Chapter Text
The Hall of Miniatures was, historically speaking, a recent addition to the museum.
Tonight, though, was the anniversary of when it was first put on display – and the night when its inhabitants first got to know… well. Anything, really.
Jedediah was enjoying the celebration Larry organised; he’d always loved a party, and Octavius was–
Where was he?
Gone ‘n’ wandered off again… Jed thought, already trying to track him down.
Octavius was, in fact, busy pacing around and trying extremely hard not to think about their first meeting.
Placed in the same box by accident. Like a sign, wasn’t it?
☾⭒﹏𓊝﹏﹏⭒☼
He remembers that night well – as he should, really.
Just not for the reasons he’d like to.
For some reason, Jedediah was the only member of the Wild West diorama to have been misplaced.
While every other cow-wrangler had been put in the correct box, in the correct model, Jed had somehow slipped through the cracks and found himself in Roman territory.
They were hostile, at first: no one liked having the loudly spoken, brightly dressed, blonde-haired outsider in their space. Jed somehow managed, with what Octavius would only ever call “sheer luck and stupidity”, to convince them the whole thing had simply been an accident.
And Octavius had helped him. He organised his men to survey the lands around and find where Jedediah really belonged, then escort him there. He’d gone with them himself, in fact.
Soon after, they ended up in the Wild West.
There was a great celebration as Jed returned home – he hadn’t realised he was intended to be something of a leader to his people until then. It seemed comparable to Octavius, almost, though he’d never admit that.
The Westerners were… much less accepting of the Roman visitors.
They didn’t say anything to their faces, but Octavius had seen their looks. It was the same way the rest of the men had looked at Jedediah.
Not long after that, the fighting began.
It was funny, somehow, that Octavius had almost been sad to see Jed leave on that day. The same day that had led to such destruction of both of their lands. These battles would’ve looked harmless, maybe, to the average museum guest. But they had a toll. A small toll, but a toll all the same.
Octavius did not like to think of that day.
Of the way his men so readily tried to attack a harmless guest, of the look upon Jedediah’s face as he was shamed and cursed at for having broken territory laws – ones which he had nothing to do with, nor any knowledge of.
Even the way Jed’s expression had shifted into relief as Octavius agreed to help him was too much of a reminder of what could have been.
There had been hope for peace.
And Octavius knew he was the one who’d ruined it.
The looks which the Romans had gotten, they were all at him.
He didn’t know what he’d done, exactly, but perhaps he was too kind to Jed. Perhaps they thought him weak. It was possible, even, that they’d seen the odd way he’d acted around Jedediah. The way he tried his best to hide.
Perhaps he was weak back then.
☾⭒﹏𓊝﹏﹏⭒☼
“Ah!” Spurius, a fellow Roman soldier, cheerfully called out. “Octavius, there you are!”
“Hm?” Octavius snapped out of his thoughts and stopped his pacing. “Right, yes. Hello.”
The younger man tilted his head slightly, but didn't comment on his odd state. This was essentially his boss, after all. “People have been wondering where you've run off to."
“Let them continue it, then,” he shifts slightly, more nervous than he’d like to appear. “Do me a favour and keep this between us.”
Spurius’s face turned stoic as he nodded, though he still held an air of confusion about him. “Of course, sir. I will try my best.”
That promise lasted all of twenty minutes.
The soldier, to his credit, did not tell any fellow Romans, nor any common Westerners.
Jedediah, however, was not someone he intended to lie to.
“Alright, boy, where’d he go?” the blonde man interrogated, seeing how the young soldier hesitated before his last answer.
“I, um–” What was he to do? “He wishes to be alone, I believe.”
“Not what I asked.”
“I could not–” Spurius stopped short when the taller man stepped closer.
“Oh, just tell me. Ain’t like I’d be the one he’s hidin’ from,” he paused, thinking. “Well, not today anyway.”
He nodded, finally pointing in the direction where he’d seen his commanding officer.
“Thank you.” Jed nodded, already marching to the doorway.
When he got there, Octavius was pacing around (the way he did when he was nervous, Jed knew) and looked more stressed than Jed had seen him before.
“Okay, what happened?” he asked, crossing his arms and waiting for some long-winded explanation.
The Roman looked truly caught off guard by the voice, despite having seen Jed walk in. He froze up a bit as he mumbled back a weak reply, “Nothing.”
Damn. He's doin’ worse than I thought.
“You sure?”
“Yes.” He reaffirmed, before hesitating slightly. It wasn't a long pause, though still long enough to feel like their gaze had gone on too long. “Perhaps you should go.”
“What?” Now Jed was the one caught off guard. “Why would I go?”
“I–” he glanced away, thrown by the reaction. “I just… don't think I can talk to you right now.”
Jed blinked. Had he said something? Done something? Not done something?
“Um.” He mumbled, a few too many of his honest feelings about the situation slipping through in the tone. “Okay. Alright.”
Oct seemed a little surprised he agreed, and that only confused Jed more. This was new territory for him. He decided to risk it, hoping he’d play his cards right. “Did I do somethin’?”
“No.” Octavius shook his head, and Jed set himself off on a whole new string of scenarios. “I am afraid I was the one who ‘did something’.”
As he nodded slightly, Jed tried to think back to what it might be. “Right, okay. What?”
Oct looked away again. “It is… Unimportant, really. Don’t let me ruin your night.”
“Hey, it ain’t my night. It's the anniversary of both our exhibits, remember?” Jed stepped a little further into the room, sure that now it was too late to go unless he was told again. “Well, us and the Mayans, but ya’know they’re still bitter ‘bout us leaving them locked in for so long.”
“You should enjoy the party, really.” Oct insisted. “I doubt I'll go back out there, anyway.”
“Alright.” Jed nodded, coming to the incorrect conclusion that someone else probably did something. “and you… don't wanna talk to me?”
“Well, I–” he sighed, seeing the slight hurt and extreme confusion on Jed's face. “I don't want to talk to anyone right now, Jedediah. My apologies.”
“Now don't go apologizin’,” he nods, more understanding in his expression now. “By the way, if you wanna be alone, you could go to the train. I made sure nobody’d be in there today, so it didn't get all messed up for tomorrow.”
He chucked Ockie the key.
“Oh,” he mumbled, fumbling it. “Right. Thank you.”
“Don't mention it,” Jed offered him a small smile before turning on his heel, quick to anticipate the potential awkward pause.
And Octavius was alone again.
He didn't want to explain, but… still. This was hardly ideal, especially when he could still hear the party in the room nearby.
Maybe he'd take up Jed's offer.
☾⭒﹏𓊝﹏﹏⭒☼
“Jed!” Larry called, a bit too loudly, considering his size. “Hey, man, where's Octavius?”
“Uh, he went off to be by himself. Either in that room there,” he pointed to the area where he'd last seen Octavius. “Or he could be in the train.”
“The train?” Larry asked, before pausing and rethinking his question. “Why– why did he want to be alone?”
Jed shrugged, and mumbled a small(er) “I dunno.”
Larry sighed, “Okay, well – could you find him for me?” before trailing off on a bit of a ramble about how Jed and Octavius are technically the ‘guests of honour’ despite the almost total lack of formality at the event, and Jed stops listening halfway through.
“Will do, big man.” Jed nodded. Larry groaned.
The train was a staple of the Wild West exhibit. The model depicted the building of the transatlantic railway, and the train was, honestly, probably more important than any of the miniatures themselves.
It didn't function, exactly. Not when they were missing a full track. In its current place, it could only be rolled around their little stretch of land. Made moving things a little easier, at least.
There had been times, though, when Larry had allowed the train to be placed on a makeshift railroad track. So they could see what it was really meant to be like.
It was nice.
On the first day of this small revolution, Jed had invited Octavius to come.
He had come along, to Jed's surprise, but he seemed to wildly dislike the experience.
The train, as any good train should be, was crowded. And loud. And shaky.
Jed, to nobody's surprise, loved it.
Ockie, on the other hand…
He'd tried to hold his tongue, at least.
Jed understood why someone, especially someone like him, would dislike it. Octavius wasn't a big fan of small, crowded spaces or loud people or everything else that it came with. He didn't enjoy being pressed against a wall so others could pass, or the smell of coal and coffee and sweat. (It had been hot, and it ain't like that thing was air conditioned.)
Still, Jed had hoped he would've enjoyed it, and by the end of the night it was very clear he hadn't.
So there's no way Ockie was on the train now. Not even if it was in order to get away from people.