me knew you weren't there, and that was the worst part." He stopped talking. None of them were good at the words describing what happened to them, either from the magic of the tablet, or during the day when the magic ended.
"Do you recall when Larry used to ask us what we dreamed about?"
Jed snort-laughed. "Sure. He tried to convince us giant humans like him just close their eyes and get videos flashing in front of them all night long. That was funny as heck."
"I dream about you." He saw the confusion all over Jedediah's face. "Not like he said, with the pictures, giant shoes chasing you, argh," he mimicked Larry's recount of his own dreams. "The part of me that stays me thinks about you. Three years, and I thought about that last night we had together, and we woke up, and you said it meant nothing."
"I did not. I said I didn't want to talk about it." Jed made a face. "Maybe if I was like Gigantor and all educated at a fancy community college like him, I could find good words to put around things, but I can't. I just mess up. I don't want to talk."
Octavius placed his hand over where Jed held him, and Jed figured he was going to peel his fingers away and stalk back over to his new buddy with the magnetic eyeballs. Instead, he leaned over and kissed him. Jed felt himself go stiff. This was only going to lead to trouble. Then he melted into the touch, and it turned out, with a little more forewarning than the last few seconds before dawn, Octavius was actually a pretty good kisser.
"If you insist on not talking," Octavius said, "I'm sure we can find a workaround."
"Yep," Jed said, as words failed him again. And since he liked this new form of communication so much, he tried it on for himself, tugging Octavius closer. Sunup found them out, unaware of anything much, including Tilly's rolled eyes as she scooped them up from the floor and stuck them behind the foliage of the plant to hide them from any curious questions about the two plastic figures from different eras stuck together in such an interesting way.