“I’m not letting you go.” That wasn’t his choice, and he knew it wasn’t. Desperation wasn’t his style, but what option did he have now? Any compromise would leave him unsatisfied.

You sat on the edge of his bed with your head in your hands, frustrated and most of all stressed beyond belief. Ascending the ranks of siblinghood had initially been nothing but rewarding, but what were you to do when you were pulled thin between four brothers, each with their unique needs and responsibilities? The title of universal assistant was a heavy one, especially when you were pulled the strongest towards the brother you were in love with: Secondo, to you. Papa Emeritus II, the shadow in the ministry, to everyone else.

You tried to reason with him. You had to go… Terzo was touring, and for months, you had been the one managing his costumes, his practices, and most importantly his performances. He’d be underwater without you, and with him drowning, so would the Ministry.

Secondo chewed on the inside of his cheek. The scar on the inside of his mouth had grown deeper now, as he constantly worried the flesh between sharp teeth. Awkwardly, he stood across the room from you, and yet, even his nerves seemed ominous. The atmosphere was cold—chilled.

“You know, it’s really telling that you would rather go galavanting across Europe with my little brother than stay here with me,” he says. The words are bitter and cruel, and even then, you can hear him biting back an insult. It sits on the tip of his tongue, like a knife in its sheath. “This joint little project of yours and his? It’s bound to fail. Just like everything he does. He knows nothing, and you don’t know anything about this industry either. You’re a child compared to me.”

You wanted to scream at him, and really, you would have, had you not been so dumbfounded by the idea that he genuinely seemed jealous of Terzo. Terzo, who always teased your blushing cheeks when you returned from Secondo’s side, and snuck away whenever he thought he could grant the two of you a moment together. They were brothers, and you were Secondo’s partner in everything. The fact that he thought that lowly of you…

"Ah, your silence says it all. You know what? Go. Go ahead. But do not expect me to wait for you, Sorella."

“What—What do you mean?” His words were sudden and sharp, and yours came out shaky in return.

He sneered. “You want to disappear for months to go and stay by Terzo’s side? Fine by me, but I’m a man, Sorella, and I have needs.” The implication was disgusting, crude, and almost offensive in nature. “I won’t stand around, taking your shit lying down and blue-balling myself like some cuck so you can go and nail my brother in another country.”