The garden was quiet—but no longer calm.
Even the wind seemed to carry a message now, a ghostly whisper that tugged at the leaves and made the vines tremble. The birds didn’t sing. The sun was warm, but the light felt distant.
Moonjumper stood beneath the newly-grown crescent arbor, barefaced, silver eyes scanning the skies.
Vanessa was coming.
And he could feel it.
---
✦ A Crack in the Peace
It started with the tea spoiling.
Snatcher had just summoned their usual breakfast pot—lavender-infused, magically brewed, steaming gently between them—when the liquid turned black in the cup.
“Okay, I know I didn’t curse it this time,” he muttered.
Moonjumper’s fingers twitched. “It’s not you.”
Snatcher looked at him.
“She’s marking territory. Creeping in. Shadow magic that’s not yours or mine.”
He held his hand over the cup. The black liquid shimmered—then cracked, showing a fractured image:
Vanessa, wrapped in winterlight and cold roses, eyes like frostbitten stars.
“You’ll never keep him.”
And then the image shattered.
---
✦ The War Room (aka Their Living Room)
Snatcher unfurled one of his old Subcon maps, laying it across their stone table. The entire forest was outlined in twisting glyphs and shadow trails—his protection web.
Several sigils were flickering now.
“She’s breaking wards,” Snatcher growled. “Subtle. Like frost climbing a windowpane.”
“She's testing us. Not attacking yet. Just reminding us she’s watching.”
Moonjumper hovered above the map, hands folded behind his back, cloak flickering with a cold shimmer of moonlight.
“Then we remind her we're ready.”
Snatcher blinked. “Oh? We?”
Moonjumper gave him a look.
“I’m not going to let her steal what I’ve finally found. Not again.”
Snatcher was quiet for a long beat.
Then he grinned—sharp and fond and full of wicked promise.
“Stars above, you're terrifying when you're romantic.”
---
✦ Spellwork and Strategy
They spent the afternoon reforging the old sigils.
Moonjumper summoned protective wards tied to moonlight and memory—woven from honest feelings, something new to his magic. Snatcher reinforced the roots of his shadow web, binding it with threads of emotional resonance.
“You’re using love as a magical anchor,” Moonjumper teased.
“What can I say? I’m evolving.”
Snatcher crafted tiny spell bottles filled with ghostfire, hiding them in moss hollows. Moonjumper left glowing stones near the edge of the Rift paths—soft lures to ward off Vanessa’s dream-sick spirits.
They moved together like dancers, their magic in sync.
They were stronger together.
---
✦ A Reminder
As night fell, the wind turned colder. Crystalline snowflakes dusted the edges of the garden—impossible, in midsummer.
Snatcher looked up. “She’s trying to rattle us.”
Moonjumper’s eyes gleamed. “She’s going to need more than a flurry.”
But still, his hands curled tight.
Snatcher stepped beside him.
“You're not alone this time.”
“I know. That’s what makes it so dangerous.”
He looked down at Snatcher, voice soft:
“I have more to lose now.”
---
✦ End Scene
Later that night, Snatcher found Moonjumper sitting in the garden alone, mask still off, moonlight clinging to his hair.
He sat beside him, and together they watched the stars flicker—too quiet, too sharp.
“Tomorrow?” Moonjumper asked.
Snatcher nodded. “She’ll make a move. We’ll be ready.”
A pause.
“And if we’re not?”
Snatcher leaned his head against his shoulder, wrapping an arm around him.
“Then we improvise. Like we always do.”
The moon didn’t crack that night.
But it watched.
YOU ARE READING
Tangled In Strings
FanfictionA HAT IN TIME Fanfiction with Snatcher & Moonjumper! This is a semi spicy zesty rom com!
