I do not own Professor Layton or any of it's characters

Chapter 3

Truth and Run

While walking down the streets, the Professor noticed that Luke looked pale and sometimes when there where passing some allies he was definitely shivering. The worse thing happened when a very big and strong man was walking behind them. Luke knew exactly who this was and he remember all the terrible things he had done to him. Luke remembered the pain, he remembered the drugs and he remembered...

...the rape.

When was sunken in his thought, far away from reality, he winced in shock when he felt someone touching his shoulder.

:"No STOP!", Luke suddenly screamed

:"My boy, What is wrong? Are you alright?", the Professor asked worriedly

:"What... Yeah sure... I'm fine. Was just thinking... It doesn't matter.", Luke said, still pale, but finally coming back to his old self.

:"Are you sure. You ... For a second you seemed to be afraid of something."

:"No. No it was nothing. really. I just remembered some things from ... my past. It's okay I-" Luke was interrupted by a very tall man standing behind him and touching his back.

:"Hi Lukey. Remember me?", said a very rough voice.

Luke's face was suddenly becoming white... He almost looked like a ghost, what the Professor noticed

:"Luke. what is it?"

Luke had no idea what to do. He couldn't turn around. Otherwise he could probably start to cry, what he refuses in front of the Professor and he couldn't stay like this, 'cause otherwise the Professor would definately notice that something was completely wrong. So he just started talking.

:"H-H-Hi Mark. How is it going?", Luke staid, still not facing the man he was talking to.

:"Great. great. Now I have seen you again. It's been a while, hasn't it?. Man. How have you been. You almost look like one of those gentlemanly assholes from Great Britain.", Mark answered, while bursting out into laughing.

The Professor was obviously hurt. And Luke looked rather embarrassed. When the Professor wanted to asked Luke, who this Mark actually is. Mark began to speak again.

:"Oh man...",he said, finally stoping himelf from laughing,"Remember when we were joking about this Prof.-guy you told me about?"

The Professor looked shocked... and still hurt. What did Mark just said. The Professor looked over to Luke, who looked like he was disappointed in himself.

:"M-Mark. Maybe we should talk some other time, alright?", Luke finally said.

:"What... WHAT THE HELL...! Lukey listen to yourself, you're talking like ... like this Lei-

Layton guy."

:"Excuse me. My I introduce myself. My name is Professor Hershel Layton, from London.", the Professor said.

:"What .. Oh god. Luke. No... What have you done. I thought you were one of us. Come on... buddy."

Luke felt terrible. He had almost forgot that he he had been joking about the Professor and he tried to forget Mark, in the past weeks, but now this was impossible.

When weather Luke nor the Professor said something, Mark went on. unknowing what he was doing.

:"Lukey. You were one of us so you're still. Come back... Come on. Céline missed you. Everybody missed you. Even the drugs missed you. Nobody could handle the needle better than you."

This got Layton's attention. And Luke broke... Had Mark just told the Professor that Luke had been addicted to drugs. This couldn't be good.

:"Luke, my boy. Is that true?", the Professor asked stunned.

:"Oh uh.", Mark said. finally understanding what he had just said. Then he passed by Luke and the Professor and when he was about 4 inches aways he turned around looked Luke straight in the eye and formed with his mouth the words :"I'm sorry".

Luke let his head hang down, unsure of what he would see in Layton's eyes when he'd look up.

,...disappointment, ...anger,... pain,...

When Luke didn't respond, the Professor spoke up again.

:"Luke. What was he talking about?", he said with a little bit of anger in his tone.

"I-...I-I-...", Luke began to struggle.

:"Luke.", the Professor said threatening

Luke realized that it was time for telling the truth. Otherwise he would maybe lose the Professor's trust.

:"Well, when I had to live on the streets, I didn't drink only.", He began quietly

:"Continue", the Professor said with his calm voice again.

:"I also took ... well, when I was with Céline and Mark I took some d-drugs.", boy that was hard for Luke to speak out.

There followed a moment of silence, where weather the Professor nor Luke was talking. For Luke this short moment felt almost like an whole hour. Luke could feel a sob, finding it's way up his throat until the Professor finally spoke.

:"Oh my boy", he began sounding very disappointed, what made Luke feel, like he wanted to cry," Why..."

"Why what?", Luke thought, during listening to the Professor beginning his sentence.

Why...didn't you tell me that before?

Why can't you just stop being trouble?"

Why do you have to disappoint me again and again?"

All this thoughts crossed his mind, but then there came a question that he didn't expected

:"Why on earth did you do something like that!?", he asked, with his voice getting more serious and loud.

Somehow, Luke couldn't take it anymore. Why was he even afraid of the Professor's reaction. And why couldn't the Professor just stop talking to him like to a little child, who doesn't know what he should do. Luke broke out... for real!

:"How dare you treating me like a little child! This is 'MY' past. It was 'MY' decision. And you should just stay out of 'MY' life. At least you're not my father!"

Luke's way of reacting, made the Professor feeling terrible. Somehow, he couldn't behave like he should Now he felt like a father, even if Luke wouldn't allow him to feel like his father he still did. Even before the Professor realized what he was doing, he had already done it. He took his strength and forgot all of being a gentleman, he slapped Luke right through the face, what made him turn his head to the left. And he could already feel the young man's tears falling down his cheeks.

For a moment there was silence. It felt like the whole world stood still. The Professor came back to his old self and couldn't believe what he had done. But when he began to apologize:

"Luke... My boy. I-I'm so sor-"

Luke ran away. With all he got in his legs, he ran. First down the street then out of Layton's point of view. Even when the Professor started to run after him. He couldn't see him after a while. Of course... Luke knew this city... He knew it's citizens and he knew the best places for hiding. The Professor stood still and now he did something else that you could call 'ungentlemanly' ... He cried.