"Jedediah-!"

The miniature roman soldier moved quickly through the wild west exhibit, ignoring the looks he received from the men and women he passed. He knew he was not entirely welcome, not after everything had happened. Still, he persisted, pushing through the crowds as he made his way to his target. The man stood, a good foot away, his back to Octavius. Octavius saw his stiffen at the sound of his voice, but made no other indication that he had noticed the man.

Octavius hated how it had come to this - he loathed himself for causing this. He had never meant for this... He had never wanted to Jedediah running from him. The worst part, he mused, was that Jedediah wouldn't do so much as talk to him. No arguing, no fighting... It was a miracle to catch his eye at this point!

It frustrated him to no end, and he would be lying if he did not admit to the loneliness he felt felt without Jedediah at his side. He should have known better - they were from different eras, had completely different mindsets. He should have known he couldn't just lean over and kiss Jedediah outright. And now Jedediah hated him, and he couldn't blame him.

"Jedediah," Octavius repeated, finally breaking free of the crowd and stepping closer to the cowboy leader. "Please, talk to me, I-!"

"I told ya, I just need some time," Jedediah muttered, cutting him off and sending him into silence.

"It's been two weeks, Jed!"

Jedediah said nothing. Octavius could feel eyes on his back and wondered how much they knew. Knowing how word got around these exhibits - he wouldn't doubt if even it had reached the ears of the exhibits on the other side of the museum. Octavius stormed forward, reaching out to grab Jedediah's shoulder. The man flinched away before he could make contact, and stormed away without looking back.

Later that night, as Larry did his last check of the museum as they settled back into their positions for the day. He knew they could handle themselves and trusted a fair majority of them, but it had also become somewhat of a routine. And, on occasion, he would find something out of place.

The sun had already risen when he reached the miniatures exhibit. He pulled back the divider for the mayan's exhibit before moving to check on the Ancient Rome exhibit. Everything seemed alright except...

Larry paused, scanning the exhibit once more before seeing what was the matter. He let out a heavy sigh before moving to the next exhibit over.

Sure enough, it only took a moment of looking to spy a flash of red and silver sitting near a tree towards the back of the exhibit.

Carefully, he scooped up the small soldier and dropped him back in an inconspicuous place in the roman exhibit - he was quite sure that as long as they were accounted for, McPhee would not pay much heed to the missing general.

Larry wasn't entirely sure what had been happening between Octavius and Jedediah, but from the whispers that floated around the museum, and the dreadful silence from the miniature exhibits, he could imagine it wasn't very good.

The next night, Octavius woke up in his own exhibit. It was thanks to Larry, no doubt, and Octavius was thankful. He wasn't, at the moment, ready to face Jedediah's rejection again. He was sure Jedediah didn't want to see him either.

And so he spent his night the way he had before he had met Jedediah - how long ago that had been... it was like a faint memory now, for before they were friends, he was at least able to fill his time fighting. Still, the night was empty. The night guard came by from time to time, but he did not question why the two usually inseparable duo was apart. Instead, he spoke with them each for a few moments before disappearing to check on the other exhibits.

It was going to be a long night.

A few more nights passed before Octavius saw Jedediah again. And this time, it was on Jedediah's terms.

Octavius, eager to distract himself and tune out, was engaged in a sparring match with one of his men. It was increasingly common that he ask this of him in the last few weeks. He trusted his men with his life and new they were well aware of what had happened between the roman and cowboy. They acted as though they didn't, though, and he appreciated it.

Octavius sent a blow to the man, knocking him down and bringing the match to an end. When he turned, breathing heavily, he came face to face with the one man he dreaded seeing at that moment in time.

"Jedediah," he practically breathed, not knowing what else to say. Emotions rushed through him all at once, confusion and fear and happiness...

"I..." The cowboy miniature ducked his head, his eyes hidden in the shadow of his hat. His lips were turned down in a frown, almost a pout. Jedediah shoved his hands into his pockets, his shoulders slouched, and continued in a gruff voice, "can we talk somewhere else?"

Octavius looked startled for a good minute, before nodding absently, and indicating for the man to follow him. He could feel his men's eyes on him, but it was clear they were trying not to stare as he lead Jedediah through the miniature roman city. He only stopped once they had reached the back wall, the painted colosseum towering behind them. Here, away from the prying eyes, they could talk.

But Jedediah didn't say anything, and Octavius felt himself deflate. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he had hoped for... more.

"It's okay, if you don't... return my feelings," Octavius started, ignoring the way the words caused his heart to ache. "I don't want to hurt you and... our friendship means more to me than anything else. I don't want to lose you, I-!"

"Shut up," Jedediah grumbled, and Octavius fell silent in an instant, looking worried. Had he only messed it up further? His heart pounded. "You ain't getting rid of me that easily."

Octavius looked up in shock, his eyes meeting Jedediah's for the first time in ages. The roman was surprised to see they were red, a bit swollen... "Jed...?"

"I've... I've been a bit of coward lately... and an ass," the cowboy offered a small smile, and gave a shuddering sigh. "I mean, I just didn't know what ta say, back then, and I want ta say it now..." Octavius looked surprised, and Jedediah stomped his foot. "God dammit - I don't know how ta say it. Just- just kiss me again, damn it!"

And so Octavius did.