A/N: Of course, there are many more reasons for this than the summary may suggest—there are numerous reasons behind Luke's frustration than may appear at first glance…as there are numerous behind mine. When I feel like I can't measure up to expectations people have of me, this happens: I write. I hope you enjoy, despite the reasons that may have been behind the creation of this. :3 Also, I know I've already posted something similar to this—but I feel like this has a bit of a different angle to it, not to mention I couldn't stop myself from writing it; their bond is just something else. ღ One more thing; the professor's grammar is immaculate—mine however, is not. I do apologize. ^^;

"Goddammit, Professor! Why are you so happy?! Don't you even care?!"

Of course, true gentlemen would never say such things. They wouldn't think such terrible things of their professors, and they most certainly would not say such things to their professors' faces—even if they happened to think them from time to time.

Luke wished he could stop crying because following his outburst, the words he promised himself he would never say, the tears started pouring out of their own accord. And the professor himself, he—looked so unspeakably shocked. Luke was sure he wouldn't be forgiven and was terrified to discover just how much that scared him. If he wasn't an apprentice, he was only Luke Triton. He was nothing without his mentor.

He had half a mind to run; anything to separate himself from that terrible, shocked look…it was almost as if the professor had no idea Luke even knew such language, but then again, it had been a while that the professor had stepped foot into a public secondary school. That was where Luke had heard the phrase of course, but…no amount of justification in the world could escape the fact that despite it all, he should not have said it. He shouldn't have—

And then he heard the most amazing sound in the entire world.

"Luke."

The professor didn't say anything more, but walked up to Luke and engulfed him in his arms. And Luke lost all semblance of control.

"Why didn't you tell me you felt this way?"

Luke, still sniffling, still trying to stop his tears, managed, "I d—didn't think that you—I thought that maybe I was—I was the one with the p—problem. That—"

"Shh, my boy, shh," Layton soothed, running his hand up and down Luke's back.

Eventually, Luke got his crying under control, but the heavy knot of embarrassment still weighed in his stomach; he was pretty sure he would never get past this, would perhaps never be able to eat again—it took up that much room. "I thought I was the one with the problem," he almost whispered. "When you didn't react again, I thought that—"

"You believed I didn't care," Layton finished for him.

"Yes." Luke moaned. "I'm sorry I just—I didn't think and—and then when we spoke that last time at the park in the future London…you did cheer me up then, but it bothered me that you just always seemed so happy. I mean, everything that could have possibly gone bad in your life has happened to you and if it were me, I—I don't know what I'd do!" He was very near crying again. "You've suffered so much and I didn't want to add to it if I could possibly help it…though that's probably moot now…considering what I just said!" Luke finished his now-hysterical tirade and buried his face in the professor's jacket to hide his shame as he wept again. It was unbelievable that he could do something so wrong, so against everything he had been taught and be pulled so close to the professor like this. It didn't even make any sense.

"Luke," the professor said quietly, but even over the sound of his wails, Luke could feel and hear his voice. He choked, and tried to gain control once again. And once he had calmed somewhat, the professor continued. "Do you believe…that love is conditional?"

Luke frowned against the familiar brown of his mentor's jacket. "What?" he asked in confusion.

He heard the professor take a deep breath to repeat it, but Luke quickly inserted, "No, I—I know what you said…I just don't understand—why are you asking me?"

"You seem to maintain a most peculiar belief, Luke," the professor began to clarify. "Namely that I would no longer care about you following a clear momentary lapse of judgment."

Luke frowned again, but didn't want to break such a rare embrace so he settled with saying, "Well…all I've been trying to do is become a true gentleman ever since I met you and—" He broke off, but continued despite his embarrassment and flushing cheeks, "And I know I'm not supposed to say things like that…true gentleman or not."

"Luke. Has it occurred to you that you are being entirely too hard on yourself?"

Now Luke was upset again, but for different reasons. His tears were forgotten. "But—but that was the most ungentlemanly thing of all, Professor!" He argued, angry with himself. "How can you possibly forgive me after something as crude as that?! I wasn't even going to say it—it just sort of…came out." He flushed deeply again and was tempted to escape a second time, but the professor seemed to know and held him fast. Luke couldn't escape now even if he wanted to.

At that moment, Hershel loosened his hold a bit to eye the boy properly and simply said, "I never asked for perfection, Luke. In fact, I never even asked for an apprentice—that was your own doing. I imagine if you hadn't, I perhaps would have still solved the other mysteries…but understand this, Luke: it would have been very—difficult to say the least without someone as kind and as giving as you."

Luke looked away at the ground. "But I just said something—"

"I forgive you, Luke," the professor said simply, though in a voice which Luke knew brooked no argument. "As I said, I never asked for perfection…alright?"

Luke nodded solemnly, but still couldn't look his professor in the eye just yet.

"As for your other concerns—I do care very much, perhaps more than you will ever understand or know, but you seem to have forgotten one very important thing my boy. I am much older than you and perhaps because of this, a little wiser too. A famous Greek philosopher once said, 'The first and best victory is to conquer self'. Now that does not mean that the 'self' to which he refers should hide or repress their emotions; rather there is a certain time and a certain place for them, and that is not always in public. We are frequently in public while together Luke—more often than not, it seems. Remember what I told you the first time you expressed concern for my welfare?"

It had been almost four years, but Luke found himself easily remembering. "To stay calm and remain rational…only then can we discover the truth."

Layton smiled and gave a small nod. "Yes." But then he sobered a little before he conveyed, "But perhaps I have applied that theme a bit too…habitually for it was never my intention to lead you to believe that I did not care, my boy."

"It wasn't that I didn't think you did," he confessed a little bashfully. "It was more that…I didn't think you cared enough about anything that had happened to you…that maybe you wouldn't—" Luke broke off, unable to continue due to his embarrassment.

"That maybe I would apply this same, rather stoic mindset to your departure?" Luke nodded mutely and Layton sighed. "My boy, come here."

Luke came a bit closer, but Layton closed the gap in another hug, though it was shorter this time. "You had best be off, my boy," he suggested warmly after a few minutes had passed. He mercifully did not mention that Luke was tightly clinging to him. "A boat, much like a train, waits for no one."

Luke was crying again as his professor let go, but he had a small smile on his face. "Yes, Professor. I'll…I'll write to you…" Luke paused, almost as if waiting for his mentor to give the confirmation that this would be okay.

"My boy, I insist upon it!"

Luke smiled gratefully at his professor and somewhere in the back of his mind wondered if it was going to be the last time he ever saw his professor…America was rather far away after all. His smile started to slip off his face when he said, "I suppose …this is goodbye then."

But the professor seemed to know exactly what to say again. "Hmm? Oh no my boy—this is merely 'so long', not goodbye."

Luke could not help but smile again as he finally boarded, and when he scrambled toward the deck's railing, he could still make out the dock…and the distinctive top hat of the professor. Luke waved, and if his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, he could've sworn the professor tipped that well-loved hat in his direction.