Eventually, the mother and son separated again. Gently, Erik extended his hand to wipe his mother's tears away, but Runa rolled her eyes and slapped his hand away.
"Don't start treating me like some defenseless flower now, you hear?!" she scolded him with a soft chuckle. Grinning defiantly, she wiped her face with the sleeve of her cropped shirt.
Erik laughed joyously, feeling more carefree than he'd been in a long time. "Sorry, Mom. Call it a reflex!"
Amused and done wiping her face, Runa looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Wiping the tears of a woman's cheek is a reflex to you? How many times have you made a woman cry?!"
Laughing, Erik threw his hands up in surrender. "Only a few times, your honour! I swear!" His mother joined him in laughter, and within moments, the heavy mood dissolved.
Slowly, a little awkwardly, after what just happened, Runa went back to fixing Erik's outfit. Naturally, he simply stood there and let her fuss over him.
