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Lancelot wasn't…liked in the museum at first. Now that the tablet was at the British museum, of course all the exhibits had come to life. That first night wasn't the best first impression for Lancelot, and so it had taken a fair few…months for any of the exhibits to trust him, or at least to realise the internal crisis he was having at discovering the fact he was wax and well, not much more than that.
The main reason he was tolerated actually, was because he could handle all the animal exhibits. Maybe being a wax figure based off of a medieval fairytale character was an advantage to handling big undead animals who were really just massive puppies.
Trixie.
He's talking about Trixie. More generally, all the dinosaur exhibits. He supposes, because no one was historically alive when the dinosaurs were, people could only assume how they acted.
No one really guessed they were all massive fucking golden retriever puppies who didn't know their own size and love to play. Also they never mature, they’re just over hyper puppies no matter the age.
Anyways, Lancelot quickly became known as the dinosaur wrangler, and despite the fact that tilly was not keen on him after Larry's retelling of the events of that night, she was obligated to at least try and entrust him with keeping the dinosaurs havoc to a minimal while she learned how to take care of the other exhibits. And until she was used to them, that was what Lancelot was.
A dinosaur wrangler.
Tucked away in the far side of the museum.
Alone.
With a bunch of cuddly and playful bones.
Yeah, maybe he deserved it. And maybe it was good for him! He got time to think about his own existence and actions. Of course, no one liked him, especially not that hopping frog, god forbid, he apologized too many times to count, and also, because of that…stubbornly handsome Egyptian fellow.
Thanks to him, everyone knew to keep their distance, or at least with their stories, they all made the decision to stay away from him.
He didn't care.
Honourable knight of the round table and soldier of king Arthur did not need the company of those feeble exhibits! He had Trixie! He had the dinosaurs.
He was just fine.
Probably.
—
On the contrary! Akhmanrah had made quick friends within the British museum exhibits, he told stories about his times in Cambridge, and in the American museum of natural history too, he talked about his friends, their adventures and escapades, and of course he was with his parents again, he could have been happier. He was popular, and beloved by all the exhibits. He was just…likable!
He's become very close with the once aggressive Xianglu demon things, and now it hissed warmly whenever he walked through its exhibit, and every once and a while, it would actually nudge the defibrillator off the wall simply as it enjoyed the shocking sensation. Tilly had discovered this when she walked past the exhibit to see multiple hissing heads smiling at her, and in a state of panic she grabbed it and held it up threateningly to try to walk though. Little did she know that the creature had grown to like the defibrillator….
That was the night the British museum discovered their brand new ‘boss’ was not keen on snakes…
Akhmanrah had also become very friendly with the miniatures in the Pompeii city, call it sad but they reminded him of Octavius in the roman diorama, so when he discovered they ran from the fake volcano every night, he opted into asking tilly for it to be turned off, apparently it was a mechanical thing done for day time visitors, thanks to that he quickly won the favour of the miniatures, and Caesar too; He asked Tilly to remove his glass casing at night.
Though, there was some nights, he’d escape from the exited crowding of the other exhibits, into a secret, quiet area of the museum; the stair well, where no one went, and where he could sit and watch the night, his tablet pressed against the window bathing in moonlight, while he had time to just think. Think. Think about his family. Not his parents, but his new family, back in America.
Larry with his awkward chucking and stuttering, but nonetheless all his advice and knowledge was golden. Teddy and Sacajawea, with their interesting facts of America, and their travels, Attila with his insightful knowledge on ‘totally real’ magic, he loved having conversations with Akh in Hun, and of course Jed and Octavius running around or more driving around in their little remote control car, spinning and making little tire marks on the museum's marble floors that Larry would yell at them for, oh and not to forget Rexy. She was so sweet, of course chaotic, and Akh couldn't forget the sheer amount of times he was accidentally thrown against a wall or some stairs because she'd forgotten to be mindful of where her tail was wagging. She was absolutely adorable, and of course Larry quickly learned how to handle her, but when he was too busy too, she would happily cuddle up to Akh or play with him. She'd actually sometimes stick her head through the Egyptian wings' small doorway to taunt or play with the Anubis guards, or just wait for Akh to stop unwrapping his bandages in the early night so they could play. Because of this actually, he'd formed a small bond with the little triceratops of the British museum, another guilty pleasure that reminded him of home, but whenever he ran into any of the dinosaurs, he'd always take a second to play them or scratch their rib bones just right
He felt guilty, he was so happy here being with his parents, and the exhibits gave up their lives in a way so he could be happy with them, so why did miss America? He missed them all, and in some way, the night made him think of them. It was when they lived.
Really lived.
…
He sighed, stepping back from the window and picking up the tablet leant against the glass; it was about time he went back to his parents, before they wondered where he'd gone.
—
It was like every other night. Lonely, full of dinosaur cuddles and playing…and longing. For some kind of relationship with any exhibit other than the dinosaurs. He knows he's reaping the consequences of his own actions, it's his fault, he deserves this, this isolation. If it wasn't for him then half the exhibits would have almost died. He bites his lip at the memory and Trixie nudges against his chest to try to play with him, upset because he's clearly upset too.
He stood watching all the dinosaurs play with his wrist resting on the hilt of his sword when Trixie's head bolted up and she froze. This immediately caught Lancelot's attention, but before he could call out to her, she bolted down the corridor, clearly having caught the scent of something, and wanting to catch it.
The last time this happened she almost crushed some of the Pompeii miniatures and he’d been lectured for hours by tilly, not to mention the back lash from the rest of the museum; failing his one job.
Without a second thought, or any thought really, he left the rest of the dinosaurs to continue their harmless wrestling and napping as they were never as much trouble as Trixie; she was the most chaotic by far.
Lancelot bound down the corridor behind Trixie, yelling out her name hopelessly while she crashed into walls and, if she had a tongue, it would be dangling out slobbering everywhere while she ran. His armour clanked as he tried to catch up with the dinosaur desperately. His mind was running faster than he was, what would the museum thing, what would tilly think? Would he get that disappointed look from everyone as they gathered round to watch him be scolded again in the main hall. Disapproving glares from everyone, everyone who he'd once had the dumb of hoping to be friends with. Then there was him. The disappointment in Akhmanrah's eyes. He let everyone stay alive, he kept them alive with his magic, as a gift, and Lancelot was selfish enough to not take care of that gift, to not be grateful enough and fulfil his position, his only job.
As he span around a corner, he heard shouting and crashing, her ran forward only to see-
Trixie. Stood still, but her tail wagging wildly, thumping into the walls on either side of the hall. For a moment he calmed down, until from between the gaps in her bones he saw someone pinned beneath her foot being nuzzled against their will. His heart fell as he ran forward gripping the dinosaurs third hall and yanking at it hopelessly
“Trixie stop it no- no- bad Trixie” he remanded, till a familiar soft and caramel smooth voice sounded from beneath him
“No no, it's quite alright Lancelot, I do not mind…please do not scold her, she is only playing!” he chuckles softly and Lancelot's face drained of all its colour, then turned a deep red.
Trixie had pinned down Akhmanrah, and was nuzzling at him while he laughed and patted her.
Lancelot was dead.
Well yeah- of course he was dead- but no- he meant- dead dead. Tilly was going to kill him. And if she didn't, then it would be the museum's disapproving glare. And if it wasn't them, then it would be this slithery Egyptian man's cursed laugh. So soft and smooth, too kind and forgiving.
Lancelot didn't deserve to hear it.
Oh! And not to mention the fact that Trixie's nuzzling had caused his golden ribbony clothes to slide off his tanned musculature, and show off his toned torso, and throw off his crown, rolling it somewhere across the floor. This sight wasn't fair, and it wasn't doing Lancelot any good.
He was momentarily frozen once the sigh before him as he finally processed it, but when he did, he yanked Trixie's head off of Akhmanrah and harshly hit her nose with the hilt of his sword in a punishing way before walking across the floor, picking up the pharaoh's crown and apologizing “ I’m so sorry sir Akhmanrah, she ran off before i could jump on her and I couldn't run as fast as her, please forgive my insolence I did not mean for her to cause you any distress or discomfort- it wont happen again, i swear on the lord-”
“Lancelot, really it's fine!” the Egyptian prince insisted gently petting the bridge of Trixie's nose where he had hit her. “She was only playing, probably caught the scent of me and got excited. You're a good Dino aren't you really- that's right- good girl…” akh cooed at the triceratops bones as he scratched beneath her chin and her leg thumped on the ground happily. Lancelot was simply stunned holding the king's crown dumbly while watching the scene in front of him, with a shamelessly red face.
There was a small silence between the two before he coughed, cleaning his throat, and stepping forward towards the pharaoh, “here…” he muttered and the pharaoh turned round with an innocently gentle smile
“Thankyou sir Lancelot-”
“ALRIGHT. TRIXIE COME ON." Lancelot yelled all too loudly before grabbing the triceratops’s horn and dragging her back the way they came.
Hearing akh say, ‘sir Lancelot’ was too much for the knight to hear, and it's safe to say he wanted to avoid any kind of confrontation with the pharaoh when his face was as red as it was now.
He muttered curses and reprimands to the triceratops as they walked back to the room where the rest of the dinosaurs had all settled down for a group nap pile, to Lancelot's displeasure.
That meant he had to sit in silence with this new- thought until dawn.
Akhmanrah.
Fuck, he was screwed. He wasn't liked by anyone, let alone the most popular and well liked exhibit. He wanted to just melt all over again - but fully this time.
Meanwhile, as Akh had watched the blonde night retreat back to the Dino room with Trixie, a new thought bloomed, not in his mind, but in his heart.
A pleasant one.
At least for him.
Akhmanrah had found a new joy; tormenting the one highly disliked blonde night. Well, he was still disliked, but now Akmanrah at least found a sadistic joy in himself. He was rather cute when he was red, and akh would like to see it again…
That was his new objective for the next night, right now, he hummed softly as he walked back to the Egyptian exhibit with this new found joy.
Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't miss his exhibit family just as much, if he could make a new one here, starting with the pretty blonde knight who'd once tried to steal his tablet out of fear and misunderstanding.
What an odd thought.
But a pleasant idea too.
(and thus began a series of events where Trixie tries to get her dumbass parents to get together by forcing them together until they get the fucking hint)