"Man you guys are getting good real fast!"

Looking over the shoulders of those who'd decided to join you drawing, you were impressed. It's only been a few weeks and they were all improving very fast. Maybe you were actually a good teacher?

"You make learning the techniques very fun, you're a good teacher (y/n)" Sacajawea smiled.

"Aw, thanks. I'm glad this is entertaining for you" you replied.

Tonight you'd taught drapery. It was a technique to help learn folds and shadows. You'd drape a fabric over something and shine a light on it, then draw it from sight.

"Damnit- this isn't good..."

You turned your attention to Larry, who was muttering to himself under the front desk. Leaning over it, you looked down at him to find a chord that connected to the computer had wires sticking out of it.

"Uh oh" you said.

"One of the animals chewed it up. I'm gonna be dead meat tomorrow when the day staff find this" he sighed.

"Are there spares in storage?"

"This WAS the spare"

Oh dear, seems he was in a bit of trouble there. That was the catch with being the night guard of a museum that comes to life, things break and get tossed around by exhibits and you're the only one to blame when they all froze in the morning again.

"What kind is it?" You asked.

"HDMI chord, for connecting to the projector" Larry replied.

"They're not super hard to find. I'm sure there's a place that sells them, it is late night shopping tonight"

He looked at his watch, there was still some time before the shops closed as the night was still young. But there was one problem, he couldn't exactly leave the museum.

"Hmm... tell you what. Since I can't leave my job, and quite frankly I don't want to turn my back on these living exhibits in case MORE chaos ensues... how about I transfer you like $20 and you run out for me?" Larry suggested.

"Sure, I can grab snacks while I'm out" you replied, taking your phone out to exchange bank details.

The conversations about running errands caught Ahkmenrahs attention away from his drawing in the sketchbook you'd given him. Only a week or so ago you gave to to him and he was already filling the pages quickly.

"I think there's an office supply place a block away, it won't be that long" you said.

"Yeah I know the one you're talking about. I'm pretty sure they open late on regular days as well, so it should be open" Larry replied, transferring you $20 for the chord.

"HDMI? No other chords chewed?"

"No just HDMI, thanks (y/n)"

"Ah, no worries"

You picked up your bag and put your phone in your pocket, ready to run out real quick to grab this chord so Larry didn't get chewed out by the day staff. He was allowing you in here last dark, it was the least you could do.

"Oh, wait-"

You stopped in your tracks, turning to face the voice.

"Could I come? I've never seen the inside of a modern store before... well there is the gift shop but that's part of the museum so it doesn't really count does it?" Ahkmenrah asked.

You definitely didn't mind, as long as the tablets power kept him alive even after he left the grounds of the museum it would be fine. You both looked over at Larry.

"I really shouldn't be letting you guys out, unless it's a tablet theft emergency like last time..." he said.

"I think you getting in trouble for a broken wire counts as an emergency" Ahkmenrah bargained.

The guard was silent for a moment. He knew how curious Ahk was, and how badly his itch to get out and see the world after being locked up for so long was. And hey, if you were there to supervise him, then why not? He was a responsible exhibit.

"Alright, but he back within an hour or so. As long as the moons up you're still alive, don't push your luck" Larry agreed.

Ahk smile excitedly, getting up and rushing to Larry to give him a thank you hug. God, he was so sweet.

"Thank you, Guardian of Brooklyn!" He smiled.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm amazing I know" Larry joked.

"One thing-" you jumped in.

They both turned to face you, who'd just realised a little hitch in the plan.

"I think people will be a bit suspicious if they see a pharaoh walking around when there's no cosplay convention or Halloween on" you mentioned.

Ahk looked down at his clothes, very glamorous but about 4000 years out of date.

"Ah, good point" he muttered.

Larry reached up and took the crown off Ahk's head, putting it aside. Under the front desk was also a lost and found bucket, which he pulled a coat out of.

"Cover up all the bling with this, I'll watch your crown" he said, handing the coat over.

Luckily, it did fit. A little big on him, but that just helped cover up even more. The only pharaoh type thing visible being the bottom of the robes that could easily pass as a skirt.

"Stay with (y/n), don't wander off, and don't get yourself arrested or something crazy like that" Larry warned.

"I promise, thank you!" Ahk replied, turning on his feet to follow you out the side door and into the world.

Larry figured maybe something like this would make him realise his obvious crush on you, and figured hey, he was a responsible exhibit so why not let him out for a little while. As long as he was back before sunrise and had you to watch him, it'd be fine.

"Ok, shouldn't be too far. Just a block down, follow me" you said, making your way out the gates of the museum with the Pharaoh in tow.

He looked around, he hadn't seen the outside since the tablet was almost stolen. And it was snowing then, now it was spring and the show had melted revealing all the leaves on the trees and flowers beginning to bloom. Last time he was outside, he wasn't that far from the museum either, so going a whole block away was very new to him.

"I read in a book a while ago that the Empire State Building is the tallest on earth? Is that still so?" He asked.

"Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest now, but the Empire State is still in the top ten" you asked.

"It's in the city isn't it? The empire state"

"It's close, in Manhattan. If you wanna see it we might have to sneak you out another night, it's a longer walk"

Well, at least he got to leave the museum for a bit anyway. Although he hoped to see such a tall building at some point, he wanted to compare its size to the pyramids.

The world looked so different, in all the books he'd read and videos he's seen on the museums computer, he'd only seen professional photos with their fair share of editing. Actually walking down the streets of a modern city was a whole other sight, and feeling. You couldn't help but smile at his awe as he looked around at every little thing, keeping close to you as you walked along the sidewalk.

"Woah, stop here. It's a crosswalk" you said, putting an arm out in front of him to stop him in his tracks.

"Oh! Right, they're a thing" he replied.

You watched the traffic lights, waiting for them to let you go. Ahk seemed mesmerised by them, only having seen them in pictures. This was such a good idea letting him come, he got to see the world and you got to see him enjoy it. It was so cute.

Still mesmerised even when the lights changed, you grabbed his hand to pull him along with you. At first he didn't notice and just let you take him with you, but when it hit him you were holding his hand, he suddenly couldn't stop thinking about it. He glanced down at your hand wrapped around his, heart skipping a beat. You kept your grip on him, so he didn't accidentally wander off in his awe. He didn't seem to mind, and let you walk him along.

"Ah, I knew it would be open" you said, spotting the store just up the end of the road.

Passing a row of restaurants and cafes, the sounds of people crowed around tables and chattering were carried though the air along with the smells of the most delicious foods in the world.

"My Rah, that smells a good..." Ahk muttered.

"That's the Thai restaurant, I've been there before. It's really good" you said.

He looked through the windows as you walked past, catching glimpses of massive noodle dishes and delicious soups he desperately wanted to try.

Finally reaching the store, you stepped inside and Ahk was immediately blinded by the fluorescent lights inside. The museum had much dimmer lights in a more yellow shade, and the bright while lights were new to him. Taking a moment to adjust to the light, he looked around at what a modern store was like.

Rows and rows of shelves, display stands, posters for products on the walls. This office supply store had isles for pens and pencils, notebooks and paper clips, laptops and iPads. Even while displays for desks and office chairs. The store was so much bigger than he pictured.

"Ok... HDMI chords would probably be with the computers" you muttered, wandering down to the electronics section.

The chords were all kept underneath the display of laptops and tablets, and as you looked for the right one, Ahk was mesmerised by all the electronics. Sure he'd seen computers in the museum, but there were so many more kinds he didn't know existed. Massive ones, ones that folded in half, ones that had light up keyboards. He stopped in front of a display that had the words art tablet on it, but it looked different from the one you had.

Yours didn't have a screen, it connected into a computer for that. But this one did have a screen, and a pencil made of what he assumed was plastic and metal next to it. Out of curiosity he picked it up, and dragged it across the screen. It made a line where he drew, and he was impressed that a pencil with no lead would still draw.

"Oh them? Yeah they're the fancy expensive tablets my broke student ass can't afford" you explained, catching him scribbling on the screen.

"They're so much bigger, and elaborate" he commented, still drawing squiggles on the screen.

"That's why they're expensive. The bigger and better quality the more money. I'll own a fancy tablet one day, when I'm a rich and famous artist"

"I'm sure that's a goal you could definitely achieve with your skill"

Again with the complements, he really liked your art didn't he? You gave him a smile, earning one back from him.

"Come on, I've got the chord. Better go pay" you said.

He followed you to the checkout, where a tired looking teen was behind the counter. They scanned the chord and tapped some things on the screen.

"That'll be $15" they said, sounding exhausted.

Ahk was expecting you to pull out money like coins. But instead you pulled out a plastic card and tapped a screen with it, making a beep and paying for it.

He knew that banks were a thing, but had no idea how credit cards worked. So this was rather fascinating to him.

"Here's your receipt, have a good night" the teen yawned, handing you the receipt.

As you were walking out, Ahk grabbed your arm in fascination.

"How did that work? Paying with plastic?" He asked.

"Oh, it's all done digitally. There's a chip in the card that transfers money from one bank account to another" you explained.

He just gave you a lost look, having no idea what that meant.

"It's complicated. I'm sure there's a book explaining it better than I could. Anyway, we still have some time to kill so want to get a snack?" You asked.

You didn't have to ask him twice, he eagerly agreed and told you to show him your favourite modern snack. You knew exactly where to go, and went right for the store on the corner you often went on the way to university, bubble tea.

"Ok, so this is bubble tea-" you began.

"You're telling me you can make tea out of bubbles?" Ahk cut you off, amazed.

"Uh- yes and no. It's an iced tea that has tapioca pearls in it, the bubbles. You can pick all kinds of flavours, there's fruit teas, milk teas, sweet teas all kinds"

Directing him to the screen that allowed you to pick your order, you scrolled through all the options while he tossed up what kind to get. You went with your usual favourite, and after a good while of looking at all the options and having you explain what popping pearls were, he settles on fruit tea with lychee pearls. A good first try pick, and one you'd had before and quite liked.

It didn't take long to get your order, and you warmed him to be careful when jabbing the straw through the lid so it didn't over flow. Somehow, even though you were the one who gave the warning, you managed to make yours overflow a little. And the ancient Egyptian who'd never had bubble tea before managed to get it right first go. That earned you a few giggles.

You sipped your teas as you walked back to the museum, Ahkmenrah thoroughly enjoying the fruit taste and the extra flavour of the lychee.

"This is so good! You have to bring me more flavours to try sometimes" he smiled.

"It's my favourite snack for a reason. Actually hang on... don't they remove organs when you get mummified? How can you drink this?" You asked.

He stopped in his tracks, he hadn't actually thought about that... he'd been snacking on whatever Larry bought it occasionally for the past... however long he'd been out of his sarcophagus and it always seemed to work fine. He sipped his tea, swallowing it. He could feel it go down his throat as if he were alive.

"No idea... probably the tablet. I still don't know much about how it works. Father was always secretive about it" he shrugged, continuing to walk with you.

"Did he ever plan on telling you? I mean it's YOUR tablet. The tablet of Ahkmenrah" you asked.

"I'm not sure, he might have. Although I didn't exactly live to find out"

You weren't going to push him further on he matter. You knew he likely died horrifically and that wasn't a nice memory to bring up.

Finally you made it back to the museum, it was only a short outing, but it was still an exiting change of pace for Ahk.

"That's one not chewed up cable for you mr night guard" you said, tossing Larry the chord.

"Thank you, you're a life saver" Larry replied, catching it.

He spotted the drinks in your hands, not too surprised. Bubble tea was all the rage nowadays.

"Bubble tea, should have known. My son is obsessed with it right now, all the cool kids drink bubble tea" he said.

"That's why we drink it, because we're cool" you joked.

"Good modern day drink Ahk?" Larry asked.

"This stuff is amazing, you have to bring it for us sometime" he replied.

Larry was glad to see him happy, and relived that nothing bad happened while you were both out. And even if you just accidentally got the whole museum wanting to try bubble tea, you were definitely glad Ahk could come on the little outing with you. It was so much fun to watch him experience the modern world.