Francesco and Alessandro were sitting in their lesson room. Hans was late. Not that Francesco cared much, but Alessandro was getting nervous. Francesco had seen Alessandro and Katarina conversing earlier, and now Alessandro seemed to want to talk to him about something. Francesco wished he'd just spit it out already. It was infuriating who his brother kept glancing at him, almost as if he was afraid to speak.
Finally Francesco couldn't stand it any longer. He turned to his brother and snapped, "Just spit it out already."
Alessandro flinched back. Francesco frowned and reached out his hand, laying it on his brother's shoulder. He didn't like how Alessandro was getting to be more and more afraid of him. Alessandro looked up at his brother and said, "Katarina said you got a letter yesterday."
Francesco removed his hand from Alessandro's shoulder, and lay it back on his lap, "I did."
Alessandro took a deep breath, "She told me it was from your other half sisters who aren't our half sisters, who are still in Naples."
Francesco looked down at his hands, "It was." He paused, then amended, "Or they were. I was two separate letters, one from Maria, and one from Vincenza.
Alessandro frowned, "You never told me about them."
Francesco turned to look at him brother. He took a deep breath in, almost said something, changed him mind, and exhaled. He spoke slowly, "Only because I knew you'd never meet them."
Alessandro bit his lip, "Do you have any other half-sisters?"
Francesco looked away, "Three. Damiana, who's a little touched in the head, and can't write, and Lucia and Giovanna, who are about as old as you." He added, "And I'm the only boy," quietly, more to himself than to his brother.
Alessandro looked up at him, "Well you're not the only boy anymore." Francesco turned and gave him a wan smile. Alessandro blushed slightly and he looked down, "Are you going to write about Katarina and me when you write back?"
Francesco shrugged, "I haven't figured out what I'm going to write back yet."
Alessandro glanced up at his brother, before returning his gaze to his lap, "You won't write anything bad about us, will you."
Francesco rolled his eyes, "Of course not."
Alessandro smiled slightly, and the two of them lapsed into silence, until Hans finally arrived.
A/N- I know it's short, and a little boring, but I felt like I had to post, and I wanted to write more of the two of them interacting. The next thing will be Francesco's response to the letters.