Chapter Text
They watched as the Guardian of Brooklyn walked away, not glancing back even once. Not that they could blame him for that. The miniatures knew that if Larry did that, he would be unable to go away, becoming as frozen as they were in the daytime/ Because he was leaving his family behind a second time. And this time… This time it was forever.
A chapter of the existence of everyone in the museum was coming to an end, and it seemed unlikely that another would follow.
The roman and the cowboy were standing where Larry left them, on top of the bench, in the center of the diorama room. They looked at each other, both afraid to say something, until Jedediah decided to speak up as he sat down, an usual seriousness on his face and in his voice.
«- So… I guess this is it then. Right? Our final moments together… Never thought it would happen like that.»
Never thought it would happen at all was left unsaid, but it was still heard when Jedediah looked at Octavius who too had sat down. The blond’s eyes were filled with something… New. Precious. Something that made the roman stare and frown as he was trying to take in what he was seeing. He opened his mouth to say something, but the cowboy was faster.
«- You know, when I first saw you, I remember thinking "What is up with that guy?". But then I got to know you through out countless epic battles,» He chuckled softly, looking forward, before continuing, «Gosh, how many times d’I end up on the ground like some kinda dead lizard. 30 years we spent like that. 30 years… And then Gigantor arrived. Things changed. He put an end to our, I’ll admit it, senseless fighting. And you and I, we became best friends. And despite all we’ve been through, this friendship never died. In truth, I think it never will.»
The roman, stunned, let a deep breath escape his body as he turned to face the cowboy, who was staring at him firmly.
«- Jedediah…
- And you know what Octy? If I could, I would do it all again, if it meant getting to spend more time with you.»
The miniatures locked eyes for a few second, before Jedediah broke the contact, choosing to instead look at the dioramas in front of him. Octavius, without thinking, moved closer to his… friend. The word sounded weirder than it ever did in his mind, but he pushed that thought in the back of his mind, deciding to focus on the present and the here.
And that’s when the roman realised he had been silent for a bit too long and that he had to say something to the man sitting next to him. That he had to be honest. Taking off his helmet, he breathed in, then out, bracing himself for what was to come. He put down his galea, which gained him an odd look from the cowboy, as it was an unusual occurrence so close to sunrise. The two of them locked eyes again, and it was the roman’s turn to speak.
«- Jedediah Smith, I do not regret meeting you. And I, as well, would do it all again if I could. I would do it all over and over again to spend eternity with you.»
The silence that followed this statement was filled with unsaid words, words that both men knew the meaning of. And so, Octavius kept going.
«- There is something I must tell you.»
He let out a shaky breath as he closed his eyes. By doing so, he missed the panicked look the cowboy shot him. Opening his eyes again, he stared into the distance, and talked again, tuning out the world as he did so.
«- I should have told you this a long time ago. 23 years ago to be exact.
- Octy-
- But I was a coward, and remained silent. And now…
- Octavius-
- Now I fear that it may be too late, but… I don’t know… I don’t think I can just keep this from you now that we’re so close to-
- Augustus!»
The roman flinched at the sudden shout, getting pulled out of his thoughts. He turned to face Jedediah once more, and what he saw in those blue eyes made him pause, because he was sure his own eyes were reflecting it. Longing. Fear. Regret. Guilt. And something else that neither of the men had even call by its name yet.
For the first time since they came back from London, Octavius really observed his companion. All of him. And what he noticed made his heart drop.
The cowboy looked absolutely terrified. His eyes were open wide, and tears were starting to fill them, along with the hurt that was already there. His body acting on its own once again, Octavius moved to kneel in front of dearest friend, whispering his name so softly that he was unsure if the other actually heard him.
He got his answer when the blond took his hands and pulled him closer. Both of their forehead were now pressed against each other. Octavius was considering saying something, but he chose to stay silent when he noticed that Jedediah was silently crying. The roman closed his eyes to let the moment go on, and only opened them again when he heard his… He didn’t even know what word to use anymore. But he knew that it didn’t matter as he listened to the cowboy taking deep breaths.
«- Octavius… Please don’t.» The roman remained quiet, silently staring at the blond, who had his eyes closed as he was trying to say what was on his mind. «Please don’t say it. Not now. Not when… Please don’t. I can’t hear it. I know. I know what you want to say. I know it. But please, no. Don’t. I just… I can’t. Not… Not when we’re never gonna see each other again. I just- I-»
The brunette gently shushed the spiraling cowboy while he took his hands out of Jedediah’s grasp. The latter was already reaching out to try and get the hands back when he got pulled into a tight hug. Without hesitation, Jedediah reciprocated the hug. Feeling how the person he loved the most was holding onto him, Octavius felt his chest tighten, tears slowly falling from his eyes.
Neither of them was aware of the time passing while they were like this. Neither of them wanted to let go. Octavius wasn’t even sure if they even could.
But from somewhere else in the museum, someone shouted.
«- SUNRISE!»
Attila. The Hun was using some of his last moments to warn his friends that the sun was rising for them one last time. Complete silence followed, each miniature holding their breath, looking into each other’s eyes, trying to figure out what to do.
And so, reluctantly, slowly, Octavius pulled away from Jedediah.
They didn’t have to worry about going back to the dioramas. They both knew that Larry would come put them back to take a final look at his friends before turning his back at the museum for good.
One last time, the pair locked eyes, and the roman gave a soft smile to the cowboy.
«- Vale, Jedediah.»
The blond smiled back.
«- Goodbye Octavius.»
And as the sun rose, they stood up, not looking away from each other. They felt their bodies become more stiff with every passing second and their senses became dull.
At the very last second, when neither of them could move anymore, Octavius heard something, barely even more than a whisper:
«- I never quit you»