Written for the twice-weekly Rally Drabbles.

Weekend Getaway
By – Hime no Ichigo

Genre: General/Friendship
Rating: G
Characters: Layton, Luke, legal!Luke
Story Type: Drabble
Summary: Sundays are made to be relaxing and for puzzle solving.

Disclaimer: Professor Layton is the intellectual property of Level-5.

Spoilers: Character development from Unwound Future.

Notes: This is from this week's theme: "puzzles".

He watches as Luke and Clive rotate and twist his specially designed Rubic's Cube – a five by five instead of a standard three by three. A smile finds its way to his face, finding their frustrated expressions and disappointed cries endearing and amusing.

"Professor, this is too hard!" Luke objects after fifteen minutes of concentration.

"Are you giving up?" Clive says snidely, not looking up from his own puzzle.

"I didn't say that!"

"It sure sounded like it."

"Now, now, you two." Hershel chuckles at their banter. Clive is unforgiving in his words and loves to bully the young boy at every chance he gets. It is, perhaps, the result of a lonely childhood and in order to survive on his own, Clive has developed this kind of personality; a little deceiving and sarcastic, but still a boy nonetheless. "Do you remember what I told you earlier, Luke?"

"Yes," he sulks and hunches his shoulders to make himself appear even smaller. "A gentleman never leaves a puzzle unsolved."

"Very good," the Professor beams, patting him on the head. "You'll make a fine gentleman one day." He picks up his teacup and takes a sip, savouring the tangy aftertaste before directing his attention to Clive. "Please be a little more lenient on Luke. He is, after all, younger than you."

He gives a derisive snort, but keeps quiet otherwise. He resumes working on the Cube – which, as loathe as he wants to say, he has not progressed much either. Clive frowns as he examines it, rolling it slowly in his hands. Luke is already twisting the tiles again, his spirits seemingly more determined than before.

Layton laughs and leans back in his armchair, liking how this Sunday is turning out so far.

- Owari -

Authoress' Notes: So January 29 was International Puzzles Day, and I forgot, so I tried to make up for it with this, haha.