Light filtered through the leaves of the canopy, landing softly on the dew covered grass and skin in dimmed spots, scattered around. It was cool, and wisps of wind whistled as they raced between branches, grazing cheeks as they flew past.
They had gone downstairs, slowly, the Dane's hand gripping him in comfort, and he squeezed it gently every once in a while, never even for a second letting go as they walked into the living room area, where the rest of their family were seated, talking in whispers, stopping only to look up at the two entering men, interest and hope dancing in their eyes.
Smiles brightened the room as they joined them, the five speaking together now in louder tones, their voices filling the room in joyous cheers and cries. His father hugged him tightly, burying his face, now creased with many lines of old age and past worry, into his son's shoulder, weeping gently, as tears rolled down his son's cheeks too, down and off his chin, dripping softly onto his father's shirt, leaving wet marks, hands gripping tightly onto each other. The younger smiled a peaceful smile.
The youngest in the room clasped his hands against his mouth, as if to stop his own emotions from spilling out, to no avail, relieved tears falling as he clung onto Mathias, allowing him to pick him up from his wheelchair, embracing him with more force than he had ever before, his voice raspy from crying as he whispered words of disbelief and consolation over and over quietly to himself.
The Finn too cried, louder than the rest put together, wrapping Mathias in an embrace that left him breathless with how tight it was. He cried about how he needed to tell Berwald the good news as soon as he could, sobbing with joy.
Having embraced them all, they sat down, talking for what felt like hours and hours, Tino bringing his laptop down, almost slipping on the stairs as he went to bring Berwald to them. Smiles lit up their features, every single last person's there; even Berwald smiled gently as they talked.
And now, a few days later, Lukas and Mathias sat alone in the mid-May afternoon, soaking in the first rays that announced the arrival of summer, the coldness of spring still hanging in the air. A brace of ducks flew overhead, and a bumblebee buzzed around the newly sprouted clovers. Heather grew along the outskirts of the garden, swaying softly. Lukas' head rested on Mathias' shoulder, his finger drawing circles in the other's thigh as Mathias leaned back against a tree trunk, a hand resting on Lukas' waist, holding him close, eyes resting on him gently. They had stayed like this in peaceful silence for a while, comforted in each other's presence, neither feeling it was necessary to break it.
After a while, Lukas pulled back, looking Mathias in the eyes, scanning his features from the creases at his eyes from his constant smiles to the freckles on his nose. He wondered quietly how many of them he had, deciding he'd have to count them one day. Mathias smiled at him as though he could read his mind and the idea of how sappy that was amused him.
Their gaze relayed all unspoken words, words of "I missed you" and "Don't go", and other words to the same effect, some of which even they themselves didn't know how to express.
Finally, it was Mathias who broke the silence, taking out a small ring box from his coat pocket, at the sight of which Lukas' eyes widened. Mathias laughed.
"It's not what you think it is. I'm not proposing to you," he pulled open the box lid, displaying a pair of silver rings, one wider than the other. Mathias pulled the smaller one out, sliding it onto Lukas' hand. "They're promise rings," he explained. "If you check inside, I got engravings. They're not much; I got them rushed since I wanted them ready for today." He got out the other one, placing it in Lukas' palm to read the inscription on the inside. The blond laughed, shaking his head.
"'About time, right?'" he read the inscription in Mathias' ring, looking up at him, continually shaking his head, before sliding the matching ring onto the other's finger. He lay his head on his shoulder once more, admiring the ring on his finger quietly. Then he realised.
"You said you wanted them done for today," he said, looking up at him, "What's today?"
"The most important day of the year," Mathias grinned lop-lopsidedly, chuckling, "It's your birthday."
Lukas looked down at the ring again, the small smile on his lips growing slowly once more. "You didn't have to, you dolt," he teased rolling his eyes, but pecked his cheek. "Thank you."
And that's it. A year and a half later and it's finished. I can't believe I've come this far with this story. Genuinely can't. Thank you to everyone who stayed this long to read this I appreciate it so so much! c: Take care you guys, I hope this story was worth the wait.