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Imagine this: you’re sitting on your verandah and you hear quite a jazzy harmonica somewhere off in the distance. Maybe it’s your imagination, wishing for something that you’ve waited for for so long, or maybe it’s actually that one being you can’t wait for. You search for the noise but you are distracted by your mother’s smell of apple pie. She’s whistling the whistle she has whistled every time she bakes an apple pie.
Your attention is being traded from the approaching harmonica and the sound and smell of apple pie day.
You see him: he’s right at the edge of the forest. His eyes are closed, focused as ever.
/// AN: it’s not Shia LaBeouf \\\
You’ve never heard this song before and you want to savor every moment of it... but you can’t help but wonder why he’s here.
Did he come back for you? He returned from winter a week ago, but he’s spent a lot of time in the forest since. Is he here for you, really? You go cold. Is he here... for the pie?
Mamma’s cooking is spectacular, you wouldn’t blame him. He must have smelled it from the forest and came back for a taste.
You try to make peace with it but you don’t feel very good about it.
He opens his eyes and you see him looking right at you. They’re such a warm, dark brown...
The music stops. “Moomintroll!”
He’s at the bridge. You feel called to run to him. You do.
“Snufkin!”
You feel the bridge creak between the combined weight of you both, meeting in the middle of it. You don’t hesitate to hug him.
“Is Moominmamma making pies?” he asks.
You try not to let it bother you. “Yes, apple.”
“I knew I heard her whistling the apple pie whistle.” He smiles really big and puts his harmonica in his pockets.
You hear Moominmamma stop whistling. “Oh, Snufkin and Moomin!” she says from a distance. “Come and taste the pies, they have chilled!”
Snufkin turns you and practically pushes you to Moominhouse. “They look heavenly, Moominmamma.”
Mamma pats his hat like a proud mother and leaves you and Snufkin alone.
You don’t know why but you confront him. “Did you come back for pies?”
Snufkin stops picking up a piece of pie. “What?”
“Did you come back to Moominhouse for the pie? Did you smell them and decide that’s why you would ever come back?”
Snufkin looks shocked. His eyes look at you and then the pie. He laughs after a few seconds of silence. It’s not an awkward laugh at all. He’s truly laughing. Is it at you? You’re not sure. “Moomintroll! What are you talking about? I... I...” he stops himself to laugh more. “I can’t even smell! I wouldn’t even have come back to this valley if not for you.”
Wait, what? “You can’t smell?”
“No? I’m sorry, how did you not know?”
You realize that it’s literally never been brought up. “I have no idea.” Snufkin is still laughing.
He’s so... you stop yourself. Not now, there are more important things to deal with rather than daydreams about him.
“Moomintroll, I cannot smell.”
“Since forever?”
Snufkin points to his nose. “I don’t have nostrils.” You don’t know what to say. “Little My doesn’t have them either.” You’re dumbfounded.
Moominmamma comes back. “How’s the pie?” She notices that there’s only one piece of pie taken, completely untouched. “Is it really that bad?” She looks sad.
“Oh, sorry, Mamma,” you say. “We were busy talking.” You don’t know why Snufkin turns away. His ears are red.
Mamma says, “The pies will get cold if you don’t eat them now. If you don’t want any, that’s fine. But their warmth clock is running out.” She smiles and walks out again.
Snufkin turns back to you. He looks a little embarrassed. He’s changing the subject a little. “I can hear fairly well, though. But I wouldn’t even know what even you smell like.”
“Oh, but wouldn’t you know a rainy forest’s smell before you knew mine? I’m sure there are much more interesting things to know.”
Snufkin looks at you like you’ve said something concerning. “I’m in love with you.”
“Oh, yeah,” you say, not processing what he confessed. You can almost feel your brain’s gears turning when you think about it. And then, suddenly, it hits you. “OH?!”
This is the situation I was in. He loved me. He was in love with ME! Those 20 minutes have been so confusing.
To recap: he came to Moominhouse for me and there happened to be pies there. He couldn’t smell the pies because he can’t smell. He is in love with me.
There really is only one reason it’s a bad thing he can’t smell: he can’t smell danger like Moomins can. And that’s why he has me.