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Snufkin stared into the flames of his campfire.
They blurred around the edges as his eyes unfocused, and he was too tired to do anything but stare into the dancing flames, too tired to try and get his eyes to focus again.
He was so, so sore and so very tired.
It had been a rough winter, this last month in particular. Rain and being chased from towns, towns that were trying to be 'perfect' and didn't want travelers.
At least, not travelers like Snufkin, vagabonds that didn't care for rules and signs and in being properly picturesque.
He'd left traveler's signs outside them warning others, but that didn't help him much. He'd gotten used to places like Moomin Valley, where people were curious about the traveler and gave him a warm welcome in exchange for stories, or places where people were kind. It had been a long time since he'd had to be reminded that they were.
Between the rain and the tumble he'd taken down the steep hill, the brief altercation with the townspeople who didn't want someone 'out of place' in their 'perfect' (stifling, rigid, suffocating, stagnant) town, Snufkin had caught...something. He'd thought it was a cold, at first.
He had a good immune system, a gift of his parentage and built up stronger from all the years on his own out in the woods, but even he wasn't immune to the misery of a cold.
But it wouldn't go away. And it kept getting worse.
Snufkin brewed up what medicines he could, but this wasn't a cold anymore. He wasn't sure what it was, only that it was growing beyond a cold, and so there was only so much he could do.
He didn't want to back to Moomin Valley like this. They worried about him enough without him coming back sick this year, let alone as sick as he felt. They would all fuss when he left, Moomin would be kept awake when he should have hibernated out of worry, come wintertime.
He wanted to be in Moomin Valley so, so badly. To let Moominmamma fuss over him and give him something that would make him feel better no matter how vile it tasted and give him a space to hide away in that was safe and warm until he felt better. To fall asleep to Moomin reading something aloud to him while Snorkmaiden made tea and sewed nearby to keep them company. To have Little My teasing him to get better and badgering him for stories.
So his feet carried him toward Moomin Valley, slower than usual, without his input.
They had to be a good two weeks into spring there, if not more (time was moving strangely, these last few...days?), but Snufkin couldn't walk faster. He was managing half of his usual speed as it was, wobbly on his feet and momentum alone keeping him going during the day.
Blurry vision was new. Maybe it was just exhaustion.
Snufkin hoped so. He'd tried pushing himself today, and he was so hot right now, so tired he was dizzy...he didn't want to move, it was so hard to move, but he needed sleep, not to pass out on this log with the fire burning.
Shuffling, moving like an old man with many rests and false starts, he managed to get the fire put out and crawled into his tent, into his blankets, and knew no more.
---XXX---
Sunlight was pouring over the tent, lighting the interior, so bright it had to be nearly noon, and Snufkin stirred, barely awake.
Oh, he was so tired still...everything seemed to be happening through a fog.
Huh, he must still have been dreaming...that sounded like Moomin's voice from outside his tent. Oh, that was Snorkmaiden's, too! What a nice dream, that they would have come to find him.
There was a sound like a zipper being undone, and something big and white and fuzzy leaned over Snufkin.
Snufkin smiled at the fuzzy creature, reaching up to pat it before slipping back under, paw falling limply to his blanket.
---XXX---
“Snufkin! Snufkn, no! Wake up!” Moomin cried as Snufkin passed out, the paw he had reached towards Moomin as he smiled vaguely in his direction falling onto the blanket with a soft thump.
Snorkmaiden crawled into the tent, touching Snufkin's forehead. She snatched her paw back a second later with a small cry. “He's burning up!” she cried. “Hurry, can you get his things? I'll check him over, and we need to get him back to Moominmamma quick!”
Moomin nodded rapidly, ducking back out of the tent to pack up what few things Snufkin had unpacked – worryingly little, not even his kettle or cooking pot, little more than setting up the tent, the sloppiest he'd ever seen Snufkin's tent pitched in all the years they'd known each other – while Snorkmaiden gripped Snufkin's blanket tightly.
They hadn't wanted to come looking for him...no, that was a lie, they'd wanted to look as soon as they'd realized he'd be late but had been giving him space. It was just...Snufkin had promised he'd be back, and he was three weeks late.
They'd thought maybe he was just taking longer. They'd hoped it wouldn't be something bad.
This was worse than Snorkmaiden had feared.
“You have to do this,” she whispered to herself, touching a bruise on Snufkin's cheek with featherlight fingers. “Snufkin needs you, no time to be squeamish. Please don't be hurt, too, Snufkin. No more than this, please.”
Snorkmaiden was as gentle as possible, but Snufkin still pulled away from her searching paws in his sleep, face creasing in pain as she found the cuts and bruises littering his body.
None of them were hot to the touch – red and angry, some of them, but not infected and properly bandaged. She stared at them in dismay, her paw hovering over one of the worst. What could have happened? Snufkin could take care of himself, how could he have ended up in such a state?
The fever was what worried Snorkmaiden. The fever, and the cough that took both of them by surprise as Snufkin began convulsing with them in his sleep. Hurriedly she slid an arm behind Snufkin's back, helping him to sit up until the fit passed.
She slid her other arm under his legs, pulling him and the blankets out of the tent while Moomin started to take it down.
Snorkmaiden wrapped Snufkin up in the blanket, wincing each time he made a protesting noise or whimper in his sleep, weakly trying to struggle free.
Moomin draped a handkerchief wet with water from the stream Snufkin had camped next to over Snufkin's forehead, Snufkin's things already packed and ready to go.
Snorkmaiden lifted Snufkin, his head fitting on her shoulder, worryingly light in her arms, and started walking.
They needed to get to Moominmamma now.
---XXX---
Snufkin didn't wake as they walked, despite being passed between Moomin and Snorkmaiden, despite the jostling as they worked their way over uneven ground, despite the changing of the cloth on his forehead.
He mumbled occasionally, fighting towards consciousness, but slipped back under each time.
And the fever raged on.
They had to stop when night fell, only giving in when it was too dark to see and they had no choice.
Moominmamma had sent along first aid with them, and Moomin started brewing the medicine as soon as he had the fire going while Snorkmaiden held Snufkin, unwilling to put him down on the ground until she had to.
He was passed to Moomin so she could make up a bed of their blankets – she would survive an uncomfortable night, Snufkin needed them more.
Snufkin was mumbling again, dreaming they thought, and had to be coaxed into drinking the medicine. They heard their names in his mumbling, now and again, theirs and people they recognized, but nothing sensible.
Moominmamma said this medicine would help with a fever. There wasn't much else they could do, not knowing what was wrong, but that fever needed to come down. It wasn't dangerous yet, not that high, but too long and it would be dangerous.
Another hour at most, less if they hurried, and they would have been at Moomin House, but Moomin and Snorkmaiden had no nightvision to speak of, and the moon was hidden behind clouds. They wouldn't help Snufkin if they fell over something in the dark and hurt them all.
But the clouds moved from the moon after a half hour, gently blowing away from the moon which shone down almost in benediction, bright as day, and the two looked to each other and nodded sharply.
They picked up the packs again. Moomin gently lifted Snufkin, glancing with worry at the fever spots on Snufkin's cheeks, how warm he was in his arms.
Snorkmaiden touched his arm, and they leaned against each other for a moment before setting off with new resolve.
They weren't going to lose him before they'd gotten to tell him how they felt, even if it meant losing him. Even if he panicked and ran after, he deserved to know, and they weren't losing him to this.
---XXX---
Snufkin sharply arched his back, screaming out Moomin's name before collapsing back into his arms.
Moomin stumbled, fumbling Snufkin for a heart stopping moment.
“Snufkin!” Moomin nuzzled at Snufkin's still too hot cheek, Snorkmaiden brushing the hair off Snufkin's forehead as they leaned over him. “Snufkin?”
Snufkin's eyes were still closed, and his head thrashed on Moomin's shoulder, deeply unconscious even now. “Moomin! Moomin, no, please...”
“No, Moomin! Please! Moomin, Snorkmaiden, please!” Snufkin cried, the shouts turning to sobs, tears beginning to soak into Moomin's shoulder. “Please, I'm not that late, you can't have forgotten me already!”
“Snufkin! Snufkin, we're here, we're right here, we've got you,” Snorkmaiden said urgently, stroking Snufkin's hair while Moomin was struck speechless. “Shh, it's all right, we're here.”
Snufkin quieted under her paws, but the tears and soft, broken sobs didn't stop. The look Moomin and Snorkmaiden exchanged this time was stricken, and they picked up the pace.
---XXX---
Moominmamma had reluctantly gone to bed, but was up in an instant when she heard the door open and her children calling for her.
Snufkin was silent again, still unconscious, allowing him to be changed into pajamas and tucked into bed.
Moominmamma was quiet as she felt his forehead, and the speed with which she rushed to get the medicine prepared spoke volumes.
“Mamma?” Snorkmaiden asked, holding Moomin's paws tightly as they watched Moominmamma coax Snufkin into drinking the medicine and the tea she'd made.
“If we can get the fever to break then he'll be fine in time,” Moominmamma said. Her paw hovered over Snufkin before stroking his hair. “I don't like those bruises.”
“What should we do, Mamma?” Moomin asked.
Her free paw touched his cheek. “Just as you've been doing. We'll need to give him more medicine and drinks until it breaks, and watch over him.”
“Dove...” Snufkin moaned softly.
“Mamma, he keeps doing that, calling out,” Moomin said as Snorkmaiden hurried to change the cloth on Snufkin's forehead.
“I think he's delirious, dear,” she said in concern. “All we can do is try to keep him calm, and try not to take anything he says to heart.”
“He was begging us not to forget him,” Moomin said in a tiny voice as he took Snufkin's paw, stroking the back of it.
“Then when he's better, you'll have to help convince him you won't,” Moominmamma said calmly, though the way she smoothed her apron said she wasn't near as calm as she appeared.
“Dove...Princess...where are you...” Snufkin moaned. “I'm sorry, please...”
“I wonder who he's talking to,” Snorkmaiden said quietly, turning a soft, dull blue. “Someone he meets during the winter? There's no princesses here...”
“Princess, please, I'm sorry...” Snufkin cried softly, his head turning on the pillow. “Dove, please, don't leave me.”
“Shh, we're here,” Moomin soothed as Mamma rushed to get more medicine and tea as tears started sliding from Snufkin's closed eyes, threatening dehydration to go with his fever. “We're not Dove or Princess but we're here for you.”
Snufkin continued to cry out for 'dove' and 'princess' through the night, mixing their names with calling for Moomin and Snorkmaiden as well, with calling now and again for his sisters or father or Moominmamma. Begging them not to leave him, not to forget him, to come find him.
Please, please come and find him.
Dove, please. Princess, he was sorry. Please, don't forget him. Please come find him. He was lost, please, please come and find him.
The ravings died down and the fever broke around an hour before dawn, and Snufkin slipped into a proper sleep, finally going quiet.
Heart sore and exhausted, so did Moomin and Snorkmaiden, and Moominmamma took a moment to stroke each one, smoothing sweat soaked hair and leaving each with a kiss to the forehead before seeking her own bed.
---XXX---
Snufkin woke slowly, feeling aches in every inch of his body, as though he were sore down to the bone, his mouth dry and his head aching.
Slowly he opened his eyes, looking at the ceiling in mild concern. He'd fallen asleep in his tent, he knew he had...he let his head fall to the side, looking around blearily, still exhausted.
Oh. This was the guest room in Moomin House, the one they used for ill guests. Did he somehow walk all the way here while out of it?
There was a sleepy noise from the floor, and Moomin popped up, followed a moment later by Snorkmaiden, both of them sleepy and disheveled. Their ears pricked up when they saw Snufkin's eyes open, even at half mast as they were, and they scrambled to the bed.
“Snufkin! Are you really awake this time?” Moomin asked, reaching for the cloth on Snufkin's forehead.
Snufkin nodded, starting in surprise as Snorkmaiden slipped her arms under him and helped him to sit up. His paw shook when he reached for the glass Moomin was holding, and he pushed back embarrassment as Moomin had to hold it for him and help him drink.
“Don't,” Snorkmaiden said softly. “We came close to losing you last night. Just let us help you for a bit.”
Too tired to argue, Snufkin rubbed his cheek against her shoulder once he was done with the water, barely able to keep his eyes open. Moomin took his paw in both of his, rubbing it gently.
“Get some more sleep. We'll be here when you wake up.”
With that following him, Snufkin slipped back into restful sleep, cradled between Moomin and Snorkmaiden, smiling faintly.
---XXX---
Mumriks are hardy creatures, and Snufkin was sitting up on his own by the evening, if still stuck with soup and tea and toast for dinner and falling asleep easily.
Moominmamma fussed over him, just as part of him had wished for while so sick, enough that he felt loved and cared for without quite crossing the line into smothering.
“I don't remember how I got here,” he said, the soup and tea and medicine easing the dry, scratchy soreness of his throat enough for him to speak so long as he didn't overdo it, lying on his back once again in bed and looking up at Moominmamma.
“Well, they were waiting, letting you have time, but after three weeks, Moomin announced he was going looking for you,” Moominmamma said gently, ignoring the way Snufkin went still. “He said at least then, if you weren't coming back, he would know for sure. And he'd let you be if you weren't, but if you were then something must be wrong. But you'd promised you would be back for spring, and you don't break promises. And Snorkmaiden went with him to find you. She was very worried, too. They haven't left your side since they brought you home, until I shooed them out earlier.”
There was a soft knock on the door, and Moomin peeked around it. Snufkin was still staring at the ceiling with wide, confused eyes, thinking things through as Moominmamma traded places with Moomin and Snorkmaiden.
“Um, Snufkin...” Moomin began, hesitating.
“You came to get me.”
Moomin winced. “I'm sorry, I wasn't going to make you come back, I just was so worried, and I needed to know, you said you were coming back and...well...”
Snufkin moved his paw to cover Moomin's, turning a shy smile onto the two of them. “You came to get me.”
“We did,” Snorkmaiden agreed. “We're sorry if you didn't want us to, but...”
She trailed off as Snufkin shook his head, flushing faintly. “I promised I'd be back, and told you when to look for me. That makes a difference. And I...I really needed help, this year. I don't remember much of what happened.”
“You had a fever when we found you,” Moomin said softly. “A bad one, and we couldn't get you to wake up for more than a few minutes at a time at most. And you...you were talking. Mamma said you were delirious.”
The faint flush was now as full a blush as either of them had ever seen from Snufkin as he ducked his head as if to hide behind his hat, which was across the room with the rest of his clothes. “Oh. I hope I didn't say anything too embarrassing while I was out of it. Did I rant about Park Keepers?”
“You kept asking for someone to come find you, and begged us not to forget you,” Snorkmaiden said. She planted her paws on her hips, taking a faint scolding tone. “As if that were possible. And the same goes for whoever Princess and Dove are, I'm sure.”
Snufkin's head whipped up, staring at her as the color drained from his face, his paws clutching the quilt tight. “Where did you...”
“You were calling for them,” she said. “If...you sounded like you really care about them a lot,” she said, fur fading to blue. “We...Moomin and I...well...”
“We were going to tell you how much we love you, after you came back this year,” Moomin said sadly. “Sorry, I wanted to do a pretty confession, under the stars and...I had it all planned out. But it was pretty obvious you're in love with Dove and Princess, so we'll...we'll...”
Snufkin had covered his face with his paws while Moomin spoke, blushing so hard his ears were red. “You're them,” he said, voice muffled.
The other two froze. “Snufkin? What did you say?”
Snufkin lowered his paws, still blushing. “You're...you're Dove,” he said, staring at his quilt as he gestured at Moomin, unable to look at them as he confessed. “And Snorkmaiden is Princess. I wasn't going to say anything. I was too scared, and I didn't want to come between you.”
“Well that's just where we want you,” Snorkmaiden declared, glowing a bright, happy pink as the two leaned in, each nuzzling one of Snufkin's cheeks in a Moomin kiss as he giggled.
“I'm dreaming, right?” he said, a little dazed, when they pulled back. “I'm still delirious?”
“Nope!” Moomin chirped, bouncing with joy.
“You get some rest, and we can talk about it properly when you feel better,” Snorkmaiden chimed in. “You're not dreaming, and we were too scared to tell you, too. But next time, maybe don't wait until you're delirious to tell us important things like that?”
“Only if you don't wait until an emergency!” Snufkin countered.
Sheepish looks around the room, and sharp nods.
---XXX---
There were flowers in Snufkin's room after that, new, fresh forget-me-nots and daffodils and snow drops all twined into love posies.
And as soon as he was recovered enough to leave his bed, Moomin and Snorkmaiden took Snufkin out under the stars, to give him the confession he deserved.
And his own nickname, to be the Blossom to their Dove and Princess.
(And maybe, using them a bit more often to see Little My's disgusted faces at the now open flirting that replaced the pining. She was their sister, she had to.)