Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The west is no stranger to the grueling labors of the manifest destiny, but this one seems to be eternally there, its the way the museum works and with the two respective leaders no longer in a war, theres no real reason for it? But what else can you do? Drinking and gambling, flirting and walks around the museum can only happen for so long before you start to get bored. Boredom, ah a cowboy’s worst nightmare. 

So Jedediah went and said to work on the railroad night after night, maybe one day they’ll finish it (but with Mr. McPhee? Doubt it). But when the sun sets and the museum stirs, awake for another night, most of the cowboys spend their time on the railroad. Its something to do, something to look forward to, and they’ve been spending this much time on it already, so why just abandon it? 

While Rome is mild and peaceful at times, the west never sleeps, the plucking tune of guitars, the clanging of spike mauls hitting the nails, the whistle of the train, the chaos that seems to go around in the museum would not be the same without the loud daily life of the Wild West. 

They quickly fall into routine, Jedediah goes and helps his men with pushing up new crates of materials. All of them chatting or humming along to their own little tune, “Mornin’ Jedediah!” One of his men called, “Mornin’ Bill! How’s ya today?” Jedediah asks 

“Oh just fine, how ‘bout yourself?” the shuffling of crates can still be heard, Jedediah usually finds himself working without meaning to. “Same ol’, same ol’” he chuckles, taking another crate from the cowboy beside him “good ta hear!” Billy smiles and leans over to fix a tilted crate, after a while, the cowboys turn to songs to help speed up the process. 

“ Ohh, out where the handclasp’s a little stronger,
Out where the smiles dwell a little longer,
Thats where the west begins!” 

The cowboy leader smiles to himself, occasionally singing along to a song or two, and then came that dreaded song, the one the boys always sing thinking about their wives or girlfriends, Jedediah couldn’t pin down just why he hated that song but he did! 

“ Camptown ladies sing this song, Doo-dah, doo-dah,
Camptown race-track five miles long, Oh, doo-dah day!”

He’s spent many years hearing that song so it wasn't hard to tune any of his men out, what was hard to tune out was his own mumbling of the song himself, 

“ I come down there with my hat caved in, Doo-dah, doo-dah,
I go back home with a pocket full of tin, Oh, doo-dah day…”

Jedediah almost felt embarrassed singing this song, it was one for people settling down with someone and he was as wild and free as the west itself! Right? And yet he kept singing along, word and after word. Smiling a little by the end of it, he shook it off and kept working but that song apparently is very popular, they sang it once again without the leader’s input. 

But as the hours passed by it came up again, Jedediah didn’t resist the urge to sing it, but that's probably because he spaced out in the middle of working and didn't snap back just yet, 

“ Camptown gents sing this song, Doo-dah, doo-dah,
Camptown race-track five miles long, Oh, doo-dah day,
I come down there with my hat caved in, Doo-dah, doo-dah,
I go back home with a pocket full of tin, Oh, doo-dah day”

A sudden cry of victory is heard, snapping Jedediah right back to reality “SEE, I TOLD YA! HE WAS!” another one of Jed’s boys said to the group, the three of them looking in astonishment “well color me shocked” Will mumbled loud enough for him to hear. “W-what?” Jed asks, unaware on why all the attention was on him “YOU WERE SINGING THE CAMPTOWN SONG!” he cries 

Jedediah’s face turns red, he crosses his arms over his chest like he was trying to hide something “no, i- i wasnt! You need your ears checked Billy!” he defends only for the three others to tell him that "he definitely did" 

"Who got ol' Jedediah Smith settlin'?" Will asks as the boys snicker, "no- nobody! I ain't settlin'!" Jedediah says, embarrassed. "What's this I hear 'bout Jed singin' camp town?" Lindsey announces 

Bill, still smiling in victory, tugs off his hat and fiddles with it in his hands "hello, dear, I was just workin' when I heard Jed here singing camptown!" He says, Lindsey raises an eyebrow, looking at Jedediah with a smirk "where you now? You find someone to settle with?" 

Jedediah raises his hands in frustration "No! Lin tell ya hubby he's fallin' off his rocker faster than a boozed up buckin' bronco rider!" Jedediah all but yells "hey! The boys heard it too!" Bill retaliates, the others nodding in agreement "Jed, just admit it, make it easier on ya self" sampson says 

"I-i didn't! Y'all are all crazy!" A stifled laugh from the side makes Jedediah whip around to see Octavius conversing with Ella, but Octavius clearly trying (and failing) to not laugh at his outburst, Will obviously tugs off his hat but Jed just panics instead

He greets his friend in a barely contained embarrassment "Octy! Hey uh whatcha doin' 'ere?" He asks, flushed "I was going to ask if you would like to spend some time together, but are you okay? Your face is red, you didn't overwork yourself again, did you?" The Roman asks, concerned

Some giggles come from the folks around them "nah, nah I'm fine! You wanna hang out? Sure! Let's go! Like right now!" He says, gripping Octavius's wrist and pulling them away from the others, much to Octavius's confusion. 

Ella heaves out a sigh, crossing her arms and looks toward to rest "so….who's gonna tell 'em?" All of them shout "NOT IT!" except for poor Sampson who said it a second later, causing him to shout "DAMN IT!"  

Chapter Text

A couple nights come and go, the normal hussle and bussle of the museum happening all the while, but tonight Sampson sees himself in the saloon, whiskey in hand, conversing with the others. The saloon door swings open, hitting the small stand behind it "whoops, sorry Wilson!" Jedediah calls, laughing sheepishly

"Someone ought to rust those damn hinges 'gain before Jed busts the thing!" Some patrons laugh, Jedediah rolls his eyes and spots Sampson, strolling up casually before sitting in the booth across from him. Sampson smiles at his friend "there he is!" He exclaims brightly. Jed chuckles "yeah yeah, Jacobs ended up somehow with their damn leg in a barrel so me n Ira 'ad to pry 'em out and take 'em to the doc" he explains 

Sampson shakes his head, Jacobs being a close friend of his almost instantly guarantees them telling the poor cowboy all about his problems, one of them being, that they ain't the only Westerner to fall for one of them Romans. "Oh boy, that man's gonna bust their head open trying to impress that soldier, maybe even more than once" he says, talking about more than just Jacobs.

"A soldier? Like one of Octies guys?" Jedediah asks, taking his own cup of whiskey in his hand, nodding at the bartender quickly "yessir, Lucanius if I'm sayin' it right, prob'ly not though, so we just call em Luca" Sampson tells, Jed nods, knowing the soldier he's talking about "yeah I know him, one of the friendlier folk, even tried to help us get ol' jacobs outta that barrel but whys he tryin' to impress him?" 

Sampson stares at Jedediah with a blank face "Jed, you ain't serious right?" Jedediah stares back, confused "serious 'bout what? Listen I know Jacobs n they ain't one for prowlin' 'round doin' crazy shit, so I'm askin' why!" Jedediah explains, almost exasperated "the man's down soft for him! Hard! I can only think of one other person in this damn place more in love with a roman than they are!" 

Jedediah blinks, looking down into his glass. 'Jacobs likes a roman? I mean him being queer isn't a problem, the only one in the western diorama who has a problem with it would be the pastor, and last time he tried anything, he ended up locked in the repair room "accidentally" for a few weeks. But a roman? And who else is "in love" with one?' Jedediah's thoughts swirl about but he ends up asking the most prominent one 

"Wait another folk of ours is down soft for a roman? Who?" Sampson stares dumbfounded at the cowboy in front of him, he quickly downs his glass and raises to get another, but instead comes back with a full bottle, setting it at his side, pouring a glass and getting halfway before looking back at the confused Texan

"Jed, boss, just admit it" he says, shaking his head in fond exasperation "admit what?" Another glass is downed by the cowboy "that you're in love with Octavius" heat rushes to Jedediahs face, flushing his cheeks and toning his ears a light pink "w-what are ya' talkin' 'bout?!" Jedediah reels "i-i ain't in love with Octavius! He's- he's my amigo ! My best pal! My partner in crime! I-i cant- I'm not-" 

Jedediah continues to stumble over his words for quite a long time before taking to working on his drink instead of defending his (totally failing) case. Sampson, having already dealt with one of these cowboy case's, asks him a question "alright then, if he's your friend what do you like 'bout him?" 

The cowboy takes a breath, and starts shakingly "uh, we-well he's brave, for one. And, and he's strong, but kind and always tries to help" a soft, fond smile tugs at Jed's lips "and, he's real smart, too. And he looks mighty fine in that uniform of his-" 'aaand there it is' Sampson thinks, but doesn't stop Jedediah, just starts taking note on how long he goes for before realizing

"-the way his hair gets all flattened by his helmet and he has to shake it to get it to look right but it never does. And that I could probably stare into his eyes forever or listen to his voice til the end of time and I wouldn't get sick of it" Sampson nurses his drink, listening halfheartedly to Jedediahs ramble about the general "and! And the way his eyes light up when he gets to tell me somethin' 'bout a thing that he likes, or the way his voice gets all silky when he speaks Latin" 

He continues on for quite some time, getting distracted in his thoughts of Octavius "and when he smiles like that and I just want to kiss hi-" Jedediah stops dead in his tracks, eyes wide, he looks over at Sampson. Running his finger along the rim of his cup, in a slightly bored manner "oh my lord im in love with Octavius" he mutters 

"Yeah, for like the past two years , we've noticed" this only seems to provoke the cowboy further "w- y'all knew and didn't say nothin' 'bout it?! Why didn't y'all tell me?!" Jedediah asks, slumping down in his chair "y'know usually the ones doin' the in love business are the first ones to know 'bout the whole situation" 

Jedediah crosses his arms, pouting slightly "well no need to be rude 'bout it" he mumbles, Sampson shakes his head and sighs "look, Jed, I got a bet to win and you got a roman to kiss so you have to man up, and ask that there general to start sparkin' or you'll just dance 'round your feelin's til the end of your immortal-ish life, got it?" Jedediah tries to ask what Sampsons bet was on when he cuts him off 

"Yes, Octavius is in love with ya as well, we can all see it, everyone knows, this is not news" Sampson states bluntly, jedediah searches for some sign of insincerity but the other cowboys gaze softens, knowingly "jed, im not pushin' ya because im tryin' to make fun of ya im pushin' ya because youre gon drive yourself up the wall if you dont do somethin' 'bout it soon, you can take your time, but you gotta do it someday, I see how much ya love him, like i love my girl, and the thing is i see that he loves you back. He's good for ya, you're actually happy, but you ain't gonna be fully happy unless ya man up and kiss the feller already" 

Jedediah smiles at the kind words, putting down his glass "yeah i-i gotta think 'bout it, but I will, promise" at this sampson holds out his hand "I, Sampson Jones, promise to look out for & knock out anybody who throws harm y'all's way" Jedediah takes it in his own, shaking it "i, Jedediah Smith, promise to man up & stand up for the gent im tryin' to call my own" 

The two cowboys leave with a smile, and only a slight feeling of intense embarrassment.

Chapter Text

You would think that after that pep-talk Jedediah would’ve confessed by now, right? Well if you thought that, you’d be wrong, four nights came and gone, the rest of the museum taking it in stride, except for a certain cowboy, whos been taking to hiding away in any way he can. Railroad work, talks with Larry & Teddy, letting Nicky ramble about the latest game he’s played, you name something he can do without Octavius and he’s done it. 

Of course Sampson has caught on to this, and promptly told the rest of the gang that he’s avoiding the situation at hand. To which cowboy’s do what cowboy’s do best, “hey y’all!” speak of the devil. 

Jedediah strolls up to Billy, Sampson and the rest of them hanging around the crates they put there last week, passing around a couple root beers (probably cause the bartender cut them off of the regular stuff) “hey there, hermit” Will jests, gaining a snicker from the rest of the crew “huh? Whatcha mean by that?” Jedediah asks, looking around nervously 

“Jed, don't play dumb, you’ve been ignoring the gen’rel for the past four days!” Sampson says, Jedediah giving him a death glare “i have not!” he retaliates. “Yeah ya have! Honestly i thought you and ‘em got into a fight til i heard yer just bein’ downright yellow-bellied!” Billy says, waving his arm around, gaining a nod from the rest of their gang “w-what?” 

Jedediah’s blood ran cold, deep down he knew that they wouldnt actually do anything to hurt him but it still scared him that others knew, even though he already heard that everyone knows. “‘Diah, the boys were gettin’ worried so i told, we aint mad at ya, we have no reason to-” 

“-We just disappointed to the dickens that ol’ strong smith ‘ere is a chicken!” Will finishes Sampson’s statement, getting a smack with someones stetson “shut it! But yea, pretty much” Billy shrugs, instead of it being ice-cold, Jed’s blood started to boil, Jedediah Strong Smith was a lot of things, but a coward wasn’t one of them!

“I aint no chicken! I could tell Octy right now i bet!” Jed declares, making Sampson gain a knowing smirk looking over his shoulder “oh really?” he asks, getting confirmation from the cocky cowboy. “Hell yeah, i could!” Billy takes off his stetson, covering his face while he chuckles silently, Will taking a hearty swig of his drink in order to keep himself from laughing. 

“Alright, go on then, go straight over to rome and tell the gen’rel right now” his confidence wavering slightly, but still stubborn enough to stick to his word he nods “alright then i will!” Jedediah spins around, about to march over to rome before a silky voice stops him in his tracks “tell me what, Jedediah?” 

Jed snaps his eyes open to find Octavius, who disregarded his armor for the night, a soft smile on his lips, next to Billy’s girl, who quickly rushes over to him, not wanting to ruin this moment. “O-Octavius! Hi! I uh- i was just about to go over to rome and uh..” he tugs his hat off his head, twisting it this way and that in his hands, stumbling over his words as his confidence shatters. 

“Yes? Apparently you were going to tell me something?” Octavius asks, a playful tone in his voice. “OH- uh yeah that! Its just that- Octy you uh…you’ve done so much uh i mean, we didnt really get along at first and….no, shit! ” Jedediah tries again, ultimately failing to convey his emotions, concerning the roman in the process “Jedediah? Are you well? Your face is quite red” the general asks, placing a hand on the cowboy’s cheek. 

Jedediah freezes, making eye contact for a few seconds before placing his beloved stetson on Octavius’s head, running towards his tent. 

First thing once Jedediah is out of sight and earshot? Laughter, not from Octavius, oh no, the roman is in too much shock and confusion for that. Billy, Will, and Sampson howl with laughter, gaining a small chuckle from Linsey before she elbows Billy, telling him to have more respect, only to make them laugh more.

This seems to snap Octavius out of it, a look of concern still grazing his features he looks at the group “oh i have to tell Aiguo when he gets well!” Will laughs “Ey compared to what we just saw, his thing seems great!” Sampson adds “oh c’mon boys, i thought it was sweet!” Linsey says, getting a few agreements in turn 

The general clears his throat, gently taking the stetson in his hands. This grabs the attention of the gang “could someone…explain to me what….just occurred?” he asks slowly, Linsey laughs and strides up to him “alrighty Octavius, Y’know how cowboy lingo confuses most of them romans, yourself included?” she asks, crossing her arms. Octavius nods, furrowing his brows in concentration, seemingly trying to remember if he knew what it meant. “Well Jed is either a genius or dumber than a bag o’ hammers cause he used cowboy lingo ta say he likes ya” Linsey explains with a smile

“I-im sorry?” The roman asks, feeling the heat rush to your face. “Wearin’ some other folk’s stetson means they claim ya as their partner!” Will calls, “like partner partner! Or in other words ‘wear the hat, ride the cowboy’!” Sampson adds, making the general blush further “oh can it Sampson! But yeah, thats ‘bout the long ‘n short of it, only a cowfolk and their lover can wear the folk’s stetson, so him setting that on ya…”

“...means he wants to court me” Octavius pieces together, Billy steps behind Linsey, wrapping an arm around her waist, setting his hat on her head lovingly. “Yep, now please for the love of god, go tell him that you like him back before he starts diggin’ himself a grave” Billy jokes, shaking his head with an over dramatic sigh, getting a laugh from his partner. 

The roman sets the hat back on his head, adjusting it with a smile. “You’re a good man, Octavius, i dont think ive seen Jed be that happy around someone, ever” Billy confesses, “yeah! I thought for sure that ol’ ‘Diah got drunk or somethin’ first time i saw him after one of your drive-’rounds he was so giddy!” Will chuckles, Sampson nods before walking up to the general, placing his hand on the other’s shoulder.  

“Listen, i know Jed ain’t the best wit’ feelin’s or anythin’, and i know you’ve been down soft for him for years at this point, if anyone is good enough for the man most of us consider our brother? Its you, go tell him” he smiles, Octavius nods, blinking away a few tears, before setting off in the direction Jedediah ran off to.

…

Before long, Octavius found Jedediah’s tent, with a bit of help from the wandering citizens of the wild west. Octavius takes a breath before knocking on the wooden pole in front of the tent’s entrance. Seconds pass by with just silence, so he knocks again "Sorry partner, Jedediah's dead, can't talk right now”. The general rolls his eyes with an amused smile, stepping inside he finds Jedediah laying on his side, facing the “wall” of his tent, seemingly brooding. 

“Ah, what a shame, i quite liked Jedediah, you know” Octavius jests, making the cowboy tense up but refuses to look at him. The roman softly walks over to the cot Jed lies on, kneeling in front of it before placing his hand on the cowboy’s arm, “Jedediah, could you look at me?” he asks. 

Jedediah shuts his eyes, “Oct im so sorry, i dont even know if you know what it means, god im an idiot, im sorry i-” Octavius tries to cut the cowboy off, now sitting on the cot, having shifted Jed enough to see his face. But he keeps rambling on with his increasing dread, “-im so so sorry, if you want we can never talk about this again or not talk again period just dont hate me im sor-” Octavius leans down, silencing his rant by pressing their lips together. 

It lasts 3 maybe 4 seconds, but to Jedediah it might as well been hours before the roman pulls away to look into his eyes “may i speak now, my dear?” he asks, he gets a small nod from Jedediah. “I must say that i think this was…by far, the most adorable way someone has said that they wanted to court me….and also the first time where there is absolutely no hesitancy in saying yes” 

Jedediah’s eyes widen, heat rushing to his face “y-yes? Like- like you wanna- i mean we are…” the general chuckles, cradling the cowboy’s face in his hand. “I have loved you longer than you or even i know, my dearest” he confesses, getting dragged down by his tunic into another kiss. 

Jedediah pulls away, staring into the other’s eyes, “i love you, Octavius” a soft sigh escapes the roman “i love you as well, Jedediah” he says, melting into the next kiss.