Chapter 4
Renji flashed his mother a grin, his usual carefree demeanor still intact. "Got it, Mom. I'll be on my best behavior... for now," he teased, giving her a wink before rising to his feet. He turned to Yuki, who had remained unusually quiet throughout the exchange, his earlier shock lingering in his expression.
"Ready to go, pastry prince?" Renji asked, a playful lilt to his voice. "I promise I won't make you do anything embarrassing this time... unless you're into that kind of thing."
Yuki blinked, still processing everything he'd witnessed in the past few minutes. His face flushed once again, a mix of discomfort and curiosity. "Uh, yeah... sure. Let's go," he muttered, standing up and trying to shake off the lingering awkwardness.
As they stepped out of the office, Renji's mother called out after them, her voice a touch more serious than before. "Renji, if you get into trouble, don't expect me to bail you out. And no more jokes about the zipper."
Renji flashed her a thumbs-up over his shoulder as he ushered Yuki out the door. "Promise, Mom. I'll try to keep it zipped," he said with a wink, clearly enjoying the teasing banter more than anything.
Once they were out in the hallway, Yuki let out a quiet breath, feeling the tension finally ease a little. "Your mom... she's something else," he said, glancing at Renji.
Renji just chuckled, shrugging nonchalantly. "Yeah, she's a lot to handle, but she's my mom. You get used to her ways. And trust me, she knows how to deal with me. She's the only one who can."
Yuki raised an eyebrow, still unsure how to process the bizarre dynamics he had just witnessed. "I don't know if I could ever be that casual with my own mother," he admitted, his tone slightly incredulous.
"Yeah, I guess it takes a special kind of relationship to pull it off," Renji agreed, his voice softening slightly. "But honestly, despite all the teasing and jokes, she's always been there for me. Sometimes, that's all that matters. Since my dad left us when I was four years old, it has just me and my mom."