Notes – Written for a kinkmeme response to a prompt that wanted Don Paolo to be jealous of Claire for having Layton instead of the other way around. Set soon after Don Paolo came across Layton and Claire together, with obvious spoilers for the flashbacks in the third game.
Real men don't spend hours crying in their room over some girl who they'd just lost to another guy. A guy who was far inferior to him, Don Paolo might add!
What could Layton possibly have that he didn't?
What did Claire see in this guy?
It couldn't be the maturity, because Paul- …sorry, Don Paolo (he was insistent that was going to be his new name from now on) was in the year above Layton. And everyone knew that with age came maturity, right? It definitely couldn't be the hair either, because Layton wore that ugly cap all the time and Don Paolo knew his own hair was fantastic. Even though he had to admit that looking in the mirror showed his hair was a little… different than it had been before the incident.
Stupid Layton!
He banged his fists dramatically on his desk, causing a photo of Claire to go flying. Snatching it up quickly, he took a moment to admire her. Don Paolo had lots of photos of Claire that she probably didn't even know he'd taken. It wasn't stalking if you admired her as much as he did.
Peering over his collection, it suddenly dawned on him that Layton was on almost every photo as well, usually off to the side since it wasn't him Don Paolo had been attempting to catch on film. He was always smiling, always happy, always well dressed, always charming and always with Claire!
He couldn't stand that.
His eyes bubbled over with tears of rage as he glared down at the various images of the man. Maybe, just maybe, this guy was better looking and more desirable than Don Paolo was. But where did that leave him admitting to something like that?
There was no way he was going to stand back to live in Layton's shadow. Without a doubt he would prove to this man that he, Don Paolo, was far superior. That he was a lot more worthy of Layton's attention than Cla-
…No, it was the other way around! Where had that thought come from?
So, anyway, he was going to get his revenge to prove to Claire that he was the one she should be paying attention to instead of that charming, handsome, intelligent soon-to-be-professor of hers!
From that day forth, Don Paolo swore to get back at Layton, to prove himself of being a worthwhile opponent. For Claire's sake, of course. There couldn't be any other motive.
He never once stopped to think that on the day Claire's death was reported amidst the grief he felt for losing her there was another feeling boiling around inside of him – relief.
Relief that one more obstacle in his way of getting to Layton had been removed.
After all, Don Paolo was a real man. And real men do not think about their feelings towards men they regarded inferior to themselves.
