Moomin sighed, leaning heavily against the wooden counter. The rays of the rising sun filtered into the shop as he prepared for yet another day without Snufkin. It had been three days since he watched his friend grow smaller and smaller on the horizon, no doubt on another fabulous journey to the south, wading through rushing rivers and trekking along rocky trails. He let himself wander into the unknown, tracing paths through tall fields and overgrown forests until he reached the end to find Snufkin, sitting upon a rock as if he had been waiting for him. The sun-warmed rock was nothing compared to the burning heat that overtook Moomin's heart as he settled next to his friend, resting his head in the mumrik's lap as he began to play a soft tune on his harmonica. The notes hung upon the late-spring air as birds fluttered past them. Even the wrong notes sound melodious, thought Moomin, right before a tremendous bellow was delivered straight to his ears.
"WAKE UP SLEEPYHEAD!!"
The troll jolted awake, the harsh light of the morning sun hitting his eyes as Little My deafened him. "Sweet pumpernickel My!", cried Moomin, "Would it hurt if you woke me up nicely?" Snorkmaiden stood in front of him, looking very apologetic as she said, "Oh I'm so sorry Moomin, I tried to stop her." Little My stuck her tongue out at the both of them before hopping off the counter. Moomintroll rubbed his ears, squinting against the pesky light that had decided it would blind him today. The stool scraped against the floor as Snorkmaiden sat down, clasping her hands on the counter. "You rarely wake up this late when you nap at the coffee shop Moomin, have you been staying up?", she probed. He paused, wondering if she had seen him up on the veranda roof, staring up at the stars with a longing that almost resembled homesickness. But he soon realized his mistake in not answering, and grumbled, "I don't nap when I'm in the shop." She sighed, taking his initial hesitation as a yes. Cupping her face, she said, "Moomin, what're you doing up so late?"
"Probably staring off into space, wondering where his boyfriend is headed", chimed My as she suddenly reappeared in the doorway. The troll blushed hard, then retorted with a weak, "No I'm not!" Snorkmaiden gave Little My a look before staring intently at him. He gulped. "Is it...obvious?" The two girls clapped their foreheads and simultaneously cried "Yes!"
He buried his face in his hands, relieved that he doesn't have to keep his crush a secret, but disappointed at how transparent his emotions were. A muffled, "Do you think he knows?" came from the embarrassed troll. Little My immediately replied "Yes." while Snorkmaiden tapped her chin, thinking before answering, "Well, he might, he might not. But isn't it exciting, a mystery for you to solve?"
Moomin groaned, anxious thoughts swirling through his mind. "No." She giggled and prodded him. "C'mon, aren't you the one who read all of Moominpapa's collection of detective stories and spent a week pretending to solve cases?" He clasped his paws over his ears, wondering if Snufkin would laugh at how silly he was. Little My poked his arm with her foot, declaring, "Hey lover boy, are you just gonna mope here all day or do something about it?" He glared up at her as he said, "It's not that easy, Little My." She shrugged and jumped down onto the stool next to Snorkmaiden. They both stared him for a while, as if expecting him to jump up and announce he was going to venture into the south to confess his love. He sat up, sighing and explained, "Well, I really would, it's just he seems so wonderful and travels so much, I don't believe there's any room in his life for a moomintroll like me..." Moomin trailed off, the thought of Snufkin leaving the valley for good if he confessed seemed a very possible outcome. "That's not true Moomin, I think he would be very lucky to have someone like you with him!" protested Snorkmaiden, who hated seeing her friend like this. His ears perked up slightly. "You really think so, Snorkmaiden?" She nodded confidently. "I know so."
Before she could launch into her speech to boost his self esteem, the tinkle of a bell alerted them of their first customer of the day. Snorkmaiden looked mildly disappointed as she quickly headed behind the counter. "We can talk more later!" she whispered before heading off with Little My to see if Moominmama needed any help. Moomin breathed in deeply, preparing himself for the long day ahead.
YOU ARE READING
Coffee for Two
Romance"The small tug that pulled at his heart seemed to have reached its way into his heart's chambers, lying as heavy as lead within" Self-indulgent Moomin x Snufkin fanfic for myself; its a coffee shop au and no one will cringe bc there's so little Moom...
