Svetlana sighed as she stared down at her breakfast. She didn't feel like eating today, as it seemed to be nothing but tedious work to her. The athlete pouted as her oatmeal looked even less appetizing than before. Something about the mundane vibe had made this harder to do; perhaps it was too monotonous for her to deal with. Regardless, this was the usual to her. However, another personality saw something different.
Vito, who was dumber than a door nail, was even bright enough to see that Svetlana wasn't her peppy self. It caused him to worry, though he wouldn't let that show through his tan muscles and macho exterior. His lips twitched before deciding that it would be best if he kept his mouth shut. After all, Chester, the annoying old man, and Mal, the ex-convict, were sitting at the table along with them. If he didn't want them to gossip about her, it would be common sense – yes, even Vito had it, thanks to Mike – to leave it alone. It was then that he frowned to himself, wondering where Manitoba was for the 3rd day in a row. He munched on a piece of bacon as the silence droned on and on.
After a couple of minutes went by, Svetlana slammed her spoon down on the table and rushed out of the room. No one could tell, but there were tears in her eyes and a shatter in her heart. Normally, she could hide her composure during the meal, but something about it made her snap today. Something about today… It made her feel vulnerable.
"What's buggin' her?" The elderly personality groaned.
Mal stuffed a spoonful of cereal in his mouth and shrugged. "Hormones," he concluded.
Vito sighed and got up from the table. "Can it," he muttered. "Lemme go see what's up."
The malevolent one looked up at Vito. As much as he wanted to say more, the overly tanned male had threatened to put him in his place. He wouldn't want a second helping of breakfast, especially when it concerned a knuckle sandwich. "Please do," he agreed. "But, um, do hurry. I don't want to converse with Butter Boy over here."
"Listen here, ya whippersnapper," Chester began.
Vito rolled his eyes and ignored their bickering. He followed the Russian woman, finding it hard to keep up with her. "Ay, ay, ay… Twinkle Toes," he called out after the others were out of ear's reach. His cocky expression softened up. He was about to show a side he wasn't prepared to show, but Anne Maria knew this side well. "What's goin'—"
Svetlana turned around and buried her face into Vito's chest. A loud sob erupted from her, and she lightly pounded a fist into his pecs. "He is not caring about Sv-Svetlana," she whimpered. "He is not!"
The Jersey Boy wasn't so sure how to react to this. He froze and stiffened up as he felt her tears running onto his body and down his chiseled, shirtless torso. He would normally be annoyed with the display of emotion, but she sounded extremely hurt. "Shh…" He let his arms wrap around her. "It's ok, Twinkles." It was safe to say that the roles should have been reversed.
"He is hurting Svetlana, does he not know?" The gymnast looked up at Vito (even though they are in the same body, their heights vary). "Svetlana is hurt. Today is her birthday, and all she is wanting is to have Manitoba here."
Vito sighed. "I know. It's kinda sad he ain't here. He will, or I'm gonna break his frickin' neck. "
"Do not be doing zat! His neck is lovely."
"But he made ya cry," Vito replied. "I don't like seein' anyone upset, other than that lil' weasel." Those were one of his many nicknames for Mal. He couldn't bash him, though. He shouldn't judge anyone when he did unspeakable things in his past. As he thought about that, he pressed his lips together and gingerly laid his chin on the top of Svetlana's head. "Don't cry," he whispered.
Something about the command had made it come true. It was like a spell, and tears stopped streaming down her face. "Da," Svetlana said. She sniffled afterwards. "Svetlana is lucky zat Vito is caring."
"It's no biggie, Twinks." He smiled and chuckled. " 'Member when Anne Maria an' me broke up for a while cuz o' Mike?" Somehow, he knew she did. "Ya helped me through that, so I'm helpin' ya." There was a silence between them before Vito spoke once more. "Why don't ya do somethin' he might like?"
And at that moment, Svetlana realized how she was going to get Manitoba's attention.