Enjoy the Chapter ... I can't wait to write the second part to this :D ... But it might take a while ... (Sorry)

Warning: This is going to be FLUFFY !

I do not own Professor Layton

Chapter 12

Hurt-Confrontation-Comfort - Part 1

Luke was so scared and disappointed in himself, that he almost forgot how tired he was. Even though he refused to lift his head and look up, he could still feel his father's eyes staring at him with accusation. After a while Luke just wasn't able to stay standing there his exhaustion took a hold of him again and his eyes slowly closed while he let go and fell to his knees, or rather he would have fallen, if the Professor wouldn't have been there, catching him. Luke, who had immediately felt this movement opened his eyes again, meeting the professor's gaze, that now had turned into an understanding concerned look of sympathy and pity, which Luke hated, but also loved.

"Dad?", Luke struggled with himself, refusing to fall asleep like this, in this old mentor's arms.

"My boy...It's been a tough day, you should probably go get some slee-", The Professor's calm voice was interrupted by Luke sudden movement of anger.

"NO... Forget it! I've had enough of this bullshit!", the now again standing boy screamed.

"Luke!-" the Professor wanted to calm him

"No!... I don't wanna hear this anymore. I'm done with this... I'm done with this village, I'm done with my so-called friends, I'm done with you, and most certainly: I'm done with CÉLINE!", He finally stopped screaming and just stood there...in the middle of the room, breathing heavily

'So this is it...He cannot accept her death', the Professor thought to himself, seeing that Luke's mood had changed again...back to depression.

"Luke, my boy...You need to calm down. I know this might be hard to understand but screaming won't bring her back, nothing will."

"Please don't do this.", the Professor continued after a while, seeing exactly what Luke was doing.

"Do what?!... What am I doing now?!", Luke yelled while waving his hand in order to underline his statement.

The Professor simply took a hold of his arms to stop Luke from hurting himself:

"You have to stop blaming yourself for her death. This is NOT your fault! Understand?"

"What?! Why would I do that? I am not responsible for that! Alright?! I didn't do anything! There is no need for me to feel guilty!" Luke screamed, even if he didn't wanted to. He didn't know what was going on... He wasn't blaming himself! Or was he?...

"I know, my boy. That is what I just said... But only because she wrote this,", he said, while pointing to Céline's letter," doesn't mean that she really meant it. Her action happened in the heat of the moment. She was afraid...But you did nothing to cause her feelings, you just couldn't remember her. So you need to stop this nonsense. What happened was not your fault!", The Professor said once again, mentally underlining the word 'NOT' and hoping that Luke would get it.

Luke's following heavy breaths became louder and longer and after a few minutes, that seemed to feel like hours, his breaths turned into uncontrollable sobs. When Layton finally let go of Luke's wrists, Luke simply fell forward, into his father's arms crying his heart out.

"I'm sorry!.. I-I'm sooo sorry.." Luke still said between his sobs

"I know my boy. But you don't have to be." the Professor's always kind and comforting voice said when he carefully put Luke in his warms, helping him to lay down on the couch, because the bed seemed quite too far away.

During the night, it almost seemed to be impossible to bring Luke into a peaceful sleep. All night the poor and depressed boy was tossing around his blankets, not being able to accept the former day's happenings. He started screaming and crying in his sleep and the Professor did everything in his power to calm his son, but unfortunately it took a lot of strength, not only physically but also mentally. It was pretty hard to stop Luke from hitting himself or the Professor but it was even more difficult to make Luke stop making any more excuses. It broke the Professor's heart to hear sentences like:

'I'm sorry'

'Please forgive me'

'I couldn't save you'

'I don't deserve to live'

Layton could not imagine how Luke must have felt like. He sounded like in any minute he would take knife and cut his wrists. And since he had read Luke's letter the Professor knew he wouldn't be the first the boy had thought about doing that.

Spending a whole night at Luke's bedside holding and hugging the sobbing boy was an exhaustion in itself but resting was an option, that the Professor refused to think about. It was time to confront Luke even though it meant to hurt the already suffering young man. Layton was aware of the fact an injury could only heal with a disinfection and sometimes those hurt the most but they still were necessary.

His son was hurt and not only by Céline's sudden death and his resulting feeling of guilt but also the Professor still had Luke's goodbye letters from his former days in America, which contained things that sounded more cruel than anything the Professor could have ever thought of. And one of those details was in the last letter Luke had written before he had come to London...that explained a particular incidence and make Layton feel sick ... - ... a rape...

When the Professor could hear Luke waking up and yawning he was already perfectly prepared. Two filled and hot tea cups stood on the kitchen table that created a soft and relaxed atmosphere. But of course the Professor as well as Luke, who already stood in the doorway towards the kitchen, knew that this atmosphere was not going to hold on for too long.

"Well, Good morning my boy. I suppose you could not really sleep that well, did you?", Layton calmly asked the tired looking boy.

Luke knew what was coming when he saw what letters where laying on the kitchen table so he just wanted to go back to bed and stay there forever...it was too hard to deal with it.

"N-n-no n-not really. How do you know?", Luke hesitated building up a conversation because he was afraid to find out where it would be going.

"As a matter of fact Luke, you were screaming and tossing your blankets so... To be honest I-" Layton could not finish that sentence.

"You spent the whole night next to me, didn't you?", Luke sounded quite accusing

"W-well, yes I did. I'm sorry but you did not leave me an alternative. Would you like to have some tea?" he changed the subject.

This was not good...

"N-no .. Th-thank you. I'd prefer just going to bed and get some more rest.", Luke said when he turned around and made his way to his bedroom when he was suddenly stopped by a hand grasping his left shoulder.

"Luke, Please. It's time we talk this out. I do not want this tension building up even more. So would you please just sit down here with me and just talk." The Professor said while giving Luke a slight squeeze, offering him to turn around again and sit down

"W-what should we talk about?", Luke sputtered

"You are very intellectual gifted boy, Luke. I think you know exactly what might be a good topic. But I promise you my boy, We will not talk about anything you do not want to.", Layton assure the visibly scared boy.

After a while the teenager sighed:

"Alright... But please start with a less depressing topic."Luke said while giving a light smile

But that smile did not really reach Layton's eye, which meant...it was fake. Of course it was, there was no 'less depression topic'.

When father and son finally sat on the dining table the Professor took the first step to break the silence:

"Well my boy, I believe it would be the best to start with the most uncomfortable thing, that makes it easier discussing the rest.", Layton began while making Luke gulp heavily,"Soo... Luke my boy. I must admit I was shocked when I opened those 'letters' of yours but this one", he said while holding one of the letters in the air,"made my bones freeze. What do you think why?", Layton asked when he gave the letter to Luke, who hesitated but finally grasped and opened it.

It felt weird to read these words again, because it was so long ago. But what Luke read there was something he could not handle. He explained everything in detail. Everything that had happened, Everything that was still chasing him in his dreams in the nowadays, everything that Mark had done to him. To think that his father had read those words...Luke felt ashamed of himself and he did not even understand why. Probably because after all these years he still thought that everything Mark did to him had been his fault... because he never said a word against it. His hands, his tongue, his eyes, his-

"Luke?, Are you alright?", the Professor brought him back to presence, Luke hadn't even noticed that he had been rumpled the letter, until now. When Luke did not answer the Professor made another try:

"My boy?, Please talk to me. What happened? And why didn't you tell me about this?", he asked more concerned than ever.

It was now that Luke realized that it was time to open up. But the big question was:

'Could he handle it?'

...To Be Continued...