### The Sweetest Defeat
Suddenly, both of them grew serious again.
Draven's mother looked at him, her eyes narrowing with playful intensity.
"Ready, honey?"
Draven nodded, his expression calm and focused.
"Yeah… always."
They stared each other down like two seasoned rivals, locked in an age-old battle that neither was willing to lose.
Their right hands hovered above their open left palms, steady and poised.
For a moment, everything went still.
Even the wind seemed to quiet down.
Draven glanced at his mother, his thoughts racing.
*This is it. A fifty-fifty chance.*
*Win, and I'm free.*
*Lose… and I have to do everything she said.*
He considered the situation for a moment.
*I mean, I could say it's not all that bad, but come on. I'm a man. I've got my pride.*
His expression hardened.
*And my pride won't let me walk away from this without winning.*
Both of them moved at the same time.
Their right arms swept forward in perfect synchronization.
"ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!"
Their hands shot out.
Then—
They froze.
For a brief moment, neither said anything.
Draven looked down.
His lips slowly curled into a smile.
Across from him, his mother was already grinning, her expression smug but undeniably sweet.
"Aww… looks like you lose, honey."
Draven had thrown rock.
His mother had thrown paper.
He stared at their hands for another moment before letting out a dramatic sigh.
"Yeah… I guess so."
A small chuckle escaped him.
His mother giggled, clearly enjoying her victory.
"Since Mommy won, that means Mommy gets ALL the hugs and kisses now!"
Draven's shoulders slumped.
"Ugh… Mom, just don't go overboard, okay? I just got a haircut. I don't want you messing up my hair."
His mother burst into laughter.
Draven tried to maintain a straight face, but the corners of his mouth betrayed him.
He held it for another second.
Then he broke.
A moment later, both of them were laughing so hard that they could barely stand straight.
It wasn't a polite giggle or a quiet chuckle.
It was the kind of laughter that came from somewhere deep, loud and completely unrestrained.
His mother laughed along with him, her eyes crinkling as she tried—and failed—to catch her breath.
Draven eventually managed to calm down, though a smile remained on his face.
*I lost.*
He glanced at his mother.
*But weirdly… I don't feel bad.*
Not even close.
Instead, he felt something else.
Something warm.
Something he couldn't quite put into words.
*I'm happy.*
*Like, really, really happy.*
Before he could say anything, his mother stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
It was a warm, tight hug, the kind that made it difficult to imagine ever wanting to pull away.
She gently pressed a kiss against his forehead.
Draven didn't resist.
For once, he simply let her hold him.
And they stayed like that for a little while longer, surrounded by the gentle breeze and the flowers in the garden.
The ridiculous duel was over.
His mother had won.
And somehow, Draven didn't mind losing at all.
### A Little Too Comfortable
With a warm smile on his face, Draven stood quietly beside his mother, still wrapped in her gentle embrace.
Her arms were around him, firm but soft, and he could feel the steady rhythm of her breathing.
It was… comforting.
Unexpectedly so.
*This is a strange feeling.*
A rare warmth spread through him.
*I didn't expect this to feel so nice.*
It was warm.
Peaceful.
Comfortable.
He hadn't expected himself to relax like this, but somehow, standing there in his mother's arms, he found himself doing exactly that.
For a brief moment, he even felt his eyelids growing heavy.
His mother stood close, her eyes gently closed and a playful smile resting on her lips. She seemed perfectly content to remain like that.
Then she broke the silence.
"Honey, I thought you didn't want to give Mommy a hug… but you sure seem happy."
A mischievous glint flickered in her eyes.
Draven's eyes flew open.
A flush of red immediately spread across his face.
*Shit!*
*It was so warm and comfortable that I actually started falling asleep!*
He quickly turned his head away, trying to compose himself as his cheeks grew hotter.
His mother simply smiled, clearly amused by his reaction.
"No need to be shy, sweetheart. It's not like this is the first time."
*Yeah, that's exactly why I don't want to do it anymore.*
Draven clicked his tongue inwardly.
*And who the hell said I'm shy, anyway?*
Before he could come up with a response, his mother leaned slightly toward him.
"Why don't you give Mommy a kiss too?"
Draven froze.
He could already feel the heat rushing back to his face.
*I guess I've already lost.*
There was no getting out of this one.
With a quiet sigh, he slowly turned toward her.
His mother had already crouched down to bring herself to his eye level. She was still smiling, wearing that soft, teasing expression that seemed to come so naturally to her.
For a brief moment, their eyes met.
Hers were bright with affection and amusement.
Draven hesitated.
Then, leaning forward, he planted a quick kiss on her cheek.
The moment he pulled away, he turned around again, clearly hoping she hadn't noticed how red his face had become.
"I'm going to take my leave now," he announced stiffly.
His mother chuckled.
"Okay, honey."
Draven wasted no time. He began walking away from the pavilion, doing his best to shake off his embarrassment and act as though nothing had happened.
Unfortunately, he hadn't gone very far when he noticed two familiar figures approaching along the garden path.
Lyriana.
And Aldric.
Draven's steps faltered slightly.
*Wait…*
His expression stiffened.
*Where the hell were they this whole time?*
He glanced at the two approaching figures, then briefly looked back toward his mother.
*Were they nearby the entire time?*
A terrible possibility suddenly crossed his mind.
*Oh, God. Dammit…*
His ears grew even redder.
*Please tell me they didn't see any of that.*
The thought alone made him want to disappear.
*That would be so damn embarrassing.*
He quickly turned his attention forward and continued walking, doing everything he could to maintain a perfectly normal expression.
Unfortunately, the burning sensation in his ears wasn't helping.