Unappreciated? Not Any More!

12:Teen!Luke Triton (Together - Kina Grannis)

‘One time I dreamt an unknown land,’

The rustic feeling of paper between your index finger and thumb was soothing as you ran you digits in circles, flipping the page of a book after a moment of contemplation. A dark haze filled the hall, the umber hues of flickering lamps burned the edges of your vision, making it possible for your eyes to languidly glide across the page, back and forth.

‘With jungle trees and the blackest sand,

Had taken us as prisoners in the night,’

Blinking lethargically, you covered your mouth as you yawned, leaning back into your chair with highly squared shoulders. It was well into the night, and you were slowly becoming tired of such research the Professor had put you under.

A loud creaking could be heard, and you gently swivelled your head to peer down one of the long corridors made of bookcases. It was a door, you could decipher, and if you were to guess, it was the main entrance to the establishment.

“_(Name)_?”

You could hear the call of your name, and none other than Luke appeared in your line of sight. He was turned almost completely in the opposite direction, and you had to smile at the young man, your eyes lighting up and reflecting the dim lighting. It had been a few years since you had joined Layton and his young apprentice, and quite a few more that you had actually known Layton himself. He was your adoptive father, so to speak. And as your parents became unable to care for you, he graciously took you under his wing.

“Over here, Luke.”

Your voice was softer than his earlier call, as you knew he wasn’t as far away as he thought. He urgently twisted on the spot, a smile appearing on his tanned features as he spied you sitting at a large desk in the reading area. He quickly made his way down the hallway, jogging past the thousands of books that towered above his head, his iconic brown messenger bag swinging at his side as he went.

“There you are, _(Name)_. The Professor and I were wondering where you had disappeared to.”

You chuckled a bit, reaching out and patting the desk in front of you, “I was here, researching. Just like the Professor requested.”

Luke took a moment to admire the great amount of books that were stacked or strewn about the desk before accepting your offer of sitting across from you, “Yes, but that was just after lunch time. You do know it’s almost midnight, right, _(Name)_?”

‘Upon its shore we could not sleep,

Instead we stayed awake to keep,

Our minds off hidden monsters and the like,’

You were quiet for a moment before sliding a folded tissue into the bindings of the book, marking your current page and gently closing the covers. Was it really that late? You would have hypothesised it to be just after nine, but never eleven.

“Oh, whoops. That’s my fault, I lose track of time quite easily sometimes.”

The boy across from you laughed, his voice echoing throughout the library, only to get a large and sharp ‘bang’ in return. Luke jumped within his chair, and it was your turn to chuckle, “Don’t worry about it, Luke. It’s just the furnace under the library making noises. It does that every so often.”