The melody of a song thrush sounded not far from the window, making Duft tiredly raise his head and squint in the dark. Not even the sun had gone up yet and there was only the barest hint of twilight approaching in how he could see the outline of the window. He gave a groan and turned around, burying his head at his husband’s chest, not at all thinking of getting up yet.

His movements woke up Stinde who cracked his eyes open and then reached up to pull him closer. He nuzzled his neck before closing his eyes again and falling asleep without a word.

Contrary to him, Duft couldn’t just go back to sleep though. He lay there, awake, listening to the song of the early birds, and wondering how much longer it would take for the sun to go up. Today was the first day of spring. Time to remember the traditions of chasing away the old and welcoming the new. The first of which should be … Kringt. This was one of his favorite days of the year. After all, not only was it a nice tradition that always left him feeling satisfied because finishing up his work immediately came with a reward he had given himself, but this was also the day on which he had met his husband.

Peering into Stinde’s face, he smiled to himself. Well, such a nice day. Since he was already up, he shouldn’t hesitate to make something of it. He wriggled out of his husband’s arms and left the bed, trying to make his steps as light as possible.

No matter whether the sun was up or not, it couldn’t hurt to start a little early. Wasn’t there a saying that it was the early bird that would catch the worm? Well, most likely, not many would get up before dawn. And if he finished early, then they would have time to enjoy themselves in the evening. That sounded like the perfect day.

Duft went to wash up and changed his clothes. Then, he picked an apron that he hadn’t used since last year’s Kringt and tied it around his waist and neck to make sure his clothes wouldn’t get dirty. Well, most likely, even with this, he would still end up all dusty. Maybe he should finish this day off with a nice, hot bath. In any case, after working all day, he should also deserve to indulge himself, right?

Thinking of that, he glanced at his husband who was still peacefully sleeping with no sign of waking up. Last year at Kringt, they had been pretty much newly married. He had been too embarrassed to hand his husband a rag to wipe down any surfaces or a basket to go and wash clothes. Thus, he had done everything by himself while Stinde didn’t even seem to notice. Who knew if this year would be any different? Actually, he felt like he shouldn’t let him off that easily.

Duft shook his head and silently left the room. In any case, it really was early right now. He felt like even if he wanted Stinde to help, that should only be after his husband woke up. And hopefully not because he had woken him up with something he did. Stinde was more of a night owl than a robin after all and if he was woken up too early, he’d just be grumpy.

Duft smiled to himself and went to the kitchen, picking up the broom on his way there. He put it in the corner for later before starting to dust off the shelves and cupboards. Then, he put the pots and pans next to the basin so he could wash them later on. Right now, that kind of clanging noise would definitely wake Stinde up. Taking the broom again, Duft started to sweep the floor, opening the windows to let in some fresh air. After a while, everything but washing the pots had been done in the kitchen.

Looking at the room that was looking much better than before, he felt a sense of accomplishment. This was why he loved Kringt: to see something that he was already used to in a new light, to ensure that they could start the new year together in a clean house where they would feel comfortable and at home. Why wouldn’t he love it?

Feeling all fired up after seeing the first results, Duft went out into the small corridor that connected all the rooms in the house. He picked up the carpet, carried it outside, and put it on the small bench that Stinde had carved last year. He went back inside, swept the floor, and then went to the living room to continue there, slowly making his way through the house.

By the time Stinde got up several hours later, Duft had already tidied up most of the other rooms. Now, only the carpets and other fabrics he had put on the bench outside needed to be dusted off or washed, and the dishes in the kitchen needed to be done as well. Oh, and of course, he hadn’t been able to do anything in the bedroom yet since he didn’t want to wake up his husband. Other than that, there were only some small things to arrange and some old things to sort through to decide whether they should be kept but Duft wanted to do that together with his husband so he had only piled them up in the living room.

Right now, he was returning all the small items to their original places that had been misplaced over the last year. He had been quite astonished when he saw just how many of those there were. Where had the spoon on the attic come from, for example? He seriously suspected that his husband had secretly stashed some food there and eaten while he wasn’t looking. But, well, he wouldn’t expose him. He’d just have him get a new spoon. This one also needed to be washed together with the rest.

Meanwhile, Stinde was rubbing his head while he followed his husband around the house, trying to figure out what he was doing. "You do realize that it’s still early in the morning, don’t you?" He looked to the mountain of dishes next to the basin when they entered the kitchen again and then to the rag hanging over his husband’s arm, wondering if he had missed something.

This wasn’t how their mornings usually went. Even though Duft woke up much earlier than him, he would stay in bed for a while and cuddle with him. Then, when Stinde was at least half awake, he would leave to busy about. This though … Stinde couldn’t help but wonder if some magician had passed by and put some spell on him. This didn’t seem normal at all.