It had been rather interesting, waking in the box of Styrofoam chips, right next to Jedediah.
For one, he had never been next to Jedediah when the sun had set before.
For another, his face was right next to the cowboy's, millimetres (which, to the pair of them, was a couple of inches) away from each other.
Jedediah looked confused, and Octavius thought the expression was adorable.
"Evening, my liege." the Roman greeted, nodding his head at the westerner, almost knocking the hat off of his head with his own helmet.
"Howdy, Partner." Jedediah replied to his friend, a tinge of bewilderment in his voice. "What's with the packing chips?"
"I believe tomorrow is the day we leave." Octavius replied, the smile that had been on his face turning into a frown.
"Tonight's our last night here then?"
"I am afraid it most likely is."
Just then, they heard a sound that they hadn't heard in months: Larry's booming voice.
"Is that Gigantor?" Jed whispered, the shock in his tone matched the shock in his wide eyes.
'Even in the dark,' Octavius thought, 'his eyes contain so many shades of blue. It's hypnotic.'
The next thing the Roman knew, Jedediah was banging on the lid of the crate, calling for the ex-night guard. Octavius swam through the chips, to get next to his friend, to aid in getting assistance in removing the lid.
—
It was an hour later when Octavius saw his western friend again, after he had sulked off as a result of arguing with Larry.
"Jedediah!" Octavius called, racing towards his friend, who was about to climb into the miniature car Larry had given them.
"Hey, Octy, I was just about to look for you!" the Cowboy's voice was a lot more chipper than it had been a short while ago. "Wanna go for one last ride 'round the museum?"
The Roman general gave his friend an unsure look.
"You were miserable earlier." he stated, giving the younger man a scrutinising gaze.
"I've been talking to Ahk."
"Have you, now?"
"Yeah, and he helped me realise that tonight might be our last night in the museum, and I should make the best of it."
"And how, prey tell, do you plan to do that?" Octavius asked his friend, climbing into the vehicle.
"I'm gonna do something memorable to remember our last night here." the blond told him. "Let's go for a drive?"
The dark haired man nodded.
—
The pair drove around the halls of the museum, Jedediah even relinquishing the wheel for once, so that Octavius could drive for a while.
They acted like children with free-reign of a candy store, playing pranks on the other exhibits and Larry (who was their favourite victim. Serves him right for leaving them for months without visiting), and had a glorious time.
An hour from sunrise, Jed called Octavius over to get back into the car, driving them to an empty corridor. They climbed onto one of the window sills, and the cowman pulled a flask from his back pocket.
"Been saving this for a special day." the blond told his friend, opening the cap and taking a sip. He passed the drink over to Octavius, who looked at it unsurely. "It's not gonna kill ya!" Jedediah laughed.
The Roman took a sip, and was surprised at how pleasant it tasted.
"So, was there anything else you wanted to do tonight?" the dark haired man asked, handing the flask back.
"There was one more thing I wanted to do to make this night memorable."
There was a few seconds of silence, where the flask was passed back and fourth between the pair, slowly getting them slightly buzzed, but not drunk.
"So, what was it you wanted to do?" Octavius asked the cowboy once the drink had been finished.
Reaching over to his friend, he unstrapped the Roman's helmet, and took it off of the older man, placing it next to him. He, in turn, took his own hat.
He then grasped Octavius' chin in his hand.
"Jed?" the general whispered, half scared, half excited.
"Been wanting to do this for a long time." and he leaned in.
Octavius' hands automatically reached up into the blond locks on Jedediah's head, running through them, loving the feel.
The cowboy's own hands roamed the Roman's back and waist, settling at the base of the elder man's neck, and the other on his waist, pulling him tighter towards himself.
The kiss lasted both forever and not long enough.
When they pulled away, they were gasping for breath, hands still in place.
"Well," Octavius panted, "was that memorable enough for you?"
"I dunno," Jedediah replied with a cheeky grin, "you should probably help me make sure I have it firmly imprinted on my brain."
And with that he leaned in for another kiss.
Jedediah certainly enjoyed that night at the museum.