Chapter Text
His tail twitches in apprehension as he sits, perched upon the railing of the bridge. His paws tap against his legs, which idly swing against the wood below him as he gazes at the Moominhouse. The windows are dark, reflecting the dying light, signifying that the residents within have gone into Hibernation. Moomin isn't coming, Snufkin realizes in dawning resignation. With a sigh he hops off the railing and shoulders his bag onto his back. He has stayed too late, he's going to have to walk during the night at this rate, but it's time to go.
He pauses just before the forest, body stilling as he waits, ears straining behind him for the familiar patter of paws behind him, but no sound but the wind greets him, and his shoulders sag downwards. Moomin isn't coming. He continues down the path, without looking backwards at the valley, and disappears into the night. He'd be back in spring, they could make up then, he decides as his boots quietly travel across the forest floor.
Moomin is angry. That much is certain. Snufkin had been as well, but his own anger stemmed more from fear than it had true annoyance. Just remembering what had caused the argument sent his heart racing –
They had been traveling up the lonely mountain, their last big adventure before Snufkin had to leave for the winter. Moomintroll had seen… something. Changed course, started moving closer to the edge of the cliff, peering down. Didn't heed Snufkin's warning about the unstable ground. Said he'd be fine, it was fine, nothing would happen. He'd just be a moment! The ground underneath his large body began to crumble away and Snufkin watched in cold horror as his friend began to slid down the side of the mountain –
Moomintroll had been fine, of course. Snufkin had ran forward and grabbed him by the hand at the last moment, hauled him back up, and for a moment lost his composure and yelled at Moomintroll –
"You idiot!" he hissed, tail twice its normal size and lashing back and forth. "What were you thinking?"
"I-I though I saw-"
"You could've died , Moomintroll! You didn't listen to me, you big oaf, what if you had fallen?"
"You were here! I'm fine," Moomin had shouted back, pouting.
"What if I hadn't been? Huh? You're just going to let yourself get into easily avoidable danger because you saw something ?"
"I'm fine," Moomin said again, huffing and turning away like a petulent child. "I would've been fine without you."
"No, you wouldn't have." Snufkin spat, grabbing Moomin by the shoulders. "You would've died, Moomintroll."
Moomin pushed Snufkin away, fists clenching –
Snufkin had been so scared , all his nerves on edge. But Moomintroll wouldn't listen to him, to caught up in his own petulance that he argued everything Snufkin said. They had turned back, trip over, and walked in frosty silence, Snufkin walking in front with long, agitated strided and Moomin sulking after. The argument had only gotten worse from there –
"You're being such a brat right now, Moomintroll," Snufkin had snorted, peeking out from underneath his hat with a glare. "Let it go."
Moomin, who was standing over Snufkin, trapping him, crossed his arms. "No! Admit I'm not useless!"
"Moomintroll-"
"No! I don't need you to watch over me, I can be brave on my own!"
"If you want validation, go talk to Snorkmaden. Aren't you her 'brave Moomintroll'?" He hissed, tail thumping against the ground. He sat up, leveling Moomintroll with a glare. "Why don't you admit you were wrong? Bravery isn't the same as stupidity."
Moomintroll shouted in annoyance and left, stomping back to the Moominhouse, and Snufkin watched him go with guilt creeping up in his chest, choking him and making breathing hard.
He stood up and stalked back to his tent, paws shaking terribly and breaths coming out in shallow gasps –
That had been the last time Snufkin had talked to Moomintroll, both ignoring each other in favor of others. Little My badgered him endlessly about what had happened between them, popping up literally in every bush at every opportune time–
"So why are you and Moomin fighting?"
"It's nothing that concerns you, Little My."
"Aw, but why not? Moomin is absolutely miserable," she complained, throwing her hands up. "He's moping around like his damn dog died-"
"Language, Little My,"
"Piss off, I'm older than you. Not like you don't cure, no matter how much of an air you put on."
"Air? What air," he asked, glad she changed the subject.
"You know, quiet and mysterious, and you claim to love crime but hate profanity. Don't act like I haven't heard you say fu-"
"I don't curse in front of Moomin. Don't want to… influence him," he cut her off, and cursed the fact he brought up Moomin again because it makes something build up in his chest.
"Oh yeah, gonna tell me why you're fighting yet?"
"Oh my, look at the time. I have to go make dinner, Bye Little My!" And with that he turned on his heel and left.
"Hey! We're at your- whatever."
Snufkin blinks, realizing he stopped moving and had been standing there in the middle of the path. It's gotten awfully cold, the sun having set a while ago and the winter chill is beginning to wrap it's frigid paws around the valley. He shivers, fur on his tail puffing up slightly, and begins to make his way down the path at a brisk pace once again, wanting to get as far away from Moominvalley as possible before he had to stop.
--
It started slowly;
It started at the very tip of his tail, just a few tufts of fur going invisible at first. The Mumrik had just assumed that his tail had gotten caught in a bush and he had lost a few tufts, and thought nothing of it, curled up and went to sleep.
The next morning his fingers were almost see-through and although he had chalked it up to a trick of the light, by the morning after that, the invisibleness had crept up to nearly his forearms. And it only spread from there. Soon Snufkin's boots were gone, the ground showing though where his paws were supposed to be, and then his entire tail, and soon, all of him, aside from his hat had disappeared.
He knew what it was. He had been invisible once before, when he was really young. He didn't like to think about it, but Snufkin really didn't blame The Mymble or The Joxter. In reality it hadn't been their faults. With a entire house full of gremlins, it's easy to forget the quietest, smallest child of the bunch. It's easier still when he disappears. And the easiest of all when he leaves, like he had never been there at all.
That's why Snufkin didn't freak out about becoming invisible, but instead why he was becoming invisible. He knew that it was temporary, it would pass soon enough. But why now? Why well into his adulthood? He wasn't a neglected kid anymore, he wasn't running away, so what caused this?
Is it because of his and Moomin's fight?
That's why he's in the spot he's in now, trying to get what he needs without being able to be seen or heard. He had stumbled across a town the night previous, and he needs to restock his few supplies, but that turns out to be extremely hard when no one knows he's there.
He hadn't worn his hat, doesn't want to spook anyone, but it's turning out to be fruitless trying to buy what he needs when the Shopkeep is, quite literally, staring right through him. He decides to just kind of, take what he needs and leave what he thought was fair compensation when the Shopkeep turns their back to him.
Snufkin quickly gathers what he needs, leaves a couple of coins on the counter, and leaves quickly, jogging quickly back to his tent. His tail is twitching agitatedly, disturbing the fallen leaves below him. He can't seem to out-travel the winter this year. The season had barely started, and yet, he knew it would be a difficult trip this year, the cold speeding by quicker than he could escape it.
He's contemplating not going back to the Valley come spring.
He needs to apologize, for what he said and did.
What if Moomintroll is still mad at him, what if he wants nothing to do with Snufkin anymore?
What if he isn't visible by the time he gets back, how can he tell Moomin he's sorry if the troll doesn't know he's there?
It's going to be a long winter.
--
By the time spring starts chasing the tail of winter, warming up the frozen ground and beginning the long-awaited thaw, by the time Snufkin was on his way back to the Valley, he wasn't better.
The invisibility hasn't gone away like he had hoped, still clinging to him like a shroud, leaving only his pack and his hat to announce his presence to the world around him. This… isn't ideal. A jolt of fear shoots through him as he makes his way closer and closer to Moominvalley, what if Moomin is still mad?
What if Moomin doesn't want to see Snufkin? It's too late to turn back, he was less than half a day's travel from his destination, but he could always…
Yes, that would work.
Snufkin changes course, instead of heading towards the bridge where he would normally make camp, he heads towards a spot he knows few know about. He, Moomintroll, and Snorkmaiden had gone the summer before, when the area was ablaze with wildflowers, but it would buy him just enough time to figure things out.
He feels terrible about this, about not greeting Moomintroll, but how can he do anything while in this condition. He has to figure this out before he can see his dear friend, after all.
It starts to rain as he leave the safety of the trees, the cool water washing away the last of the snow that stubbornly sat in piles on the thawing ground, and Snufkin adjusts his hat on his head before making his way out into the field.