Minute Details

Disclaimer: I don't own Layton Brothers: Mystery Room (sadly).

Alfendi glared at the cold contents of a chipped mug. His fingers impatiently drummed the desk, and his eyes darted back and forth from the calendar to the phone. From the phone to the door. From the door to the clutter of newspapers that seemed to engulf the Mystery Room.

Normally, Alfendi would've been fine sitting in the room with nothing to do. He would pull out old cases that he had pored over with a fine-comb for the hundredth time, or he would read yellowing newspapers that had been dug up from the bottom of the drawers (he honestly wasn't sure if he had reached the bottom).

And then Lucy Baker, with her thick cockney accent and huge vat of optimism, appeared out of thin air.

And then Case 9 happened.

Four years ago, when Alfendi had woken up in the recovery room with several IV's stuck in him and a chest wound that would never quite properly heal again (and the fact that he had murdered a man…), he had thought that that was his turning point. He vaguely remembered skimming through an article in the newspaper that day while he listened to the drone of the machines and the steady beeping of the heart monitor.

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."

It was by a Russian author, and frankly, Alfendi had paid hardly any attention to it.

After all, he had thought, I am changing the world. Why would I need to change myself?

Now he could only sit there, spinning in his swiveling chair as he bitterly laughed at the cruel irony. The dizzying effect of the revolving chair numbed the pain Alfendi felt when he finally accepted the truth.

So this is the real me. I am the real Alfendi Layton.

Oh, and it hurt.

It hurt more than the bullet that buried into his chest, mere inches away from his beating heart four long, long years ago.

The whispering, the accusing glances, the fear.

Her fear.

When the "other" him began appearing more often than usual, he could practically taste the tension in the rooms when he walked into them. Of course, everyone treated him with cordiality, but the forced politeness was easy for Alfendi Layton to detect. After all, he was a master with minute details.

When the "other" him first appeared in front of Lucy Baker, he could practically taste his own self-loathing as threatening words slipped out of his mouth and stunned his assistant into silence. Alfendi wished he could take back what he said, to rewind and apologize for his sudden slip, but he couldn't. He was Alfendi Layton, and Alfendi Layton never took back what he said.

And so he hated himself for that. He hated the real Alfendi Layton and his accursed ego.

But Lucy Baker was different. While his real temperament seemed to discourage most people, (how Hilda had managed to retain a relationship with him while he was normal was beyond his understanding), Lucy seemed to be drawn to it.

Like an innocent moth to a roaring inferno.

Alfendi could barely contain his disbelief as Lucy confidently held herself tall during his "Potty Prof" moments. Yes, there was fear at first. Yes, there was surprise at first. But as time passed, she seemed to start understanding him. The real him.

Sometimes, the real Alfendi would appear for hours. And yet, Lucy was always there. He would be sitting at the desk, snarling curses at the simplicity of certain minds, and she would quietly set a mug of steaming tea beside him and observe him from the side of the room as he continued to rant. He felt grudging respect for her when he (proudly) watched her deduce a crime by herself with only her determination and intellect. And when she discovered the true culprit of a crime… with her eyes ablaze with passion, and finger held resolutely at the criminal, and her voice loud and clear… Alfendi felt so close to her. They were so similar. They were so different. She was bold, he had to admit. While most of his depraving threats could make just about everyone cringe, Lucy would simply roll her eyes, grin wryly, and say (with her thick cockney accent that Alfendi found slightly irresistible), "Steady on, Prof."

Her fear was subsiding, and Alfendi knew he was almost there.

And then Case 9 happened.

The horrible, torturous pain was back when he heard the tremble in her voice as he sat there in the chair while holding the godforsaken pistol in his hands.

The "other" side of him easily came out, desperate to prove his own innocence to everyone… and to Lucy Baker, the only human who had accepted him for who he was and not what he could do.

Of course, his despair grew as he watched Lucy literally shrink as the real him shouted abuse and displayed more-violent-than-usual thoughts.

Alfendi finally gave up. He gave up on Lucy. He gave up on himself. What was the point of proving something that was improvable? There was no evidence, no contradictions, nothing. Alfendi was done. The real him fought hard, but this time, Alfendi knew it was over. The burden on his shoulders would finally be lifted and he would finally confess his crime.

"The person who shot Keelan Makepeace dead was me, Alfendi Layton."

It was finally over. He would be a murderer for the rest of his life, but that didn't matter. He could go back to the Mystery Room and hopefully Lucy would quit her job. After all, he, Alfendi Layton, was a true hypocrite.

Everything would be normal again and yet… The agony seared through his body as he finally understood just how harsh fate could be.

Lucy… You will be my greatest regret.

In the end, it was Hilda all over again. The anguish in Lucy's eyes mirrored Hilda's hurt four years ago. It was like tearing open an old wound and rubbing salt into it.

It was like Justin.

It was like Florence.

It was like his father…

But unsurprisingly, Lucy hurt him the most. After all, he had given both of his hearts to her, and she had cracked them both.

Alfendi wasn't angry, no, he could never be mad at Lucy. But the disappointment was worse than he'd expected.

We were going to make a great team, Lucy, but I understand. I understand what you must do.

As he had walked down the hall towards the entrance, Alfendi felt nothing. It was all going to be over soon with just a few more steps.

And just as Justin was pulling out the pair of handcuffs, just as Hilda glanced away with tears in her eyes, just as the real Alfendi was about to sink into a dark void…

"I'm going to blow this case wide open and expose the mastermind behind it all!"

Light seemed to break through the obscurity and suddenly everything was clear. He was back. Alfendi Layton was back! He could feel the rush of adrenaline, the quickening of his pulse, the fear of the true criminal.

Alfendi opened his eyes and truly saw Lucy Baker for the first time, just as she truly saw him when "Potty Prof" first appeared.

No, he was wrong. It was never blind faith from Lucy's part. The trust she had in him was of her own accord, and he could see it in her eyes.

Alfendi Layton had never felt so blind his entire life.

Alfendi Layton had never felt so guilty his entire life.

I betrayed her.

And he was going to make sure that Lucy would never have to suffer again because of his flaws.

Alfendi saw her visibly brighten up as he finally decided that the battle would be worth it.

She believes in me. Despite all of my flaws, all of my mis-

"OI! PROF! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WOT AYE JUS' FOUND!"

Alfendi toppled over in his spinning chair as the door banged open.

When the flutter of newspapers had finally settled down, Lucy cautiously stepped into the room and peered down at Alfendi, who was still lying face-down in the sea of newspapers, case files, and whatnot.

"Ee, Prof! You havt' drowned in all this madness, have you? Really. You oughta take care of yourself better than this! Look at this here mess; I havt' been 'ere for three days an' this is wot happens? You can't always go off an' chase them criminals. Cripes, Prof, you should know bet'er than this…"

He could hear her going about the room, scooping up random armfuls of papers and putting them into various scattered boxes.

Lucy Baker had been gone for a total of three days, and it had driven him crazy.

"Should aye git you another cuppa, Prof? Your brew's gone all col'."

"You."

Alfendi's snarl was muffled by his current position.

"Eh? Wot's wrong Prof?"

He struggled to raise himself up and glared at her.

"Ee-up, welcome back, Potty Prof."

Her tone was teasing, light and warm as she regarded him.

"I'm going to cut off both your arms, Baker. They're useless anyway, since you don't use them to knock before you come in! Ah-choo!"

Lucy simply smirked at him.

"Aye'd like to see you try, Prof. You've got a mighty fine fever blowin' in!"

He felt her warm arms envelop him as she struggled to hoist him to the couch.

"Jus' how d'you manage t' gain weight when you don' eat anythin'? Aye swear aye'm going t' solve tha' case sometime."

With a final grunt and heave, Lucy managed to place Alfendi on the couch.

Alfendi could already feel himself fading away.

Now or never, Al.

"Aye'm going t' grab a nice, fresh cuppa for you, okay?"

He could feel the weight of the couch lessen as she stood up slowly.

Now or never.

"Lucy," he rasped.

"Eh?"

"Come here for a moment."

He heard the crackling of the newspapers as she walked over by his side.

"There's a secret case I need to tell you about; bend down closer, won't you?"

He smelled her sweet-scented hair as she bent down, nearer and nearer.

Placid Prof or Potty Prof, to her, made no difference whatsoever.

I've chosen you to be my assistant, Lucy Baker.

"Closer," he whispered. Sleep was overwhelming him.

And suddenly, Lucy was there. His golden eyes snapped open, just in time to see hers widen in surprise as he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheeks.

She quickly drew back, quite shocked at her mentor's sudden actions.

"It mus' be t' fever talkin'…" she muttered to herself as she quietly exited the room.

But Alfendi Layton, who was not quite asleep yet, heard the tremor in her voice.

And he concluded that there was a 98.5% chance that Lucy Baker might like him back.

After all, he was a master with minute details.

Thanks for reading my first ever FanFiction story!

I'm really, really sorry if Lucy and Alfendi seem out of character, but I'll definitely try to do a better job next time.