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Halloween night at the museum.
That means party time! The business of the outside world was not their concern tonight, as Rebecca, the nightguard, was doing her best to win over the hearts of the exhibits, as advised by Nicky. The party had definitely gotten started; there were streamers and candy and decorations all over the floor, something that she was dreading having to pick up (but no major worries for her, as Nick had promised to help as long as he got to enjoy the festivities and was allowed to deejay.) The night had progressed rather quickly; with all the exhibits playing games and having fun and spooking everyone else, no wonder it was already a few hours past midnight. A few of the more stubborn exhibits had retired back to their homes, but the majority of them were still in the main hall, now a little less crazy but still- Rebecca had a lot to handle. Still, we turn our heads to the little car maneuvering around everyone's feet.
"Woo! I feel alive tonight!" Jed exclaimed.
"Yes," Octavius smiled. "It has been quite thrilling!" He added, holding his helmet securely in his arms.
"Whatcha wanna do now? Wanna go back and play halloween horseshoes with the boys?"
"Well, to be perfectly honest, I was hoping for some respite from this ever-vicious crowd. I- I don't mind the people, and, and trust me Jedediah, this has all been a blast but.. I'd like to get away for awhile."
"Oh, okay." He answered, seemingly surprised.
"Does that bother you?"
"Nah, it don't. It's kinda wild in here anyway. Don't wanna get our candy stepped on. Where should we go?"
"Our hidey-hole?" Octavius looked up pouting.
"Nah man. Benjamin outed it, remember? Now him and his crew like to use it as a hangout and ain't no doubt they're usin' it now. Maybe we can drive 'em outta there if you want though."
"No, that's alright. I've been needing a change of scenery lately anyway. Maybe we can go outside?"
"Yeah, that oughta be quieter. New York city streets," he mocked.
"Jedediah I-"
"Yeah, haha. Sorry."
"You do have a point. It would be better to stay inside anyway."
"I'll drive us around, see if I can find us a place."
"That sounds good."
~~~~
They had driven a fair amount around the museum, and it seemed people were everywhere.
"Goddammit," Jed cursed, bumping into someone's foot with the front of the car. "Sorry," he yelled up to whoever the pair of legs happened to belong to. Granted, it was a dark area of the museum.
"What was that?" The person looked down at the little car.
The two of them poked their heads out and looked up. "Wea!"
"Terribly sorry," Octavius apologized.
"Yeah, we're just tryna find some place quiet. Sorry 'bout that." Jed started to back up his car before he heard her voice call back.
Sacagawea bent down to hear them a bit better. "How is your search going?"
"Not too good. We just need to be alone. Ya know of any spots where we can have some privacy?"
Sacagawea looked around the room while Jed and Oct waited attentively.
"Well you can always go inside one of those little pumpkins." She pointed to a row of cute, spooky candlelit pumpkins that were lighting the room. "It looks relaxing and will probably block the noise out."
The two looked at each other in mutual excitement, as if they've been struck with secret knowledge.
"That's excellent! Thank you!" Octavius shouted, while Jed pulled back and sped toward the pumpkins.
It was a dazzling array of perfectly cut jack-o-lanterns, about two feet apart from each other. Many to choose from, all flickering from inside and emitting a warm, pumpkiny smell.
"Which one would you prefer?" Tavi asked.
"I'd go with that one, cause it kinda looks like you, haha! A regular Oct-o-lantern!" Jed pointed to a large-eyed pumpkin with a little squiggle for a mouth.
"Haha, whatever you say, Jedediah. Let's bring some candy in there with us. That sounds like fun."
"Kay, let's push it in there through the mouth and feed the guy."
Octavius laughed, giddy like a happy child. The both of them gathered a piece of candy each and shoved it in through the mouth.
"I think we lost a few during the ride," Octavius noted when they returned to the car.
"It's okay. We still have plenty of candy. Plus I still have my Reese's," Jed grinned, pulling it out of the back.
"Let me help you," Tavius offered.
"No thanks, I got it." Jed practically dragged the candy, about the size of a small table for him, over to the pumpkin, as Octavius brought with him a sizable wrapped candy.
Jed lifted the cup of chocolate up, but lost his balance and fell on his ass.
"Hah, want to take a break?"
"Just shut up and help me." Jed playfully punched Tavi, who lifted the candy off of Jedediah, and with his own strength hoisted it up into the mouth of the pumpkin.
"It's okay to ask for help, you know." Octavius clapped his hands together, futilely attempting to brush the smeared chocolate bits off his hands.
"I know. I just like doin' stuff by myself sometimes. Wish I was… strong like you."
"Rigorous strength training is how I got where I am. You're very physically capable yourself." He extended his hand toward Jedediah to help him up, then when Jed rose, Tavi patted his shoulder.
"Aw, c'mon now. I'll get my water and we'll climb in." Jed walked over to the truck, and behind him, Octavius stayed put, with a longing look in his eye.
"Okay, hoist me up and I'll pull you in." Octavius grabbed Jed by the thighs, something that made Jed's eyes boggle a bit. Jed pulled himself through, landing on various candy packaging. He peeped his head out of the mouth. He bent down as Octavius grabbed his hands, then Oct got an armhold of the entryway and could pull himself in. He got a bit stuck, but wriggled his way through.
As Octavius stumbled, Jed watched on intrigued, his back resting against the candle. Octavius got his cape stuck in the mouth, but otherwise was intact. When he got on his feet, started taking off his armor.
"What are you doin'?"
"It's warm in here."
"You're right." Jed stepped forward and took off his vest, belt, bandana and chaps. He got finished before Oct, simply because his Roman armor was quite a bit more complicated.
"Now, we can rest easy for a while," Jed said, taking a sip of his water and sitting on the outer edge of the pumpkin. "Sac was right, it ain't nearly as loud and crazy here. 'Specially in this part of the museum, though it's still busy. Feels cozy." He patted an area on the pumpkiny floor next to him, coaxing Oct to sit next to him.
Oct had his cape wrapped in his arms like a blanket, and came to sit down by Jed.
"Ya look like a tomato with nothin' but red on."
"Pft, would you prefer if I took it all off?"
"Haha. Now ain't the time. You look nice. I wish you had yer toga though."
"How come?" Octavius scooted a little closer to him, laying the cape beside himself.
Jed cleared his throat. "Well, ya look real cute in your white robes. And your lil crown and all that. The gold one with the leaves on it?"
"Laurel crown?"
"Yeah, that's it. It's… real majestic, you know. Kinda prince-like. But in a Roman way."
"You are my prince," Octavius replied lovingly, giving him a swift kiss on the cheek.
"Aw, shucks." Jed grinned. "Hold on just a sec." He stood up, and dragged a couple of candies over for them to eat.
"Now that's a proper way to celebrate!" Octavius was handed a wrapped piece of candy by Jed, about twice the size of his head.
"The great thing about this candy is we get it all to ourselves."
"Please, I beg of you Jedediah, do not attempt to eat all of that peanut butter cup in one night. I think you'll be ill before you've consumed half of it."
"I'll be fine. I ain't gonna make a six course meal outta it." Jed sat down, opening the packaging and sliding the cup out of its plastic wrap.
"I say, while we're here…" Octavius paused, set his chocolate cherry down, stood up, walked over to the entrance, "I'll be a moment, " wriggled his way out…
"What are you doin'?"
"Just a minute!" Tavi shouted from outside the pumpkin.
"Well gee. Wonder what that's all about." Jed shrugged and, with a little effort, pulled a chunk out of the peanut butter bar and took a big bite. "Mm. That'sh amazhing." Little pieces flew out of his mouth when he spoke. It was rather comical.
Jed looked up as Oct pulled himself back in. He had something black in his hand.
"Whatcha got there?"
"You'll see." He heaved himself through, and when he was grounded he walked over toward Jedediah and presented the… thing.
It had eight furry legs and six eyes.
"GAH!" Jed shouted, anime-style jumping up from where he was sitting.
"It's okay! It won't bite. It's just friendly, see? It rode here on my back."
"You coulda told me that before you shoved it in my face." Jed sat down again. "How do you know it's not gonna bite?"
"I'm sorry. I just wanted us to have a friend."
"Friend?"
"Yes. I thought he was cute. And he won't bite."
"You went out there to get a spider?"
"Well, that's not the only reason. Trust me though," he put his two fingers up, eyeing Jed, "I think you'll like what I have planned."
"As long as there's no more jumpscares. I just wanna relax right now. I've had enough spooks. Especially from Attila, scarin' the shit outta people with his battleaxe."
"That's fair. I apologize again. I can take the spider out if you want."
"'S okay. I forgive ya." Jed pecked him on the cheek. He looked over to Oct's side, where the spider was sitting. "It's kinda cute, y'know."
"It is adorable, isn't it?" Octavius cautiously picked up the spider, looking it in the eyes and smiling. "I've seen this species before. But I don't know the name."
"Jumping spider?"
"Hm… maybe. I still don't know." He set the spider down, petting its fuzz. "It's soft. Like a stuffed animal."
"Where'd ya get it?" Jed looked down at the spider in Oct's lap, casually putting his hand on Oct's thigh.
"It was just s sitting there," Octavius replied, eager to use his newfound knowledge of memes. "It was on a cobweb.
"It's real cute. I don't feel too comfy having it around here too long, if that's okay. I kinda want it to be just us."
"Okay." He let go of the spider, and it crawled onto Jed, who flinched and squirmed.
"Uh… hey there little guy." Jed was hesitant to pet the spider, his hand wavering over its head.
"You don't have to pet it." Octavius picked it up, placing it on the mouth of the pumpkin. "Okay, it was nice having you! We appreciate your company. But we request to be alone. Vale, mi amice." He gave the spider a scratch, and it made a happy little sound then crawled away.
"Thanks. I know you liked him. And I did too. Bugs just give me the heebie-jeebies. At least when they're as big as yer foot. I never had that issue in my old life."
"Yeah. It's alright. I quite like some bugs, like spiders. At least this one. It was rather cute. Anyway," Octavius said, sitting back down, "I wonder how many washes it will take to get this pumpkin scent out of our clothes."
"Haha, hey, at least it's festive!"
Octavius smiled back silently at Jed.
"Pumpkin." Jed looked at Octavius, who was a bit confused.
"Pumpkin?"
"Yeah, you're my pumpkin," Jed stated, playing with Oct's hair. Tavi blushed at the gesture, playing with the cherry he had set down.
"Ya like that, don't you?" he teased.
"Fuck," Tavi said, his voice cracking, "stop making me feel so strongly for you. It's hard to resist."
Octavius leaned in for a kiss, only to be interrupted by a voice from outside.
"General!"
He stopped in his tracks. "One minute." He went to the entrance, and was handed a couple of white sheets and laurel crowns. He thanked the legionnaire who had brought it to him.
"Oh man," Jed grinned, his voice raspy with excitement. "Ya shouldn't have."
"I thought we'd like a cooler, more comfortable change of clothes. Here, I'll show you how to put yours on." He set the stuff down, pulled out one of the sheets, and unfolded it, holding it up by its edges.
"That looks more like a blanket than a dress."
"It's a toga, made with fine fabric. You have to fold it in a certain way."
"..okay. Just don't let the boys see me in this. Nothin' against it, I just don't wanna lose my authority. It's hard enough keepin' the peace as it is."
Octavius laughed. "Fair enough. Let's get changed." Octavius stripped naked, and while he didn't pay any attention to that fact, Jed paid Very Much Attention.
"Here, Jedediah. Take your clothes off."
"Shouldn't ya buy me dinner first?" Jed took off his shirt first, and his underwear.
"Ha, very funny. Here, you fold it like this." Octavius folded the fabric and put it on Jed, securing it. When he was finished, he held Jed by the waist.
"How do I look?"
"...Very handsome." Oct could not contain the very Bottom look on his face. "Togas are more masculine in Rome."
"It's okay, I don't mind. It's comfy. It's like wearing a blanket, y'know."
"It is, I suppose. I guess I've worn it so much, I never think of it that way." Octavius put on the thin fabric himself rather quickly, like second nature. "It's been a long time since I've worn one of these. I usually only wear them in my quarters when I'm alone."
"It is real refreshing to see ya don that fancy garb. You need to wear it more often. Tough armor is good for shieldin' and all, but not so much for cuddlin. I don't really like armor much, not that it ain't useful, but it hinders me." As Jed talked, Octavius put the crowns on both of their heads. "I can't imagine havin' to wear it every day. I prefer to be open and free."
"I do get tired of wearing it. I just fear that if I'm not wearing my armor and tunic at all times, my soldiers will be lax. I want to lead by example. I also fear being caught off guard by not having my armor on."
"That's fair." The two of them turned their heads when they heard someone coming close to the pumpkin.
"These pumpkins are adorable!"
"Who are you callin' adorable?" Jed yelled from inside. "Let us have some peace and quiet, for chrissake!!!"
The people jumped back. As Jed and Oct looked out, they could see it was Rebecca and Attila. They looked at each other, afraid. It seemed Rebecca understood after a moment, but poor Attila was confused. The pumpkin spoke, and yet it didn't move its mouth, like the other animated objects in the museum.
Jed and Oct caught on, and started spooking them. "Wooo, the Jack-o-lantern of Halloween's past, shall lay a curse upon those who dare disturb its silence!" Jed's voice had a bite to it. "Leave now, or suffer the cuuurse!~"
Attila was shocked, but Rebecca stifled a laugh. "It's okay. Let's leave these pumpkins alone." Sacagawea smiled, watching on. She thought it was nice to see them having such fun.
Jed and Oct laughed from inside the pumpkin. "Man, I love this holiday," Jed claimed. "It's an excuse to act crazy."
"Within the bounds of human decency."
"Yeah. Now we're alone, whatchu wanna do?"
"Let's sit over on this side." Octavius walked over to the other side of the Jack-o-lantern. "I want us to relax together." He went back and got their candies and set them down next to him, patting the pumpkiny ground for Jed to come over.
Jed walked over next to Octavius, unusually normally. His sugar rush was wearing off, and he looked a bit tired. And so was the candle, which was burning at the bottom in a little pool of wax. It was dimmer.
Octavius took another big bite into his cherry candy. The insides oozed out a bit like caramel. It was a bit sticky and messy, which he hated, but he did love anything with cherries in it, and he did well at keeping his hands clean, at least.
Jed couldn't say the same. His hands were painted in smeared, melted chocolate, some of which he licked off. He wiped them off on the pumpkin, and on his old clothes. Octavius looked at him.
"It's aight, they're gonna be washed anyway." He chuckled. "I love you."
"I love you too. Maybe now we won't be interrupted."
Jed touched his forehead to Octavius's, and they looked each other in the eyes. They had set aside their candies to cuddle. Octavius put his arm around Jed, who held his other hand. The cowboy's lips touched the Roman's, gently making out with them. Jed scooted closer to Octavius, clearly taking the initiative.
"Where were we?" He inquired, with his palm holding Jed's chin, their faces inches apart. His thumb caressed Jed's flushed cheek.
"Somethin' about me bein' hard to resist?" Jed chuckled.
"Oh, yes," he answered rather seriously. "Maybe I should demonstrate."
Octavius pressed his lips firmly against Jed's and began making out with him. The two held each other's back while they made out. The scent of chocolate was strong on their breath, but they didn't care. Their endeavor was sweet and passionate and tasted just as good as the finest chocolate in the world.
Octavius's mouth slowly broke away from Jed's, and he pet Jed's blond hair, which was ruffled and shaggy from the crazy evening. It stuck out in places above his crown.
"I'm such a happy man, because of you, amare."
"I can't live without ya, Tavi. Ya make me feel all warm inside every day."
Octavius blushed. He loved that nickname. "I just want to lay here all night." They had both shifted and their heads rested on the floor. Jed's arm laid around Tavius's body, and Jed positioned himself so his head would rest on Tavi's chest. Tavi petted Jed's shaggy hair, smiling widely and planting a kiss on Jed's head. Oct's hand ran through Jed's feathery hair, as Jed quickly fell asleep with his arm wrapped around him, the corners of his mouth turned upward.
Octavius held Jed's limp hand and fell asleep with him, as the candlelight went out and with it, the sun rose outside, freezing them together in warm embrace.