Two Boys in Love

A Quiet Lobby For a Lovely Conversation

Jedediah hardly remembered his walk home from the previous morning, he had been too caught up in his own thoughts to remember. He was immediately met by one of the museum guards, Larry Daley, who was very upset about something he had done.

"Jedediah, you weren't in your usual spot last night. You need to be more careful, otherwise we're going to get caught, and I will be fired," he said with a growing intensity in his voice. It seemed to Crescendo with anger, but Jedediah didn't notice.

"I got it Gigantor," he grumbled.

"It won't happen again,"

Jedediah seemed visibly upset, anyone with eyes could tell he had something on his mind. He tried to push off the emotions that clouded over his brain. He wondered if his confusion was noticeable, but then he realized he didn't care.

Despite his efforts to hide it, Larry had noticed.

"Hey man, what's up with you? I've never seen you this upset. Why aren't you fighting with Octavius over there or something?"

"Maybe I don't want t' be fighting all the time!" He snapped. He rolled his eyes at Larry.

"don't you got something better to be doing?"

Larry's brow furrowed.

"Did something happen between you and Octavius? I heard there was a peace agreement but... I don't know. This seems different,"

"Look, Gigantor, I made a mistake 's all. I'm gonna fix it real soon so you don't need to worry about anything."

Larry nodded in understanding, and left to go check on the rest of the museum. Jedediah was grateful that the guard hadn't pushed him for information, but he felt the same loneliness return that he had felt before their conversation.

He decided to go on a walk to clear his head. He wandered the edges of hallways, lost within the confines of his mind. He mulled over the events of the previous night in his mind as he had dozens of times before. 'I think I am glad you did.' Those were the words that occupied his mind at the time. What had Octavius meant? Was he simply glad the Jedediah had gotten it off his chest, or that he had told the truth? Did he reciprocate the feelings that Jedediah had vocalized? The wayward westerner had no clue.

He sat in the corner of the lobby, a surprisingly quiet area in such a large space. He watched the world go on around him. He wondered if he should try to talk to Octavius. He wondered what he would say if he did.

He sat with his head in his hands, he didn't know what to do with himself. His mind was awash with thought and he didn't know how to process any of it.

His head snapped up at the sound of Octavius' voice. The Roman stood in the entrance to the hallway that Jedediah had entered the lobby from. Octavius was talking to Larry, and Jedediah's ears burned at the sound of his own name. Octavius was looking for him. The museum guard directed the soldier to the quiet corner Jedediah had nestled into.

He bashfully looked up at the soldier, wanting to shrink away, but holding his ground despite it.

"Well, look who the cat dragged in." Jedediah grumbled

"Don't be like that."

"Whaddya mean don't be like that? I'm tryin' to give you the space you wanted, so I don't have any idea of why yer here,"

The soldier rubbed his temples. He knew his confrontation would be met by the cowboy's stubborn pride, but that didn't mean that he knew how to handle it.

Octavius sat down next to the cowboy, who averted his eyes from Octavius' soft gaze.

"I don't want things to be uncomfortable between us. I guess that's why I needed to see you. Maybe I just... I just wanted to see you."

"You can just tell me that you don't feel that way. I already made a fool of mys-"

"It's not that. I assumed that was clear,"

Jedediah looked at him skeptically. Octavius ran a hand through his hair. Jedediah could practically see the gears turning in his head. He looked like he was hesitating on his words, maybe choking on them.

"Octavius, what do you want. Just tell me so I don't have to be in the dark, please,"

Octavius took a moment to respond. He was caught off guard by the question. He had never had someone ask him something like that.

"I want... To be with you. I think," Jedediah turned bright pink. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out. He felt his whole body tense up as Octavius grabbed his hand in his. Octavius pulled off Jedediah's glove and laced their fingers together.

"I do want to be with you. I just..." Jedediah looked him in the eyes and saw a great pain behind the deep brown irises. (orbs lol)

"I don't know what... To do."

Jedediah looked down at the floor, hoping that the soldier wouldn't notice his stop-sign colored cheeks.

"Well we could figure it out together, I reckon?" their eyes met.

"It doesn't... Have to be so damn difficult"

Octavius put his unoccupied hand on Jedediah's cheek. They sat together in their quaint little corner of the lobby, as though time had stopped. No sooner than Octavius had begun to lean into the cowboy's subtle embrace, a clock went off. The great bell knocked them out of their stupor and into the realization that sunrise was approaching quicker than either of them would've liked it to.

They sheepishly stood up and began to walk back to their respective exhibits. They stood below their display cases in silence, neither wanting to go home just yet. Octavius looked over at him as though he was making a decision. He gave Jedediah a quick hug before saying goodbye. Jedediah was stunned by the unexpected contact.

He walked to assigned his spot with a chuckle. As the sun came up, warmly illuminating the museum, and in tandem the two boys in love, Jedediah smiled to himself. He froze into place the happiest he had been in a long while.