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Ahkmenrah had a problem. His problem wore a uniform and carried a flashlight. His problem would roam the halls of the museum at night, checking on all the exhibits. His problem rounded the corner and Ahkmenrah was face to face with Larry Daley.

“Ah Larry, Guardian of Brooklyn.” He said as he almost bumped into him. Larry held his hands out and his eyes looked him up and down. Ahkmenrah bit down on the inside of his cheek. Of course Larry wasn’t checking him out, he was simply making sure he was okay.

“Ahk, I was just on my way over to your exhibit. Just making my rounds, you know gotta save the best for last.” Larry said this with a smile on his face. Ahkmenrah felt his heart flutter. Did Larry really think he was the ‘best’? He cleared his throat and forced himself not to stare at Larry.

“I was actually headed there myself. Perhaps you could accompany me?” Ahkmenrah did his best to wrangle his emotions. Larry probably wouldn’t think anything of the offer. After all he was just an exhibit. No real connection could possibly develop between them. It was all just wishful thinking on Ahkmenrah’s part. Something tickled the back of his throat. Larry smiled at him and offered out his arm. Ahkmenrah swallowed down the urge to cough and smiled at Larry instead. He took his arm and let Larry lead him through the museum.

Ahkmenrah listened intently to Larry as he chatted away. His chatter brought back that strange feeling in his chest. It tightened and Ahkmenrah struggled to breathe. He cleared his throat once. Then twice. The feeling refused to go away. Larry sent a concerned glance his way. Ahkmenrah started to smile but a cough tore itself from his throat before he got the chance.

“Ahk! Whats wrong? Are you okay?” There was a hand delicately placed on his back. If he wasn’t struggling for air he’d be over the moon at the small act of affection. Ahkmenrah doubled over as the coughs became stronger. It felt like something was trying to force itself out of him. He could feel it stuck in his throat. Tears streamed down his face as he struggled to get relief. Larry was holding him up and frantically trying to help. Ahkmenrah wasn’t sure if his presence helped or hindered. For all he knew he could be dying. All he could focus on was getting air. But with every breath he broke out into more coughing. Larry rubbed his back with comforting circles. Ahkmenrah felt his heart clench and the coughing became worse. It probably didn’t mean anything, Larry would do that for any one of the exhibits. Not that anyone else was dying though.

Suddenly something came up with the coughing. He brought a hand up to his mouth and spit something out. He stared in disbelief at the petals of a blue flower. They were slightly colored red from blood. Something told him to hide the petals. He crushed them in his hand and dropped it to his side. For once he wished his royal garments had pockets. He wiped his hand across his mouth and cringed when he saw blood. He hoped Larry hadn’t seen. He didn’t need him worrying anymore than he already was. Once the petals came out he could finally breathe. For the first time in what felt like hours Ahkmenrah was finally able to take a breath without coughing. However he could still feel tightness in his chest. He absentmindedly rubbed at his chest. Hoping to dislodge the petals that had stuck themselves into his lungs. Maybe he was just getting sick. Although in all the years he’d been an exhibit at Cambridge and now Brooklyn, he’d never once gotten ill. It must be something else. He wracked his brain trying to think of what it could be. Something in the back of his mind told him this seemed familiar. Perhaps Sacagawea would know something. In the clarity that came from being able to breathe, he realized that Larry’s hand was still on his back. He continued to rub soothing circles on his back.

“Are you okay Ahk?” His voice was oddly quiet. It was laced with fear and concern. Ahkmenrah cleared his throat, without causing another coughing spell finally, and straightened up. He adjusted his crown and looked Larry in the eye. Larry had concern written all over his face. He felt bad for making him worry. Larry moved his hands to grab onto his biceps. Ahkmenrah’s heart stumbled, feeling Larry’s hands on his bare skin. He smiled nervously.

“Yes, I seem to be doing much better now.” He said. He didn’t want Larry to take his hands off him.

“Are you sure? I can’t have you dying on me. Wait, can you die again? How would that work….” Larry began to trail off. Ahkmenrah smiled at Larry. It was so cute how he could get distracted. At this feeling, the urge to cough came up once again. He cleared his throat instead, willing the urge away. At that Larry looked back at him.

“Ah! How could I get off track like that? I was supposed to be checking on you. Damnit. So stupid.” Larry hit his head with the palm of his hand. Before he knew what he was doing, Ahkmenrah was quick to grab his hand and pull it gently away from his head.

“Don’t hurt yourself on my accord Larry, Guardian of Brooklyn.” Ahkmenrah said gently. Larry looked at his hand and then at Ahkemenrah. To his surprise, Larry didn’t pull his hand away, he just let him hold it. Ahkmenrah however dropped his hand and looked away from the night guard. He felt his cheeks heat up. Larry chuckled.

“How many times have I told you to just call me Larry?” He said with a grin. Ahkmenrah couldn’t meet his gaze. He instead stared at one of the banners on the wall.

“More times than I could count I believe.,” Ahkmenrah smiled softly, “But that's besides the point. Maybe the tablet is malfunctioning in some way. That could be causing this. I was also hoping to maybe find Sacagawea, maybe she’ll have some insight. If you’ll excuse me Larry, I should head back to my exhibit.” Ahkmenrah made a move to walk away but Larry grabbed onto his arm and pulled him back.

“Wait! Are you going to be okay? What if you have another coughing spell? Is there any way I can help? I am the night guard after all. Gotta make sure all the exhibits are in working order you know.” Larry seemed so genuine. Ahkmenrah wondered if he would act like this in any other situation. Probably not. This was just a schoolboy crush he had on the night guard. He tried to quell the rampant beats of his heart as he stared into Larry’s eyes. Something caught in his throat and he had to clear his throat so he wouldn’t spew blue petals in Larry’s face.

“I’m sure it’s nothing more than a cough. There’s an awful lot of dust on my bandages perhaps that's what is causing it. Regardless, I’ll be fine. I’m thousands of years old, I can handle a little cough.” Ahkmenrah brought out a little bit of his royal voice. The one he uses when he wants to get his way. To top it off he crossed his arms. Larry held up his hands in defeat.

“Alright you win this one. But trust me I will worry about you. You’re important to me, well I mean all of the exhibits are. And if I hear coughing coming from your exhibit again I will be checking on you.” He said with a smile. Ahkmenrah’s heart jumped and then faltered. Of course the other exhibits mattered too. He couldn’t be the only object of importance. He wanted to be though. Something caught in his throat and he had to clear his throat to get rid of it. But much to his dismay, it stayed there. Lodged in his trachea, blocking the air. He nodded and then turned towards his exhibit.

As he walked the flower bloomed in his lungs, making it harder to breathe. He was so close to safety. So close to being able to get the flowers out. Finally he turned the corner and made it through the entrance. He waved a hand at the jackals and they stood at the door with their spears crossed. Determined to not let anyone through. Ahkmenrah fell to the ground and clutched his throat. Flowers threatened to spill out of his mouth. He coughed just to get some relief. Petals coated in blood and mucus fell to the floor. However the flower refused to budge. He choked on the petals and leaves as they came up. Mucus and blood dripped from his open mouth onto the floor. Sooner or later the entire plant would come out. It was a strange sight to see such pretty flowers laying in a growing pile of blood. As more and more petals fell he felt the smallest bit of relief. The tightness in his chest grew more bearable. He coughed once more and a thick clot of blood joined the petals. After what felt like forever the flowers stopped. He dimly hoped that would be the end. Although something told him it was far from being over.

He wiped his hand across his mouth and cringed at the sliminess that stuck to the back of it. He wished he had something to clean it up with. Larry wouldn’t be too happy to see a pile of bloody flower petals on the floor. He supposed he could hide the evidence behind or in his sarcophagus. Yes, that's what he would do. He picked the petals up, they were warm and wet to the touch. As if they had been drying off in the sun after a rainstorm. Instead they had come up from his lungs. A bout of shame washed over him. These beautiful petals had turned disgusting. He wondered if he would ever be able to look at flowers the same again. With a grimace he unceremoniously put the disgusting petals into the depths of his sarcophagus. No one but him would know they were there. He wondered what kind of flower they were. He would have to save one of the petals and ask Sacagawea. As much as he wanted to keep this to himself he wanted to figure out what he was suffering from.
With the bloody flowers hidden away, he turned to his tablet. He wasn’t quite sure if it would reveal anything to him. He knew it had healing capabilities, but he didn’t know why he wasn’t getting any better. He took it off the wall and held it in his hands. He pressed a combination of the symbols, hoping it would kickstart the healing properties. Nothing happened. He tried again. Still nothing. With an added frustration he tried once more. The flower continued to bloom in his chest. If anything he could feel it grow, the roots searching for ways to move deeper into his respiratory system. Every breath he took became more laboured. He put the tablet back and was taken aback at the onset of a wheezing sound when he breathed in and out. He put a hand to his chest and rubbed absentmindedly at it. Hoping and praying it would make it feel better. It still persisted.

He glanced up at the skylight. It was almost sunrise. He sighed and began the long process of wrapping himself back up with the ancient bandages. As he dressed, his mind went to Larry. It would be nice if he did them instead. He shivered at the thought of Larry’s hands on his bare skin. As he wrapped the bandages around himself he pretended it was Larry instead. He coughed suddenly. His breath caught on the flower growing inside him. A thought struck him as he coughed again. When he thought about Larry, especially in a romantic way, his condition seemed to worsen. The two must be connected in a way. This whole situation was strange and confusing. His mission for tomorrow was to talk to Sacagewea and see if she had any insight on what he was suffering from.

He finished wrapping himself up and laid down in the sarcophagus. The tightness in his chest stayed. He hoped Sacagawea would have the answers he longed to find.
—-
The next night, Ahkmenrah woke up, hopeful that his ailment had gone away. He took a hesitant breath in and exhaled slowly. So far so good. In his sarcophagus he could only smell the musty bandages and the sickly sweet scent of rotting flowers. He coughed as he breathed it in. Flower petals brushed the sides of his throat and he made a move to spit them out. He forgot he still had the bandages around his face. He tore them off and finally spit the petals out. In the darkness, he couldn’t tell how many there were. It felt like these ones came out in clumps. Not just single petals like the night before. A wave of fear washed over him. It was getting worse. His mouth filled with the metal taste of blood. He needed something to wash it out. He swallowed the blood clot that rested in his mouth and almost gagged at the sensation. He felt the urge to vomit. Although he was sure all that would come up would be flowers.
There was a sudden scraping sound and light poured into the sarcophagus. He shoved all the petals towards the bottom. All but one, he had to save one to show Sacagawea. He hid it in the palm of his hand. He looked up and smiled as he made eye contact with Larry.

“Ah Larry! Thank you for letting me out. I was wondering when you were coming.” Ahkmenrah decided to leave out the detail of him coughing up clumps of petals just a few minutes earlier. Larry returned his smile.

“I admit I was a little later than usual, but you’re usually one of my first stops when I get here.” Larry scratched the back of his head and bowed his head. It seemed as if he was embarrassed to admit this. Ahkmenrah’s heart clenched. There were so many exhibits but he was one of the first stops? His schoolboy crush reared its head. He felt petals spill into his mouth and he swallowed them down. He had to turn to the side to hide the gagging motion he made. Good thing Larry was looking at the ground. Ahkmenrah could vaguely hear him talking but he couldn’t hear what he was saying, He was too concentrated on trying not to vomit petals everywhere.

“-feeling?” Larry said. Ahkmenrah tilted his head.

“What? Sorry, I missed that.” Ahkmenrah said . He couldn’t say why he really didn’t hear Larry.

“I only asked how you were feeling. You kind of worried me last night.” Larry admitted. He rubbed a hand through his hair. Ahkmenrah felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He didn’t want Larry to worry about him. While he didn’t know what was going on, he was sure he’d get over it. He wondered if there was any literature that would explain what was going on. He couldn’t necessarily ask Larry for books on diseases where you cough up flowers though. That would only make Larry worry more.

“Ah, I think I’m feeling better than last night. It must have just been a one time occurrence.” He lied. It was just a little white lie. One that he was sure would come back to bite him. However, that didn’t matter right now. He smiled at Larry, trying to erase any feeling of worry he felt. It must have worked because Larry’s smile widened.

“Thats what I want to hear! I’m glad you’re feeling better!” He clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a little shake. Ahkmenrah tried to not let it get to him. He could feel the roots spread deeper. He cleared his throat. Would it be rude to brush the hand away? Ahkmenrah smiled awkwardly. He simultaneously wanted to brush his hand away but also lean into it. He settled for simply patting Larry’s hand.

“Would you mind helping me out of here?” He asked every night, and every night Larry without hesitation extended his hand to him. And every night Larry gently pulled him up and out. Every night he’d collect his royal garments and lay them out for him.. It made Ahkmenrah’s heart soar. Although he was sure Larry was just being nice. There was no reason for Larry to have any other motives. He could feel the flower unfurl inside him and he choked it down.

Once he was out and dressed, the two of them made their way into the rest of the museum. His number one goal for the night was to talk to Sacagawea. Larry chatted aimlessly as they walked. Ahkmenrah liked to listen. It gave him insight into what the world was like outside. He yearned to see it. What a shame he was confined to the museum. Although there was that one night right when Larry took over. It had been such a wonderful experience. Albeit a little cold and it could have been for better reasons. It was one of his treasured memories.

It was also the first time he'd been outside of his sarcophagus since he’d been at Cambridge. Before Larry the previous guards wouldn’t dare let him out. He’d screamed his vocal cords raw and pleaded to be let out every night. He hated to admit it but he’d developed a fear of tight spaces since then. Luckily for him Larry let him out rather early in the night. Larry himself said that he was one of the first stops he made on his rounds throughout the museum. Even when he ran late it was better than spending the whole night locked in that box. The stone was simply too heavy to move by himself. Perhaps that was when he first started to fall for Larry. He wasn’t sure.

He looked to the side and saw Sacagawea talking with Teddy. He cleared his throat and Larry turned to him. Ahkmenrah gestured to the pair.

“As much as I’d love to join you on your rounds, I have something of import to ask Sacagawea.” He stated. A flash of something crossed Larry’s face. Ahkmenrah almost thought it was disappointment but he couldn’t tell.

“And I’m assuming you don’t want company?”

Ahkmenrah gave him a sad smile. He felt bad for not including Larry in this, but this illness or whatever it was, seemed to be correlated.

“You would be correct I’m afraid.”

“No worries. I’m sure you would tell me if I needed to know. I’ll catch you later then Ahk.” Ahkmenrah watched him walk away into the depths of the museum. When he decided he’d been watching for too long he turned towards Teddy and Sacagawea. He approached the pair and mulled over what exactly he was going to say to her. Teddy must have heard him approach because he turned and smiled in his direction.

“Ah Ahkmenrah, to what do we owe this pleasure?” He smiled so wide it looked like it hurt. Ahkemenrah fiddled with the edge of his robe. Anxiety bubbled up inside him, he just wanted to figure out what was wrong with him. Why did this have to be so hard? Royals shouldn’t feel like this. He cleared his throat once.

“Well if you don’t mind Theodore, I’d like to speak to Sacagawea alone please.” He always felt so young when he talked to the two of them. Even though he was technically thousands of years old.

“How many times have I told you to call me Teddy?”

“Ah, my apologies. Force of habit.”

“No worries my boy. I hope you’ll get all you need from my better half.” He winked at Ahkmenrah before he rode away on Texas. Sacagawea turned towards him and gave him a soft smile.
“What’s on your mind Ahkmenrah?” She said softly.

They started to walk through the museum. It was better this way, there was a lesser chance of people listening in. He took a deep breath, or at least as deep as he could. He was already winded just from the short walk with Larry and now Sacagawea. He paused before he blurted everything out.

“I didn’t know who else to ask. To be honest I’m not quite sure what is happening to me.” He rubbed the edge of his robe in between his fingers. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her. Sacagawea put a hand on his arm in an attempt to comfort him.

“It’s okay Ahkmenrah. Why don’t you tell me what's going on and we can go from there, okay?” She gave him a reassuring smile. He took another breath.

“It started the other day, I was walking with Larry as I usually do. When I was struck with a particularly violent bout of coughing. I didn’t think much of it until I coughed up this.” He opened his hand to reveal a blood stained blue petal. Sacagawea put a hand to her mouth and gasped in shock.

“Oh dear.” She murmured. With a careful eye she examined the petal. “And you coughed this up?” She asked while she turned the petal over in her hand. He nodded solemnly. After looking at it for a few minutes she looked up at him.
“I think I have an idea as to what this might be. It’s not something I’ve ever seen, but I do remember hearing about this from the healers.”

“Well what is it? Will it ever go away? Am I going to die?” He said hurriedly. He could feel his heart pound within him. Like it was going to jump out of his chest.

“I believe it’s something called Hanahaki disease. It’s caused by unrequited love. A flower takes root in your lungs and once it reaches a certain point, you cough up flowers. As it progresses you’ll find difficulty breathing, a persistent cough, and tightness in your chest. At the final stages you may cough up flowers in full bloom. As your feelings grow, so do the flowers. The flower that grows within you is a testament to your feelings. The one you’ve coughed up looks like the New York Aster.” Sacagawea spoke softly but it did nothing to quell the sense of dread that washed over him. He swallowed hard. His mouth was suddenly drier than the Sahara desert.

“What, um. What am I supposed to do?” He stammered out. Words suddenly seemed so hard to string together. He felt like he was suffocating. Every breath was a struggle. He wasn’t sure if it would be his last. He focused his gaze on the floor as they walked.

“Well, there's really only three options. First you could confess to whoever you have these feelings for. If they accept your confession, the flowers will go away. Second, I believe I could make a concoction that will kill the flower. However with this option you’d lose all feelings towards this person. The final option is to do nothing about it and choke to death on the flowers.” Sacagawea’s words got quieter towards the end.

The words washed over him like a tidal wave. He froze in place. So it was fatal. Fatal unless Larry accepted his confession. There was no way that would pan out though. He didn’t want to lose all he felt for Larry, so that option was out too. He covered his mouth with his hands.

“Those are the only options then?” His voice wavered as he spoke. He couldn’t bring his gaze up off the floor. Sacagawea gently put a hand on his shoulder.

“The easiest way to get rid of this is to just confess. I think I have a pretty good idea as to who this is regarding. I think it might go over better than you expect.” She said softly. Ahkmenrah looked at her with his eyes wide. How could she know? He swallowed hard. There was no way Larry would feel the same. There was no way it would even work out. He was only alive at night, it would be impossible to make a relationship work. He wanted it though, more than anything. He coughed as the petals bloomed inside him. The force of it made him stagger suddenly. Sacagawea reached out and held onto him. Petals spilled out of his mouth and landed on the floor. He gagged around the petals. Strings of bloody mucus hung from his mouth. Tears streamed down his face as he gasped for air. He couldn’t hold himself up any longer and he dropped to his knees. The marble flooring made his knees ache. The clumps of petals that littered the floor looked even bigger than last night. He wondered how advanced his condition was. How much time did he have before the flower would overtake his respiratory system? He wheezed as he tried to breathe. Every breath was a challenge. The flowers seemed never-ending. There was a small pile of flowers that laid on the floor in a puddle of growing blood. The sight of his blood on the floor made him feel dizzy. Coupled with the lack of air, his vision went black at the corners. He coughed and more petals came up.

“I’m getting help.” He heard Sacagawea say. He shook his head forcefully. He’d tell her otherwise if he could get words out. But they were stuck in his throat with the flower. He reached out and grabbed her dress to stop her from leaving. She pulled his hand off of her with ease.

“Please, don’t.” He managed to get the words out finally. His throat felt raw and he was light headed. The room threatened to spin. “Sacagawea, please don’t.” He begged her. His face was wet from tears and he could feel the blood drip down his chin. He felt so pathetic. He was a pharaoh and here he was all but lying on the floor, begging his friend to listen to him.

“Ahkmenrah, I have to. You’re not well. Your condition is much more advanced than I thought. I’m getting Larry. You need to tell him, trust me it’s not wise to wait any longer.” She began to walk away. He crawled after her.

“Please Sacagawea. I’m begging you.” He whined. She gave him a sad smile before she ran off. He hung his head in defeat. He coughed weakly and a spatter of blood appeared on the marble beneath him. His energy was sapped. He wondered if he could make it back to his wing of the museum. His limbs trembled as he tried to stand up. He managed to finally stand up and he leaned heavily against the wall. His world tilted dangerously as he stood there. He just had to make it to his sarcophagus and everything would be fine. He took a hesitant step and almost collapsed onto the floor. His body felt heavy, like his limbs were made of lead. He hugged the wall and inched his way back to the Egyptian wing. The world lurched and he put a hand to his head. His face screwed up as he tried to will away the nausea that overtook him. Bile filled his mouth and he resisted the urge to vomit. He swallowed it down and it almost came back up. It burned as it went down. He stopped and took a moment to rest. Just the small amount he moved had exhausted him.

Maybe Sacagawea was right to get help. He probably needed it. However that meant that Larry would come and he’d see him in this awful state. He slumped down against the wall. He just needed to rest for a little bit and get his energy back. His eyelids fluttered as he fought off the urge to close them. He leaned his head against the wall. The blackness seemed so much more comforting than the harsh fluorescent lighting of the museum. He had just closed his eyes when he heard someone call his name.

“Ahk! What happened?”

He opened his eyes to see Larry crouched on the floor in front of him. He blinked slowly, readjusting to the light.

“Larry Guardian of Brooklyn.” He said slowly. He saw a flash of a smile appear on Larry’s face. Although he looked more worried than anything. “I’m fine Larry. Really. I just need to take a moment before I go back to my exhibit. I swear.” He tried to smile, but judging by the look on Larry’s face it didn’t pan out. Larry sighed. One of his hands was on his shoulder, the other rested delicately against his face. Ahkmenrah found himself leaning into Larry’s hand.

“Sacagawea didn’t fully explain what was going on with you. Only that you needed help. What can I do?” Larry said softly. Ahkmenrah grit his teeth and swallowed the petals down.

“Nothing. There’s nothing you can do.” He said solemnly. He looked down and focused on the keys that hung from Larry’s belt.

“Oh come on Ahk. There must be something. You’re not telling me everything.” Larry’s thumb stroked his cheek and Ahkmenrah did everything to not shiver. The slight amount of contact had him ready to spill his guts. As much as he didn’t want to, he pulled away from Larry and shoved his hand off his shoulder.

“You can’t do anything. I’m a dead man walking.” He made a move to stand up and almost fell. Larry caught him before he fell. Ahkmenrah looked up at him through his lashes. Larry looked back at him, there was something in his eyes that he couldn’t quite get a hold on. Something warm and inviting. Something he wanted to see again. His heart lurched. He couldn’t hold back the flowers anymore. He turned in Larry’s arms and coughed a plethora of petals onto the floor. The flowers were basically in full bloom by now. Full grown Asters fell from his lips in plenty.

“Oh my god!” He heard Larry exclaim. His hands held on tightly to him, supporting him. “Ahk! What’s going on?” His voice wavered heavily.

If Ahkmenrah could talk he’d explain everything. He understood now that’s what he had to do. If he was rejected he’d choose to die from this disease. The roots pulsed inside him and more flowers fell. He choked and gasped for air around the flowers. How could it have progressed this much in such a short amount of time? The beautiful blue petals were all but drenched in blood. He watched in horror as blood spattered onto Larry’s clothing and shoes. He tried to hold back the tears that forced their way out of his eyes. They rolled down his face with a speed he hadn’t noticed before. He coughed and coughed and coughed. The petals were truly never ending. Larry babbled relentlessly, trying his best to soothe him. He could barely hear the words he was saying. He continued to hold onto him though. Ahkmenrah could feel the warmth from Larry’s hands. He choked out a sob. With it came even more flowers. How long had he been coughing? Time seemed to pass differently during these spells. Maybe this would be the last one. Fated to choke to death on flowers. There was something almost beautiful about it. He could feel himself grow weaker. Larry was fully supporting him. As he breathed it sounded crackly. Like a paper bag was being crushed in his lungs.

“Ahk! Ahkmenrah?” Larry said, alarmed at his state. Ahkmenrah was slumped over in Larry’s arms. Blood trickled down from his mouth. He coughed weakly and couldn’t stop the petals. Maybe this was it for him. Death by flowers, how morosely beautiful.

Finally the flowers stayed inside him. He could finally catch his breath. Larry was still held onto him. He had moved the two of them down to the floor. Ahkmenrah was all but draped over him.

“Larry, I’m sorry for all this. It wasn’t my intention for you to find out like this.” He said weakly. There wasn’t much more he could do. He was sure he looked a mess, with blood all over his face and barely being able to take a breath. Strands of his hair had fallen into his face. Larry gently pushed them away. His thumb brushed a stray tear that had fallen.

“You don’t have to apologize, Ahk.” Larry said softly.

His gentleness only made more tears fall. Ahkmenrah struggled to keep his emotions in check. He was at war with himself. Should he confess his feelings to Larry and possibly face rejection? Or should he just let the disease take him. A shiver ran through him. Larry continued to hold him. Another cough struck him and more flowers fell from his lips. He was almost at the point of no return. He didn’t want to die. It seemed to be a waste. He had a magical tablet that essentially raised him from the dead every night. Why would he squander that? He cleared his throat.

“Larry, I’m afraid I haven’t been entirely honest with you.” He couldn’t bring himself to look at Larry.

“Ahk, I-” Larry started but Ahkmenrah cut him off.

“Please let me finish. This disease, it’s caused by having unrequited feelings for someone,” His voice wavered as he continued, “And that someone is you.” Ahkmenrah held his breath. He said it. The flowers stilled inside him, waiting for what would come next. He pushed on.

“ I know you probably don’t feel the same. I mean I’m an exhibit in a museum that only comes to life at night and you’re a person that has a life outside of here. But, I want more than just being friends with you. I love you Larry Daley.” Ahkmenrah felt fresh tears roll down his face. Larry was quick to wipe them away. This was it, Larry was going to reject him and he would be fated to suffocate on the flower growing inside him. He felt a sob build inside him.

Larry chuckled beneath him and he was taken aback. Anger welled up inside him. He had just bared his soul to Larry and he was laughing? Hot, angry tears rolled down his face. The flower spread deeper into his lungs. He could feel his air supply dwindle.

“Is this a joke to you?” He choked out. The tears continued to fall. Again, Larry wiped them away with a surprising gentleness. Ahkmenrah turned his head away from Larry. He couldn’t bear to look at him now. He’d just revealed this secret he’d been hiding and now Larry was laughing at him? His chest ached as the flower rooted deeper. The urge to cough rose and he tried to quell it. Larry gently grabbed his face and turned it toward him. His thumb kept wiping the tears away as the tears fell.

“No, of course not. Although it’s a little funny that you thought I wasn’t interested in you like that. I’ve been trying to put the moves on you for a while now. I thought I was being pretty obvious, but I guess social cues might have changed a little since Ancient Egypt. I was wondering when you were going to catch on. It seems like I should have been more straightforward.” Larry smiled slowly at him.

Ahkmenrah’s eyes went wide. Was Larry telling the truth? The blush on his face seemed to be a sign that he was being honest. His cheeks grew warm while they stared at each other.

“I apologize for not catching on sooner. I feel bad I developed this deadly disease all because I was too deep in my own feelings to not realize what was right in front of me.” Tears welled up in his eyes and he let them fall. He sniffled. Gods, this was embarrassing. Larry chuckled softly.

“What a bunch of idiots we are. Can’t even have a proper crush. One of us has to end up almost dying for us to realize it was reciprocated.” Larry said.

That caused Ahkmenrah to laugh. It was thick with unshed tears. He took a breath and realized it didn’t hurt anymore. For the first time in forever his airways felt clear. They weren’t clogged with roots and petals. The crackling sound went away. He sat up off of Larry excitedly.

“Oh my gods, it’s gone! Thank the gods!” He wrapped his arms around Larry and gave him a bone-crushing hug. He buried his face in the crook of Larry’s neck. Larry returned the hug and rubbed his back comfortingly.

“Oh Larry Daley. I was so scared. Thank you for saving me. How can I ever repay you?” He pulled back and stared at Larry with more tears in his eyes.

“ Like this.” Larry said as he leaned in and pressed their lips together. At first Ahkmenrah didn’t know what to do. He had never been kissed before, this was entirely new territory. Good thing it was happening when he was thousands of years old. Larry’s lips were soft and he could taste the chapstick he wore. He hesitantly kissed back. Larry kissed him with a sense of urgency. Almost like he was starving. Like this was the only kiss they would ever share. He silently hoped there would be more. He quite liked this. A gasp left his lips as Larry gently bit down on his lips. It felt so good, so natural, so real. He never wanted it to end. Unfortunately he felt Larry pull away. He almost chased after him. His cheeks heated up as he smiled at Larry. A sense of euphoria washed over him, were all kisses supposed to make you feel like this?

“Was I an okay kisser? It was my first time. I hope it was an enjoyable experience.” He looked down suddenly embarrassed by the words he spoke.

“It was more than enjoyable, Ahk.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “And for what it’s worth, I love you too. I know it might not be easy but we’ll figure it out. I want this to work.” Larry grabbed his hand and interlaced their fingers. Their hands fit together perfectly. Ahkmenrah smiled softly at their conjoined hands. Even though he had almost died, it had been worth it. He hoped it would all work out in the end. It had to.