tophat

07.04.20 • 266 words

Summary

Ever since he became the professor’s apprentice, Luke had always wanted a tophat like the professor's. Though he never was able to find one in his size, it was always something he had dwelling in the back of his mind. Sure, the clothes didn't make the man, but a tall tophat like Professor Layton's would make Luke look just like a proper gentleman.

Luke receives a gift.

Notes

07.04.20: kind of changing the focus on this collection bc im going to be doing the #wholesomelayton prompt list, so the next 12 or so fics i write won't necessarily go with the azran legacy theme?? anyway
this particular drabble is a bit of a mess bc hershel is kind of a difficult character for me to write but i still think it came out p cute,,
03.23.26: for context: this fic, alongside the rest of the fics in the 'on the bostonius' series, were written and released over the course of a week in 2020 when i was super hyperfixated on the professor layton and the azran legacy. in some notes, i may refer to a few writing challenges that were happening in the fandom at the time. for background context (cw for mentions of pedophilia & 'proship vs anti' discourse) these writing challenges (namely 'drownout' and 'wholesomelayton') popped up in response to a strange wave of fics romanticizing pedophilia. if i remember correctly, a bunch of people wanted to 'drown out' these with fics that Didn't do that. i don't know why we did this. 2020 was a weird time. most of them are quite short but they're a fun artifact of summer 2020 i think.
also yes i never finished that prompt list. i wrote one fic and then gave up

Ever since he became the professor’s apprentice, Luke had always wanted a tophat like the professor's. Though he never was able to find one in his size, it was always something he had dwelling in the back of his mind. Sure, the clothes didn't make the man, but a tall tophat like Professor Layton's would make Luke look just like a proper gentleman.

However, today was his 13th birthday. The professor had come home with a comically tall box, and Luke thought it was too good to be true. It couldn’t possibly be it, could it?

“Happy birthday, Luke,” Hershel dropped the box onto the table, and Luke excitedly ran over to see what was inside. He tore off the wrapping paper, ripping up the flaps of the cardboard box protecting the gift inside. He gasped.

“Thank you thank you thank you!” He exclaimed, hat in hand. He ran towards the nearest mirror to see what it looked like. He knew a good gentleman should stay calm, but he was just so excited!

“Well, what do you think?” Hershel asked, coming up behind him.

Luke looked at himself in the mirror, in awe of what he saw before him. His very own tophat! It was a perfect fit for a small gentleman like him, and wearing it made him feel important and strong, like he could do anything he set his mind to! Luke spun around happily, waving his arms with excitement.

“I love it!”

“I’m glad you like it,” Hershel said, gently chuckling.

Luke rushed to hug the professor. This was the best birthday ever!