Archive of Our Own

It wasn't uncommon for the exhibits of the museum to have dreams while they were still during the day. To them, going still every single time the sun went down felt exactly the same as falling asleep. In just a second, they'd wake up back in the museum at night, just like how night passed by so fastly when humans fell asleep.

Sometimes they could recall hazy memories of what happened during the day. Blurry recollections of light and passing shapes and fuzzy voices in their ears. Sometimes they had dreams, both peaceful and nightmares.

These dreams were pretty identical to dreams experienced by humans. Ranging from the simple to the abnormal to the creepy to the crazy. Whether this was magic granted by the tablet or just natural for them was up in the air.

Whether these dreams had actual meanings though, was also up in the air.

----------

The first thing that registered in Octavius's mind was the sounds of.... birdsong outside? The second was the feeling of warmth on his skin, and the third was..... the feeling of wind in his face.

He slowly opened his eyes to the sight. He was inside what seemed like his and Jed's usual car. But... things were different. Octavius himself was still in his usual clothing, but his armour and helmet were nowhere to be seen. Outside the open car window, the sunbeams of the daylight cast a warm light on Octavius' skin. It also didn't seem like anything he'd seen from the museum. Trees passed by them in a whirl, the sunlight didn't cast the same warmth the artificial ceiling lights did and the sky.... It was bright blue, with nary a cloud in sight.

This... This wasn't the museum..... Could it.....?

He turned beside him to see that he wasn't the only one in the car, thankfully. In the driver's seat was his best friend, Jedediah. Still in his usual cowboy get-up, but his hat lay on a seat in the back, letting his blonde locks free. They looked even more beautiful in the light of the day, the sun reflecting off his hair and creating what looked like a halo of light around him. He looked so beautiful in that moment. Octavius always wondered what it'd be like to finally step outside into the day, to be able to experience the true sun without fear of death. He didn't imagine it to be so... so beautiful.

The cowboy finally took his eyes off the road and glanced over at Octavius, his sky blue eyes tinted with gold in the sunlight. "Finally woke up, Sleeping Beauty?".

"Was- Was I asleep?" Octavius asked him, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. "Yep! Out cold in an instant once we got in the car!" Jedediah heartily laughed. Octavius loved to hear him laugh, a light pink dusting his cheeks. Octavius softly hummed. "Was I that tired?".

"Gee, how good was that sleep that you barely remember anything before it?" Jedediah chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "We're almost there anyways, so don't try and fall asleep on me again, 'kay?". Octavius looked ahead to the road. The scenery of trees and concrete road suddenly changed to that of a busy road, cars passing by them as Jed drove. "If I may ask, where are we going again?".

"New York! Duh!" Jedediah grinned. "Dont'cha remember? You were the one who suggested we go there for our date in the first place!".

Date?

Did... he say date!?

A bright red blush settled itself on his face. But instead of asking further questions though, Octavius focused his gaze onto looking around the car. It looked like the one they usually rode in during their nights at the museum, with the usual buttons and stuff on the dashboard, but it felt strangely.... large.

They soon stopped, Jedediah parking the car near the street. "Alright, we're here!" he called out to him, getting out of the car. Octavius got out of his side of the car, momentarily covering his eyes from the blinding sun for a few seconds. He was used to the artificial lighting in the museum, but actual sunlight felt odd.

One other thing that felt weirder was the fact they were suddenly.... huge.

Buildings didn't seem so humongous to them now, and they were both about the same height as the other people passing by them. Their car was also the size of what would be considered a normal car ( or at least from the ones they've seen up close ). Besides their outfits, they really could've passed off as normal humans. It was a strange feeling, but a welcome feeling at that.

"Do you know where my galea is?" Octavius turned towards Jedediah, who was getting his hat out from the car. "You left it at home, didnt'cha?" Jed asked him. "Didn't want ya to have to lug it around everywhere, y'know? You'd stand a bit too much from the crowd anyways".

"Says the one still dressed as a cowboy!" Octavius grinned, lightly punching him in the arm. "Hey, it's not like we're the weirdest group of people in New York!" Jedediah laughed, as the two walked down the street. "True, true" Octavius smiled. He hadn't seen that much of New York life out during the day, but Larry once showed them a picture he had caught on a subway of two people dressed up in huge rat costumes and another guy with a raven perched on his arm, so they definitely wouldn't be the only people here drawing people's attention.

"Come on, now! I said we'd get some new toys for Venus, didn't I?" Jedediah told him. "I think I remember there bein' some cool store here that sold some cool scratchin' posts!". Octavius raised an eyebrow. "Wait- Venus?". "Yeah, Venus? Our cat?" Jedediah laughed. "Don't tell me you also forgot the name of our cat! Did that nap affect you that much?". "Ah- no. Of course not," Octavius muttered to himself. There were a few questions on his mind though.

1. Why did he name his cat after the Roman goddess of love?

2. Was their cat larger than them?

Time seemed to pass by so quickly as they ventured through the streets of New York, and Octavius made some strange discoveries. Not only were the words in books now muddled up and strange-looking, but animals like rats and squirrels that were once larger than them were now smaller, exactly how the other larger exhibits saw the creatures. More proof that they had now somehow became humans.

Soon, the sun was setting, the sky cast in purples, lavenders and oranges. The two walked back to their car, talking about random, miscellaneous stuff. Sunsets looked pretty similar to sunrises, so it wasn't a sight Octavius wasn't used to. He and Jedediah would sometimes break away from their usual routines of car-rides and adventuring to just sit on the windowsill and just talk, watching as the sun rose. However, it felt weird, finally watching the sun set for once. It was always the other way around for the longest time, for as long as he remembered.

"Jedediah," Octavius breathed out. The blonde looked over to him, the sunset colours casting a beautiful overlay of warm light on him. "Hmm? Somethin' up, pardner?". Octavius shook his head, he hoped the warm colours of the sky hid his blush well. "No. I just wanted to say.... thank you. I really enjoyed today".

Jedediah smiled to him. Gods, that smile could melt his heart. He wouldn't even mind dying if the image of his smile was the last thing he ever saw. "Don't sweat it, darlin" the cowboy chuckled to him.

Darling.

Darling.

"Can... Can you call me that again?" Octavius asked him. Jedediah looked surprised, but he softly smiled at him and smirked. "Of course, darling". Jedediah reached a hand up to brush against Octavius' cheek, the touch sending chills down his spine despite the slight barrier of Jed's leather gloves.

"Has anyone ever told you your eyes looks beautiful in the sunset?" Jedediah asked him. "Cause boy howdy, do they look gorgeous". Octavius stifled a small laugh. "No, actually. Nobody has told me that before. But thank you...".

The two leaned in towards eachother so their foreheads touched. He wasn't sure who closed the gap first, but he soon found Jedediah pressing their lips against eachother. It was a soft, but yearning kiss. One so full of love and passion. Octavius let his eyelids flutter closed, letting himself get lost in the feeling of pure euphoria and bliss.

Jedediah pulled away for a moment to stare into Octavius' eyes, their breaths coming out into short bursts. "I love you darling," Jedediah breathed out to him, his blue eyes so full of love for the Roman. Octavius wrapped his arms around Jedediah's neck as he pulled him closer. "I love you too," Octavius said to him, with a smile. "Ab imo pectore".

He pulled him in for another kiss. Octavius didn't want this moment to end. He wanted to stay here in eternal bliss with Jed. He yearned for this. He's craved for this in his wildest fantasies and dreams. That feeling of passion and romance and love.....

It took a few seconds for Octavius to realise what had happened. He slowly faded into conciousness, his previously plastic body now being able to move again and his eyes fluttering open. He lowered the hand which he usually held out in a commanding pose, staring into space in confusion, listening as the Roman diorama around him came to life and continued with their daily activities.

The kiss, the date, everything else....

That was all a dream, wasn't it?

----------

"Wait, wait- You gotta check this video out! It's crazy!" Jedediah exclaimed to him as he put his best effort into moving the mouse over to the history button. The two were watching the YouTube on the computer again, and Jedediah was talking to him on and on about these videos he's watched, but Octavius' mind wandered elsewhere.

That dream... It felt so real... And so sweet and beautiful.....

"Hey, kemosabe?" Jedediah called out to him, waving a frantic hand in front of his face. "Ocky? 'ello?". Octavius snapped out of his temporary daze and looked over to his friend. "Pardon me? Did you say anything?". "You were dazing out like you were about to collapse from dehydration in a desert!" Jedediah said to him. "There something on your mind or what?".

Octavius turned to face him, his cheeks slowly turning light pink, wondering if he should tell him about the dream or not.

He swallowed. Perhaps, he could hide some details about it.

"I had a dream about you, during the day," Octavius told him. Jedediah's eyebrow shot up in curiosity. "Oh, you gotta tell me 'bout this!". The cowboy's sudden intrigue towards his dream surprised and shocked Oct. His eyes widened in surprise, and he felt his face get hot. 'Gods, please save me' he thought to himself.

Jedediah smiled to him. "So, what happened in your dream, huh?". Octavius hoped his nervousness wasn't too noticeable and took a short inhale before replying. "Well, for one, it was daytime. And two, I think we lived together..." Octavius explained, trying his best to figure out what would be the best way to explain his dream without any mentions of his own feelings or the kiss. "We were going to New York, and I think we owned a cat?".

"Huh, seriously?" Jedediah asked, a slight grin on his face. "How would us ownin' a cat even work? I mean, no offense. I know Ahk adores them, and I think they look pretty cool too! But we're pretty small compared to them, huh? They'd probably mistake us for fish anyways and try to eat us".

"I know, I know. But considering the fact we were about as tall as the other humans in my dream and the fact we were out during daytime, I think we were actual humans in my dream" Octavius explained to him. "Damn, that must've been pretty cool, bein' out during' the daylight, huh?" Jedediah chuckled. "Man, I wish that would actually happen one day- Oh, here's the video I've been tellin' you about!".

Jedediah was cut off by him playing another, different cat video. The title of the video said something along the lines of 'CAT VINE COMPILATION', and Jedediah fell down onto his back falling multiple times from laughing at the cats' antics. Octavius laughed long along with him, the video momentarily distracting him from his dream before.

Until one of the cowboys came by.

"Boss!!!" one of the cowboys below yelled, quickly coming in on a small mini-skateboard Nicky had gifted the miniatures a few months ago. It was useful for the miniatures to be able to travel around the museum quicker for adventures or in this case, emergencies.

Jedediah peeked his head over from the edge of the table. "Hey, Sawyer!!" he waved to the other cowboy below. "What's up!?!". "The gang's trying to blow up th' wall again!!" the cowboy yelled up to him. "The huge eight-legg'd monster thing is back!!". "Again!? How many times have we driven it off!?" Jedediah screamed. He got up from his sitting position. "Sorry, Oct. Gotta go and help the crew fight it again". "Jedediah, let me come to help slay this beast," Octavius said to him, getting up too.

"Nah, it'll be fine," Jedediah shrugged to him. "Besides, you know what happened the last time one of yer Romans tried to fight it". "Yes, we couldn't get the sword down out of the wall before sunrise and Larry got a scolding from the museum's director..." Octavius sighed. Jedediah grinned to him, that beautiful dorky Western grin, and tipped his hat to him. "I'll come back though. No need to worry yer pretty head about it".

He jumped down the rope to meet the other cowboy on the ground as they both went to the Western diorama as fast as possible.

Pretty

He felt red rush to his face and ears. Jedediah called him pretty...

He was too distracted by the compliment and by his own beating heart to even notice Larry was standing over him, a bit confused. "Hey, Octavius? Where's Jedediah?". Octavius shook himself free from his thoughts and looked up at the security guard. "Oh, he had to stop his men from momentarily blowing the wall up again," Octavius explained to him. "He mentioned something about an 'eight legged monster'. I think he was referring to a spider".

Larry nodded. "Ah, okay. I was just asking. It's just, I usually see you two together a lot, and it's weird to just see you two not together, I guess". Octavius nodded to him, eyes fixed on the computer screen. But his mind was so foggy with the memory of his dreams. The feeling of sun on his skin, Jedediah's laugh, that electrifying kiss, Jedediah calling him darling...

"Hey, are you alright?" Larry asked him again. "You're spacing out a bit". Octavius opened his mouth, prepared to just tell him that he was alright and nothing was wrong. But these feelings in his heart and mind, these desires, he had to tell someone about them at least. And he could trust Larry.

He took off his helmet and held it to his side, carding his hand through his dark hair. "I had a strange dream during the day," Octavius replied to him. Larry raised an eyebrow. "What kind of dream?". "It was about me and Jedediah..." the Roman replied, scratching the back of his neck. "We were humans like you, and it was daytime, and we were visiting New York, a-and we owned a cat....".

"Huh, that's a surprisingly normal dream for someone like you," Larry replied. "Ahk told me he once had a dream about killing the Kardashians with a gluestick and using Dexter as a sword and I don't think my expectations of dreams recovered since then". Octavius gave a small laugh, a small smile appearing on his face. "I guess you could say my dream was quite normal by your standards, but that's not the part I'm distracted by".

"Oh, really?"

"Well, in my dream..." Octavius started, a bit hesitant to continue, but he moved on anyways. A general was supposed to be brave and courageous, he shouldn't be scared of telling someone about his feelings for his friend.

"Me and Jedediah... we-we kissed in my dream".

A surprised expression came upon Larry's face. "Oh. Did you mind it?". "Not at all, actually," Octavius replied, a smile still on his face. "In fact, I've had romantic feelings for him for a while now, but these dreams just strengthened these feelings further, a-and I just don't know what to do with them".

Larry leaned over the desktop. "Well, I'm not the most well-versed in love. In fact, I'm probably the worst person to ask romantic advice to," he told him. "But why don't you tell Jed these feelings? Tell him how you feel?". "I-I'm worried about what might happen if he rejects my feelings, if he doesn't reciprocate my feelings for him..." Octavius told him. "What if he doesn't want to be friends with me anymore afterwards? I couldn't possibly risk that...".

"Octavius, you two are best friends. Jed wouldn't let a little thing like a crush ruin your relationship!" Larry reassured him. "Besides, you'll never know if he likes you back unless you tell him! I think you'll be surprised by his answer". Octavius sighed a breath of relief, and looked back up at Larry. "Thank you for the advice, my liege. I really needed it,".

"HEY, WE'RE BACK!!!!!". Octavius and Larry looked down to see Jedediah running towards them, climbing back up the rope before joining Octavius. "Hey, Jed. You fixed your spider problem?" Larry asked him. "Sure as hell we did!" Jedediah smiled to him, beaming. "We shot that beast down from the wall and tied it to the tracks! Then we rammed it with the train and split it open like a watermelon!!".

Larry and Octavius stayed silent for a moment. "Huh. That sounds..... morbidly familiar," Larry said, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. "Anyways, I should be going now, Teddy said the Neanderthals needed my help with their cave paintings or something". "See you later, Gigantor!!!" Jedediah shouted to him as Larry started to walk away.

"Oh, and Octavius?". The Roman looked up to see Larry looking back at him. "Good luck". Red immediately rushed back to his face, and Octavius put his helmet back on in a hopes it could hide his blush ( would that work? Definitely not. Did Jedediah somehow not notice? Somehow, yes. )

Jedediah stood there with his hands on his hips, a bit confused. "Huh. What were you two talking 'bout?" Jedediah asked him, turning his head to him. "O-Oh, nothing of importance" Octavius quickly muttered, averting his eyes back to the screen. "An ad appeared in the middle of the video a-and Larry had to help me".

"Oh, I just hate it when they play ads in a middle of the videos!" Jedediah scoffed, moving the mouse to see what was in their reccomendations. "Especially if it's those thirty-second ones twice in a row. They just really know how to ruffle my feathers up!". "They are quite a hinderance to an enjoyable viewing experience," Octavius nervously chuckled, glad he managed to shift the conversation elsewhere. "But... I was wondering. If we did have a cat together, what would you name it?".

"Hmm? Golly, I'd never really thought that before," Jedediah said, tapping his foot on the table while he thought. "I'd probably name them exactly like how me and the other fellas name our horses. Y'know, like Bucky or Woody or Trigger. Really would depend on what cat we'd be gettin' though". Jedediah smirked back at him. "What were you thinkin'? You were gonna name them some long, complicated Roman name?".

Octavius softly smiled back at him. "While that would be my preference, if we were going to own a cat together, we'd have to choose a name together, one that fits the both of us" he replied. "If I were to choose a name though, something like Marcello or Alfredo might fit well". Jedediah let out a chuckle. "Alfredo? Like the sauce?. Octavius shook his head, lightly chuckling to himself. "No, it means counselor. Though, if you want to go the sauce route, I really wouldn't mind'.

"Oh hey, found a video 'bout the history o' cats!" Jedediah spoke up, and clicked on the video, before it was suddenly interrupted by an ad.

"Research shows that overdrinking can swell up your prostates up to twenty percent-".

"NOT THIS AD AGAIN-"

-----------

It all came slowly to Jedediah. The feeling of cold wind in his hair and skin, the soft sound of what sounded like giggling next to him. He slowly opened his eyes, which were currently looking up at the starry sky. It wasn't often you could see the stars shine so brightly in New York. But tonight they shone like crystals in a mine, treasures amongst an inky sea of black.

Weren't they supposed to be back in the museum.....?

He turned his head next to him. He was currently laying his head in the crook of Octavius' neck, the two sitting on some park bench in a park. Octavius was looking up at the sky as Jedediah awoke, both of them admiring the night sky.

Octavius looked over at Jed, and softly smiled, causing Jed's heart to stop in his chest for a moment. "It took you a while to wake up," Octavius said to him. Jedediah looked away from the Roman, a light blush on his face before replying. "What.... What time is it?" Jed sleepily asked him, rubbing at his eyes. Octavius looked back at the dky, the moonlight highlighting his beautiful features. "It's currently six o'clock".

Jed immediately sat up from his seat, yawning and stretching. "Damn, how long was I asleep for?". "You were asleep for a few hours, the sun comes up in just thirty minutes," Octavius explained to him. Jed sighed as he slumped back against the bench, his arms crossed. They probably should go back to the museum before sunrise. But everything here just felt so.... strange.

For one, they actually fit the benches this time. He remembers going to Central Park during the time the old guards tried stealing the tablet, and the benches back then were much larger than them. Either they somehow grew or everything else shrunk. The former seemed more likely. After all, in what situation would the entire world shrink for them? Secondly, Octavius just looked so... pretty in the moonlight.

It wasn't often the cowboy and Roman went far outside of the museum. When they did, it was only for quick adventures. But whenever they did, Jedediah always took pleasure in admiring just how gorgeous the Roman looked in the moonlight. How he seemed to glow in it, how the moon highlighted his dark locks, how his warm eyes looked like they were sparkling with stars.

Octavius looked over in his direction, a slight smirk on his face. "You're staring". Jed quickly averted his gaze, hoping the darkness of the night hid his red face well. "I- It's just- ummm, you just look so.... pretty?".

A light rosy tint settled on Octavius' face, before he started laughing. A couple of years ago, Jedediah might've considered that laugh annoying or pompous, but now, in the moment, he couldn't help but notice just how his eyes creased when he smiled, just how pretty his laugh sounded. "It's alright, my love," Octavius softly told him, carding his hand through Jedediah's hair. "I really don't mind when you admire me".

My love.

My love!?

Those words ringed in Jed's mind like bells, but Jedediah tried to distract himself by looking around the park. "So, uhhhh... What were we doing before I fell asleep?". "Well, we went out shopping, visited the museum, bought some stuff for our cat...". Octavius continued to recount the day's events, Jedediah taking pleasure in just listening to him talk away. He loved just how rich his voice sounded, sweet and rich like some good honey. Perhaps that was just part of his Roman charm.

"We visited the cinema, but you fell asleep halfway into it," Octavius explained to him. "You were really tired by then, so I wasn't surprised". "Hmm? Which film was it?" Jedediah asked, raising a brow. "Maybe I fell asleep cause it was boring?". "I think it was called along the lines of The Lion Prince?" the Roman replied. "The story certainly was interesting, but we had to leave early. Your snoring was annoying the other patrons inside".

"Hey, I don't snore that loudly!" Jedediah yelled back. "In fact, I don't even snore! Those people are probably lying!". Octavius playfully hummed as he smiled. "The staff at the cinema could probably make a more convincing argument". "You trust them more than me?" Jedediah chuckled. "Damn, I feel betrayed, Octy".

The two laughed, their shared space momentarily bringing warmth to the usually cold night. The sky was beginning to lighten up, the dark purples slipping into lavenders and oranges. Jedediah's gut told him to get back to his diorama, get back in position, get back in the museum. But the comfort of being with Octavius, the comfort of just being able to be calm and collected with the Roman general compelled him to stay on the bench. After all, it always made Jed feel fuzzy in a kind of way when he could make the usually strict and up-tight general unwind and let out a hearty laugh.

Octavius stood up from the bench, Jedediah's eyes following him. "Would you care to join me for a walk?" Octavius asked him, reaching a hand out to him. "I could do with stretching my legs before the sun rises. And you've been asleep for quite a while. I'd say you needed the walk as well". "True there, pardner," Jedediah smirked to him, taking his hand and getting up.

The two walked down the concrete path of the park, the noises of chirping and birds altering to the start of the morning. Jedediah felt Octavius' hand lightly brush against his, sending what felt like electric jolts up his spine. He tried lowering his hat to hide the increasing blush on his face. But even then, he decided to risk it, slightly extending a finger towards Octavius' hand. Octavius moved his gaze over to his hand, giving a small hum as his hand grabbed Jedediah's hand, palm facing palm.

'Oh my fucking god' were the only words that repeated in Jedediah's head for a solid five minutes. 'Oh my god. Oh my god. We're holding hands. Oh my god'.

It wasn't even unusual for the cowboy and Roman to initiate physical contact with eachother. Despite Jedediah's slight intolerance towards touching, one of his only exceptions was Octavius. They've been close and hugged a couple of times already before.

But the way they were holding hands now, he felt a strange sense of intimacy. His heart raced in his chest, and he felt that same fuzzy feeling in his stomach when they had their first fight, when they had first got together as a real team, and whenever the two were ever so close. Was this adrenaline? Adoration?

It was love, of course.

"Hey, ummm, Octavius?" Jedediah spoke up, breaking the silence of the night. Octavius looked over at him, with those gorgeous, adoring brown eyes and that beautiful smile of his. "Hmm? What is it Jedediah? Is something wrong?".

"Nah, kinda the opposite, actually," Jedediah chuckled, nervously fidgeting with his sleeve . "I just feel so damn alive and happy when I'm with you Oct. And not just cause of that tablet. You make my days brighter whenever we're together, whether we're fighting for life-or-death or if we're just watching cat videos together. I'm not one for usually waxing poetics. But I just... love this so much. Y'know?".

Octavius warmly smiled at him. The sun was rising now, but neither of them cared a damn. Neither of them were turning to dust. In fact, it almost looked like the sunrise highlighted his face further, the warm tones of his eyes and skin becoming warmer from the sun's orange hues. 'Damn, he really does look good at any time if the day' the cowboy thought to himself.

"I get what you mean, darling" Octavius said, raising a hand to cup Jedediah's cheek. The blonde leaned into the touch, looking back at Octavius with lovestruck eyes.

Darling.

Darling.

The blush on Jedediah's face became brighter, and he swallowed back down his nervousness. "Octy? Can you.... can you call me that again?". Octavius softly smiled at him, as he momentarily removed Jed's hat from his head, letting the amber rays of the sun fall and scatter across Jed's messy but gorgeous golden locks. "I'll do anything for you, my darling," Octavius told him, smiling at him.

The Roman planted a small kiss on Jedediah's nose, the cowboy giggling from the contact. Then he moved onto both of his cheeks, and then his forehead. "You're a beautiful gift from the gods above," he whispered to him between kisses. "What have I ever done to deserve you?".

"Probably a reward for all the times we've managed to save the tablet, y'know?" Jedediah chuckled. "True, true," Octavius smiled, before leaning in to kiss Jedediah's lips. Jedediah's heart raced faster than a horse being chased by the devil itself, and it felt like his face was on fire. It was a soft kiss, but the feeling of Octavius' lips on his set him aflame.

Octavius separated from him for a bit, as the two gazed into eachother's eyes. "You look so beautiful in the sunrise, darling" Octavius told him, carding his hands through the blonde's hair. "I'm so lucky to be able to be yours". "I'd say I'm pretty lucky too, Octy" Jedediah chuckled. "I mean, I'm kissin' a Roman general. That's gotta mean somethin'".

Octavius softly smiled at him and drew him in for another kiss. Jed wrapped his arms around him, pulling him in closer. If this was a dream, he didn't want it to end. He wanted to forever be in the arms of the man he loved, in this moment of pure euphoria. He wanted to stay loving Octavius forever.....

Jedediah woke up with a startle, suddenly being awoken with the tablet's magic, his previous plastic form coming to life. He stopped and look around him for a bit. He was still in the Western diorama, and judging by how everyone was just waking up and began moving away from their usual positions, he had just woken up from the day's events.

The sunrise, the kiss, all of that...

That was all a dream, wasn't it?

----------

"Ah, hello, Jedediah!" the Roman general greeted him as the cowboy ran up to him. It wasn't uncommon for one or the other to visit eachother in their dioramas. Their people had already gotten used to the sight of their people mingling at this point, including their respective leaders meeting up.

"Hey, Octy!" Jedediah grinned to him, holding his hand up for a high five, which the general gladly reciprocated. "Say, wanna go for a drive around tonight?". "Unfortunately, I can't currently," Octavius told him. "My men and I are doing our training drills tonight. I promise to join you afterwards, but you might have to wait for a while".

"Well, no problemo, kemosabe!" Jedediah smiled back. "I'll be patient if it's for you". Octavius smiled back at him, that goddamn smile could melt Jedediah's heart in an instant. "I'll see you later, Diah" Octavius said to him. "See ya!" Jedediah waved to him as he left. A dorky, lopsided grin placed itself on Jedediah's face, pink dusting his cheeks.

Diah! He called him Diah!

He punched his fist in the air and whooped, grinning to himself, and also momentarily spooking a nearby Roman lady and her toddler. He was still grinning on his way out of the diorama and into his car. Sure, he wasn't able to hang out with Octavius until later, but even then, his heart soared and flew like a bird let out a cage for the first time.

Speaking on not being able to hang out with him, Jed wondered what he should do while he waited. He usually stayed and worked at the Western diorama whenever Octavius had Roman general business, but he knew that he'd probably be so distracted by both his dream and Octavius that he'd probably accidentally set the barn on fire. Wouldn't be the first time too.

He started up the car. He had an idea, and some questions he needed answering too.

He made his way towards the golden arches of the Egyptian display. If Ahkemnrah hadn't already left, then surely he'd still be there, right? The two large statues at the entrance narrowed their eyes at the small car, and already pointed their spears at him.

"Woah woah, hey!! It's just me!!" Jedediah yelled to them, peeking his head out of the window. The statues immediately put back down their spears, nodding to him. "Do y'all know where your pharoah is??" he yelled up to them. "Need to ask him a favour!".

One of the statues pointed their spear to their left, where Jedediah noticed the shadow of Ahkemnrah approaching on the wall. "Thanks!!" he yelled back to them, to which they replied with simple grunts. Jedediah drove his car in the direction. Ahkemnrah widened his eyes in surprise as he saw the car coming up to him.

"Jedediah? What are you doing here?" Ahkemnrah asked him as he approached. "And where's Octavius? It's not often he's not with you". "He's doing general duties, trainin' drills and all that," Jed replied. "I kinda need to ask you a few questions, 'bout the tablet and all that". "Well, of course!" Ahk smiled to him. "I'll let you ride on my shoulder as we talk, is that alright?".

Jedediah nodded to him as Ahk held his hand out and he climbed on. "I hope you don't mind resting on my shoulder. It's not as good of a seat as Larry's pocket," Ahk told him. "Nah, it's alright. I'll manage," Jedediah told him, holding onto the fabric he could reach. Ahk's neckpiece was ace-high and fancy-lookin', but it was also smooth and had high risk of accidentally slipping off, but Jedediah had to make do.

"So, what did you want to ask me about?" Ahk asked him as he started pacing around the museum. "You mentioned the tablet, right?". "Uhh, right," Jedediah nodded. "It's about the dreams we have and all that. Is that just part of the tablet's magic?". "I'd have to guess so, my parents never really taught me the specifics of it," the pharoah replied, tapping his chin in deep thought. "The tablet was mainly designed to bring me back to life, along with all my human qualities, including dreams and such. Why do you ask? Is there something on your mind?".

Jedediah's face gushed red at the question, thoughts of 'God, should I tell him?' swirling through his mind. He wasn't usually the type to tell other people about his feelings, especially romantic feelings at that! The only people he thinks he told about his crush on Octavius were him drunkenly gushing about the Roman to the horses one night of hard partying. He hopes the horses don't remember or understand him. Cause everytime he's hanging out with Octavius in the Wild West and they pass by the horses, he's afraid their stares at him are judgemental stares ( or worse, the horses are homophobic ).

In the end, he swallowed down his nervousness. What did he have to worry about around Ahk?

"I had a weird dream, 's all" Jedediah replied. "Is it another one where you're wrestling with a spider pirate?" Ahk asked him. "Larry told me about how you and your people managed to defeat the spider a few days ago". "Thanks, but 's not about that," Jed replied, looking down at the ground. Ahk raised an eyebrow. "What dream can be weirder than a dream about spider pirates?".

"That's the thing, it wasn't that weird! In fact, Gigantor would probably call it normal or something," Jedediah told him, throwing his hands up in the air. "It's just.... it was about me and Octavius". Ahk slightly smirked, but the miniature cowboy didn't seem to notice. "Oh really? And what happened in it?" he asked him. "I think we were humans, and it was almost sunrise, we were in the park, I think Ocky mentioned us havin' a cat together or somethin" Jedediah replied.

"Oh, I love cats! I used to own seven of them back when I was alive!" Ahkemnrah grinned, clapping a bit too. "They were my pride and joy! Anymore details?". While Jed was eighty percent sure Ahk was asking more about the cat, he wondered if this could be where he'd tell him about the kiss and all that...

"Well, ummm..... me and Ocky kinda... kissed..." he said, lowering his hat over his blushing face and mumbling the last part. "Huh? What did you say?" Ahk asked him. "I SAID WE KISSED, GODDAMNIT!!!" Jed shouted at him, face redder than a tomato.

Ahk looked quite surprised, though that was quickly replaced with a look of amusement. "Huh. I'm not surprised". "Huh!? Not surprised!?!" Jed gasped, his eyes widening in shock. "What do you mean not surprised!?!". "Have you seen the way you two look at eachother? It's like you two are a lovesick couple on their honeymoon! Practically everyone noticed it!" Ahk laughed, much to the chagrin of the flustered mini cowboy. "H-How many people know?" Jed asked him.

"Like I said, basically everyone," Ahk replied. "Larry, Teddy, Sacagawea, Atilla, Dexter. Even Rexy has noticed and he doesn't even have a brain! It seems the only person in this museum that hasn't caught on is Octavius himself!".

"So..... even the gang back at the Wild West know?"

"Yep! And the Romans too! Heard they've started betting on who'll confess first".

Jed ought to give the cowboys a piece of his mind once he gets back to the Wild West diorama, but he's a bit too flustered right now to get angry at anyone. "So, are you planning to tell him?" Ahk teased him further, soliciting a small surprised squeak from the cowboy. "'Course not! He probably doesn't even like me back, it'd completely wreck our friendship!" Jedediah yelled at him. "I don't wanna make things awkward between us. He's my best friend, my compadre, my kemosabe. I couldn't do that to us...".

Ahk sighed. "Octavius clearly holds a special place in his heart for you, Jed. He wouldn't drop the entire friendship just because you like him. I say go for it, Jed! 'Take life by the reigns!', as you'd probably say". Jedediah lightly chuckled. "Thanks, Ahk. Really appreciate it".

"Jedediah!!". The cowboy and pharaoh looked behind them to see the RC car following them, with a familiar Roman general waving to them from the windshield. "Ocky!!" Jedediah exclaimed, a grin on his face. Ahk set him down on the ground so he could run up to Octavius, who was just getting out of the car. The cowboy immediately tackled the Roman in a hug, which the Roman gladly accepted, although his face did turn the same red shade as his cape.

"You done with your trainin' drills now?" Jed excitedly asked him, that grin still on his face. "Yes, but you weren't in the West when I checked," Octavius told him. "I found the car parked in front of the Egyptian exhibit, so I assumed you'd be with Ahkemnrah". "Well, I'll leave you two to your business now," Ahk smiled to them. He gave a wink to the cowboy, and lifted two fingers to his head in salute. "Don't forget what I told you, Jed".

He walked away, leaving the two miniatures and the RV car. Jedediah cast his gaze downwards, shifted his weight from one side to the other while Octavius stood there confused. "What was he talking about, Diah?" Octavius turned to the cowboy. "Ah- Something about me not running over spiders, I-I think" Jedediah mumbled, his gaze still cast downwards. "I don't know, I spaced out in the middle of it".

Octavius softly tutted. "Typical Jedediah. He could be telling you something important, you know?". "Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Jed replied. "Anyways, wanna get for that drive now?". "Of course, my friend," Octavius replied. The two headed back inside the car, Jedediah starting it up. And the car immediately roared and sped off down the hallway, both of the miniatures inside laughing with excitement.

----------

A few days later, the pair of miniatures stepped out onto the windowsill, watching the night sky pass outside the window. After a round of driving the car around with Rexy, the two needed some time to relax before the sun came up. And sitting by the window was just the way to do it.

Usually when they did this, they'd chat about stuff their respective dioramas were doing that night, but right now the two stayed in a comfortable silence, the only sounds being the faint noises of the other exhibits nearby. Time flew by quickly when they were in eachother's presence.

"It's a shame that the stars aren't as bright here in New York," Jedediah broke the silence, his hat sitting beside him. "I recall Larry informing some of the others about a thing called light pollution," Octavius explained. "New York uses numerous artificial lights such as lampposts and advertisement boards, but the artificial lighting ends up blocking out the stars".

"Dang, that's a shame," Jedediah sighed. "The stars sure looked pretty in those pictures I've seen o' them". "Yes, pretty..." Octavius breathed out, admiring Jedediah in the dim light. The space on the windowsill had only one nearby ceiling light, and even then it was pretty dark on the windowsill. Octavius admired Jed as the dim lighting from both outside and the single ceiling light framed his features. His wild hair, the rugged stubble on his chin, his sky blue ( probably ) eyes. Octavius drank up his features like a thirsty man, lovingly admiring the man next to him.

Jedediah looked his way for second, and Octavius quickly averted his gaze from him, hoping his red cheeks weren't visible in the dim light. "Wha? Is there somethin' on my face?" Jed asked him, putting his hand up to his face. "No, no. It's nothing," Octavius told him, hand nervously scratching the back of his neck. "I was just... spacing out for a while".

Octavius returned his gaze back to the night sky in front of them, but Jedediah stayed staring at him. Octavius was usually more relaxed and carefree whenever they took time out of their nights to just hang out and relax, but he looked oddly stiff and uncomfortable as he sat there.

Jedediah wondered if he had done something wrong?

Or what if Octavius also found out about their men betting on them!?

Jed's face turned red at the thought. He's already had a talk with some of the cowboys a few nights ago because of that, but if Octavius found out about them too, hell, if he felt uncomfortable around Jed because of them....

His mind suddenly remembered back to what Ahk told him when he told him about his dream.

"I say go for it, Jed! 'Take life by the reigns!', as you'd probably say".

'I shouldn't be a coward' he told himself. Octavius was right there next to him. He had the perfect opportunity to tell him his true feelings! He was a cowboy, a leader for god's sake! If he was brave enough to fight off against creatures and people larger than him, he should be brave enough to admit his own feelings!

Octavius noticed as Jedediah took off his gloves and lay them on top of his hat. It wasn't often that Jedediah took off his gloves, but he always took them off whenever he felt comfortable, or whenever he was alone with Octavius. It gave the Roman the desire to feel what those rough and calloused hands felt like when they were holding his own hand, what they felt like if he held his face close.

"Y'know, Octavius. I kinda had a dream similar to this a few days ago," Jedediah told him, snapping Octavius out of his thoughts. "Oh, really?" he asked the cowboy, his curiosity piqued. "Did anything peculiar happen in it?".

"Nah, not really. Pretty normal for a dream," Jed explained to him. "It was nighttime, and we were humans. We were in a park, I think? Admirin' the stars, just like right now". "Well, that sounds quite nice," Octavius chuckled. "A walk through the park at night would be quite nice".

Jedediah softly smiled at him, knees brought up to his chin as he watched the Roman. "Well, the whole star-gazin' thing wasn't the only thing that happened in it". Octavius turned to him. "Oh, really? What was it?".

Jed nervously gulped, red tinting his face. It's now or never...

"We kinda uhh... kissed in it..." Jed finally said. Octavius' eyebrows shot up in surprise, a slight pink tint dusting his cheeks. "R-Really?". "Yeah, really. Lip on lip contact and all that," Jed said, nervously scratching the back of his neck. Now his hands were getting real clammy and sweaty...

Octavius' eyebrows furrowed, covering his mouth as if in deep thought. Jed immediately took note of this. "I-I mean, it's all just a dream! Don't have to mean anythin'!" Jed nervously blurted out, eyes still looking away from the Roman. "Sorry if it's awkward or uncomfortable for you. It's just....".

"No, it doesn't make me uncomfortable. I'm just... surprised," Octavius said, garnering a small surprised noise from the cowboy. Octavius cast his eyes back to the night sky ahead of him, cheeks still redder than his own cape. "In fact... the same thing happened to me... In one of my dreams".

"Huh? Really!?" Jed gasped, his face immediately turning a deeper shade of red. "Since when!?". "Do you remember the dream I told you about, at the start of the week?" Octavius asked him. Jed's eyes widened in shock, his face becoming hot. "No way! How come you never told me!?".

"I thought it'd be weird to tell you! We were in the middle of watching cat videos, for Jupiter's sake!" Octavius told him, face still red. "Also, you left in the middle of it to fight a spider". "Still could've told me anytime after that!" Jed told him, and playfully shoved the Roman.

The pair laughed, the awkwardness that was previously there melted away. Their faces were still red, and their eyes were now locked onto eachother. "But... perhaps, if we were human, and could go out at night like normal people," Octavius started, his hand nearing Jedediah's hand. "Would you mind if we kissed?".

Jedediah softly smiled at him, and laid his hand on Octavius'. The feeling of Jedediah's bare hand on his sent electric chills up Octavius' spine. "I don't think I'd mind at all, darlin'" Jed told him. "Not one bit".

Darling...

Octavius lifted his hand up to cup Jedediah's cheek, and the cowboy leaned into his touch. Neither of them knew who leaned in first, but their lips soon locked with eachother. It was soft, and chaste, but it was perfect for the both of them.

The two pulled away for a second to gaze into eachother's eyes and catch their breaths. "Oh Somnia, confirma quaeso me non hoc somnium, sed res" Octavius breathed out. Jedediah chuckled, his forehead leaning against Octavius'. "I have no idea what you're talking 'bout, pardner. But your voice sounds great when you're speaking Latin".

The two leaned in for another kiss, this one more yearning than the previous one. Their hearts felt light as they kissed. The two pulled away, and Jed lay his head in the crook of Octavius' neck, cheeks still tinted pink. The two returned back to looking at the night sky, the feeling of eachother's embrace reassuring them that this was, in fact, not another dream, but reality.

"You know, Jedediah. I've been wanting to do that for a while," Octavius told him. "I asked Larry for advice on the matter, but it appears you're more brave than I am". "Hey, it took a dream and Ahk tellin' me not to hang fire for me to actually confess!" Jed chuckled. "I'm not that brave". "You're one of the bravest men I know in this museum," Octavius replied. "Braver than perhaps one of the strongest soldiers in an army".

"Really puttin' the Roman in 'romantic', huh?" Jedediah snickered. "You're just tryin' to flatter me now, aren't you?". "Perhaps I am, who knows?" Octavius replied, and the two both laughed. Jedediah look down at their intertwined hands, rubbing Octavius' hand with his thumb. "So... Are we sparkin' now?" Jed asked him. "Dating, you know?". Octavius softly hummed. "If that's what you so desire, I'd love to be a couple with you, darling".

Darling

Jed grinned to him, and sneaked a quick kiss on Octavius' cheek. "Fuckin' love you so much, Octy" Jed chuckled. The familiar shades of light lavender and orange faded into the sky, the light of the sun threatening to come up.

The intercom then crackled to life, taking the miniatures by surprise "Five minutes until sunrise, guys!" Larry's voice boomed throughout the museum. "Get back to your places and positions!". The pair got up from their seats on the windowsill. "I have to admit, I don't think I want to go back yet," Octavius said to him. "My heart is still racing, and I'm not sure if I can just return to my men when my mind is so full of you".

"Well, we can stay here. Watch the sunset," Jedediah told him. "Laredo's never shown any problem fetchin' us when we weren't at our dioramas, so not like he'll mind any further". "You make a good point..." Octavius sighed and smiled. "We'll have to be in our positions before the sunrise though..."

The pair watched as the sun's rays started to rise into the sky, the sky being filled with pinks and yellows. The last few minutes before sunrise.

The pair held hands as the sun came up, the sky lightening. "You know, I can't wait to be able to spend more time with you now" Jedediah grinned to him, gently lifting his stetson hat up so the light hit his face just right and highlighted his eyes. "What do you mean?" Octavius chuckled. "We already spend most of our time together".

"Well, I meant as romantic pardners now, you know?" Jedediah replied. "Things'll be different, but I'm excited to see what sorta stuff we'll be doin' now, now that we're sparkin' and all that". Octavius smiled to him, the light highlighting the way his eyes creased. "I look forward to it, amica mea".

Unexpectedly, he turned his body towards him. "Has anyone ever told you you look beautiful in the sunrise, darling?". Jed's cheeks flushed pink as he lightly chuckled. "No, actually. But, thanks, darlin'".

Just as the sun came up, Octavius stepped forward to capture Jedediah in a kiss. The cowboy wrapped his arms around the Roman's neck, their bright smiles and red cheeks being captured as they turned to plastic once more. The sun's rays shone bright as it rose above the horizon, as if congratulating the new couple.

A few minutes later, Larry came running up the hallways. "Jedediah? Octavius?" Larry yelled as he walked through the museum's halls. "Guys? I told you to get back to your positions-".

He suddenly stopped though when his gaze stopped on the windowsill, and the two miniatures on it. Both captured in a moment of bliss, of euphoria, of passion and love. Larry sighed and lightly chuckled to himself. "Congratulations, you two," he chuckled as he lifted the two still miniatures onto his hand. He could let them stay in the night guard's office for a day.

Reality may not be able to offer the miniatures the life their dreams did, the life they could have as humans, but they could make the most of their reality together. And the next night, when they finally broke the news to their fellow miniatures, the dioramas owed eachother quite a lot of money ( and a lot of alcohol )