More fluff for you guys :) Sadly, I don't own any of the characters mentioned or any rights to their games. Enjoy!
The past few days had been very interesting for the Professor and Luke. It was the run up to Christmas and everything was beginning to fall into place; the tree was up, the presents were wrapped, and the ingredients for Christmas dinner were ready to be cooked. But at a few hours to midnight on Christmas Eve, there was a loud knock on the Professor's door. Cautiously, he went to open it and stood on his doorstep were none other than Phoenix and Maya. They were tired and cold with barely a coat between them as they stood out in the snow. Maya had looked almost asleep against Phoenix's arm with his blue suit jacket wrapped around her, Phoenix's white shirt was almost completely see-through from being soaked by the snow, and his lips were nearly as blue as his suit. Instantly the Professor ushered them inside, grabbed about a pile of blankets, threw as much of the soaking clothing as he could across the radiators around the room, and filled them up with hot cups of tea. He could tell they were both too tired to tell him exactly why they were here at such a late hour but after a brief talk with them, he managed to figure out that they were supposed to be here on vacation but the money transfer hadn't gone through to their hotel and they had been refused entry, effectively giving them nowhere to stay. Maya made a half-hearted attempt to apologise but the Professor simply smiled before giving her a spare pair of Flora's pyjamas and sent her off to the spare bedroom. She went without much resistance and was soon fast asleep. Phoenix seemed to be a little more awake than his assistant; awake enough to have a coherent conversation with at least.
"It certainly is a surprise to see you" Layton stated as he sat down next to the other man, shuffling slightly closer than he had been when Maya was in the room. Phoenix smiled warmly and looked over to him.
"I've missed you, Hershel"
"What have I told you about calling me by my first name! Only when we're alone" the other man exclaimed but they both knew there was no harshness in his words as a gentle smile found its way to his lips.
"But Hershel, we are alone" Phoenix smirked, slowly drawing himself closer to Layton. Their eyes locked and for a moment everything was quiet. Then quite suddenly, Phoenix pushed his body just that little bit forwards and connected their lips. It wasn't like they hadn't done anything like this before. It had happened quite a lot every time they saw each other. But it hadn't happened in such a long time that it almost felt like the first time as a feeling of warmth spread over the two of them. Slowly, Phoenix wrapped his arms around the smaller man's waist and pulled him closer. Suddenly, he heard the chime of the clock to indicate it was midnight. He sighed to himself and tilted his head to face the other man to find a ridiculous smile on his face.
"What?" Phoenix was a little confused but he still couldn't stop the infectious smile spreading over his own lips at seeing the Professor so happy. Layton said nothing but simply cast his glance upwards. Phoenix did the same and felt his heart jump in his chest when he saw Layton's hand hanging just above their heads holding onto a small bunch of mistletoe. Without a word, they simultaneously leant in towards each other and pressed their lips together once more. They stayed in each other's embrace for quite some time, sitting in a comfortable silence. At some point, the Professor whispered something about going to bed but he did not move and neither did Phoenix. The sounds of light snores came from both of them hours before the sun had begun to rise.
Luke was the first to wake up. He remained in his sleep deprived state for all of about two seconds before he remembered what day it was. Instantly, he sat bolt upright and clenched his fingers slightly in excitement. For today, Luke realised, was Christmas Day. Christmas with the Professor was always amazing but this year, Luke's excitement systems were falling into overdrive because not only was he spending the entire Christmas break with the Professor but Phoenix and Maya were also staying with them. He gently rubbed the sleep from his eyes before sliding out of bed and walking towards the bathroom. Once he decided he looked at least vaguely presentable, he stepped out only to walk straight into Maya. He saw a similar gleam of excitement in her eyes that he had seen in his own. They stared at each other for a brief moment before bursting into giggles.
"Good morning Maya" Luke finally said once their laughter subsided.
"Morning Luke. Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"About 8 o'clock, I think" Luke vaguely recalled his alarm saying something around 8 am but he wasn't sure.
"Do you think anyone else will be awake yet?"
"The Professor usually wakes up early but I don't know about Mr Wright"
"First of all, how many times do I have to tell you before you get used to calling him Phoenix? And second, if Nick isn't awake he'll probably be sleeping on the couch, so we can just tackle him to wake him up"
Luke nodded with a huge grin on his face and let Maya into the bathroom. After a few minutes, she came back out. She was still dressed in a dressing gown but Luke didn't mind since he was still in his pyjamas too. Together they tiptoed downstairs. Maya gasped a little at all the decorations hung around the house. She had been too tired to truly appreciate it the previous night. Luke looked back and smiled at her awe. They stepped into the living room but the sight they saw was something neither of them had been expecting. Sitting on the sofa in the middle of the room was the Professor and Phoenix. The Professor's head lay comfortably on Phoenix's chest and Phoenix had his arms wrapped around the smaller man. They were both fast asleep. Maya regained her senses first and she grabbed Luke by the arm and pulled him back into the other room.
"I knew it!" she whispered, a childish grin spread across her face. Luke opened and closed his mouth a few times but no words came out, his mind still trying to process what he had just seen.
"Don't do that Luke! You look like a fish" Maya giggled at the boy's reaction.
"But... what? When? How? I don't-"
"Oh come on! You can't tell me you didn't see it too. The glances that lingered just a little too long, the distance just a little too small, the smiles that spread wider than they did for anyone else. They've been doing stuff like that for months! For people who know how to find secrets in others, they're not very good at hiding secrets themselves"
"You mean that was real? I wasn't just imagining those things?" Luke asked slowly. Maya could see everything falling into place in his head.
"Yeah! I reckon it started the night we got back from Labyrinthia. Maybe a little bit afterwards. Something about them changed. I noticed it most in Nick and I bet you noticed it most in the Professor. They seemed more-"
"...relaxed about being with-"
"...each other. It's like something-"
"... clinked in their heads"
The two of them looked at each other for a moment before bursting into giggles once more at the fact that they kept finishing each other's thoughts. Suddenly, Maya hushed Luke into silence as she heard a faint noise coming from the other room. Carefully, the two peered around the door to see Phoenix and the Professor finally waking up. Maya bit back a smile as she watched her friends look over at each other with expressions that could only be described as utterly adorable.
"Morning" Layton smiled before tilting his head up and lightly pressing a kiss to Phoenix's cheek, causing them both to blush. Luke instantly jumped back from the door before pulling Maya anyway too. She tilted her head in confusion as he stared at her.
"We can't watch!" Luke whispered when he realised he needed to explain himself.
"Sure we can" Maya smirked but Luke pulled her back when she tried to turn away.
"But that's a major invasion of privacy! They obviously haven't told us for a reason, so we should let them keep it a secret"
"How gentlemanly of you" Maya teased with a warm smile of her face which made Luke's cheeks glow. But she knew Luke was right. No matter how nosy she was, she couldn't invade on their private moment. Luke and Maya made a silent agreement and together they crept back upstairs.
"Do you think they ever plan on telling us?" Maya asked once they had made it back to the safety of Luke's bedroom.
"Maybe one day. But whatever reason they have for not telling us yet, it must be a good one"
Maya nodded as the smile grew on her face. She had no idea why she was so happy. She had been sensing that her two friends were stepping over that boundary of friendship but now she had seen it with her own eyes, she was beginning to realise that the fact that they were happy together made her happy. It was as though her happiness stemmed from the fact that she knew they were meant to be together.
About half an hour passed before Luke and Maya agreed to go back downstairs. Once they reached the bottom step, they saw that the door to the living room was wide open and no one was occupying the sofa anymore. Cautiously, the two of them stepped inside.
"Luke! Maya! We were wondering when you would come down" Layton smiled over at them from the kitchen doorway, and Phoenix appeared a few seconds later holding mugs of tea. Luke and Maya exchanged a quick look before joining Phoenix on the sofa; it seemed neither of the men had any idea what had happened when they awoke. The Professor soon joined them and sat down next to Phoenix.
"Merry Christmas!" Luke suddenly said with a huge childish smile on his face, causing the others to smile and bid each other a 'Happy Christmas' too. After talking for a while, Phoenix revealed that he and Maya had actually brought presents for Luke and the Professor because they had been planning to come and see them at some point during their vacation anyway. So presents were exchanged, hugs were given, and general laughter filled the air. Every subtle look or touch shared between Phoenix and the Professor was instantly picked up on by Maya and Luke but still they chose to say nothing. Luke was right, there was a reason they hadn't told them yet so they should let their secrets lie. The day flowed on and too soon did the light of day fade and London was covered in darkness. Together the four of them sat gazing out of the window, looking in wonder at the sparkling lights of the city below them.
"We have something to tell you guys" Phoenix suddenly said, turning to Maya and Luke. His eyes held a nervous shine and his fingers began playing with the sleeves of his jacket. The Professor also had an aura of discontent, but his seemed more hopeful than fearful.
"Phoenix and I haven't been entirely honest with the two of you" Layton began to explain. Both Luke and Maya's eyes widened a little at the sound of Phoenix's first name coming from the Professor's lips.
"You don't have to be so scared" Maya giggled, earning her a confused look from the two obviously nervous men.
"But Maya, this is something serious" Phoenix tried to explain but Maya's smile only grew wider and Luke's smile began to form too.
"We know, you idiot"
"What do you mean you know?"
"We figured it out" Luke chipped in. Maya smirked at him before turning her attention to the defense attorney.
"Nick, you've been giving the Professor gooey eyes since the night we came back from Labyrinthia. It's so obvious you're head over heels for him"
"And Professor, sorry to be so blunt with you but you can't hide your feelings very well. Especially not from me" Luke smiled up at his mentor. Phoenix stared in complete confusion at Maya, then at Luke. Finally, he turned his gaze to Layton who, to his surprise, appeared to be suppressing a laugh.
"Well, Phoenix... I guess we weren't as cautious about our actions as we thought we were"
"It could be worse I guess" Phoenix's lips split into a grin as the Professor finally released his laugh.
The evening quickly rolled into night and Christmas was drawing to a close. Luke slumped off to his room first, almost walking into the door frame as he yawned. Maya quickly followed, her eyelids growing heavy. But just as Phoenix was about to grab a blanket for the couch, the Professor caught his hand and gently lead him towards his bedroom. Once they entered, he looked up at Phoenix with a blush over his cheeks and a silent question in his eyes. Phoenix placed one finger under the smaller man's chin and lifted his head a little higher before softly connecting their lips in reply. They both smiled like love sick teenagers as they changed into their pyjamas. The Professor slipped into the bed first and after a moment of embarrassing rom-com excitement, Phoenix followed. Cautiously, he reached out and wrapped an arm around the other man's body. Layton then curled into his side and Phoenix wrapped his other arm around him, tucking his head comfortably under his chin. Together they drifted into sleep, finally in the warmth of each other's embrace without the fear of having to look over their shoulders. This was how it was meant to be and how it would stay forever.