11.(adulthood) What is ‘family’ to them?
Send me a number and I'll write a drabble about my muse's past
The restaurant is mostly empty. That, in this case, is a good thing - Viktor has no desire to disrupt Nonna’s business with his presence and the associated gawking. Most of her customers don’t even know of the connection between the two of them. It’s not as if she shows off her leg to them!
He shuffles awkwardly to the small secondary room in the back, closing the door behind himself. It is easy enough to squeeze into one of the corner booths, pressing his right shoulder to the wall as he pulls a knee to his chest. No one is here. He undoes the straps of his mask, setting it down on the scratched table with a clink.
Nonna bustles into the room, flour and grease streaking the front of her apron. “Vitya!” she exclaims, wrinkled face breaking into a grin. “I thought you were avoiding me. You’re so pale, have you been sleeping? More than a few hours, that is!”
Viktor looks away, expression unreadable. “I’ve been doing well-”
“You’re a horrible liar, you know!”
“You worry more than you should. I’m perfectly fine.”
The older woman tsks in the way only mothers can. “It’s been a slow night. I’ll go make you something to put some color back on you - stew?”
Viktor nods, and Nonna heads back to the kitchen. He nestles back into the corner, a small smile ghosting across his face for only a moment.