Duft did indeed look up from his work and gave his husband a smile. Contrary to what Stinde might have thought, what Duft admired the most was the dust that had settled on Stinde’s shoulders and on the underside of his sleeves. Clearly, his husband had taken the tasks he had given him seriously and not just put on a show. How could he be unhappy with that?

He still put on a small show for him so he could show off. "And if I go out to check, will there be anything missing or still dirty?" He raised his brows at his husband as if daring him to lie to him.

Stinde smiled happily. To be honest, he had really wanted to show off but had felt a bit stupid with his husband having done more work than him. But if Duft already asked like this … how could he not give him an honest answer?

He went over to encircle Duft’s waist and pressed their cheeks together. "You don’t have to worry. I made extra sure that everything is well taken care of. You can go to check it later on: I swear there is not a single speck of dust left in the carpet and the clothes outside on the clothesline are a brilliant white color and without a single wrinkle. You’ll be amazed when you see it."

Duft gave his husband a knowing smile, not forgetting to praise him. "Well, if that is true, then I am very proud of you. I was already worried you wouldn’t want to help."

"How could that be?" Stinde let go of him and stepped back. "Even though I think that this tradition is a little overvalued since this Kringt is important to you, then I will also support you." To show that he would let actions follow his words, he looked around, trying to see if there was something else he could do but the kitchen looked spotless. In the end, he could only twitch his lips and turn back to his husband to ask for help. "So, didn’t you want to give me another task?"

Duft put the vase aside that he had finished washing and looked at his husband with appreciation. Was this still the same person that had complained before? It seemed he had meant it when he said that he would go through with this because it was important to him. Although … half the effort would be enough for that. To see that he cared so much really made him happy.

Duft smiled to himself and picked up a jar that he usually used outside to water the flowers he had planted between the house and the clothesline, starting to wash it as well. "You’re really hard-working today. Do you want a reward later on?"

Stinde raised his brows in surprise. Originally, he wanted to shake his head but then reconsidered. "Let’s say it’s not that I want a reward but I think after working hard, the two of us both deserve one, right? Or at the very least, we should deserve to relax and enjoy ourselves."

"So?"

Stinde leaned down, and propped his arms up on the table, flashing his husband a charming grin. "So … if we finish early … I definitely wouldn’t mind if we went to visit that hot spring you mentioned before. In any case, since this is also some kind of anniversary for us, we should celebrate a little extra, don’t you think so?"

"Naughty!" Duft raised his hand and splashed some water at his husband.

"Is that a yes?"

Duft chuckled and then nodded. "I’ll check your work later and if it’s up to standard, then we will go. But don’t let me find out that you shirked your responsibility. Then all rewards are off the table!"

"I would never!" Stinde craned his neck and gave him a kiss on the lips. "So, what’s the next task?"

Seeing his husband all fired up, Duft couldn’t help but laugh again. To be honest, he was sure that Stinde had really worked earnestly. If he said he wanted to help because he knew it was important to him, then he would do so. He wasn’t one for empty words. Thus, he didn’t worry and told him what to do next.

For the next few hours, Stinde was running in and out of the house, doing whatever his husband asked him to do, and checking in as soon as each task was done to get a new one. He only went off on his own once to go back outside to the clothesline and take off the textiles he had hung up to dry. He took all of them down and threw them in the basket he had prepared, making sure that not a single corner would land in the dirt. He carried the basket into the living room and put it down on the table. He didn’t go back to Duft immediately and instead sat down, folding everything up that didn’t need to be used anytime soon, and then went to store it. Then, he brought the blankets into the bedroom and went to distribute everything else to the rooms in the house it belonged to. At last, he brought over the rags that Duft usually used in the kitchen to wipe down the table and dry off the dishes into the kitchen and then resumed his other tasks.

Soon enough, every room in the house had been taken care of. Each speck of dust had been wiped away, every cluttered place tidied up, making the whole house look warm and inviting. Duft had even used the opportunity to rearrange some furniture and put up new decorations for the season. Looking around, he nodded with satisfaction, his eyes sparkling with happiness.

"And this, this is why I love Kringt. When you start, everything is still bleak winter but as soon as you finish, spring has come and with it the new year that will bring hope and prosperity."

Stinde nodded, feeling that his husband might be right. After helping him, he honestly couldn’t say that he hadn’t also liked it a bit. While it was strenuous, it also was very rewarding when you saw the place you called home turning brighter with each task that was taken care of. And his spouse’s smile was the gilding of this task. "Well, I guess we deserve our break now."

Duft looked up and rubbed his husband’s cheek that had gotten a little dusty when he had been outside to clean the shed with the firewood that had clearly needed him to be a bit more heavy-handed. "You’ve been looking forward to this the whole day. I guess I shouldn’t make you wait much longer. Just give me a moment."

Before Stinde could ask what he meant, his husband had already vanished in the kitchen and the clattering of dishes could be heard. Stinde raised his brows but when he wanted to follow inside, he was immediately shooed out of the room before he had time to see anything. Grumbling to himself just like when he had started his first task, Stinde could only lean against the wall opposite the kitchen with his arms crossed in front of his chest. What could be so secret that he couldn’t be shown?

Soon enough, Duft emerged from the kitchen, a basket in his arms that was covered with a piece of cloth large enough to hide every single clue of what was beneath it.

Stinde tried to reach out to lift a corner but Duft slapped away his hand and raised his brows at him. "Who’s going to be so curious?"

"Why shouldn’t I be curious? Is this another tradition of yours?" He definitely couldn’t remember that. He couldn’t remember any previous spring cleaning since he had never taken part in it even after their wedding but on the day they had met, there hadn’t been a basket standing around. So this should be something new.

Unfortunately, Duft was not about to tell him what he had packed. He just smiled mysteriously and then left the house, handing yet another basket to his husband that he had prepared while Stinde had been busy in the shed.

This time when Stinde tried to peek he wasn’t held back by his husband so he could look at what was in his basket at least. As it turned out, there were spare clothes and some cloths to rub their bodies dry after they came out of the hot spring. Seeing this, Stinde just followed behind his husband, not caring about it any longer. The other basket might also be something they would need over there. In that case, he’d find out soon enough.

The hot spring was a little further away than the river so the two of them needed more than an hour to get there. By the time they arrived, dusk was already fast approaching, with the sky turning a bright orange in the distance that turned even the leaves of the trees around them golden.

Stinde couldn’t help but worry when he thought of how it would turn dark soon but then again, it had also been late in the evening when he originally met Duft at this place. It shouldn’t be a problem to find their way back in the dark. Especially not since they were together and could rely on each other.

Duft put down the basket in his hand and motioned for his husband to do the same. Stinde once again tried to take a peek but was pulled away by his husband. He wanted to complain at first that he still wasn’t allowed to know but he immediately forgot about that when his husband started to untie his clothes. Smiling, he rushed over and helped Duft out of his clothes, throwing off his own while he was at it, and then, the pair of husbands stepped into the hot spring, smiling at each other.

"Well, the house is spotless now thanks to celebrating Kringt. Now, I guess it is our return to get a thorough spring cleaning as well." Stinde splashed some water at his husband, chuckling lightly.

Duft just glanced at him but didn’t bother to respond. He swam further toward the center of the spring, and then dived down, brushing through his hair with his fingers before he came up to the surface again. The water droplets shimmered like fire in his blonde hair, adding a touch of liveliness.

Stinde gave a hum, dived down as well, and swam over to grab his husband around the waist. "I could help you with that spring cleaning."

Duft chuckled and then reached behind him, pulling his husband’s dishonest hands up toward his hair. "Better start from the top then."

"Oh? Just starting there? That definitely sounds good!" Stinde continued to chuckle and then got to work, washing his husband’s hair. Finally, his hands wandered down, rubbing his shoulders and back. He originally wanted to continue further down but seeing Duft relax, he couldn’t quite bring himself to do this.

In any case, the two of them had been busy all day. Even he himself felt tired after running around so much. And he had gotten up much later than Duft and had only taken over the tasks that his husband gave him. Comparing both, he was pretty sure that Duft had done more. So how would he feel? Most likely, he was even more tired than himself. If not for the fact that they were dusty beyond belief and the blankets just cleaned, he probably would have crawled into bed immediately.

Thinking of that, Stinde finally stayed honest, and just rubbed his back, trying to help him alleviate the pain a little and relax.

After a while, Duft looked over his shoulder. "Who knew you could be this caring?"

Stinde smiled and put on an expression of hurt. "Am I not like this usually?"

"That question would sound so much more convincing if you hadn’t been lying in bed on your stomach for half the day before coming out to wonder what I was doing."

Stinde laughed faintly. Well, he couldn’t argue that point. "Then next year, you should wake me up sooner. How was I supposed to know that you would suddenly get this type of idea?" He leaned down and kissed his shoulder, motioning over at the basket. "We’ve been soaking for quite some time but you still haven’t told me what’s inside. Am I even going to find out today?"

Duft was startled and then rushed back to the bank of the hot spring, stretching his arm to pull the basket over. "Good that you mentioned it. I almost forgot." He finally lifted the cloth and uncovered some food and a flask of wine.

Stinde raised his brows and then looked at his husband, not quite sure if he understood this right. "This is …?"

Instead of answering him, Duft got out of the water, and grabbed the cloths from the other basket, rubbing down his body. "Isn’t it obvious? That’s for the rest of our break. It’s not good to stay in the hot spring for too long. You’d better get out too!"

Stinde didn’t need to be asked twice and immediately clambered out of the water. While it sounded good to stay inside a bit longer, they had already been spending quite a bit of time there. "I’m a little miffed that I didn’t get a back-rub but I guess the food makes up for it."

Duft chuckled and motioned for him to come over, helping him dry off his body. "Does this count as a back-rub now?"

"Well, considering that it’s a special day, I’ll let you get away with this. Next time, you’ll have to spend some more effort."

Duft laughed and then put away the cloths, picking up their clothes instead, and helping his husband get dressed. "I’ll be sure to remember it."

Finally having gotten dressed, the two of them sat down next to the hot spring, pulling the basket beside them, and pouring a cup of wine for each of them.

"Toward a new year." Duft raised his cup, looking at his husband with a smile that seemed a lot more serious than before.

Stinde also stopped the silly banter and raised his cup as well. "To … being a couple that supports each other even if we don’t understand everything about each other."

Duft nodded and downed the cup of wine. "Sounds good."

Stinde also drank, and then put down the cup, wanting to eat a little first before they continued to drink.

Meanwhile, the sun sank below the horizon, and the stars started to glitter above their heads, looking as if a thousand small fires had suddenly ignited in the hot spring. Stinde looked over, thinking that he really didn’t need to worry about the way back. This light should be enough to see the path.

The two of them continued to sit at the bank of the hot spring, and finally, Duft leaned against his husband’s shoulder, refilling their cups, and taking slow sips. "Next year … I hope we can still do this together. And I hope you’ll tell me more about the customs of the place you come from as well. Despite knowing each other for five years, you actually haven’t told me much about it."

"Didn’t I? I could’ve sworn I did. But in any case, if you want me to, then I will tell you everything I know. Just maybe not today. It’s already late and right now, I think just enjoying each other’s company and the view up here are good enough. All these other things … they can wait until tomorrow."

Duft nodded and the two of them fell silent, just enjoying the quiet spring night.