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It's not easy being Professor Hershel Layton. He comes to this conclusion when he receives a phone call from Mr. Wright. “Your neighbor won't stop calling Apollo. Apparently he's gotten bored with Luke. Do I need to take care of this guy for you?”
He didn't even need to know which neighbor Phoenix was referring to. He simply responded, “I'll handle it,” and hung up without another word. Moving from his study to the living room where Luke was reading, he quirked an eyebrow and asked, “Has Bill been bothering you lately?” When Luke didn't answer immediately, Layton glanced around the apartment and noticed something rather vital was missing. “Where's Desmond?”
Luke sighed. Layton knew that sigh. It was the sigh of 'it's not my day to watch him please don't ask,' which was followed by the statement, “I don't know. And no, not recently.”
Layton had a sneaking suspicion he knew where Desmond was. Rubbing his face with both hands, he asked, “Just how often was Bill pestering you before?”
“He pesters everyone. It's not just me.”
“That doesn't make it okay.”
“He's nothing to be too worried about Hershel. He just gets his rocks off on intimidating people.”
“I don't like that he intimidates you.” Layton moved toward the door and this was when Luke chose to look up from his book. He gave the semi-true explanation, “I'm going to look for the other member of this relationship.”
“It's not very gentlemanly to lie.”
He paused at the door, looking back at his younger partner. “Who says I'm lying?”
“You've got that look. You only get that look when you're going to resolve an issue.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Yes, I am going to resolve the issue of where the eldest of us three is.”
“Can you swear to me that the elevator won't stop on the second floor?”
“Don't be ridiculous Luke. I can't predict the elevator's path.”
Luke gave him a weary glare. “Weren't you the one who said we needed to be respectful of our neighbors?”
He rubbed his face again and sighed loudly. “I won't pursue him, but if I see him I'm going to tell him to tone it down. Fair?”
Luke seemed to accept that. “Fair.”
As soon as Layton was out the door, Luke took out his phone and promptly texted Apollo Justice, if hershel goes to prison bc your boss told him about bill i'm coming for both of you.
It was only a few minutes later that Apollo texted back, Mr. Wright did WHAT?!!?
Meanwhile on the first floor, Layton knocked only twice before Wheatley answered the door. “H-hello, Professor,” he stammered scratching his forearm nervously as he gestured for Layton to come inside. “What brings you here?”
Layton smiled at the poor man but didn't answer. He pitied Wheatley on some level. It must be difficult living with Glados. Speaking of whom, said difficult person stretched out on the couch languidly to lie on her stomach just as he stepped into the apartment and greeted all present. “Whatever could be the matter, Professor? It's not typical behavior for you to darken our doorstep.”
“I am looking for my partner.”
“Ah, Sycamore?”
“I thought he wasn't supposed to be working with us,” Wheatley muttered.
“He's not,” Glados crooned, resting her chin on her hand with a peevish glance. “I can't imagine why he would directly disobey a wish as simple as staying out of someone else's business and keeping out of trouble.”
The sarcasm of the statement wasn't the only confirmation he needed. Sighing and pinching his nose for what felt like the tenth time that day, he said, “The fact that I didn't have to specify which partner tells me all I need to know.” Turning to leave, he muttered, “Thank you and tell him to be ready in time for the departmental conference this afternoon.”
Stepping out of the apartment, Layton glimpsed a flash of blonde hair just before Chell shoved her way into her home, red in the face and growling audibly. As the door was slammed behind him, Layton turned an uncharacteristic glare at his smiling neighbor. Bill leaned on the receptionist's counter, Cecil very obviously leaning away from him with his own gimlet stare in place. Bill's grin widened all the more as he made eye contact with Layton. “One of your students lives here, you know.” His grin turned predatory. “And he's super cute too.”
Layton suddenly felt completely and utterly drained of all aggression and all he wanted to do was go upstairs and rest before he had to be anywhere. That didn't mean he was going to be forgiving of this particular neighbor's actions anytime soon. Without thinking the statement fully through, he uttered, “Perhaps he'll be more reciprocating of your inappropriate advances.”
He really shouldn't have been as surprised at Bill's reaction as he was. The man's eyes widened and his smile broadened as he asked, “Do you think so?” in a hushed tone as if the subject of their discussion would hear him.
Layton rolled his eyes and turned away, feeling a great deal of pity for his young pupil. He departed with the statement, “Please refrain from antagonizing my colleagues and partners. Some of them play poker with the mafia.” On some level, he was pleased he couldn't hear what Bill's final statement was to that.
Back inside the apartment, Glados pushed herself up off the couch. Its cushions were littered with tools and scraps she'd quickly hidden from the professor. That hadn't done much good. With Chell still snarling over the latest Bill had done, Glados quickly started barking, “Wheatley, you idiot! You shouldn't have invited him in!”
Wheatley quickly got defensive. “You're the one who blew it, not me! I was being polite!”
She ignored him. “Desmond, you better come up with a goddamn excuse as to where you were!”
The elder professor sat up from behind the couch, still very adamantly working on the the device he'd asked for their help in building. “It's too late. He already knows.” He began arguing with the control in his hand, grumbling, “I'll get that kid this time. He has no idea what he's started.”
Wheatley stared incredulously at the professor. “Are you really more concerned about a bot fight with a fourteen-year-old? Your partner just—”
“He'll forgive me! I have to do this!”
Glados turned to her male partner and shrugged. “He's out for blood. Can't really stop him there.”
“That little brat Zero hustled me. I'm going to end him!” He gave a loud, “HA!” as something snapped into place on the control. “Yes!”
“Don't get too excited just yet. You still have the bot to fix.” Glados tapped her forehead as she realized perhaps the moron had a point. “If you'd like, I can have someone repair this guy for you. That way you can, you know, go make up with Layton?”
“He. Will. Forgive me. If not, Luke will make him.” As if on cue, Sycamore's phone buzzed from across the room. Chell, still fuming, picked it up and read the message before bringing it over to the professor to show it to him. He read the text from Luke, then growled to himself and set everything down that he was working on. i'm not getting you out of this one, it read, complimented with a very peeved looking emoji. “Perhaps you lot have a point.”
Glados nodded. “Get busy sucking up, Stickyfloor. You might be in the doghouse tonight.”