Yes, I remain to be obsessed with the Professor Layton series, and this little plot bunny has been gnawing at my brain since I finished the game. So, of course, I wrote it, and maybe now the Eleven Eleven plot bunny will let me sleep.
Anyway, I shan't keep you waiting. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Professor Layton games nor any of the characters. However, I'd be simply thrilled if the events in this story occurred in a future game.
Eleven Eleven
It had been about ten months since Luke Triton and his parents had travelled overseas, and left London behind. No matter how many friends Luke made, none of them compared to Professor Layton and Flora Reinhold, and no matter how settled in he became, London always remained his home. He had made some friends, but he'd still give anything to return home and see the professor again. He wanted to do that more than anything. He could still send letters to the few friends he had made. He was sure he would be happier back at home again.
It was a Saturday morning, and Luke was sitting in his room with his book of puzzles. The book, and the puzzles it held, always brought back memories of his adventures back in London. He'd smile to himself, and then he'd frown at the thought of him not going home and not solving any more mysteries with the professor. He let out a small sigh, looking at the digital clock that sat on his bedside table. It was 11:11.
Luke remembered what one of the girls in his class had told him a few months ago. Apparently, if you made a wish at exactly 11:11, whether it would be in the morning or in the night, it would come true. Luke didn't really believe it but he figured that if it did turn out to be a silly little myth, no one would ever know. So, staring at the clock he whispered, "I wish I moved back to London."
After a week of nothing happening, Luke dismissed the belief as a simple myth, but he couldn't help feel a sinking disappointment. He wasn't moving back to London.
It was just under two weeks later that it all changed.
OoO
"Luke!"
It was his mother that called the boys name. Said boy was flipping though an old photo album of Flora, the professor, and Luke himself. How he missed his friends and his home.
"Coming mother," he called, closing the album and placing it on his bed, and walking downstairs. His parents were sitting on one of the two couches, looking rather serious. Frowning, Luke took a seat on the other couch.
"Luke…" his mother began slowly. "I know that you've made a lot of friends here…And I know this will be hard for you…but your father is…well…he's transferring back to London."
Luke stared at his mother as if she had two heads. "W-We're moving back?"
The woman nodded, looking as if she expected Luke to be upset or furious. "I know we've only stayed a short time, but…"
"That's great!" Luke was beaming from ear to ear. "We're going home!"
His mother blinked, and then smiled. "I'm glad you've taken it so well. We have two months left here, and then we're moving back."
Luke practically skipped to his room, though he was well aware that it wasn't a very gentleman-like thing to do.
OoO
The two months that followed couldn't have gone fast enough. He told his friends that he was moving back, and they did seem disappointed, but he knew that he didn't really have a true friendship with them that he had with the professor. Give them a few months after he left and they would be right back to their normal routines like they were before Luke had moved there. They all gave him their addresses, so that they could keep in contact, and made him promise to write them plenty of letters, and to come to visit, just once in a while.
Luke chose not to tell the professor that he was returning in any of the various letters that they continued to send over the two months. From the letters, he knew that the professor and Flora still lived in the same place that they had almost a year ago, and he thought it would be a pleasant surprise for him to turn up on their doorstep. He couldn't wait to see the professor's face.
Two months later, the house was empty, and they were at the dock, waiting to board the boat, just like they had a year ago. But this time, there was no true friend to see him off, and no un-gentlemanlike tears shed from Luke. He was going back to London. He was going home.
OoO
Luke wanted to go see the professor right away, as soon as he arrived at their new house, which was, in fact, even closer to the professor's home than his older house had been. But his parents wouldn't hear of it, as it was much too late. So, it was at about nine the next morning that he was dressed and heading out the door.
He could walk to the professor's house easily now. It was hardly a five minute walk. He saw the large house, and a smile grew over his face. This house alone was more like home than every house that he had ever lived in. He ran along the drive way, up the steps, and rang the doorbell. The professor's face when he opened it was priceless.
"…Luke?" said the professor, almost as if he didn't believe what he was seeing. Upon hearing Luke's name, Flora ran to the door, appearing behind the professor.
"Luke?" she said, as the professor had done, and then smiled larger than she had in a long while. "Luke!" She leapt past the professor to embrace Luke in a big hug, but the force and unexpectedness of the hug was enough to knock them both down so that Luke was on his back on the doorstep with Flora on top of him.
"Now Flora," said the professor with a chuckle. "That was very un-ladylike." The girl looked over her shoulder; her rosy cheeks a darker shade of red. She laughed nervously and said, "Sorry professor," as she climbed off of Luke, whose cheeks were also darker than usual when he stood up.
"Luke, my boy," said the professor. "What are you doing here?"
"My dad transferred back!" said Luke cheerfully. "I'm home!"
Flora let out a squeal of delight, jumping up and down in pure joy and excitement. Even the professor let a smile come across his face. Inside, he felt like squealing and jumping up and down in excitement. But a gentleman never makes a scene.
To his surprise, before he could give Luke a lecture on being a gentleman, the young boy had wrapped his arms around him and embraced the professor in a hug. And the professor returned it, a hug like that of father and son.
"I've missed you, professor."
"I've missed you too, my boy. I've missed you too."
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