Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Dad, have you seen my iPod?” Nicky asked. “It was right here!”

Larry started checking under files on the desk and pawing through drawers. “You sure you brought it with you tonight?”

“Yes!”

The RC car skidded to a stop next to the bench in the Hall of Miniatures.

“Time to get this show on the road, pardner!” Jed hollered as he clambered out of the driver’s side and rubbed his hands together. “All right, now how’re we gonna do this?”

Octavius gracefully exited the car and pulled his galea out from under an enormous earbud in the backseat. He smoothed out the horsehair and gave the helmet a shake before placing it on his head. He gazed with quiet admiration at Jed standing there, chin held high, shoulders back, arms akimbo. The same churlish bravado that used to incite Octavius to violence now ignited a different kind of fire in his chest. He didn’t remember the exact moment he fell in love with Jed, if there even was one single moment. All he knew is that there was no place he’d rather be than by his side.

Jed flung open the back door and ran his gloved hands over the matte orange slab of aluminum that occupied half of the backseat. Octavius pushed on the case from the passenger side while Jed tried to pull the mp3 player out through the driver side. It was one of the few things they found in the museum they were actually bigger than – the little contraption only came up as high as Jed’s gun belt – but it still took the two of them to move it out of the car.

Octavius tied the headphones into an improvised harness and strapped the device to Jed’s back like an oversized rucksack. He took his time adjusting the positioning of the cords, letting his hands linger just a little too long on Jed’s shoulders as he secured everything in place. If Jed was bothered by it, he didn't say anything; he just grinned broadly at the Roman general as he sprinted over to the rope at the edge of his diorama.

Jed slowly ascended the rope into Rome, Octavius trailing behind. They strolled along the stone-paved streets, Octavius deep in his role of imperator, smiling and chatting and shaking hands with his people as the pair walked along trying to find somewhere they could sit and listen to music. But it was simply too loud and too busy in Rome, so they decided to go West.

The Western diorama was just as bad, the raucous singing from the rail workers extinguishing all hope of listening to Nicky’s tunes. Next, they tried the Hall of African Mammals, but Dexter kept trying to snatch the bright orange iPod off Jed’s back, and frankly, Jed was getting a little tired of the monkey’s shenanigans. The Hall of Ocean Life was so loud they could barely hear themselves think. There wasn’t anywhere good to sit in the Gems and Minerals, and besides, it was way too brightly lit for comfort. They skipped the Hall of Mummies because neither of them was in the mood to have a dance party with Ahkmenrah. They briefly contemplated riding the RC car into the elevator to see what was on some of the other floors of the museum, but they didn’t know how they were going to reach the buttons without more time to plan. Octavius was enjoying the time with Jed, even if things weren’t quite going as planned, but he was afraid that his companion would want to call an early end to their evening.

Jed slumped down in the driver’s seat, brows knitted and arms crossed like a sulking child.

“Well, now where’re we gonna go? Can’t find no peace and quiet in this whole dang museum.”

“Jedediah, I do believe there is one place we haven’t checked.”

“Oh yeah, ‘n where’s that?”

“The planetarium.”

Jed sat up with a start. “Octy, you’re a genius!”

They sped off.

The door was open only wide enough to accommodate a couple of tiny men and their purloined mp3 player, so they left the RC car and stepped into the massive cavern of the planetarium. The gigantic curved grey dome was impressive by full-sized human standards and positively overwhelming for a couple of miniatures. A faint reddish-orange sunset crept up the walls from the painted wilderness.

Jed and Octavius scaled the control console. Jed shrugged off the device strapped to his back and set about positioning the earbuds in just the right spot so both men could listen at the same time. He leaned with his full weight on the big button in the middle of the device and the earbuds crackled to life.

Octavius unclasped his cloak and spread it out on the console and proceeded to unbuckle his armor and stack it in a neat pile next to one of the countless glowing red buttons. Jed took off his Stetson and gloves and tossed them toward the stack of armor and sat cross-legged on the red fabric. Octavius knelt beside him. They sat and swayed to the music, chatting and laughing, with Octavius sneaking glances at Jed to gauge his enjoyment.

“Nicky sure has some weird stuff on this ‘lil thing,” Jed chuckled, shaking his head. “Maybe we shoulda grabbed Gigantor’s magic buzzin’ box instead.”

“Are you not enjoying our time together, Jedediah?” Octavius looked like a scolded puppy.

“’Course I am! Always do. No place I’d rather be.”

Jed smiled and gave Octavius a playful shove on the shoulder. “But ya know, we oughta to take advantage of what this big ‘ol place has to offer. Laredo says it’s ‘state o’ the art’, got some fancy new projector or somethin’,” he continued as he stood up and marched over to the main control panel. He scrutinized the array of controls for a few moments, kicked some of the switches and shoulder-checked the others into position, and stomped both feet on the big red START button. “Whoo! Let’s see what this baby can do!”

The glow on the horizon began to fade into an inky blue as the star show started up with a quiet hum. Jed walked back and sat next to Octavius, closer this time, close enough that their shoulders touched. The warmth sent a shiver down Octavius’ spine. The indigo sky morphed to pitch black as one-by-one, thousands of blazingly bright pinpoints of light blinked into existence, painting the dome of the sky with stardust. Even the spaces they thought were empty in the real night sky were suddenly awash in celestial glitter. The sky was so dense with stars they could barely make out the constellations. Galaxies and nebulas exploded in a profusion of colors, showering them with tiny iridescent rainbows.

Jed turned his face up to the towering expanse of night sky, silently mouthing the word “Wow.” Oct watched the shimmering starlight play across Jed’s awestruck face. By Jupiter, this glorious golden cowboy outshone every star in the night sky.

Octavius tentatively slid his fingers over to cover Jed’s bare hand. He didn’t pull away – in fact, he turned his hand and gripped Oct’s fingers as they drifted to the music in the darkness. Octavius felt like he was completely weightless, with his grip on Jed’s hand the only tether keeping him from floating off into the constellations. How long had he waited for this?

“Hey Oct,” Jed whispered, turning his head slightly without taking his eyes off the star show. “Do ya’ ever think about how all these stars musta’ aligned just right for us to be together?”

Oct gazed adoringly at Jed, watching the sparkling stars reflected in his glossy blue eyes. “All that kept us apart was the journey of time, my friend.”

The sky felt close enough to touch as they listened to the music play.

A meteorite streaked across the sky, a fiery trail streaking behind it and gradually fading away. Jed gasped. The little noise made Octavius weak.

“Octy, a shootin' star! D’ja know what that means?” Jed exclaimed excitedly, squeezing Oct’s fingers. “You gotta make a wish!”

“A wish? What do you wish for, Jedediah?”

“Can’t tell you, else it won’t come true.”

Octavius took a deep breath and summoned his courage. “I have everything I’ve wished for right here,” he replied with a gentle squeeze of Jed’s hand.

Jed sighed wistfully. “Well, I don’t. Not quite everything.”

Oct felt his jaw tense and his face grow hot. Jed hadn't pulled his hand away when Oct reached for it - they were holding hands under the stars! Had he misread the situation? Perii! Quid ego egi? He stared down in embarrassment and moved to release Jed’s hand.

But Jed didn’t let go.

Jed turned to face Octavius. He reached up with his left hand and gently brushed Oct’s cheek, running his fingertips gently across his cheekbone, gazing at him reverently. Oh gods, I was wrong! This is really happening! The starlight in his eyes made the rest of the world melt away until there was nothing left but the golden glow between them.

“Octy, this all right for you? Can I kiss you?” Jed whispered.

“Oh, gods, yes,” came his breathless reply.

Jed leaned in and delicately brushed his warm lips against Oct’s mouth, so gentle he might have only imagined it. The feeling of Jed’s warm breath against his lips surged through him with the brilliant intensity of a star going nova. Oct slid his free hand to the back of Jed’s head and pulled him deeper into the kiss. Oct kissed him over and over again, barely letting Jed come up for air, running his strong hands through Jed’s golden hair.

They knelt with legs intertwined on the red fabric, eyes closed and foreheads pressed together, with Jed’s hands resting on the sides of Oct’s waist. Octavius traced his fingertips along the rugged line of Jed’s jaw.

Jed smiled.

“Now I have everything.”