The sounds of multiple guns and bombs going off at once surrounded them in the snowy scenery. The pitch-black sky was lit by most wonderful and brightest colours, before fading back to black again. A veil of white smoke formed over the black sky to provide an even more formidable background for this spectacle of lights."Look, Su-san! Look over there! Aren't these fireworks amazing? They are a lot better than the ones last year!" Tino exclaimed excitedly, pointing in the direction of a row of red and green lights that illuminated the sky for one dazzling moment with crackling sounds, just to be replaced by white and blue explosions. His small, round face was beaming with happiness under the thick scarf that was hiding a part of it to keep away the cold; a fluffy snowflake found it's way on the tip of his nose, but he didn't seem to take any notice of it, or of any other slowly drifting snowflakes that were gradually colouring his blue woolly hat white.
With a wonted racket, a new array of fireworks lighted up the sky, this time forming an array of red hearts on the night sky. Tino pointed at the sky where the red hearts after another appeared and then disappeared, his mouth slightly ajar as he turned his face to Berwald with surprise written all over his face. Berwald smiled and bent down to capture the younger man's lips with his own. "H'vää s'nt'mäp'vää," he mumbed the wish of happy birthday with his peculiar accent, lips brushing Tino's, admiring the most adorable blush on the boy's cheeks. Tino turned his eyes away in embarrasment but made no move to avoid the sudden proximity with his tall, bespectacled neighbour.
"Tack så mycket," he replied quietly in Berwald's language, the blush still visible on his cheeks. Hesistantly he set his mitten-covered hands upon Berwald's for a moment, and before Berwald had the time to react he had risen on tiptoe, pressed his lips fleetingly upon Berwald's, and then turned away quickly, taking a couple of hastened steps away from him."Come on, let's go back home! I'll make us some mulled wine and mince pies," he said with a cheerful voice, but the unnaturally red shade of his face did not escape Berwald even in the darkness of the wintery night. Berwald chuckled and walked to Tino, and the two of them walked home in a comfortable silence, Berwald's hand securely in Tino's.