Disclaimer: I do not own Professor Layton or Emmy. Just Bob the Spider. (Yes, that's his name.) :D
Summary: Zillabean requested a one-shot between Layton/Emmy. Hope you enjoy it!]]
PHOBIA
"Professor, here are some midterm essays that Dean Delmona would like you to mark... and a new puzzle from his granddaughter that he needs help solving."
Professor Layton had just been about to leave his office when he was met by his dependable assistant, Miss Emmy Altava. "Ah, thank you, Emmy. Please could you just place them on my desk?" he requested, opening the door with his famous top hat insignia on the front and revealing the state of disarray within.
Emmy arched an eyebrow "When was the last time you let Rosa clean your room?" She appraised the precarious mounds of books that covered the floor, the rotting apple above the coffee table, the cobwebs streaming the brimming shelves, the dust bunnies that had taken up permanent residence over every solid surface...
"This place is absolutely filthy! I hope you're paying poor old Rosa plenty for her efforts."
"It's not mess," the professor dismissed lightly "Just organised clutter. Now, if you excuse me, I have a staff conference to attend. I shall see you soon."
Emmy gave a mock salute and he watched her enter the room before continuing down the halls of Gressenheller University.
The professor didn't even make it round the corner when a sharp scream suddenly cut across the air.
Surely that couldn't be Emmy... She was always right by his side during their adventures—through every perilous investigation, through each of their battles against giant malignant machines— and not once had he heard such terror from the fearless young woman's voice. Something must have been very wrong.
Layton raced back up the corridor, calling to her urgently. "Emmy, hold on!"
All of his suspicions immediately turned to Descole. Had the masked villain ambushed Emmy, attempting to kidnap her and use her as a bargaining tool against the professor? If so, she was in grave danger. Descole would never falter to harm his hostages.
"PROFESSOR!" He heard Emmy shriek as he flung open the office door and dashed inside.
"Emmy, are you alright?" The professor's eyes darted around the room. He saw a quivering Emmy huddled on top of his green desk; her back tightly pressed up against the window, her knees drawn close to avoid touching the floor. She was whiter than the sheets (Layton presumed these were the essays he was supposed to mark) that she had rolled up into a paper tube and currently held in her hand.
"What's the matter? Where is the person who attacked you?"
His assistant pointed her makeshift baton at the ground below. "W-watch out, P-Professor! There's a huge m-monster!"
"A monster?" The professor frowned and followed her gaze down to the floor boards. That was when he noticed the eight-legged hairy black 'monster' slowly creeping towards her. "You can't possibly mean the spider...?"
Emmy released a ragged breath "I was about to put the papers on your desk but I didn't see that evil beast until it came out and jumped on me-!" Then she begged "Kill it, kill it, please, Professor!"
"Calm down, my dear. I'm sure the tiny fellow is more afraid of you than you are of him." The professor grabbed an empty glass from the desk—one of the few objects Emmy hadn't knocked off the table in her alarm— and, crouching on the floor, he simply trapped the arachnid underneath the cup. "There we are," Layton smiled reassuringly "It's safe for you to come down now, Emmy."
"Th-thanks, Professor..." Emmy sighed in relief as she descended from her perch. She edged closer to the container, glaring at the creature within its prison. "Not so tough now, are you?"
The spider trained eight beady dark eyes on her. Suddenly it surged forward and tried to climb up the glass wall, drawing another yelp from Emmy. She leapt into the professor's arms in terror; her hands clasped around his neck and her legs wrapped across his torso like a koala bear hugging a tree. The two were close enough for Layton to feel her heart hammering inside her chest.
"Erm..." The professor awkwardly cleared his throat after a moment. His cheeks were flushed from the close proximity. "E-Emmy, would you mind letting go of me so I can release the spider—"
"NOT IN HERE!"
"—Outside?"
"O-oh, yes of course. Do it quickly..." Emmy hesitantly clambered down from him and hurried to the furthest corner of the room.
Picking up a single piece of paper Emmy had dropped; the professor pushed it beneath the glass and carefully carried the container to the window, which he opened. He tipped the glass upside down and the spider gleefully spun a web to freedom.
"A true gentleman should never hurt an innocent creature, especially one as small as a spider," the professor told Emmy as he closed the window.
"I still think you should have squashed the little bugger..." Emmy was back to her old spunky self again, however, she was embarrassed. The professor had just discovered her weakness.
"Professor, promise me—"
"...That I won't inform Luke about any of this?"
"I'm glad that you understand."