Snufkin's sickness

Chapter 1

Snufkin woke to darkness which confused him until he realized he had his hat over her eyes.

He lifted his hat and squinted at the sunny sky above him.

He sighed gently as he realized that the nausea he had been hoping to nap away had stayed, and even intensified.

He glanced over to Moomin who was sleeping beside him, curled up in a small ball. Or, as small as he could make himself.

Snufkin took a deep breath and let it out, sitting up and looking around.

He was sweating everywhere and was really uncomfortable, but that's what happens when you have a fever.

"Oh. You're awake." Snufkin looked back to Moomin who had his eyes open now. "Did you rest well?" He sat up and stretched.

"I guess I did. I'm still tired, though." Snufkin had told Moomin how he was feeling before Moomin had suggested they take a nap.

"And your stomach?"

"It feels worse." He looked down at his stomach, placing a hand over it.

"Why don't we go to my house? Mama can look after you until you're feeling better." Moomin offered. He pushed himself into a standing position and held out a hand for Snufkin.

Snufkin took the hand. "Thanks, but I wouldn't want to be a burden." He really just wanted to take care of himself, but as he backed up a step, his knees face out and he fell on his butt, doing absolutely no favors to his troubled stomach. He realized that he might need help after all as he sat there with a hand clamped over his mouth and saliva flooding over his tongue.

Fear shot through his chest like a bullet, bringing him to tears as it festered in his stomach, joining the churning and making him gag softly.

"Snufkin, are you okay?" Moomin asked, kneeling in front of him in the flowers.

Normally, Snufkin would smile and say he was fine, despite how big of a lie it might be, but right now, he found himself shaking his head before gagging again into the pad of his paw.

"Are you going to throw up-?" Moomin asked worridly.

The second Snufkin nodded, he was being picked up and carried away, the movement making his stomach even more upset.

He leaned into Moomin's chest and clamped his other hand over his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut with a sickly moan that had them moving even faster.

He wasn't able to control his retches as he gagged harshly into his paws, each gag becomming more and more forceful until he was actually swallowing back vomit that stopped at the back of his throat, then at the top of his throat, then little splashes in his mouth, until he was vomiting through his fingers and onto his clothes and-.

Wait. Why was he now upright on his knees and no longer moving?

He opened his eyes to see that he was knelt in front of a toilet with Moomin behind him, rubbing his back.

He quickly leaned over the bowl and puked up a mouthful of chunky greenish sludge right as he moved his hands to grip the toilet.

He was violently ill for several minutes, completely unaware of anything around him until he could go 10 minutes without retching up enough vomit to choke a horse.

Once he was able to catch his breath, he becane aware of his surroundings. He was in Moomin's bathroom, Moomin was rubbing his sides, trying to get him to breathe easier, Moominmama was sitting next to him, petting his hair and holding onto his hat, there was a cup of what smelled like dandelion tea sitting on the counter, and Snufkin's hands were covered in copious amounts of vomit.

He shook violently as he leaned back into Moomin's chest for comfort.

"Sorry..." Snufkin sniffed as a single tear rolled down his cheek.