Originally written December 20th 2011 - Anonymous prompt was "Luke's Hat".

"But Professor…!"

"Absolutely not Luke. I know I may not set the best example for you my boy, but hats and coats are not to be worn indoors."

His charge groaned, pulling off his hat reluctantly and hanging it on the stand.

"Now, I am afraid it is past your bedtime."

Layton ushered Luke down the hallway to the guest room. They'd had a terribly long day, and he felt exhausted from their investigation.

Much to his relief, Luke had clearly been tired out from the day's work too, and retrieved his pyjamas without hesitation. It took no more than a few minutes to see the boy off to bed, and Layton smiled to himself as he left the room, turning the light out behind him.

As he returned to the hallway to hang up his coat, Luke's hat caught his eye. It really was quite a nice hat. After a moment's thought, he unhooked it from the rack to look at it closely. The material was soft, and the craftsmanship was flawless. In fact, he could swear this was Egyptian cotton. Goodness, did Clark really have the sort of money to spend on Luke's clothing that he would buy the finest fabrics…?

He returned with the hat to his armchair before the fire, turning it around in his fingertips. He grinned when he found Luke's name within it, lovingly embroidered on the label. Even the stitching used to sew the name was in fine soft thread, and the inside of the hat was lined with silk.

Layton felt an overwhelming temptation to try it on.

He cleared his throat, rising from his seat to return the hat to the hat-stand. It wasn't his hat, nor did he have permission to wear it. He imagined it probably wouldn't even fit him. It was a very nice hat however, and as he reached the end of the hallway, he reconsidered. Surely Luke would not mind if he just tried it, just for a moment?

He removed his own hat momentarily, and slipped Luke's on, finding to his surprise that it fitted, and oh gosh how exquisite the material was. It was light, comfortable, and it must be a joy to wear each day.

Soft footsteps from the hall startled him and he quickly placed Luke's hat back on the rack, feeling terribly guilty even though his transgression was merely to try on a hat.

Luke rounded the corner, teddy bear in one hand and the other suppressing a yawn.

"Professor," he began, his voice groggy from fatigue, "please may I have a bedtime story?"