storypaint (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
storypaint) wrote2009-04-08 01:48 pm
storypaint) wrote2009-04-08 01:48 pm
Entry tags:
Facing Yourself (Layton gen)
Title: Facing Yourself
Length: 1073 words
Prompt: Professor Layton (Anon) Fan Meme: Layton meeting his younger self
Pairing: Layton gen
Other: time-travel hijinks
Excerpt: "I miss my hat," little Layton said solemnly to him.
The little knock at the door would have gone unnoticed had Layton not been standing there putting on his coat to go out. As it were, he hadn't been expecting visitors, and he was surprised. Perhaps it was an old friend come to visit, or a student wanting to ask a question.
He put his hat on and then opened the door. At first, he didn't see anyone, and then someone coughed demurely.
He looked down into an oddly familiar face-- a little brown-haired boy, maybe twelve, with another little child clinging to his hand and staring up at him.
Layton blinked.
"I miss my hat," little Layton said solemnly to him.
With a swift glance around to see if anyone was in the street at this early hour, Layton pulled the two children into his house and shut the door.
*
"Professor, I thought we were getting ready to--"
Luke stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, his mouth falling open. He gazed at the smaller child, who had been persuaded to sit down at the table and drink a cup of milk, and then at the other boy.
He looked from the professor to the boy, and then back again.
"Do you have a son?" he asked, voice cracking. "And WHO is that? He looks like me!"
"I'm trying--"
"We're trying to figure that out, Luke," young Layton said flippantly, staring up at him challengingly.
"That isn't very gentlemanly of you, boy" Luke mumbled, and Professor Layton gave him a longsuffering look.
"That's me," Layton said.
*
"So you're from the future? How is that even possible?"
Little Layton (begrudgingly known as Hershel) leaned back in the chair and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingertips. Layton's spare hat fell down over his eyes and he set it right with an angry movement. The professor had never seen... er, been... this frustrated.
"Someone built a time machine. But then someone else stole it and has been mucking around in our timeline, trying to mess things up. They turned me twelve again, and I don't even know how, and then somehow I ended up with this Luke as well. I didn't even know what time period I'd gone to until I showed up on my doorstep. What year is this?"
The professor volunteered the information.
"Okay, so I'm actually not that far into the past. But I certainly can't go home like this."
"And you have to put me back in the right time," Luke insisted. His younger self had given up on the milk in order to stare at him, very quietly. Luke was having certain painful flashbacks of his youth and hoping that "he" wouldn't throw a tantrum out of boredom or missing his mom. That would be embarrassing.
"Of course," Hershel and Layton both said at the same time. Luke had to giggle, even though he'd never seen his mentor in this state of disarray.
He wondered if young Layton had any schoolfriends. But then, this wasn't young Layton, really. It was older Layton, de-aged. Keeping it all straight was giving him a headache.
"So... who did this?" Luke asked curiously. (He could ask his professor about his childhood later, when his younger self wasn't kicking him under the table.)
"Apparently, his name is Don Paolo," Hershel said, sighing. Layton and Luke considered thoughtfully for a long moment.
"Who's that?" Layton asked finally.
Hershel shrugged.
*
When the fireworks started, little Luke clung tightly to apprentice Luke's hand. Luke looked down at the little boy and bit his lip, unsure of how to comfort him. This was just... weird.
When the smoke cleared and the other professor stood there, finally, in clothing much too small for the full-sized man, he wasn't that much different. Just a few more lines on his face. He wouldn't tell the professor how far in the future he was from, but it couldn't have been far.
Luke hid a grin at the incongruity of the other's dress and Layton handed his older self a new set of clothing. For the first time, they saw that Layton smile. He ran a hand through his hair and settled his hat back onto it, and this time it didn't slip over his eyes.
"You can change in there," Layton said, pointing, and his other self went into the bathroom.
"Am I going home soon?" Little Luke asked the satisfied silence, but before anyone could answer a wail split the air.
"DON'T WANNA DONTWANNA DONTWANNA!"
"What?" Layton and Luke said, looking around for the source of the noise, but it didn't become apparent until the older Layton emerged from the bathroom, hand very firm on a small boy's arm. The boy had an oversized nose and an air of malevolence. He couldn't have been more than three or four. Little Luke hid behind his other self's leg.
"Who is this?"
"He was hiding behind the shower curtain," the older Layton explained grimly. "I thought Paolo had escaped the time-fixing event, but I wonder..."
"DONWANNA!" the obnoxious child howled.
"What are we going to do with him, Professor?" Luke asked helplessly.
"We'll just turn the device back on, I suppose," Layton replied, worry marring his features. "But maybe we should send our counterparts home first, hmm?"
"Good thought," the other Layton agreed. Before Luke could protest, the older Layton took little Luke's hand and traded him the crying Paolo, who proceeded to rub snot on Luke's sleeve.
"I think I've got the hang of this," the other Layton said, fiddling with the pocketwatch contraption. "I'll take Luke home, go home myself, and then send it back."
"Best of luck," Layton said to himself, and the other Layton smiled, and then hesitated.
"Don't let him go," he said firmly, clapping his other self on the shoulder.
"What?"
"You'll understand what I mean," he replied. His eyes skipped over Luke without much of a blink, and he adjusted his hat and then clicked the watch button. In a second, he was gone, but the sudden disappearance made Don Paolo start crying again.
"I hope that watch comes back quickly," Luke mumbled. Layton handed him a handkerchief and said, "Why don't you boys play outside?"
"Sure," Luke mumbled, dragging the whiny toddler outdoors, and as the little boy sat down in the grass and excavated his nose with the joy of the young, he watched the sun set on what was probably the strangest day he'd ever had.
Length: 1073 words
Prompt: Professor Layton (Anon) Fan Meme: Layton meeting his younger self
Pairing: Layton gen
Other: time-travel hijinks
Excerpt: "I miss my hat," little Layton said solemnly to him.
The little knock at the door would have gone unnoticed had Layton not been standing there putting on his coat to go out. As it were, he hadn't been expecting visitors, and he was surprised. Perhaps it was an old friend come to visit, or a student wanting to ask a question.
He put his hat on and then opened the door. At first, he didn't see anyone, and then someone coughed demurely.
He looked down into an oddly familiar face-- a little brown-haired boy, maybe twelve, with another little child clinging to his hand and staring up at him.
Layton blinked.
"I miss my hat," little Layton said solemnly to him.
With a swift glance around to see if anyone was in the street at this early hour, Layton pulled the two children into his house and shut the door.
*
"Professor, I thought we were getting ready to--"
Luke stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, his mouth falling open. He gazed at the smaller child, who had been persuaded to sit down at the table and drink a cup of milk, and then at the other boy.
He looked from the professor to the boy, and then back again.
"Do you have a son?" he asked, voice cracking. "And WHO is that? He looks like me!"
"I'm trying--"
"We're trying to figure that out, Luke," young Layton said flippantly, staring up at him challengingly.
"That isn't very gentlemanly of you, boy" Luke mumbled, and Professor Layton gave him a longsuffering look.
"That's me," Layton said.
*
"So you're from the future? How is that even possible?"
Little Layton (begrudgingly known as Hershel) leaned back in the chair and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingertips. Layton's spare hat fell down over his eyes and he set it right with an angry movement. The professor had never seen... er, been... this frustrated.
"Someone built a time machine. But then someone else stole it and has been mucking around in our timeline, trying to mess things up. They turned me twelve again, and I don't even know how, and then somehow I ended up with this Luke as well. I didn't even know what time period I'd gone to until I showed up on my doorstep. What year is this?"
The professor volunteered the information.
"Okay, so I'm actually not that far into the past. But I certainly can't go home like this."
"And you have to put me back in the right time," Luke insisted. His younger self had given up on the milk in order to stare at him, very quietly. Luke was having certain painful flashbacks of his youth and hoping that "he" wouldn't throw a tantrum out of boredom or missing his mom. That would be embarrassing.
"Of course," Hershel and Layton both said at the same time. Luke had to giggle, even though he'd never seen his mentor in this state of disarray.
He wondered if young Layton had any schoolfriends. But then, this wasn't young Layton, really. It was older Layton, de-aged. Keeping it all straight was giving him a headache.
"So... who did this?" Luke asked curiously. (He could ask his professor about his childhood later, when his younger self wasn't kicking him under the table.)
"Apparently, his name is Don Paolo," Hershel said, sighing. Layton and Luke considered thoughtfully for a long moment.
"Who's that?" Layton asked finally.
Hershel shrugged.
*
When the fireworks started, little Luke clung tightly to apprentice Luke's hand. Luke looked down at the little boy and bit his lip, unsure of how to comfort him. This was just... weird.
When the smoke cleared and the other professor stood there, finally, in clothing much too small for the full-sized man, he wasn't that much different. Just a few more lines on his face. He wouldn't tell the professor how far in the future he was from, but it couldn't have been far.
Luke hid a grin at the incongruity of the other's dress and Layton handed his older self a new set of clothing. For the first time, they saw that Layton smile. He ran a hand through his hair and settled his hat back onto it, and this time it didn't slip over his eyes.
"You can change in there," Layton said, pointing, and his other self went into the bathroom.
"Am I going home soon?" Little Luke asked the satisfied silence, but before anyone could answer a wail split the air.
"DON'T WANNA DONTWANNA DONTWANNA!"
"What?" Layton and Luke said, looking around for the source of the noise, but it didn't become apparent until the older Layton emerged from the bathroom, hand very firm on a small boy's arm. The boy had an oversized nose and an air of malevolence. He couldn't have been more than three or four. Little Luke hid behind his other self's leg.
"Who is this?"
"He was hiding behind the shower curtain," the older Layton explained grimly. "I thought Paolo had escaped the time-fixing event, but I wonder..."
"DONWANNA!" the obnoxious child howled.
"What are we going to do with him, Professor?" Luke asked helplessly.
"We'll just turn the device back on, I suppose," Layton replied, worry marring his features. "But maybe we should send our counterparts home first, hmm?"
"Good thought," the other Layton agreed. Before Luke could protest, the older Layton took little Luke's hand and traded him the crying Paolo, who proceeded to rub snot on Luke's sleeve.
"I think I've got the hang of this," the other Layton said, fiddling with the pocketwatch contraption. "I'll take Luke home, go home myself, and then send it back."
"Best of luck," Layton said to himself, and the other Layton smiled, and then hesitated.
"Don't let him go," he said firmly, clapping his other self on the shoulder.
"What?"
"You'll understand what I mean," he replied. His eyes skipped over Luke without much of a blink, and he adjusted his hat and then clicked the watch button. In a second, he was gone, but the sudden disappearance made Don Paolo start crying again.
"I hope that watch comes back quickly," Luke mumbled. Layton handed him a handkerchief and said, "Why don't you boys play outside?"
"Sure," Luke mumbled, dragging the whiny toddler outdoors, and as the little boy sat down in the grass and excavated his nose with the joy of the young, he watched the sun set on what was probably the strangest day he'd ever had.