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Jedediah paces back and forth, fiddling with his tie nervously. He’s dug up the fanciest clothes he owns – a pale blue button-up, black pants and a dark grey vest. The black coat and the dark blue tie he’s borrowed from Chance. He’s even managed to comb his hair a bit, enough for it to not be as messy as always. It all feels weird, too fancy and itchy for his taste.
But for tonight, he’s willing to be a little bit uncomfortable. It’s worth all the good.
It’s worth Octavius.
He sighs and looks at the door of Octavius’s house. The Roman is – in his opinion at least - taking way too long getting ready. It can’t be that hard to put on a toga, or whatever fancy wear Octavius is putting on. Then again, he probably should have known to expect that, considering he is a bit of a romantic… and this is their first date.
How did he score that? Jedediah doesn’t know. He’s not even sure it’s real – though the dozen times he’s pinched himself would indicate that it is. Not only that, he’s the one who:
1. Was the first to confess and ask Octavius out
2. Has planned the entire date on his own (well, not completely alone… Attila helped out with some minor details)
And somehow he still manages to be the one who’s nervous… he can’t imagine Octavius stressing out over something like this. Surely he’s gone out on dozens of dates, there is no way no one in Rome has tried to court him before. Jedediah just… needs to make this one special, something that beats all the previous dates and flings.
No pressure.
---
“Please stop moving around, I can’t twine these properly if you don’t stand still.”
Octavius holds back an exasperated sigh, forcing himself to stand still as Mariana finishes twining the strings on the back of the dress. He’s still unsure of this choice in clothing – he’s never worn a dress around Jedediah, barely even worn his togas.
And this is hardly comparable to a toga. This is… more modern. More revealing. Something he’s never thought he’d wear, but still something that feels comfortable.
“Are you nervous?” Mariana asks over his shoulder as she finishes twining the strings. Octavius glances at her, hesitating for a moment before nodding. “Yes”, he admits.
“Why?” There’s no malice in the question, just true curiosity. Octavius looks at himself, tugging the hem of the dress lightly. The truth is, he isn’t really sure why he feels antsy about this. Of course, Jedediah Smith isn’t just any guy, he’s a man Octavius has loved for almost a decade now. He’s dreamt of this for countless of nights, of going on a date with the cowboy, of where it could take them.
And now – it’s real.
“Jedediah is… special”, he replies slowly, allowing himself to smile softly as he thinks of the shaggy headed cowboy and his bright blue eyes. He hopes he’ll be able to set a spark in them tonight.
Mariana smiles at him, tugging the dress better before stepping back. “I’m sure he is nervous as well”, she says, “Jessie has told me how long it took him to find courage to ask you out.”
Octavius chuckles – that sounds like Jedediah, especially considering how chaotic his confession was. One would not expect to be asked out on a date in the middle of a life-and-death situation - and he certainly didn't expect it to involve a runaway wolf spider. But Jedediah still managed to pull it off, and Octavius wouldn’t have it any other way.
“How did he ask you out anyway?” Mariana asks, as if she read his thoughts. “It is… a long story”, he says, “but it was… true to his character.”
He can see some movement outside – Jedediah. It’s time to go.
“Thank you”, he whispers to Mariana. She smiles at him. “Go”, she pushes him lightly, towards the door. Octavius smiles and with one last deep breath – he steps outside.
---
Jedediah is embarrassed to admit it, but his breath hitches when he sees Octavius step outside in a dress. And what a dress – it’s bright red and sleek, its hem reaching the ground. A flower made of golden fabric has been sewn on the hip of the dress and the twined straps match its shine. He’s even found a torque that matches the gold of the dress, and instead of his usual sandals, he’s wearing high heels.
Three things register into Jed’s mind at once:
1. He’s never seen Octavius in such elegant clothing
2. Octavius looks absolutely gorgeous
3. Octavius made the effort to look this pretty, for their date. For him.
“Oh… wow, Octie…”, Jedediah mumbles breathlessly, kicking himself mentally – because how dare he be so starstruck by just simply looking at him? What is wrong with him?
Octavius chuckles softly and smiles at him. “Hello”, he speaks softly and Jedediah catches a slight nervous tone in his voice. Why that would be, he isn’t sure.
“Don’t ya look beautiful tonight”, he quirks a playful eyebrow at him, flashing Octavius a smile. Octavius chuckles in response and smiles back at him, crossing his arms. “You look rather lovely yourself.”
Jedediah grins and offers him a hand, which Octavius takes with a smile. “Ready to go?”
“More than.”
They walk to the edge of the diorama and Jedediah helps Octavius down – despite being surprisingly graceful with high heels, it’s still a struggle for him to climb down on his own. And Jedediah isn’t about to let him break an ankle.
They drive to the planetarium in silence – but a comfortable one. Jedediah can feel Octavius watching him and it makes his heart beat a bit faster. He can only hope he isn’t blushing like a flustered teenager, but even if he is – Octavius doesn’t seem to mind.
“C’mon, Octie”, Jedediah grins as he helps his companion out of the car, “You’re gonna love this.”
“And what exactly is this?” Octavius asks with an amused chuckle. “You’ll see”, Jedediah replies – and just for fun, gives him a wink. Then he walks Octavius to a table in the corner of the room, hand in hand. He got Attila to place a cloth over the table that secludes them from the rest of the room. Together, they dive under the cloth, into pitch black darkness.
“What is this?” Octavius asks and even without light, Jedediah is certain he’s looking at him. “Just stay there, aight?” he says before letting go of his hand. He fumbles in the dark for a moment before finding what he’s looking for – a small on/off switch. He tugs it a few times before it flicks to on position – and the space under the table lights up in spots of different colors. Crossing his arms proudly, he looks up at the tiny disco ball light taped to the table. It works just as planned.
He can hear Octavius let out a soft gasp and a moment later, there’s a hand on his shoulder. “This is… magnificent”, the Roman breathes quietly, “it is like one of those ball rooms in the movies Larry has shown us..”
“Yeah, that was the idea”, Jedediah replies, “but this ain’t all of it! We still need to set the mood!”
“The mood? For what?”
“For dancin’!” Jedediah walks to a radio roughly as tall as them, and presses a few buttons. For a moment it’s silent, but then a soft piano melody fills the air. He turns to Octavius and extends a hand.
“May I have this dance, partner?”
Octavius looks stunned for a moment – then he smiles softly and takes Jedediah’s hand. “With pleasure.”
They smile at each other and Jedediah pulls Octavius close, wrapping an arm around his waist as the first lyrics are sung.
“Wise men say
Only fools rush in”
Octavius places his free hand on his shoulder and they begin to dance, a very simple ballroom dance. They’re so close to each other Jedediah can feel Octavius’s breathing on his face – and he’s almost certain he can hear his heart thumping.
“Ya nervous?” he asks, looking into Octavius’s eyes. Octavius blinks and smiles a little bit. “It… has been a while since I have last danced”, he admits quietly. Jedediah nods and gives his hand a gentle squeeze. “Just follow my lead”, he says. He holds Octavius slightly tighter, taking more of a leading role in their dance.
“Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin?”
Slowly, they sway back and forth, eyes locked into one another’s gaze. As the song plays on, Octavius slowly gets more confident in his steps and Jedediah dares to pick up the pace a little bit. “Look at that! You’re getting’ it!” he cheers when Octavius keeps up with him with near perfect grace. Octavius laughs softly and presses his forehead against Jedediah’s.
“Like a river flows,
Slowly to the sea”
“Think you can keep this evening surprise-free?” he asks. Jedediah laughs and nudges him gently. “Hey, that wolf spider wasn’t my fault”, he says. “But you did try to hide the damage”, Octavius states. Jedediah opens his mouth, trying to think of an argument – but can’t come up with anything. So he just settles for rolling his eyes. “What was I supposed to do, come running to you like a kicked puppy?”
“If that is how you want to describe it, yes”, Octavius deadpans and Jedediah huffs. “No thanks”, he says, “I mean, I scored a date out of it!”
Octavius laughs and shakes his head. “You are impossible.”
“Darling, so it goes,
Some things are meant to be”
“Maybe you just bring impossible out of me”, Jedediah replies – and before Octavius has a chance to answer, he dips him. Octavius yelps in surprise, gripping on to him tightly. “J-Jedediah!”
“Relax, Octie!” Jedediah grins, “I ain’t lettin’ you fall.”
He pulls Octavius back up, grinning widely at the flustered, breathless Roman. “It’s just part of the dance”, he hums. Octavius rolls his eyes and smiles softly at him – and time slows down. His dark brown eyes seem hypnotic, so full of warmth and adoration.
So full of love.
“Take my hand
Take my whole life too”
“Hey… Octie.”
“Yes?”
“I’m real happy you agreed to go on a date with me.”
Octavius chuckles softly – and closes the distance between them, planting a soft kiss on his lips. It stuns Jedediah for a moment, but he quickly snaps out of it and returns the kiss. When they pull away, Octavius’s eyes shine like a thousand stars in the countless hues of the disco ball.
Jedediah laughs quietly and smiles. “Oh, wow… that was somethin’.”
“Something good, I hope”, Octavius says. “Somethin’ like that”, Jedediah replies, pulling Octavius into another kiss. The Roman chuckles against his lips softly and even when they do break apart, Octavius doesn’t completely step away. Instead, he rests his head on Jedediah’s shoulder. Jedediah holds him close and they let go of one another’s hands, wrapping them around each other.
Their dancing slows down, until they’re barely moving. And they stand there, holding each other, Octavius’s head resting on Jedediah’s shoulder and Jedediah’s head against the crook of his neck. It’s warm, safe, and Jedediah barely dares to breathe – he doesn’t want to break this spell that surrounds them.
He closes his eyes and smiles – and mouths the lyrics silently as the song comes to an end.
“I can’t help
Falling in love with you”