Professor Layton Harpy AU Oneshots

Just Des and Hersh being bros... but they're birds

AN - i got bored and lost all idea halfway through lol

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Winter was never a very exciting season for Hershel. Sure, there were the holidays, but aside from the stress of finding the perfect gifts for his friends and family, everything was rather mellow. However, unlike his best friend Randall, who seemed to have the attention span of a walnut and more impatience than Hershel could ever imagine, he quite enjoyed the tranquility.

Hershel sat at his desk one cold winter night scribbling away in his brand new leather-bound notebook. It had only been two days after that lovely Christmas morning when Luke woke him up with a gift, jokingly making him promise he'd use it at least once a day, and now both sides of four pages were filled with sketches. He was never the best illustrator - his brother was the artist of the family - but he had a vivid imagination and wished to record every detail. Something about how new the notebook was compelled him to doodle, and a day spent with Luke, Flora, Randall, and Desmond gifted him a wave of inspiration.

Tap tap.

Hershel quickly spun in his seat, slightly startled by the sudden noise. It was quiet, yet noticeable, and somehow noticeably human.

Tap tap.

There it was again, only louder this time. Now he was sure he didn't imagine it. Cautiously leaving his seat, he leaned against the chair and peered out the window, squinting just enough to be able to see a familiar silhouette.

What could they be doing here?

He walked up to the window and lifted it open, stepping aside just before they leapt inside, their long grayish-tan colored cape brushing against the top of the window and their real hair showing through a gap in their wig. They adjusted their hat and mask once inside, pulling their cape out of the way so Hershel could close the window.

"What are you doing here?" Hershel asked his sibling, "And why as Descole?"

"Listen," Descole started, a slight growl in their voice, clearly fully in character, "I had to tell you something, but I didn't want to do it as Desmond. It'd be way more suspicious if he randomly climbed through someone's window."

"Descole is already suspicious enough, Des," Hershel argued. "If anything, you could have just gone as Desmond and entered through the door like a normal person."

"Oh, Layton," they chuckled, "you know I'm anything but normal."

Hershel couldn't help but smirk and shake his head. Whether they were Descole or Desmond, they were still his sibling. "Alright, alright, just tell me why you're here."

Now the mood became somewhat tense. Descole stiffened and fidgeted with the purple ribbon attached to their cloak. Despite not being able to see their eyes through the mask, Hershel could tell they were glancing off to the side. "Didn't think I'd be so nervous..." they muttered, not realizing they were thinking aloud. Clearing their throat, they explained, "Well, for one, I'm not sure you'll believe me or anything, but our family has... a... sort of a secret."

"What else is new?"

Relieved by how unsurprised Hershel was, Descole's body relaxed a bit. "So, you know the Azran."

"Of course. How could I forget." Hershel crossed his arms, his right hand rubbing up and down his arm. There was a slight pain in his voice, one Descole understood all too well.

"Well there was actually another civilization. Harpies."

That finally managed to take him by surprise. His arms lowered, one hand rested against his hip in a fashion a friend of his once called "the Bisexual Pose™." Never before had he heard someone actually pronounce the TM, but given it was Maya Fey, he wasn't all that shocked.