Holding Hands [Jeditavius]

A realisation

A/N

This is set after the third film but if everything just continued to me to life and Larry was still there, so yeah, read the thing.

Jed's POV

       The habit had started at the British Museum. Jed had held Octavius's hand as they turned to plastic for the last time. That was how he had wanted to go, with Octavius by his side. But they had got through it and once that whole ordeal was over they had returned to the museum.

One night they had been cornered, at the mercy of a new exhibit. Tentatively, Oct had reached out his hand and he had taken it hesitantly. Soon every time they were in the slightest danger Octavius would take his hand.

Jed didn't want to think about what this meant for him and Oct. It was too horrible to think that he could be... no, he wasn't. This was just something Oct liked to do to calm his nerves.

Then came the day they broke Larry's phone screen. Larry was understandably mad and lectured them about not having his phone in the RC car with them while they lead around Rexy. Jedediah's gut twisted guiltily, and, without thinking, he was the one to take Octavius's hand. Oct glanced at him in surprise.

"You guys listening?" Larry snapped their attention back to him. Jed felt Octavius run his thumb over his knuckles. It was soothing, a reminder that his partner was right there with him. Oh lord, this was bad. He couldn't like this, couldn't like the touch of another man.

As soon as Larry was done, Jedediah bolted. He ripped his hand from Octavius's and only looked back once. The look of hurt on Octavius's face filled him pangs of shame and guilt.

Arriving at his house in the wild west exhibit, he frantically slammed the door behind him and slumped against it.

Shitshitshit...  His mind raced in panic. He slid down the door, sitting in a heap, head in hands. He liked holding Octavius's hand. But it was more than that. He liked to be close to him, like his touch, liked being the one to comfort him. He felt safe with him. He likes Octavius. Really, really like him.

Tears filled his eyes. He was disgusting. It was wrong to feel like this. He was wrong.

There was a knock on his door. "Night guard's here t' see ya."

He wiped his eyes and pulled his hat down low. No one would know about these feelings.