Christmas Lights

"Get down from there before you hurt yourself" Emil looked up at Mathias that was not so carefully making his way over the roof while fastening a string of lightbulbs along the edge.

"Don't worry about me, I have this under control! Besides, if I don't do this we might lose again this year." He had already covered the entire roof with lights and were currently attaching the very last ones. The lights were all different coloured which would make quite the spectacle when turned on.

"Lose? Oh, you don't mean that imaginary competition you have with Berwald do you?" Emil sighed. "For the last time, you were the only one thinking it was a competition."

"You weren't there Emil" As he attached the last bulb, Mathias stood up and brushed off some snow that had gotten on his pants. "Lukas mentioned how Ber's house had a lot more lights and decorations than ours and he looked at me with this stupid smirk. He was mocking me, Emil, I could feel it"

"No, he was not, he was literally not. Can we please just have a calm, as calm as possible, Christmas this year?" As Mathias hit the ground after climbing down the ladder to the roof he turned around and walked over to Emil, Emil that could already see that it was too late.

"I'm sorry. But I can't survive another Christmas of being mocked by that guy." He grabbed a box of more lights and looked up at the sky dramatically. "May the best man win" Then he walked away, leaving a worried Emil behind. Emil slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone and quickly dialled a number.

"Lukas? Get over here, quickly"

"What is going on here little brother?" Lukas hadn't actually been that far away so Mathias had only managed to put up a few life-sized reindeer decorations covered in lights on the roof.

"Don't call me- You know what, never mind." Emil pointed at the reindeers, the lights and the Dane before he turned towards his brother. "Can you please make him come to his senses?"

"No." Lukas shook his head "I can't"

"What? Why?" Emil was confused, Lukas was usually the only one able to make Mathias change his mind.

"Because this has to happen. We cannot let him win once again" Lukas put one hand on Emil's shoulder and gave him a determined look. "I'm sorry. But I can't survive another Christmas of being mocked by that guy"

"He didn't mock you!"

"You weren't there. You didn't see it with your own two eyes" Lukas turned around and walked up to Mathias. "I'm here now"

"Finally! Did you bring the gigantic, inflatable, glowing snowman?"

"Yes"

"Well then, let's get to it!" The both walked away, leaving a confused and scared Emil behind. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone before quickly dialling a number.

"Tino? Please help"

It was finally Christmas. They had decided to celebrate at Berwald's place and were soon to arrive. Emil was only a little bit nervous, Tino had promised to talk to Berwald about not making the exterior of his house too flashy and simply let them win just so they could move on. He knew that Berwald wouldn't like letting Mathias win, even if it was an imaginary competition, but he also knew that he would listen to Tino. As they rolled up outside the house he let out a relieved sigh. Only one string of light bulbs was hanging from the roof and only one single Santa Claus figure was standing outside of the door. Tino was also standing outside to greet them.

"Welcome! What a lovely evening to celebrate Christmas on, isn't it?" Tino's warm smile was a welcome sight and he gave them all a hug each.

"Yes indeed, now where's Berwald? I have something to show him." Mathias was almost vibrating from the excitement and he was holding the camera with all the photos of their house in a tight grasp.

"He's just fixing some things inside the house, please go inside. There's no reason to stay out here and catch a cold!" Tino pushed them ahead and Mathias dragged Lukas towards the door. Emil grabbed onto Tino's jacket to get some distance between them and the other two.

"Thank you for this" This was all he wanted, for them all to move on and have a nice and calm Christmas.

"No Emil, it is I who should thank you" Tino smiled at him.

"What do you mean?" Emil didn't understand, he hadn't done anything but ask a favour from Tino. A favour he was expecting to pay back some day.

"We already knew they were planning something but we just didn't know what and it would be suspicious to go and check them out." Tino looked over at Mathias and Lukas that had almost reached the door. "But thanks to your call, we knew exactly what they were up to and could act accordingly"

"You don't mean?"

"It doesn't matter how flashy your outside is." Tino smiled at the house as Mathias reached for the doorhandle. "It's always the inside that counts."

"No" Emil looked over just as Mathias pushed the handle down. "Mathias no!" But it was already too late. Light flooded them as hundreds – no, thousands – of lights covered both the roof of the walls. Emil started running, he had to reach them but as Jingle bells started playing automatically he knew that it was already too late. He had no way of saving the situation. As Mathias fell to his knees and Lukas had to slam his hand against the wall out of frustration Emil saw it. At the end of the hallway he stood, calmly looking at them before he let out a small huff and smirked. Berwald then quietly walked away. Emil stopped, he couldn't move and he realised that he could only think one thing. That the others had been right, he hadn't been able to understand because he hadn't been there last year. But now he knew.

And next year would be different.