For a moment, silence fell between them.
Kafka stared at her, caught completely off guard by her declaration. His eyes widened, and then his lips parted in disbelief.
"…You?" He said finally, his voice laced with both amusement and incredulity.
"Yes." She nodded, her chin lifting higher, her posture radiating determination even as her fingers trembled slightly at her sides.
"Mom, that tree is twenty feet tall." His lips curved into a smirk, and he let out a soft chuckle. "The bark's smooth as stone, and there are no footholds anywhere. How exactly do you plan on climbing it?"
"Don't underestimate your mother." Olivia said with quiet pride, though her heart was pounding in her chest. "I may have never climbed a tree before…but I'm not helpless."
"I was athletic once, and I still have some of that strength in me…Especially if it's for my son, I can do anything if I try hard enough."
Her words seemed to amuse him even more. His smirk deepened as he leaned down slightly, his face drawing closer to hers until she could feel his breath against her cheek.
"So let's say you do manage to climb up there like some monkey." He teased, his voice low and velvety. "What'll you do if the owner suddenly shows up and catches you in the act? What then?"
Olivia's heart skipped a beat at his closeness, but she refused to look away. Instead, she lifted her chin stubbornly.
"Then I'll take the punishment." She said firmly. "I don't care if they yell at me. I don't care if they drag me to the authorities and throw me in jail. It would be far better for me to get caught than for you."
"…You're my son, Kafi. I can't let you tarnish your hands like that. Not for me."
For a moment, Kafka simply stood there, staring at her in stunned silence.
Her words, her conviction, hit him harder than he expected. He hadn't thought she'd say something so…extreme.
Any other mother would've likely just scolded him, tried to physically stop him, or pleaded for him to come to his senses.
But Olivia…Olivia wasn't like other mothers. Instead of stopping him, she was trying to grant his wish, even if it meant sacrificing herself in the process.
It was absurd. Completely and utterly absurd.
"Seriously…" He muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "You really are something else, Mom."
He didn't know if her plan was dumb or downright insane. Offering to go to jail over a couple of coconuts? It was the strangest method he had ever heard of.
And yet, somehow…it suited her. It made perfect sense that such an awkward, earnest, and slightly strange mother would come up with something like this.
A small smile tugged at his lips before he could stop himself.
This, This ridiculous determination of hers made him so impossibly happy. She was willing to go so far for him. Willing to humiliate herself, get in trouble, and risk her dignity all because she didn't want him to do something wrong.
"Mom…" He murmured softly, the warmth in his voice betraying how touched he was.
But before she could react, he reached forward with both hands and, to her utter surprise, began tugging playfully at her cheeks.
"H-Hey! Kafi! What are you doing?!" Olivia exclaimed, her words muffled as he gently stretched her cheeks outward. "Stop that this instant! You, ugh—you!"
Kafka's grin widened as he kept pulling at her cheeks, leaning closer to watch her indignant face turn red.
"Ah, I can't help it. You're just too cute, Mom. Seriously. Who else in the world would come up with something like this?"
"You were ready to go to jail for stealing coconuts for your son! You realize how ridiculous that sounds?"
"It's not ridiculous! I was being serious!" She protested, trying to swat his hands away. "And don't call me cute, this isn't the time for that!"
"Oh no, it's exactly the time for that." He chuckled, finally letting go of her cheeks only to reach up and pat her head tenderly. "You're adorable. Too adorable for your own good. No one else would find such a determined and selfless mother in the world like you."
Her face went crimson at his words, and she looked away with an embarrassed little huff. "…You bully."
Kafka's smile softened as he kept his hand resting on her head. His voice grew gentle, almost reassuring.
"And don't worry, Mom. I wasn't actually going to steal anything."
Olivia blinked and looked up at him, startled. "…What?"
"Well, you see this grove of Veluna palms?" He said, gesturing around them with a wave of his hand. "It actually belongs to someone I already know. Someone I've worked with before. I helped them out with some things recently, and they told me I could take as many fruits as I wanted anytime."
"So there really was no stealing, no sneaking, no trouble at all. I was never going to tarnish my hands, Mom…I just wanted to surprise you and make you happy."
Hearing this, her shoulders sagged in relief as she let out a shaky breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding. "Oh, thank goodness…So you weren't going to…you weren't a thief."
"Nope."
"That's…that's such a relief…" She muttered, placing a hand over her chest. "For a second there, I really thought—"
But before she could finish, Kafka crouched slightly so that their gazes met at the same level. His hands cupped her cheeks gently, his thumbs brushing along her flushed skin as he spoke with a teasing glint in his eyes.
"But you, on the other hand…" He began slowly, his voice lowering as if he were delivering some terrible accusation.
"H-Huh?" Olivia stammered, her eyes widening.
"You were completely serious about climbing that tree and plucking coconuts for me, weren't you?"
"I-I mean, yes, but only because you—"
He cut her off with a mock, serious tone.
"You were about to become an actual criminal, Mom. Willing to steal for your son. Do you even realize what kind of bad example that is?"
"Parents are supposed to teach their kids not to steal, but here you were, ready to sneak up that tree like a bandit."
Her face went crimson in an instant. "I-I wasn't going to climb it like a bandit! I was doing it for your sake! That's different!"
Kafka chuckled, unable to hold back his laughter as he released her face and stood tall again. "Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that."
"It's true! Don't twist it around!" She cried, her embarrassment only growing as she watched him start walking toward the nearest tree with a smug grin.
"Kafi! It's not like that! Stop making it sound like I'm some kind of bad mother!" Olivia stomped after him, her cheeks still burning.
But Kafka only laughed louder, throwing a teasing glance over his shoulder.
"You're right. You're not a bad mother, you're the cutest mother alive. The kind who'd go to jail for her son over a fruit…That's a one-in-a-million kind of mom."
As he kept walking, Olivia chased after him, smacking his arm lightly in frustration. "Kafi! Stop teasing me already!"
Her voice was flustered, but there was a faint smile tugging at her lips even as she scolded him…
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