The museum was bright and alive that night. Larry looked down from the second floor to the floor of the entrance hall below with a a satisfied grin. The whole museum was alive and partying together. Music echoing around the halls as lights shone. In the corner where Teddy was normally shown, there was a net hanging off the wall. Columbus and the huns were playing soccer together. Larry watched with amusement as they all shouted goal. Attila picking Columbus up as they celebrated, spinning the man round and cheering.

The other exhibits were all mingling and dancing together. The miniatures all on the reception desk with Dexter. Little forms mingling as they danced. The civil war soldiers had all partnered up and were doing some sort of breakdance. Speaking of partners, Teddy was riding between the dancing exhibits on Tex. Sacajawea perched behind him, smiling at her friends. The two of them waving and laughing as they rode round the hall.

Larry turned his gaze down to the bottom of the stairs where the speakers had been placed. Another couple were dancing there, both of them wearing wide grins of enjoyment as they moved. Damien had taken off his jacket and trying to teach Ahkmanrah a few dance moves that Larry recognised as swing dance. Ahkmanrah was watching the other with confused look. He attempted to copy the smooth gliding that Damien was doing and tripped over his cloak. Larry snorted as Damien caught the Pharaoh's arms before he could fall, the blonde cracking up with laughter. Larry chuckled at the two of them, making the mental note to download some electric swing song for Damien later. The archeologist seemed pretty good.

There was a roar as a small car sped between people's legs. Inside the new toy, Jed and Octavius saluted up at him. The rib bone bounding around behind them. Rexy came padding round the corner behind it. Nicky perched happily on his back. "Hey Nick!" Larry called to his son. "It's getting late, you ready to go home?"

Nicky grinned up at him cheekily. "No!" He shouted back as Rexy began walking again. Larry chuckled again. He supposed that Nicky could miss bedtime tonight. It was not like it was a school night.

——

"How are you moving your legs like that?" Ahkmanrah called through his laughter. "It must be sorcery".

Damien let out happy whoop as he moved. He raised his arms as he danced, purely enjoying the moment. His boots sliding on the polished marble floor with ease. The surface perfect for dancing. He held out a hand to Ahkmanrah and the other man took it. He slowed to a simpler dance, one that they could both do. For a minute they both danced together. Hands clutched together as their moves got increasingly sloppy. Until they were both holding the other upright and laughing breathlessly.

"I haven't danced like this since before the war", Damien snorted.

"This is all very different from the dancing I'm used to", Ahkmanrah grinned. "It's amazing". He stood upright, letting Damien lean on his shoulder. The blonde's legs suddenly feeling tired.

"It must be", Damien smiled. He threw an arm around Ahk's shoulders. Both of them pressed tight together in a side hug. Touch so familiar and thoughtless between them now that it was almost second nature. "I'm hungry", Damien announced. Since both of them had human bodies at night, unlike their wax work companions, they could get hungry. Not that they needed to eat to survive at night. But food was good.

"Let's go and see what Larry has", Ahkmanrah suggested. Damien nodded and they both staggered across the hall. Ahk wrapped his arm round Damien's waist and they walked against each other like they were in a three legged race. Both men laughing and generally acting like giggly school children.

"Larry!" Damien called as they found Larry at the reception desk. "Do you have any food?" He had to shout over the music. Larry nodded and waved a hand towards where his blue duffel bag sat on a wheel chair. Various bags of snacks spilling out of the open top. Damien gave the night guard a thumbs up as Ahkmanrah waved. They each snatched up random handfuls of stuff and retreated back to the stairs.

They climbed up to the second floor and collapsed into a corner. Damien letting out a loud sigh as he crossed his legs on the cold stone. Ahkmanrah mimicking the position next to him with a grin. They dumped the bags of food between them and peered at the brightly coloured packets in confusion. Damien poked at them, trying to read the descriptions. Ahk just looked confused. "Crisps", Damien muttered as he held up a bright blue packet. "Cheese flavour. Is that a thing now?" He dropped the packet and picked up another. "What are these? Twizzlers? Are they confectionery?"

"Confectionery?" Ahk repeated. "Like sugary foods?" Damien nodded and opened the packet. He pulled out a red tube and sniffed it. It smelled like cherries. Curious, he took a bite.

"Urgh", he muttered, pulling a face. "I can't decide if that's really good or really bad".

Ahkmanrah laughed. "What does it taste like?" He shuffled closer so that their knees were touching, eyes wide with curiosity.

"It's chewy and gelatinous. But it tastes like fruit? I think it's a fruit. I can't tell". He held out the packet to Ahkmanrah. "Try one Ahk". Then froze as the nickname slipped through his lips. "Can I call you Ahk?"

Ahkmanrah paused too then nodded. "It's nice. Modern", he smiled. "Can I call you Dami?"

Damien blinked at the nickname but nodded. It didn't sound bad on Ahkmanrah's tongue. The more he replayed it in his mind, the more he found that he liked it. He held out the bag again. "Want to try one?"

Ahkmanrah looked at the bag and then at the half eaten one in Damien's hand. He looked up their eyes met. Breaths pausing at the closeness of their faces. Damien leaned in, dropping the bag to press a hand to Ahk's cheek as their lips connected. Eyes falling shut as he pressed closer. It was a simple connecting of lips but the touch was intimate and light. He stayed still for a second before his brain caught up with his actions. For a second he panicked, was about to pull away when a hand covered his own and Ahkmanrah kissed back. Damien sighed into the kiss as their lips moved. Soft and slow kisses passing between them. Damien moved his other hand up to cup Ahk's face as Ahkmanrah held his waist. The half eaten sweet lying forgotten in Damien's lap.

After several minutes passed they both pulled away, panting slightly. Damien blinked, eyes half lidded hazily. Ahk smiled and rubbed their noses together. "I have stood for four thousand years and not faltered", his murmur was half thoughtful, half awed. He spoke so quietly that Damien could barely hear him over the noise of the music downstairs. "Then the day I met you. My legs shook".

The confession was deep and meaningful. It made Damien's chest jolt and his face warm. He could barely believe this was happening. That he had just been kissing a Pharaoh, the person who he had spent his life researching. His love and passion in all sense of the word. The pure amount of emotions warring inside him felt too much to verbalise. Everything felt infuriating, exhilarating, wonderfully too much.

Damien opened his mouth and said the first thing that came to mind. "So do you want to try one?" He picked up the bag of twizzlers and rattled it. Ahkmanrah pulled away to blink at Damien, then at the bag. Damien wanted to vanish. He had ruined a great romantic moment, the most romantic confession ever said to him. And his reply was to offer sweets. He wanted to go and hide in his tent.

Ahk tipped his head back and laughed. He laughed so hard that Damien was afraid he would tip over. He reached out and carefully took his crown off to stop him overbalancing and damaging the gold on the stone. Underneath the brown curls sprung up, no longer pinned. "Dami", Ahk giggled as he calmed down. His brown curls making him look younger. "I believe I have already tried them. Unusual flavour".

Damian frowned. "When?"

Ahk leaned forwards and pressed another kiss to his lips. Damian's eyes widened. "Ahk!" He huffed as the Pharaoh pulled away, still laughing. "How can you say that so smoothly? English isn't even your first language". Ahkmanrah replied with a long line of jumbled sentences in ancient Egyptian, the language referred to as Coptic. Damian smiled as he rolled his eyes.

"I can't believe you are just as awful as me", he grumbled. Ahk wiped away his tears and beamed at him.

"Other half", he spoke as he leaned closer again. "I told you. We're halves of a whole".

Damien snorted and rolled his eyes again. "Come on you romantic goon", he muttered as he lent in for another kiss.

Unedited