Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

she protected him from his demons. 

she carried him in her heart 

so he wouldn’t get lost.

she made him a home out of her bones. 

-and became his shelter.

Chapter Text

❝do not forget that children grow up and become the monsters they were expected to be.❞

s y n o p s i s

a story in which you wonder if you have a choice in life or if you are just a pawn of fate.

c a s t

A self-proclaimed family disappointment as Bruno Madrigal

A confused and chaotic hot mess as you, the reader

because maybe if we try hard enough, it'll mean something.

Chapter Text

maybe it's better this way, we'd hurt each other with the things we want to say.

“If you walk out of this room, you’ll never see me again.”

    Bruno’s shoulders slumped, his hands still lingering on the cold doorknob and your words echoing in his head like a curse. The air felt stale and heavy, the sand had never felt that way before. He counted the seconds passing by, as if it was going to change something, as if you would suddenly be happy with his choice. Was it so hard for you to understand? 

“You promised,” your voice cracked. “You promised. ”

“I know,” he whispered back, as if the words wouldn’t hurt as much delivered that way. “I know and I’m sorry.”

"I don't want apologies, I want you to stay," you gritted your teeth. "Am I not enough? Are we not enough?" 

      He almost turned around to face you but he knew that if he did, he would never leave so instead he swallowed hard and took a deep breath, picturing the forest and its sounds. If he really focused he could almost hear the water running, the birds chirping and a distant melody, you singing your song, but it barely lasted a second before the illusion was broken by your sobs. Each one of them wrecked Bruno's soul, he already knew that he would never be able to hear something else. 

"You are vile, Bruno Madrigal," you hiccuped. "You are a coward."

        The words stung but he didn't let it show, it was easier for you to hate him, it would keep you safe, all of you safe. You could paint him as a villain if needed, he didn't care, as long as you were alright and nothing could hurt you. Maybe if you had paid more attention maybe you would have seen him shaking or clenching his fists under his ruana, maybe it would have painted Bruno in another light but you were far too gone to see anything but the love of your life walking away with nothing you could do about it. 

"I love you."

     You called his name but there was no one there to hear.

Chapter Text

Some people long for a life that is simple and planned, tied with a ribbon

              The irony in the instance that the question might be more important than the answer could have never been lost on anyone. Answers change lives, they shape who we are as people, whether or not we fit in whatever mold that has been created for us. The question throws you in the unknown, in a place where the only reflection present is yours and it will stare at you until the words come out, until satisfied with whatever you have to say. You could only hope that what came out would suffice because what else did you have but a promise you’d vowed to keep?

“Will you marry me?”

            There was no hesitation in your answer. 

“Yes.”

            Cheers erupted from behind the door and you fought hard not to roll your eyes, widening your smile instead. It only took a few seconds for your parents and sisters to burst into the room and congratulate you. Eduardo had barely slipped the ring on your finger that Vanessa tugged your hand to look at it better while your mom held you close and sobbed. You quickly cast a glance at your fiancé who shot you a fond smile as your father clasped his shoulder, slightly wincing at the strength but he didn’t say anything. The view somehow warmed your heart.

“Let them breathe!” Ada exclaimed with a laugh. “Give them space!”

            You wordlessly thanked her with a thumbs up as your mother let go of you. Ada had always been the sensible child between the four of you, after all. You didn’t have time to catch your breath as you were dragged into the living room where a rather appealing buffet seemed to have appeared out of nowhere though you had been aware of your mother waking up just before dawn this morning. 

           Your father sat at the head of the table, you and Ada by his side while your fiancé sat next to you. Your heart softened at the sight of your mother clenching her hands with tears in her eyes as she tried to explain what she had prepared, you didn’t remember when you had seen her so proud. 

            The relief you felt was not as satisfying as you would have hoped after all these weeks of anticipation. Seeing Eduardo dropping to one knee should have made you ecstatic and yet… You shook your head, chasing the thought away as Ada’s foot touched your leg your hand under the table while Gloria was engaged in a rather passionate discussion with your mother about the wedding. Eduardo’s mother was a kind woman who had lost her husband the same way you had lost your aunt and your parents many friends before they’d been forced to flee here. 

         Whenever Eduardo talked about his father, he said that it was all memories that did not even belong to him. He had not met the man, he’d been gone before your fiancé had been born and yet every day his mother told him that he looked like his father. You had seen it in his eyes, the same light that echoed yours whenever you were standing in front of the mirror, he did not want to disappoint his mother and he loved her dearly. You could not blame him for that.  

“When will the wedding take place?” Gloria asked. "Have we got a date?" 

            You clenched your hands under the table but slightly relaxed when your fiancé put his hand on top of yours and gave it a gentle squeeze. 

“We have a lot of time,” Eduardo immediately replied when he felt you tense. “We can take our time to plan it, don’t you think?”

              You hummed and nodded, grateful for his input and it pleased you even more when Gloria agreed. You did not even think about trying to delay the thing because it would not change the outcome. Perhaps marrying as quickly as possible would be the best thing to do in this case. While you tried hard to calm your racing heartbeat, you didn’t really listen to what they were saying, barely catching the names of flowers they wanted for the ceremony and people who had to be invited. 

               The rest of the evening passed in a blurr and soon enough you were alone in your bedroom, rereading the poems Eduardo wrote you what seemed like a lifetime ago. He always had a way with words, hanging out too much in the library as a kid, he made you his queen, his goddess, whatever fitted his mood to make you understand how wondrous you were. How could you not fall for him and his sweet words?

“Are you okay?”

         You gazed up to meet Vanessa’s eyes and you gave her a faint smile with a nod as a response. She climbed on the bed with you while you put the papers away. 

“It was a lot, today” She said as she lay down.

“As expected.”

“Are you happy you said yes?”

“Of course I am.” You lied.

“I don’t want you to go.” She confessed.

“You know, you’ll be able to visit us in our new house,” you grinned as you held her closer. “And you won’t have to share a room with Francesca anymore, because you’ll take Ada’s one since she’ll have mine.”

           The young girl pondered on it for a few seconds and smiled. 

“That sounds nice.” She confessed in a chuckle and you joined her.

“I bet.”

             As the eldest you had been lucky enough to have your own room and you knew that the younger sisters didn’t really have that chance apart from Ada since she was the second child. Your house was big enough though it paled in comparison to the Madrigals'. You only had a few memories about that place, you did not enjoy the parties thrown there as there were too many people and you had not completely decided how to feel yet about their… magic.

             Still, as the eldest daughter, you had been blessed with your own room, just like Ada while the other two had to share. That was something that you were looking forward to, if you allowed yourself to be honest for a few seconds. Building your own home was something you’d dreamed about ever since you were a child. You even had a little notebook with details about colours for the walls and patterns for the kitchen tiles. You’d mentioned it to Eduardo a few times and he’d been enthusiastic about the idea. 

              You kissed Vanessa goodnight as she left to go back to her bedroom only to be greeted by Ada when you opened the door. You immediately relaxed in her presence and smiled when she handed you a lemonade. 

“Can’t believe you’re still here.”

“Where else would I be?”

“Running away?” She teased and you slapped her shoulder. 

“You’re the worst.” You sighed and she snorted. 

“Eduardo is nice.”

“I know, we’ve been friends for a very long time.”

“Do you love him?”

“Of course I do.”

“Of course you do.”

           You narrowed your eyes and she raised her hands up in surrender. 

“It just seemed a little bit rushed,” she quipped. “The proposal, the courting… everything.”

“That’s what happens when you’re in love.”

“Is this what you told Vanessa and Francesca?”

          You’re not playing fair, you wanted to say but why would she? Ada was not blind, she knew you better than your parents did and while she loved Eduardo like a brother she also knew that this was never what you had planned with your relationship with him. She loved you so dearly and refused to see you going to waste. She could only take comfort in knowing that your fiancé was a good man who loved you, not everyone could be as lucky. 

“Why are you making it sound like I am selfish?”

She clenched her fingers and avoided your gaze. “I’m sorry. I’m just…”

“Scared?”

                Ada looked up like a deer caught in the headlights. You could almost laugh at how wide her eyes were, was it not for the fact that she thought she had a very good reason to be. You remembered that feeling all too well. 

“I don’t think mom and dad are going to bother you much like they did with me,” you reassured. “I will still be working at the shop.”

“How long until mom makes plans for my own wedding?” 

                  Though she just mumbled, the question echoed loudly in the room. She looked at the window and your heart softened at the sight, almost broke even because it seemed like your younger sister was carrying a burden that seemed too heavy to bear. 

“Maybe you will find someone along the way and fall in love with them.”

“Like you did?”

              You swallowed hard. 

“Like I did.”

                You had been naive enough to think you would be granted peace in the morning now that the proposal was out of the way but you should have known that something was off when your mother had asked Ada to help your father at the store this morning instead. You made your way to the kitchen for a second cup of coffee when your mother called your name. 

“I think you should go to the Madrigals.”

                    You froze for a second, trying to understand why on Earth would your mother send you there. It wasn’t like you disliked them, they were all very nice, well, almost all of them, you thought and shivered at the thought of a green ruana and wicked smile. Did your mother expect you to invite them to the wedding? You would not have been surprised to find them there on the day, as most of the village would be invited anyway but you’d thought that it was something your mother would have preferred to do on her own. 

“What for, mama?”

“To consult Alma’s son so he can tell you about your future with Eduardo.”

                       Cold sweats ran along your spine and you shivered. Why couldn’t you have just gotten away with saying yes? Did your mother suspect anything? Did she know? She had to, or else, why would she take such a drastic measure? 

“My future?”

“Yes! You know, about the wedding, children…”

               Your face grew warmer at the thought. So soon?

“Wouldn’t it be like cheating, though?”

"Nonsense!" she waved her hand in the air like it was no big deal. “I think it would just reassure us.”

“Are you doubting Eduardo’s commitment?” You asked with an arched eyebrow.

“Of course not, he’s like a lovesick puppy when he looks at you.”

             Are you doubting mine? 

“Then why?”

“It’s just reassurance.” Your mother repeated.

             You frowned but you knew you had no real way to fight this. Unfortunately, it was not uncommon for soon to be brides to ask the Madrigals for guidance. In a growing and isolated place such as the Encanto, ensuring the wellbeing of its inhabitants was rather widespread. You could not fault your mother to make sure she had made the right choice for you, even if it’d felt wrong. 

            Just like it felt wrong to do this to Eduardo. He already believed in your union, he didn’t need a prophet to tell him what he already knew. You almost scoffed at your own thoughts, as if you were not trying to get out of the inevitable. It was not Bruno you were scared of but the truth which he could hold in the palms of his hands. 

“Do you want me to come with you?” Vanessa asked once breakfast was over, sweet as ever. “I wouldn’t mind!”

“Don’t worry,” you smiled. “I can handle it.”

           I have to do it on my own anyway.

Chapter Text

I'm your angel ellipsis, your devil of dots

          If you considered an acquaintance someone you politely greeted whenever you came across them outside, then Bruno Madrigal could be considered as such. You had never really talked with him and you’d heard most of it from gossip in town. People passing in your father’s shop, whispering about how he brought back luck and they all wondered if he was the price to pay to have Julieta and Pepa around. 

          While you were not neighbours since you lived on the outskirts of the village and the walk to reach his house was not a short one, you perfectly knew where to find it. Everyone did. The house in itself was intimidating by its height and magical properties. Your father had told you when you were a child about the story of how the house had come to be, how it had been the first thing to be built here. 

         You looked up, almost blinded by how the midday sun was reflecting against the walls. The house had been a beacon of hope for many, a gift from Alma Madrigal, from God and yet as you stood in front of it you felt so small and scared. You wiped your hands on your skirt a few times and took a deep breath before knocking.  

            You knew that your agitation was rooted with the idea you had of the family’s seer and the fact that you would have to be on your own for this. While your mother offered to come with you, you had been quite adamant in the idea of going alone. You did not want her to witness what could happen and you knew that she disliked Bruno too much to be insistent about her coming. Still, while you did not like it, it was your burden to bear. 

          Your mother wanted your future to be golden, for you to be happy and she was convinced that if one person could make sure of this, it had to be him . You knew it wasn’t fair on all the parties involved but what else could you do? Lying seemed out of the question. If you described something too precisely that did not happen she would know and if you described something too vague that she was not satisfied with, she’d ask to see the vision herself.  

         The door rattled as it opened, snapping you out of your reverie in a fright. You gazed up and you found yourself face to face with a woman with kind eyes and a gentle smile. You slightly relaxed, as Julieta seemed to be a better option than Alma yet your smile was clipped as she greeted you. 

"Hello there,  can I help you?"

You offered your hand for her to shake. 

"Hello, I’m Y/n Muñoz. I'm here to see… Bruno?" You said, internally cursing yourself for sounding so unsure.

Julieta blinked, seemingly surprised by your request. “Bruno?”

You tilted your head, confused by her reaction but your eyes slightly widened as you realised what that could look like. “Yes, for a, hum, for a vision.”

           Julieta gave you a reassuring smile and opened the door wider. 

"Oh, come in! He just came back from the market, I'll take you to his room."

          Your heart skipped a beat. His room? Did you really need to go to his room? Couldn’t he just do that in the parlour? You nodded with a tight smile, your knuckles white as your trembling hands fiddled with your skirt. If the oldest triplet noticed your agitation, she didn't comment on it and you could not have been more grateful. She asked you if you wanted anything to drink but you politely declined, you didn't think you could stomach anything before seeing him. 

             She led you upstairs in front of a wooden door with a drawing carved on it. You had heard, years ago, about the triplets’ ceremony, though you had not been there to witness it yourself. You swallowed hard and slightly shivered as you stared at the carving of an austere looking Bruno, a deep frown twisting his feature into something that was a far cry from his sister’s soft smile. 

“He’s not as bad as he seems,” Julieta chided. “He just gets nervous sometimes.”

        You pathetically tried to match her smile and gave her a nod. 

“Feel free to pass by the kitchen on your way out if you want a snack or coffee.”

“Thank you, Julieta.”

“No problem.”

         You did not take your eyes off the door as she walked away and you inhaled only when she was far enough not to hear. The door had a beautiful golden glow to it, your hand hitched to touch it but you didn’t. Whatever was awaiting you behind it, you knew it could be nothing good. You looked into his eyes, wishing that he could tell you everything you needed without speaking, wishing that you could just leave already but you had not been blessed that way. 

         You didn’t remember knocking and yet the door opened and the sight of Bruno Madrigal left you breathless. You’d barely caught a glimpse of his face when he’d wandered around your shop, he always wore his hood up, making it impossible to see his eyes. You simply assumed that it was to avoid people’s gaze but that’d only seemed to draw them in. 

          The lack of a solemn frown on his face made him look younger and that alone surprised you. His eyes were green and his hair was like Julieta’s, he seemed more human that you’d had believed him to be. His nose was round and large yet it perfectly fitted his face and his eyes were half-open as he started at you with a cocked eyebrow. 

         With the look on his face and his wild hair, you couldn’t help but wonder if you had disturbed his sleep and you hoped that if you had, he wasn’t mad about it. The last thing you needed was to get off the wrong foot with the man you needed to ask a favour from. He looked at you for a few seconds before tilting his head and waving. 

"Hi."

You cleared your throat. "Hello. I'm Y/n."

"And I'm-" 

"Bruno," you cut him off and then felt your face growing warmer. "I know. Sorry." 

          The corners of his lips turned into a small smile and he almost chuckled. 

"You're fine," he reassured with a wave. "You're here for a vision?" 

"Yes."

"Let's go upstairs then."

"But-" you blinked, confused. "I thought we were already upstairs."

         Bruno smirked and shook his head before wiggling his fingers in front of your face in a funny way. 

"Magic house." He sang.

       You couldn't help but chuckle. 

“C’mon.”

          Bruno opened the door wider and you hesitated for a few seconds, wondering how different you would be, crossing that threshold again. When he sensed your reluctance, he called your name and gave you his most reassuring smile. Oddly enough, it seemed to work and you nodded before following him. You stopped in front of an hourglass shaped form from which sand poured onto the ground. You cursed yourself for not having brought anything with you as an umbrella but before you could say anything, Bruno raised his arm a bit higher than you, the sleeve of his ruana providing you with enough protection to go through the entrance without being touched by the sand. You thanked him, shivering as you passed by him, your bodies so close, despite the heat. 

           Bruno's room was nothing like you had ever seen before. You now understood the concept of a magical house. His room was massive and covered in sand with some rocks cluttered here and there. There seemed to be many tunnels that led to a massive maze and you already knew that you’d probably have gotten lost had you been on your own. You could have died of starvation before someone found you. You wondered if Bruno had grown to love or hate the sand, if he’d ever built castles and wrote things in it as a child.  

          As you walked, your eyes darted around, trying to take as many details as possible. You knew that Ada would expect a perfect retelling of everything that happened today and you gulped when you glimpsed at the stairs the Madrigal seemed to be leading you to. The length of them was ridiculous, surely there must have been a lift of some sort, there was no way that he walked up and down those stairs everyday, he seemed too skinny for that. You weren’t even sure you could make it up there. 

           You were so preoccupied with your thoughts that you did not notice Bruno stopping and your nose banged hard against his back. You let out a pained moan and he quickly turned around, his wide eyes betraying his worry as his hands found your shoulders. You almost shuddered at the touch because it was so gentle, far gentler than what you were used to. 

"Are you alright?" 

"Yes, just a wounded pride," you groaned as you rubbed your nose. "I wasn't looking where I was going, I’m sorry if I hurt you."

"I'm sorry for stopping so abruptly, I'll give you a warning next time."

"Hopefully I won't need it cause I'll be looking at you and not at all the stairs.”

“The stairs?”

“They kinda scared me."

“You are scared of… stairs?”

         You gave him a deadpanned look and he quickly understood what you meant. He gazed up and stared at them for a few seconds before his eyes settled on your face once again. You tried not to fidget under his gaze but it was hard, you felt like he was looking right at you, in a way no one ever had before. While he stared, you found yourself staring back. You allowed yourself to gaze upon his face, to see him in a light that probably not many people did.

            As your eyes traced the arch of his eyebrows, you could not help but wonder. Was it true what they said about him? That he could shape your future the way he wanted to? That he could read your mind and extract any information he needed from you? Could he see, in the depth of your heart, your most wretched desires and sorrows? 

          Your eyes followed the curve of his lips and you stopped breathing for a second. They were slightly chapped and dry, but considering his bedroom, that did not come to you as a surprise. His brows furrowed for a few seconds and as you were about to ask if something was wrong, he held out his hand, a silent invitation. You observed it for a few seconds, unsure how to proceed.

"... Yes?"

"I can offer you a lift," he softly spoke. "But you need to trust me."

You looked around, confused. “I don’t see a lift anywhere.”

          Your response seemed to amuse him and you almost frowned as he pointed to himself. 

“I am the lift.”

“You’re gonna carry me upstairs?” You snorted, looking his slim frame up and down and he scrunched his nose.

“God no.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Are you willing to trust me, Y/n Muñoz?” 

          He had been nothing but kind so far and you knew that Julieta wouldn’t have led you there had it been revealed to be dangerous. Bruno Madrigal was many things, but an evil man he was not. Instead he was kind, playful even and for some unknown reason, he made you want to open up to him. That alone was dangerous. You raised your chin and crossed your arms on your chest, looking as intimidating as you could.

"Isn't it a little bit early for that?" 

"Considering the fact that you 're counting on me to see your future,” he countered, clearly not discouraged by your display. “I'm pretty sure that we've reached that point in this relationship."

          You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at his teasing tone and he smiled. You knew he was right and he was well aware of that. You would not be standing there with him if you did not wish to trust him if only for your mother. The cause seemed of no interest, what mattered were the results and you could only hope they would meet whatever expectations your parents had set for them. And if you were being honest with yourself, you really didn’t want to climb all these stairs.

"Okay."

          You gave him your hand and he gently put it on his forearm, waiting for you to grip it before drawing you a bit closer. You could smell orange peels, cinnamon and salt like a cloak around him. He was warm but not as much as you. Still, his hands were softer than you were used to, a far cry from your dad’s or even yours. Maybe his visions did not need a lot of manual work. 

"You can close your eyes if you want."

          You did as you were told, barely catching a glimpse of a green glow before you felt the wind caress your cheeks for a few seconds. You suddenly felt sick, as if you’d been pulled too fast too far and your grip on Bruno’s arm tightened even more. You heard him whimper but you simply buried your nose into his shoulder as a response. You feared that if you moved, you’d give back your breakfast. The sensation did not last for long but it seemed to linger for a few seconds after you stopped moving. 

"It's alright now." 

          When you opened your eyes you were past the bridge, at the top of the stairs. You blinked several times, trying to catch your breath. It took you a little bit of time to let go of Bruno’s arm but he didn’t seem to mind. You stepped away from him to take a look at your surroundings. The entrance you stood in front of seemed to be leading to a dark hallway, the lack of light made you feel uneasy and you were glad not to be on your own. When you looked back at the distance you’d crossed in seconds, you realised just how vertiginous the height was. 

"Did you fly us all the way up here?" 

"Nah," he shook his head and you were almost mesmerised by how bouncy his curls were. "The sand can be practical too, if you ask gently." 

“The sand took us here?”

“Yes.”

"So… you can control sand?" 

"Kind of."

"That's pretty cool."

"You really think so?" 

           You were completely caught off guard by how innocent he sounded, it reminded you of Francesca. You’d thought that someone with such a gift would be more self confident in their abilities yet Bruno surprised you once again. It seemed that there was more to it than what you’d heard.

"Of course," you reassured him with a gentle smile. "I wouldn't lie about that."

"Thanks, I guess."

"How do you do when you have several people coming at the same time, though?" you curiously asked. "Do you take them up one by one or is there a queue system…?" 

"They climb the stairs themselves."

        You blinked. 

"What?" 

"Yeah."

"For real?" 

"Yeah."

"Why?" 

"I do all the work, I want people to do their share too. I think it’s fair."

“Their share?”

“They have to be willing to come up there to get what they want, it’s not easy for all.”

"Why did you help me, then?” 

       It was his turn to blink. 

"You seemed nice." He shrugged. 

      The corners of your lips twitched into a genuine smile and he couldn’t help but stare.

"Thank you, Bruno."

"No problem."

"And…  that's pretty amazing, what you did back there."

        He gave you a sardonic smile. 

"Wait until you see my gift." 

Chapter Text

let’s pray we won’t be wasted potential

        The walk to Bruno’s cave was quiet and eerie. You found it hard to detach your eyes from the sinister carvings of his face on the walls and you wondered if they had always been there or if they came later on. You dared not to ask him, as you were not sure how he felt about them. Despite the large space, it felt hollow and empty, absent of anything that could make it a warm and welcoming home. Had you wandered into this place, aeons from now, you’d think it was a temple of a forgotten God.

         Your eyes trailed on Bruno’s back as he guided you through the dark hallway and you couldn’t help but wonder if it was what he was. Out of the three siblings, he seemed to be the wretched one, the black sheep. There was something about him, something different from anything you had encountered before, gift aside. From where you were standing, he did not seem half as bad as people made him seem.  

         The door you stopped in front of was round and reminded you of a safe, though the curly haired man opened it with ease. The room was not as big as you’d imagined, it was circular and in the middle there was more sand. At this point, you assumed that it was something related to his power because who on Earth would love sand that much? 

        It took a few seconds for your eyes to adjust to the darkness there while Bruno led you to the centre and gestured you to sit down in front of him. Bruno gazed up to meet your eyes and the hair at the back of your neck stood up once more as you felt him becoming even more serious now. He made some piles of sand and tossed salt over his shoulder, probably for good luck but for you or himself? You couldn’t say. 

“What do you want to know?”

       Your throat felt dry. 

“I just got engaged,” you  explained. “I wish to see if we’ll be happy and have children.”

“That’s all?” He asked with a voice void of judgement.

“Well, my mom is being very insistent on having grandchildren…” you bashfully confessed, almost ashamed that a twenty something had to ask this to a perfect stranger. “I just want her to get off my back.”

        He snorted and choked down a laugh. 

“I feel you.”

      You tilted your head, the sound so foreign to your ears, and observed him for a few seconds. 

“You don’t have any children, do you?”

“I don’t.”

“Why?”

“I’m pretty sure I can’t do that alone, can I?”

“I’m sure you could find someone if you looked.”

“Believe me, no one wants to be seen with me. ”

         You quickly realised that whenever you caught a glimpse of him in town, he often was on his own, except when he was in the company of Julieta or his mother. You found it hard to believe that he would not have a single friend, let alone someone who was interested in him. You were not blind, Bruno was a fine man and if you could see it, others could too. 

         You wanted to tell him so, that maybe there was someone out there but you did not wish to insult him. You didn’t know this man and while he was being courteous, you had no idea how he was behind closed doors. Though, you suspected that the innocence in his eyes had to count for something. 

"Well, for what's worth, we could be friends if you want." You said before you could stop yourself. 

       And what would people think about that? 

       He gave you a small but earnest smile. 

"Yeah, I'd like that."

      He deeply exhaled.

“Are you ready?”

       You trapped your lower lip between your teeth and nodded, not trusting your voice. 

“Let’s do it.”

          You did not hesitate to take Bruno’s hands when he held them out and he slightly smiled at your eagerness, hoping that it wouldn’t turn into resentment any time soon. He ignored the burn of your ring on his skin and opened his eyes as the sand shifted around the two of you. While you were taken aback when his eyes glowed a bright green, you were not scared for in that precise moment, fear had no place in your heart. 

          Entranced was the right word, you felt compelled somehow, by the man who looked nothing like a mortal and you felt something shift inside you. You shivered as the wind grew stronger and you turned your head to witness the same thing as him, mesmerised by how the sand shifted around, drawing forms around you. Bruno tilted his head when you appeared, shifting all of his attention on the vision. 

“I can see you,” he said, rather loudly so you could hear him. “You’re wearing a dress.”

“A wedding dress?” 

“There’s no colour,” he almost apologised. “But it’s very pretty, so I think so….?”

          You slightly chuckled at his high pitched voice. 

“Thank you.” 

“You look happy,” he said. “Can you see?”

“I think…” you narrowed your eyes and held your breath. “I think I can.”

          It felt odd to see yourself from afar, it was like staring at a stranger. It allowed you to notice details you’d never paid attention to. You never knew what you looked like from behind and yet you were not surprised to see yourself standing with elegance and grace just like your mother had taught you. 

           You remembered how she made you walk around the house with a book on your head while you were doing other things at the same time just to ensure that you had a perfect posture no matter what. Ada had hated his exercise. You snapped out of your thoughts when you noticed another person coming toward you, though you couldn’t really make out their face from where you were. 

“I’m not alone!” you exclaimed, pointing at them. “Is that Eduardo?”

“Who’s Eduardo?” He asked, confused.

“My fiancé.”

“It might be possible,” he hummed. “Let me see, I’ll try to make it clearer.”

        He focused even more to let the vision grow into its final form. The couple was now dancing and seemed to be laughing and it was in moments like these that Bruno wished he could hear people too. Who knew how many interesting things his visions had to say? His eyes darted to you for a second and he relaxed at the sight of your smile. At least today was another good vision and on the top of that, he’d potentially made a new friend. 

        He shifted his attention back to his work, trying to finalise it so that he could hold it in his hands. You seemed to be in a forest near a waterfall, though he didn’t really know that spot and wondered if it was somewhere in the Encanto that he hadn’t seen yet. He was not as adventurous as he’d liked and barely had time to explore around, though it was not for the lack of enthusiasm to do so. 

         You pushed the other person in the water, though the smile on your face was wide enough to erase Bruno’s worry. The man resurfaced with a grin while you sat on the shore, your feet dipping in the water and he brought you closer before capturing your lips into a passionate kiss, holding you as if you were everything precious in life. Bruno did notice that you fidgeted at the sight, probably because he was witnessing something that was supposed to be intimate and he was almost tempted to tell you he’d seen worse in his past but what happened next left him speechless because the male figure finally settled. You furrowed your eyebrows, trying to make out Eduardo’s face but in vain. 

“What do you see?”

Bruno’s mouth was dry, he felt like he couldn’t speak. 

“Bruno, who do you see?”

          He was already thinking about lying because it meant that you wouldn’t get hurt right away and that maybe he could find a solution to the problem but he knew he only had a few seconds before the vision materialised in his hands and considering how curious you were there was no way for him to hide it from you. He bit the inside of his cheek and willed the vision to change, to right the wrong but it was to no avail. Before you could say anything else, there was a bright green light and a piece of glass appeared out of thin air into his hands. 

          You sneezed, the sand around you no longer floating and you tried to remember if the room had always been so dark before you arrived. The green glass glowed, very much less than Bruno’s eyes when he used his power but it could have been easily kept as a nightlight to soothe a child scared of the monsters under the bed. Bruno held it tight, hiding some part of it as he slowly moved away from you. 

“Bruno, let me see.”

“I don’t think it’s a good one, I think I should try again.”

        You didn’t like the tone in his voice, he sounded… 

        Scared? 

“Let me see it.” You repeated more firmly this time. 

“I don’t-“

“Bruno.”

       The man winced at your tone and knew he was done for. Breaking the vision was but a fleeting thought as he knew that it could only get worse from there. You’d ask too many questions and he knew you wouldn’t like the answers. He took deep breaths, trying to calm his ever beating heart and wished for a way out but you were standing between him and the door. He had nowhere to run. 

        Bruno Madrigal allowed himself to be selfish for a second. He took one last look at you before he knew all would change, your features not yet twisted by disgust and loathing. He wished he’d met you sooner, so that maybe he could have enjoyed you as a friend first. Without a word, he held it out for you to take and you were surprised by how light it was, how delicate. 

        You squinted, your eyes needing a little time to adapt to the light emanating from the glass but confusion quickly replaced discomfort. You blinked several times, thinking that you got it wrong because surely, you had gotten it wrong. The not so unfamiliar face holding you like you were the most precious thing in the world was not Eduardo. You gazed up to meet his eyes. 

        It was Bruno. 

Chapter Text

the worst things in life come free to us

"What's the meaning of this?"

         Bruno shrunk at the tone of your voice, for he knew that tone too well.  It was identical to his mama’s whenever she was disappointed in something, which was more often than you'd think when it came to him. He tried to come up with something, an excuse, anything that could make you understand that he had no part in this but words died on his tongue as you continued.

“This is wrong, it’s not Eduardo,” you slowly spoke, as the realisation sunk in. “It's you. How can it be you?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t even know you.”

“I don’t know.”

         You took a deep breath, quailing as you tried your best to push your distress away. 

“Is it my future?”

“Yes.”

         You refused to believe it. You were a woman of honour, you had been raised as such and nothing could lead you to this. It was impossible, you had never met before and you already had someone in your life. The vision was wrong, you knew it was because if you were wrong, then what did it mean? Would it have been all the same if you had never visited him in the first place?

         You bit the inside of your cheeks at the implications, repeatedly wiping your hands on your skirt as you tried to push away the knots forming in your stomach. You had to change this, you could not leave this place and bring this vision to your parents. What would they think? Maybe it was just a misunderstanding or a silly mistake,  maybe there was a logical explanation for this but you found none. 

“That can’t be it,” your voice trembled as you murmured. “I don’t want it.”

         The fear in your voice hurt more than the actual rejection but Bruno knew that he couldn’t blame you. Up until then you had been so sure about your life, about what you would do and with whom but now… Your heart painfully raced in your chest and you feared it was going to escape from your ribs. You wanted to claw it out yourself and throw it someplace no one would find.

          You had no idea what to expect from this, you tried to at least acknowledge this, and yet the results were more devastating than you could have imagined. You couldn’t understand the look of absolute bliss on your face and you couldn’t understand Bruno’s soft eyes and smile. Despite the familiarity, the two people were strangers to you. You felt the tears pricking your eyes and you swallowed hard, trying to keep them at bay. Seeing you distressed, Bruno tried as best as he could to comfort you but you slapped away his hand when he tried to touch you.

“Don’t.”

He winced. 

“I’m sorry.”

          A pause. 

“How could you do that?” You rasped.

“What?”

“How could you do that? This thing?”

“I didn’t.”

        How can you explain this then? 

“Liar.”

“I didn’t do anything!” he denied, anger slowly slipping into desperation. “I don’t control my visions!”

“I should have never come,” you murmured to yourself. “It was a mistake.”

“Y/n, please-” he tried to explain. "I swear-" 

“Did you spy on me?” you couldn’t help but ask. “Was it all a trap? Was it part of your plan?”

“What? Of course not!”

“Is that what you do? You trap women here and you show them visions like these?” You accused, pushing the glass against his chest, wishing it would disappear.

“I don’t do that! I never had a vision like that!”

       Stop it. 

“I never look into my own future!”

         Stop looking so sorry. 

“I promise you,” he implored. “I had no idea this would happen!”

       Stop making me realise that you can be good. 

“I’m not surprised you didn’t find a wife if it’s how you try to get one!” You spat, hoping the words would hurt. 

         And hurt they did, but Bruno, as always, didn’t say a thing. He hung his head low with his shoulders slumped and took every insult you threw him because he knew that nothing could change your mind. He was not unfamiliar to this kind of reaction toward a vision that displeased someone but you had been so nice at the beginning he’d thought that maybe he could make a friend for once. 

            Not only that but the vision was about him too, he was supposed to find love with you and yet when his eyes settled on your face he found none. He didn’t know that being miserable could look so pretty on someone.

you can’t have nice things in life, bruno, always remember that. 

“I know that you don’t like it,” he swallowed hard, averting his eyes. “I can try again, if you want.”

          You wanted to scream at him for being so considerate, for being so nice even if you were trying to push him away. Couldn’t he see? He couldn’t be nice to you because if he was then it would lead to… 

“No!” you shouted, clearly alarmed. “It might be even worse!”

“Listen-”

“It has to be a mistake,” you cut him off. “We’ve never talked before today!”

“Y/n-”

“You don’t get it,” you gritted through your teeth. “People are counting on me for that wedding. I won’t go back on my decision.”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated.”I’m sorry, I never wanted-”

“I wish I had never met you!”

           Bruno’s eyelashes fluttered and he took a step back and you saw your opening. You had to keep pushing, you had to make him snap so that he could see how awful you could be and you’d never have to see him again. Pushing him away was a small price to pay to keep your family happy. 

“If I hadn’t, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“I don’t make things happen,” he reminded you with a frown. “You don’t need to be mean.”

“Maybe you don’t,” you acknowledged, though you weren’t too sure about it. “But you seemed pretty adamant in that vision of yours, didn’t you?”

           He opened his mouth but he didn’t have any argument against your words. It angered him that you blamed him for actions that had not even taken place. He could understand the distress but that didn’t mean it was his fault. 

           While he was part of the problem, both of you were clearly content in the vision, the happiness was not only his, it was yours too. How could be he the only one to blame when you were there as well? Did you realise that the consequences were not just for you to bear? 

           What worried him was that you didn’t look much different from now, meaning that the vision took place in the near future though he was not exactly sure as to when and he didn’t know what to think of that. He looked down and noticed that despite the argument taking place, the vision on the glass remained the same. His eyes snapped back at you when he heard you gasp, pressing your hands on your mouth. 

“What is it?”

“My mother sent me here,” you blinked. “What am I going to tell her?”

“Do you…” he cleared his throat. “Do you want to take the tablet with you?”

“What?” you scoffed, affronted by the mere idea. “No!”

“I’m just asking, some people want to!”

“I can’t take this,” you said pointing at the glass. “Back home.”

“Well, in that case you can tell your family that you couldn’t see me today, that I was too busy.”

“And you want me to lie to my parents because of you?”

“You’re the one who doesn’t want to tell them the truth!” He reminded you with a frown. 

“Because what do you think they’d say if they knew?” you hissed. “That I’m a failure? That I can’t keep a husband? Do you have any idea what it’s like to have your family counting on you?”

“As a matter of fact, I do!” He shouted back and you were surprised by how loud he could be. 

          Both of you were breathing hard, shoulders hunched as if you were going to pounce on each other every second now. You vaguely wondered how a situation could go south so quickly and you figured that everything could be possible with magic involved. You wanted to hate him to have messed everything up but the look in his eyes made it hard for you to do so. After a few seconds, Bruno let out a long sigh and rubbed his tired eyes. 

“Listen, I understand you didn’t get what you wanted and I’m sorry but what happened is not your fault or mine. It’s just the way it is.”

        You bit your tongue so you wouldn’t let any insult out. 

“Do all of your visions come true?”

“Yes.”

        You deflated at his answer and looked down. You’d never felt so out of control in your life before, even during Eduardo’s courtship. It was like watching a natural catastrophe without being able to flee or do anything about it. How were you supposed to live your life now? Were you doomed because you had been too greedy in the first place? Would things have been different if you had been a bit more honest?

       Your eyes fell back on Bruno and your shoulders slightly dropped when you saw the look on his face. He had never asked for this gift and you knew that you were not the first person to take it out on him because the vision had not turned into what you’d wanted. Pity vanished from your heart when you remembered that he currently was the source of all your problems. Maybe it was his fault, maybe he was a pawn just like you but that did not change the fact that you had to think fast. 

         Your mom was expecting good news at the end of the day and you couldn’t tell her that Bruno was in the vision. Even if you did not like it, you had to come up with a lie because it would be far much better than the truth, you knew that for sure. You were almost tempted to ask Bruno to look again but quickly dismissed it, he had done enough damage as it was and you’d told him early, he could make it worse. 

“I have to go.” 

“Wait-”

          You ignored Bruno who called your name, you had to get out of this wretched place, you had to get away from him but you were not quick enough and he quickly caught up with you. He grabbed your forearm, pleading you to listen to him but you did not want to, God knew what that tongue could do. 

“Let me go.”

“Please don’t run away,” his voice broke and it made you freeze. “Please.”

        How could someone older look so small? Even if you wished to run, your feet seemed to be glued to the ground and while you were unsure about how to proceed, you pressed your lips into a thin line and nodded. Bruno looked for a lie in your eyes, for anything that could show him you’d run the second he let you go and when he was satisfied, he slowly loosened his grip. 

“I swear on my own life that I did not temper the vision.”

         What else could you do but believe him when he sounded so earnest? Either the man was a liar extraordinaire or he was telling the truth. Either way, you didn’t want to believe him, not when it could cost you everything. 

“You can’t tell anyone what you saw, Bruno,” you firmly said. “No one can know.”

“You think that ignoring it will make it go away?” He asked, unimpressed. 

      Maybe. It is worth a try. 

“You said that all your visions came true, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll prove you wrong,” you replied and started walking away. “I won’t let it happen.”

            It was the last thing you said before you tripped and fell down the stairs. 

Chapter Text

and may we never cross path again

          You’d always been fascinated by the sensation of falling. When you were much younger you’d ask your father to push you as hard as he could on the swing because you loved the fuzzy butterflies you’d get in your stomach whenever you came down and even years later the sensation was still the same. 

           The fall did not last long, though. You were quickly caught by Bruno but not before you landed on your foot, the angle too odd and you winced as pain spread from your ankle to your leg. Your grip instantly tightened on him but he did not whimper. He allowed you to take a deep breath and you clenched your jaw hard, trying not to cry. 

          When you gazed up, you were met with this look on his face that started to become a bit too familiar to your liking and you pushed away from him but he barely moved. You could have cried out of despair by the stubbornness of that man. 

“Let me go.”

“I don’t think you should walk, your ankle is-”

“Let me go,” you repeated once more. “I don’t need your help.”

“Dios mio!” he sighed and moved away. “Would  a ‘ thank you ’ kill you?”

“Thank you.” You gritted through your teeth, though it was more because of the pain than anything else. 

         Bruno rolled his eyes at your behaviour but you did not apologise. 

“Let me see.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“I can see you’re not.”

“It’s nothing.”

“This is my room so my rules.” He firmly said with an authority that almost seemed out of character.

          It was enough to make you wordlessly comply, though. You sat down on the first step and almost let out a shout when he delicately took off your shoe to expose a nasty purple bruise on your foot. You were pretty sure it was sprained and Bruno seemed to think the same as he carefully examined it, making sure he would not hurt you more than necessary. He had seen his fair share of injuries with all the people coming to the house for Julieta’s help and while he was no doctor, he could recognize a twisted ankle when he saw one.

“It’s not broken, just twisted.”

           You looked up to the ceiling. 

“I don’t deserve this.” You sighed to yourself. 

“Maybe you do.” Bruno mumbled and he straightened when you shot him a heated glare. 

"It doesn't hurt." You retorted, refusing to allow him to have the last word. 

         He looked at your ankle and then back at you. 

"It doesn't hurt?" 

         You shook your head while clenching your fist behind your back.

“So…” he tapped his chin. “That means you can walk just fine, yeah?”

“Obviously.” You huffed.

         Bruno crossed his arms on his chest and arched an eyebrow.

“Go on, then.”

          You gritted your teeth but if he thought for a second that you were a quitter, he was in for a surprise. You slowly stood up, taking deep breaths as you did so and took your first step. It hurt like hell, there was no other way to it. You bit the inside of your cheeks so hard you worried that you might bleed but even that sounded better than showing Bruno that you were in pain. 

         Bruno watched you being miserable for a few seconds, waiting for you to give up and admit that he’d been right but annoyment faded into worry when he saw your face twisted in pain and your eyes full of resolution. You were going to make it downstairs, even if it killed you to do so. He was ever so quick to join your side and he should have known it had taken a toll on you when you did not have the strength to push him away. 

“Let Julieta help you, please ,” he pleaded as he helped you sit down once again. “She can take the pain away.”

“No,” you shook your head . “I don’t want to owe you or your family anything.”

“I understand that you’re upset but your pride will be your downfall.”

           You shot him an icy glare and you noticed how the corner of his lips slightly twitched upward at his own joke. You would have laughed too, in a different life. Maybe you would have appreciated his humour a bit more, you would have learned about him more, you would have learned to like him. But not in this one.

“And then what, Bruno? What happens then?”

“What do you mean?” He blinked, seemingly confused.

“What happens after Julieta heals me?”

“You go… home?”

“How can I go home after this?” you hated how your voice slightly cracked. “With the knowledge I have?”

“So you’d rather hide?” he frowned. “What about your fiancé?”

         The thought of Eduardo made you sick. 

“I can’t see him.”

“You can’t hide away from him forever,” he slowly spoke as if you were an idiot. “The Encanto might be big, but it’s not big enough.”

“I like him,” you whispered and he wouldn’t have heard if he hadn’t been so close. “I don’t want to break his heart.”

           Bruno blinked and tilted his head, observing you for a few seconds. Your hair was in disarray and his fingers itched to run through it but he abstained. Despite how he felt, he was in no position to do so.

“I thought you were supposed to love your fiancé?” He said instead.

“What do you know about love, anyway?” 

“Are you trying to be hateful on purpose?”

            What if you were? If hatred were to grow between you then the vision would not become real, it would change and your future would be safe. You took no pleasure in behaving that way but it was a small price to pay for your salvation. What was the hate of one man compared to the love of many? You were lucky enough to be strangers and you had no desire to become anything more with him. You would not be losing anything by pushing him away. 

        I need you to hate me, Bruno, for the sake of my future.

“I need to go home,” you replied instead and tried to stand up but he stopped you. “My mother is expecting me.”

            Home was the last place you wanted to be but you had no other choice. On the way there you could think of something, of a perfect lie that she would never doubt. You also knew that you’d have to plan the wedding earlier so as to not risk anything. The quicker you got married, the safer it would be for all of the parties involved.

“You can’t.”

“Let me go.”

“I can’t,” he honestly replied. “You’re hurt and if you think that I won’t tell Julieta about this, then you’re a fool.”

              Your eyes snapped up to his and you frowned, perfectly knowing that he was right in doing so but you refused to acknowledge it. You also knew that you were not being fair on Julieta. If she heard that you’d refuse her treatment, she could take it as a personal offence and she had been so nice to you before… 

“If you help me, I’ll owe you and you’re the last person I want to owe something to right now.”

“Fine then!“ he huffed, finally fed up. “Do whatever you want, I don’t care!”

“Good!“

          You gritted your teeth and stood up once again, ignoring the pain and aching in your foot. You were proud of yourself for not letting out any sound but you didn’t really know how long you’d last. There were so many stairs and this time, Bruno wasn’t there to give you a ride. You relied heavily on the wall, wincing every now and then but you found that counting all the way to a hundred slightly helped. You could always send Ada to Julieta to ask for help later on, you just knew that you could not face her right now. 

“You’re a danger to yourself.”

        You startled as Bruno spoke, not realising that he’d been tagging along close behind.

“I’ll help you down.”

         You looked at his hand, a deep frown settled on your face. 

“You’re my responsibility, whether you like it or not.”

         You did not say anything. 

“I promise I won’t bite.”

           Sometimes the bark could be worse than the bite.

“If I let you help me, can you promise me one thing?”

           Hope flashed in his eyes and he eagerly nodded. 

“Anything.”

“I don’t want to see you again.”

            You saw the hurt on Bruno’s face and you pushed the guilt deep down in a place it would never see the light of day. Let him be hurt, let him hate you. Anything to make him keep his distance. You could not let him ruin everything you’d built so far on the pretext that his vision saw you together. The vision was wrong. 

“Y/n-”

“Bruno, I had a very bad day,” you slowly said. “I can’t take any more of you or your magic. Please, let me go.”

            The curly haired man sighed, perfectly knowing that he didn’t need his power to know you wouldn’t change your mind. He helped you get downstairs and you were lucky enough not to come across anyone else in the house. You had no idea how you would have reacted had you seen Alma or Julieta, they would ask too many questions that you were not keen on answering. Once you reached the front door you took a deep breath and straightened before the house opened it for you. You narrowed your eyes at the sudden light but still walked outside, ignoring the throbbing pain in your foot.

“Thanks again.” You politely smiled, perfectly aware of the people watching you. 

“Y/n-”

“Farewell, Bruno.”

              You left before he could say anything else. 

Chapter Text

love does not exist here, in this garden there’s no feeling

         You kept your head high as you walked as fast as you could given your current state and you only allowed yourself to collapse when you could no longer feel Bruno’s eyes on your back. Tears welled up and rolled on your cheeks, you choked out a sob as you held your ankle tight. Why couldn’t today have gone well? It was not like you had asked for the moon. Was it your punishment for not being true to your family and yourself? 

           How could you have known that your one word answer could have triggered what was bound to happen? You winced as you pondered on the question and you came to the conclusion that you were wrong. It was not your acceptance that was at the cause of all this. Eduardo’s intentions had been clear for much longer than that. If there was one person to blame for all of this, you already knew who it was. 

          You took all the small alleys to make your way to your father’s shop. You were in no condition to face your mother and you knew that your father would not overwhelm you with questions you did not want to answer. You also could not allow people to see you like this, God knew what they would say. 

             You were lucky enough to find the shop empty of customers when you arrived. Your father was at the back, probably working on a project and you allowed yourself a few seconds of peace. As you looked around, your guilt only grew. What help could you be to your father in your condition? You could barely stand on your feet, let alone run around all day and fix things. You snapped out of it when you father emerged from the curtains. 

“Mariposa!” he grinned. “You’re already back?”

           The trip to the Madrigals’ had felt like years to you and you did not think of checking the time. As you were about to respond, you winced and your father’s smile immediately dropped when he saw your face twisted in pain. 

“Mariposa!” he exclaimed and ran to you, alarmed. “What happened!?”

“I was walking home and I tripped,” you gasped and let out a sigh of relief when he helped you out. “I think I twisted my ankle.”

“Come here, mi Vida, we’ll try to get you home in one piece.”

              Your father was sensible enough not to engage in conversation about your trip on the way home, though you knew that your mother wouldn’t be half as kind and you weren’t wrong. As soon as you crossed the threshold, she bombarded you with questions until she noticed your limp and led you to the sitting room. 

“What happened, mi amor? Did he hurt you?”

             You were not entitled to the anger you felt at her words, your behaviour toward Bruno had not been as kind. Yet, it was there but it was quickly replaced by something else you couldn’t name. How could you blame her when your first assumption had been that Bruno made things go wrong? You were no better than her, you could not fool yourself into thinking otherwise. 

“No, mama,” you shook your head. “I tripped on the way home.”

“And you walked all the way to the house?” she frowned disapprovingly, before looking at your father. “And you let her walk all the way to the house?”

“What was I supposed to do?” he asked with a hand pressed to his chest. “Carry her? Mi amor, I love her like the moon loves the stars but I’m not a young man anymore!”

“You could have asked for someone's help!”

           Had it not been for the pain, you would have chuckled at your parents’ antics. You had never seen two people so in love and while your mother’s temper ran hot, your mellow father was the perfect match. You briefly wondered if you’d share such moments with Eduardo later in life but a flash of Bruno’s vision crossed your mind and left a sour taste in your mouth. 

“I’m alright mami,” you reassured her. “Papi did help a lot.”

“I’m going to ask Ada to go to the Madrigals, maybe Julieta could-”

“No!”

             Your parents blinked, taken aback by your sudden outburst. You nervously laughed and waved your hands in the air, trying hard to calm your racing heartbeat. You couldn’t let Ada go without telling her the truth first. What if Bruno had already told his sister? Ada would not forgive you for not telling her before. You could not risk it. 

“I mean, they have a lot on their plate right now. Julieta is busy this afternoon”

“Honey, surely they could make time for you.”

“Could I just-” you deeply inhaled. “Tomorrow? I’m feeling tired but Ada can go there tomorrow?

“But-”

“Camila, amor,” your father stepped in when he noticed your growing distress. “Listen to our Mariposa, she’s had a long day. We’ll talk more about this after her rest, alright?”

          Your mother huffed but complied. 

“Fine, but you’ll need to tell me what he saw, okay?”

             Needless to say, you did not tell her the whole truth.

“Wait for me!”

               You ran as fast as you could, laughter echoing in your ears but you had no intention of slowing down. You threw a look over your shoulders, heart racing when you saw him still chasing you and you made a quick turn on the left, hoping to lose him in the bushes. You threw yourself on the ground, hiding under the foliage and held your breath. From where you were you could see him reaching the lake and looking around, calling your name. You bit your lower lip so you wouldn’t make any sound and give your position away. You calmed down when he got out of your sight, looking for you somewhere else and you were tempted to crouch so you could see better but you felt someone jump on top of you before you could. You let out a scream as you were turned around before your neck was attacked by soft lips and lingering kisses.

“You’re tickling me!”

“I caught you,” he replied. “You know what it means.”

“You cheated.”

“I gave you a headstart.”

“Stop lying,” you laughed and he nibbled the crook of your neck. “Bruno!”

         You startled, dragged out of a dream looking left and right for a man that was not here. You placed your hand on your chest, hoping it would calm your frenetic heartbeats, frowning as you observed your engagement ring. It could not be a coincidence, not so soon after the vision, not so soon after meeting him. You wondered if the dream was another part of his gift, something that lingered with you after but you were not well enough informed to distinguish truth from misconception. 

         You replayed your whole day in your head, wondering if you could have changed something, anything that could have given you a different outcome. Were you wrong to refuse another vision? Surely, with what had happened now, there was no way for it to become real. You had made him promise not to see you again, surely, that had to count for something, right? A knock on your door interrupted your train of thoughts. 

“Come in.”

            Ada entered the bedroom, carrying a plate of food. You let out a relieved sigh as she came closer and took a seat on the bed, making sure not to make you move too much. 

“Mama wasn’t sure if you felt up to going downstairs considering…” she trailed off, her eyes lingering on your ankle. “How do you feel?”

“Better,” you honestly replied. “Thirsty.”

         She stayed silent while she poured you a glass of water and you couldn’t help but wonder what was going on inside her mind. Did she already suspect that something went wrong? You had no idea if your mother had told her about the vision yet. 

“Thanks.”

“Your foot looks alright, though it’ll need more ice.”

“I’ll survive.”

“I don’t understand why you refused when Mama said she’d ask help from the Madrigals right away.”

“If you help me, I’ll owe you and you’re the last person I want to owe something to right now.”

“It’s… complicated.”

“Is it about what happened in their house?”

          You nibbled your lower lip and Ada smirked in triumph. 

“I just knew it, you were way too evasive to mom.”

“What does that mean?” You arched an eyebrow, intrigued. 

“She told me that you were happy in the vision, and that was it. I knew she didn’t push because you didn’t feel well, but you can be sure she’ll try to talk to Bruno if she can, to know more.”

“I don’t think she will,” you hummed as you nibbled on your food. “She doesn’t like him.”

“He just makes her uneasy, that’s all,” she rectified. “What did he see in the vision? Weren’t you happy?”

“I was happy, just not-” you let out a sigh and looked away. “It’s not what I expected.”

“What do you mean?”

           Your eyes darted to the door and Ada was quick to understand because she closed it before jumping on your bed with eager eyes. It reminded you of all the times she came back from the market with all the gossip she’d heard on the way home and she was just excited to share it with you. There was nothing you could hide from her.

“You can’t tell our parents.”

“I won’t.” She promised. 

“The vision Bruno got… he saw me happy. It was-” you sharply inhaled, wondering why it was so hard to say it out loud. “It wasn’t Eduardo with me.”

“So you were all by yourself?”

“Bruno was there.”

“Yeah, I know,” she snorted. “Who else could have the vision then?”

“No, Bruno was there ,” you repeated and gave her a long look. “With me.”

           You only had to wait a few seconds before a look of realisation dawned upon her face. Her eyebrows disappeared in her hairline and her mouth went wide. You could have almost found it funny if it wasn’t your own  mess she was shocked about. She blinked a few times, processing the information. 

“No way.”

“I wish.” 

“You and Bruno Madrigal?” she whispered. “I would have never thought!”

“Yeah, me neither.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing” you immediately replied. “There’s nothing to be done, it was just a mistake.”

“But he saw you two together. 

“It doesn’t mean anything.”

“It has to mean something, Y/n,” she frowned. “He showed you that you would not be happy with Eduardo.”

“He didn’t show me Eduardo,” you reminded her, rather firmly. “He only showed me what he wanted me to see.”

“We both know that Bruno Madrigal is many things but a liar is not one of them. He was telling you the truth.”

         You hated how right she sounded. 

“He can’t be,” you whispered, lips quivering. “Because if he is… he’ll ruin everything.”

          Ada observed you for a few seconds, an unpleasant feeling settling in her lower stomach. 

“Did…” she paused. “Did you tell him that?” 

“I was horrible to him,” you mumbled as you looked out the window. “I was so scared and angry and I took it out on him.”

           You refused to look at her because you couldn’t stand her disappointment. 

“Then you should apologise then.”

“I can’t,” you shook your head. “I can’t see Bruno again.”

“Why? Because you’re scared that something is going to happen?”

“Nothing’s going to happen.”

“Is he cute? Is that why you’re worried?”

“He’s-”

“You’re my responsibility, whether you like it or not.”

“He’s kind.”

“Ah, that’ll do it.”

“Shut up!” You hissed as your face grew warmer, out of embarrassment or anger, you did not know. 

“He deserves an apology.”

“I made him promise I would not see him again.”

“You didn’t.”

         You turned your head and met her gaze. 

“Y/n, tell me you didn’t do that.”

“I had no other choice. I couldn’t let him think that we could be…”

“Friends?”

“Anything.”

“What was the vision?”

hot breaths mingled together, he’s smiling so wide it changes his whole face.  you didn’t know he could smile like that. 

“It was private.”

“Oh my,” she blinked. “Was it something… dirty?”

“Ada!”

“What? I’m just asking the real questions here!”

“It doesn’t matter what it was because it’s never going to happen.”

          Her eyes softened at your tone. 

“You really don’t want to give him a chance, do you?”

“Give him-” you scoffed. “Give him a chance? Ada, I am engaged!”

“To a man who’s not even part of your future, apparently!”

“You don’t know that!”

“Bruno knows it and he showed it to you.”

“I don’t want to believe in that future with him!”

“Is he such an awful person that you’d rather be stuck in a loveless marriage instead?” She scowled and you froze. 

“I love Eduardo,” you slowly spoke, willing your tone to be as low as possible so your parents wouldn’t hear. “And I thought you loved him too.”

“I do. That’s why I don’t want either of you to be stuck in something that could be avoided.”

“S-Stuck? Ada, do you even hear yourself? You make marriage sound like a prison.”

“Because it’s not? Are you telling me that you still want to continue with him even though you now know he’s not the one for you?”

            Couldn’t she see how hard it was for you as well? Was she really expecting you to give up everything for a perfect stranger who’d been nice to you a few times? Why couldn’t she understand that you were making the right choice?

“Eduardo is a nice man and he’s easy to love. He makes me feel safe.”

“So you’d rather go on the safe path then have an adventure?”

“The safe path is safe for a reason, Ada. I don’t need to take unnecessary risks just to amuse you.”

“It’s not for my amusement but for your happiness!”

“I can be happy with Eduardo.” You softly replied. 

“What about Bruno? What about his happiness?”

“I don’t know him, why should I care?”

“You are a lot of things but selfish is not one of them,” she chided. “Even if you don’t know him I don’t think you’d want to cause him pain.”

“I am already engaged, Ada, there’s nothing I can do.”

          She frowned when she noticed the resigned look on your face. 

“Maybe you can be friends with him, maybe you can’t,” she said. “But what you can and should do is apologise. Many people blame him everyday for seeing things they ask him to see. You don’t want to be one of them.”

           Your sister's words rang true to your core. He had told you that he had no control over the vision, he promised you he’d not tempered with it. You closed your eyes and you could see his face again, how heartbroken he was as you pushed him away, any trace of friendliness gone. His mouth became a graveyard where a thousand words died on his lips because he simply knew that you would not listen.

“I’ll think about it.” 

Chapter Text

 and the words that you wrote come back blacker than smoke

            Bruno’s fingers trailed on your cold face, perfectly knowing that the tablet was the only thing of you he would ever keep. He had been tempted to destroy it right after you left, out of anger or despair, he did not know but it was your smile on the picture that stopped him from going through with it. How could such a happy vision leave such a bitter taste in his mouth? Was he incapable of bringing joy around him? Did he really have to be a bad omen even to himself?

            He mourned the loss of something that was not even real yet and that would probably never be and he briefly wondered if he was entitled to that. You had not even given him a glance, not even a chance for him to make his case, to explain that maybe, maybe it could work, that if his vision showed them this it was because it was meant to be. 

               You had left the house so quickly, it was like you never came. Bruno’s dream was filled with visions he didn’t really wish to see, visions he couldn’t forget even with his eyes open. The kiss in the water repeated again and again until it shifted and went further than just innocent touches and when he woke up rock hard he was lucid enough to take a cold shower instead of listening to that small part of his brain whispering ‘to hell with it’. 

             When he looked into the mirror, he could almost picture you next to him. You were not smiling though, repeating the same nasty words over and over again because you were scared. He had seen it. Once he calmed down, Bruno settled in his hammock, eyes locked on the tablet resting on the wall and he wondered if now you were dreaming about him too.   

“She seemed nice.”

          Bruno gazed up from his plate to look at his sister. The kitchen was still warm, Julieta was almost done with her baking and from the sunny skies he just knew that Pepa was having a good day.  

“Hum?”

“Y/n Muñoz? The woman who came yesterday, she seemed nice.”

“She was…”

“I don’t want to see you again.” 

“...alright.”

“What did she ask you to see?”

“She just got engaged,” he replied, playing with his food. “She wanted to see if it was going to work.”

“And?”

“Hum?”

“Did it work?”

            Sweet Julietta who always made sure he had extra food for his rats ever since she’d made him promise they wouldn’t go in the kitchen. Sweet Julieta who allowed him to sleep in her room whenever he was too scared because what child wanted to sleep in a room as big and dark as his? He knew he could tell her everything and she wouldn’t judge because that was just who she was.

“Not really.”

“I’m sorry, Bruno,” she honestly said, squeezing his forearm. “What happened?”

“I messed it up, like always.”

“Oh, Brunito, I don’t think-”

“No, but for real this time,” he insisted. “I messed it up.”

              She frowned, confused. 

“What do you mean?”

              Bruno rubbed his fingers together, his hands were already sweaty and he couldn’t stop his legs from bouncing as he looked at everything but his sister. Would she blame him just like you did? Would she curse him for ruining the promising life of a young woman he had never met before? He shook his head, chasing those thoughts away. 

“In the vision she wasn’t with her fiancé. She was with…” he sighed. “Me.”

“And?”

“We were… kissing.”

             Julieta blinked. 

“Oh.”

           The room was silent for a few seconds. 

“Have you met her before?”

          He nervously chuckled and rubbed his neck. 

“Not really.”

“Not really?”

“I mean, I’ve seen her around a few times. Her parents own a shop on the outskirts of the village, but nothing more.”

“That’s odd,” she agreed before she realised. “Bruno, you said she was engaged?”

“You can imagine why she was not really… thrilled about it.”

“What did she say?”

“Oh, she hates me.”

              Julieta sighed and she looked at her brother. He did look rather miserable, with his tired eyes and hunched back. He never seemed to catch a break. Normally, she would always find the right words to say to him but this time it was different. It was not just a vision about someone’s future, it was his . 

“Hate is such a strong word, Bruno,” she chided, trying to lighten the mood. “She can’t hate you for something you don’t control.”

“You’d be surprised,” he snorted. “She thinks I ruined everything.”

“Were you happy?”

“What?”

“In the vision you had, were you happy?”

he holds you close and never wants to let go. you are his heaven.

“Yes,” he softly replied. “We were.”

“Maybe you should let her cool down a little bit and go back to her when she’ll be ready to talk.”

“She doesn’t want to see me again.”

“Bruno-”

“She made me promise,” he croaked. “She made me promise that she’d never see me again.”

          Julieta frowned. 

“Is she going to tell her fiancé?”

“I don’t think so. She doesn’t want to hurt him.”

“Hiding the truth will hurt him,” she said. “It’s not a little white lie that we’re talking about.”

“There’s nothing I can do about it, Julieta,” he sighed. “I tried to make her understand or talk to her but she wouldn’t listen! Just like she wouldn’t listen when she said she could walk even though she was hurt and-”

Julieta frowned and cut him off. “She was hurt?”

             The corner of Bruno’s lips curled up at his sister's firm tone, the kind she always used for business. 

“She fell down my stairs and twisted her ankle.”

“And you didn’t call me?”

“I wanted to!” he lamented. “She said she didn’t want my help or just our help in general and that she just wanted to go home!”

“You should have insisted!”

“I tried!”

“So what, you just let her leave on her own?”

“What was I supposed to do, walk her home?”

             The way Julieta placed her hands on her hips and arched an eyebrow made him understand that he already had the answer. He groaned, gripping his hair and tightening his grip in an almost painful way to keep him grounded. Why was it that she was trying to push him toward you? Did she realise that she was making it harder for him? She was giving hope in a place where there was none. 

“She didn’t want to be near me, Julieta.”

“Do you know where she lives?”

           He thought about it for a few seconds. 

“I know where her parents’ shop is.”

“This is how it’s going to go, Bruno,” she firmly said. “I’m going to make her something and you’ll bring it to her.”

“You’d make me break my promise to her?”

“You’d rather stay miserable while she’s hurt?”

          Bruno groaned. 

“She’ll just spit on my face.”

“I don’t think she is that kind of person.”

“You don’t know her.”

“Neither do you,” she reminded him and he begrudgingly agreed. “Besides, you don’t even have to see her, just bring the basket to her family and make sure that she gets better.”

           He hesitated. 

“It’s the right thing to do, Bruno.”

         He sighed, but nodded. 

“You know…” he paused. “I really thought that maybe something good was gonna happen for once.”

           Julieta’s eyes softened as Bruno rested his head on the table. 

“I guess I was wrong.”

           Bruno ignored the stares as he made the way to your house. After twenty years he was used to them. He slightly tightened his grip on the plate his sister gave him and he pulled his hood even more on his face. If he was spooky enough today maybe people wouldn’t come for a vision and while he knew he was being selfish, he didn’t feel like seeing anyone’s future after yesterday. 

            At the shop he was greeted by someone he assumed to be your father. Alejandro shook his hand firmly, greeting him with a warmer smile than he was used to. What had you told them about him? Bruno quickly explained that he had some food for you and the older man didn’t seem too surprised. He briefly mentioned someone called Ada, though Bruno had no idea who that was and he kindly gave him the instructions to reach your house. 

            On the way there, Bruno came up with a million apologies. He prepared so many different speeches they gave him a headache and the funny thing in all this was that he had no intention of seeing you. Despite his sister’s insistence, the Madrigal had no intention to break his promise. He didn’t want you to hate him more. Wordlessly, he knocked on the door and wished he could just drop the plate on the floor and flee but your mother opened the door before he could. 

“Bruno?” Camila blinked, surprised. “Has Ada come to see you yet?”

“Ada…?”

“My second daughter? She was meant to ask for…” she gazed down and smiled when she saw the plate in his hands. “Perfect!”

        Bruno wasn’t sure about what was happening, but he smelled an opening for him to leave as quickly as possible without having to give a pathetic issue. While your mother was being polite, it was a successful mission so far and he did not want it to go south. 

“Please, come inside.”

           Maybe not so successful. 

“Oh, I don’t think it’s a good-”

“I insist, you have been so kind to my daughter, I cannot let you go without at least a coffee.”

            Bruno was familiar enough with the will of mothers and he knew that nothing could bend it. The invitation felt more like a demand than anything else, he knew he couldn’t simply go away. If he kept insisting that he had to leave, it would look more suspicious than anything else. 

“Okay. ” He sighed, defeated.

            Your house was smaller than his Casita but he was not surprised. His eyes trailed on the many pictures adorning the walls and he was quick to recognise you among whom he assumed to be your sisters, though you were younger there. Your hair was longer now and you had lost the roundness of your cheeks though your eyes still shone with the same twinkle he’d seen in his dream. 

“Come with me.” She called.

           Camila left before he could say anything and he wondered if it was a family trait. He looked around, rubbing his arms nervously and made his way to the next room. He stopped to a halt when his eyes fell on you. You were sitting near the window, clearly enjoying the sun while you were reading a book he couldn’t recognize from where he stood. 

             You looked strangely at peace, despite your elevated bruised foot on a small stool. He allowed himself to contemplate you, though he was sure your face was forever seared into his mind but he was enjoying the lack of contempt he’d grown so quickly used to when you looked at him. 

           Despite your stinging words ringing in his ears he still found you beautiful and the way you pursed your lips and furrowed your brows as you read was all too endearing for someone he was supposed to forget. 

“Mi vida, look who came!”

         You looked up from your book and froze.

“Bruno.” You breathed, not really knowing what to think of him here. 

“Y/n.” He greeted back, slightly relaxing when you didn’t just shout at him.

“What are you doing here?”

“Bruno brought you some food!” Your mom chirped as she placed the plate next to you.

         You eyed the thing as if it had personally wounded you.

“How kind.” 

“It’s Julieta’s cooking!” she exclaimed. “You know what it means if you eat it? Your ankle will be healed!”

“I’m not hungry.” You miserably lied, trying to calm your empty stomach.

“Y/n, it’s a gift” she chided. “It would be rude not to eat it.”

          You glared at Bruno who had his hand on his hips with a ‘go-on-i’m-watching’ look as you ate and tried very hard not to let out a loud sigh of relief when the pain immediately disappeared. You cast a quick glance at your ankle and saw the black bruise going away, eyes wide with wonderment. Even being born in the Encanto it was still hard to grasp the fact that magic was real and you were very much aware how lucky you were to have Julieta around. You slowly flexed your foot a few times, revelling in the lack of pain. 

“How do you feel?” Bruno asked. 

“I’m okay,” you carefully replied and then paused, aware of your mother’s eyes on you.. “Thanks.”

         Bruno almost laughed at the face you made when you thanked him wondering if it had felt like pulling a tooth for you. 

“Y/n told me about your vision,” Camila smiled. “Is it true what you said?”

          He cast you a glance and your lips were pressed into a thin line though you avoided his eyes. He was not really sure about what you could have possibly told them. You had not seemed so keen on telling the truth to your own fiancé so he only assumed that you had made up something else instead. What was it? A peaceful marriage and beautiful babies with… what was his name again? Bruno shivered at the thought. 

“She was happy,” he honestly replied. “Happier than ever.”

“Good, good,” she nodded. “That’s all we want.”

          He saw you relax from the corner of his eyes and figured by your mother’s words you hadn’t told her the truth. How could he blame you, though? Who wanted to be associated with him anyway? Young women knew better than to meddle with the prophet, even if his mama was starting to get more and more insistent on the idea of him finding a wife. 

         He suspected Julieta and Pepa to be the cause of it. Seeing her daughters so happy made Alma want the same thing for her son. It wasn’t for the lack of interest in the idea of having a partner, Bruno had tried to find someone in the past, after all. Some women did seem to find his dishevelled look alluring but his gift always seemed to come between them. And now with the vision…

“Since you’re feeling better, I need to go help your father at the shop,” Camila said. “Will you be okay if I go? Ada should be home soon.”

“I’ll be fine, mom,” you reassured her. “Don’t worry.”

“Alright.”

         She pressed a kiss on your cheek and you sighed, content. 

“I’ll walk you out.” She said to Bruno who nodded as a response.

“Many people blame him everyday for seeing things they ask him to see. You don’t want to be one of them.”

“Don’t,” you suddenly said. “I’ll make us some coffee.”

          His eyebrows rose comically high but Camila didn’t notice since her attention was on you. 

“Oh?”

“As a thank you,” you added, your face betraying nothing. “For the food.”

          She slightly relaxed and gave you an approving smile. 

“I’ve taught you well, mija.”

“Tell papi I’m healed, alright?”

“Of course. I’ll see you tonight. Goodbye, Bruno.”

“Goodbye Señora Muñoz.”

         You let out a relieved sigh when she closed the door and rose up from your seat, putting the book away. You hoped that your posture did not betray the way your heart was pounding in your chest. It seemed almost impossible to hide it, you feared that Bruno would hear. You nibbled on the inside of your cheeks as you moved around, feeling his eyes on you.

“How do you like your coffee?” You asked as you made your way to the kitchen, Bruno trailing behind you.

“No milk and lots of sugar.” 

            You hummed. 

“What?”

“I don’t know, you struck me as a milk kind of man.”

“Oh?” he arched an eyebrow. “You thought about it?”

“I think about a lot of things.”

          Your solemn tone caught him off guard and he let out a nervous chuckle. 

“If you say so.” He shrugged. 

            The silence between you both was deafening and yet you knew you had to be the one to break it. You blessed the fact that it was only the two of you in here and yet you did not feel as comfortable in your own house as you normally did. Despite his shy nature, Bruno could take up a lot of space in a room if he wanted to. It was the mystical air about him. 

“You broke your promise.”

           His shoulder slightly sagged and he looked down, averting your eyes..

“What are you doing here?”

“You’re the one who offered me a coffee.”

“Why did you come?”

         Bruno sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, looking for the right words. 

“I told Julieta about what happened and she told me to bring you food.” 

        Your heart skipped a beat.

“What did you tell her?”

         He looked at you for a few seconds. 

“The truth.”

It took you longer than you’d expected to place your cup on the table with trembling hands. 

“It wasn’t your truth to tell.”

            You suddenly felt warm, as if you were standing outside on a hot summer day when Pepa took care of the cornfields. Your eyes fluttered as you took the information in. Another person added to your torment, another chance for the secret to come out. What options did you have? What if she mentioned it to Pepa, or worse, to Félix? You knew that he and Eduardo used to be close friends. Your arms felt heavier than stone, moving your fingers seemed impossible and you swallowed hard, your shoulders raising up and down at an alarming speed. Bruno seemed to be speaking but you couldn’t hear anything apart from the ringing in your ears and you snapped out of it when you felt him squeeze your hands. 

“You’re gonna be okay,” he softly spoke. “Take deep breaths with me.”

“I can’t.” You croaked. 

“You can. Now look at me, breathe in, breathe out.”

            He deeply inhaled and exhaled, doing so until you followed his lead. His grip on your hand was still firm but gentle. It was not his intention to hurt you, he just needed to ground you there with him so that you wouldn’t go too far. You didn’t know for how long you did this until the dizziness disappeared and you felt human again. 

           His hand was large and warm in yours, soft to the touch in a way that made you shiver. You observed it for a bit longer, allowing you to revel in his gentle presence even though you felt like you were not entitled to it. When you gazed up you were met with hopeful eyes that got your breath stuck in your throat for a few seconds. He was even more beautiful up close. 

“I’m scared, Bruno.” You finally admitted in a whimper. 

            Bruno’s lips quivered and he almost pulled you in his arms right then. He should not have told you the truth, he’d practically given you a heart attack because he couldn’t shut his mouth and what then? Was he supposed to go on his merry way and never look back? You look so vulnerable at his moment, he felt like he’d do anything you asked. 

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he earnestly replied. “Julieta saw how miserable I was and…”

           You’d left too quickly to see what was left behind. What did Bruno do while you limped back to your house? Who had been there to pick up the pieces when you so selfishly left him with nothing but a bitter promise and nasty words? Even if you wished to handle everything on your own, you had to admit that Bruno was part of this too.

“I couldn’t lie to her.”

               How could you be mad at him when you had done the same with Ada? How could you have expected him to carry that burden on his own? It was not just your future that was at stake, as you so selfishly thought yesterday, it was also his. You wondered what was Julieta’s reaction. Did she think you were an awful person? You could not really blame her if that was the case, you had not been the kindest to her brother in the first place. 

“Bruno, I’m sorry for-” you sighed and rubbed your eyes. “Everything.”

                You could clearly tell by the look on his face that he had not been expecting your apology but you could not blame him either. Ada was right when she called you kind, being as harsh as you had been with Bruno was not one of your habits, just a poor consequence of your fear laced with despair. 

“I understand why you reacted that way,” he slowly spoke, as if looking for the right words. “Though I’m not going to lie, your apologies are nice to hear.”

              The corners of your lips slightly twitched up as you relaxed a bit more. His statement brought you more peace than you would’ve expected. 

“I’m sorry I broke the promise.”

“I don’t think you really had a choice.”

“Yeah, not really,” he chuckled, thinking back to Julieta. “But say, what did you tell your parents?”

“I told them I was happy,” you replied. “I owed them that truth.”

“That’s fair.”

“But Bruno…”

“Yes?”

“Your vision, I can’t…” you shook your head. “I can’t be who you expect me to be.”

            I’m not expecting anything , he wanted to say, but that would have been a lie. His visions, as confusing as they could be, always became real. They were the truth. He didn’t know what you expected from him, though he had a feeling that only running away from this place could bring you peace. 

“I can’t throw my life away for you.”

“I’m not asking you to.”

“Then let us forget about this,” you begged. “Let’s pretend this vision never happened.”

“Is it such an awful vision, the one you received?” He asked, passing his fingers through his hair.

              Your heart softened at the sight and you noticed how tired he looked. The bags under his eyes seemed worse than yesterday. You wondered if it came with his job but you also knew that the argument you had the night before probably hadn’t helped his sleeping. Your own face felt warmer as you thought about your own dream again, about his body pressed against yours, his breath on your face and his lips on your neck. 

“am i still a liar, querida?”

             Yes, forgetting about him was the best thing you could do. What if the dreams started getting worse? You could not risk it. Spending as little time with him as you could would be ideal. Luckily, he was not a family friend, so you doubted that you had to see him except for special occasions but other than that, you might catch a glimpse of him in town but nothing more. 

“I don’t think I can forget you.” He honestly replied. 

               I don’t think I want to.

             You trapped your lower lip between your teeth and looked on the wall, your heart beating fast in your chest. Why did he need to say such things? If he kept going, he would notice that he made you flustered and how would you go around explaining that to him? You couldn’t let him charm you because you weren’t sure if you had it in you to turn him away, not after what you’d seen. Would you fall for him as a result of his sweet soul or the prophecy? 

“Y/n, look at me.” He softly asked.

“I can’t,” you shook your head. “I’m engaged.”

“Have you told your fiancé?”

               Your heart tightened in your chest at the mention of Eduardo. You were not sure that your mother had mentioned the vision at all to him and his mother so you did not know whether or not telling him could be a good idea. What if he thought you were doubting him and decided to cancel the wedding? What would your parents say?

“No.”

“Are you going to?”

“I… don’t know yet,” you admitted. “He’s a nice man and he deserves to know but at the same time I don’t know what… what it would mean for our future.”

             Will we still have a future together? 

“If…” you paused and looked down. “If you looked into my future again, will you still see the same thing considering…?”

              How it ended yesterday? My promise?

“I don’t know.”

          He searched for your eyes. 

“I can look again if you want and tell you if it changed.”

          You nibbled your lower lips, worried. 

“But what if it doesn’t, Bruno?”

           He almost shuddered with the way you said his name. 

“What if nothing changes?”

“Well in that case…” he rubbed his chin as he pondered. “You told me that you would prove me wrong and show me that all of my visions don’t come true.”

            He gave you a sardonic smile. 

“I look forward to it.”

Chapter Text

but I don't know what else that I would give than try to kiss the skin that crawls from you

           You thought your problem would have gone away once you stopped seeing Bruno Madrigal, but you were wrong. While you had not met for some time after he came to your house, you were not entirely free from his torment. You did not see him during the light of day, yet he seemed to invite himself more and more in your dreams. Nothing much seemed to happen in those, most of the time it could have been a simple slice of life until you gazed up and met familiar green eyes. He always seemed to keep you on edge. 

            Though it was no fault for trying, you couldn’t help but stop thinking about the way he’d coaxed the anxiety out of you when he came. How soft his hands had been in yours and how unfair it had seemed at the time to wish for the moment to last for a bit longer. You did not mention this interaction to Ada, scared of what she could say. You only mentioned that you apologised and that seemed to satisfy her for now. 

             Bruno was unrelenting in your dreams, you wondered if he was forcing them upon you because how else could you explain this? Just a couple meetings and it was enough to have you haunted by the ghost of him? You’d be a fool not to admit that your eyes didn’t linger on a crowd whenever you were in town, hoping to catch a glimpse of green ruana. 

            Whether it was subconsciously or not, you did not know, but you tried to ignore it either way. Instead, you focused as much as you could on the upcoming wedding. There were no dates yet and you were almost tempted to get it done before the end of the year but you knew that if you pushed the wedding too quickly, people would get the wrong idea about your reason. You didn’t need a rumour about you covering your pregnancy running around. 

           Eduardo wanted spring, which was months away and you were not sure that you could last that long with the prophecy hanging over your head. You understood his reasoning, the weather would be better without having Pepa tempering it, there would be flowers everywhere and overall, it was a good choice. Many things had to be taken care of, the clothes, the food, the decorations and thankfully Ada was more than happy to help you with everything. 

“So, who’s getting invited?” she asked as she picked up a pen. “I’m sure the list must be long.”

“The question is, dear Ada,” Eduardo grinned. “Who isn’t?” 

“He’s right,” you laughed. “We’ve been known to throw big parties.”

“That’s true,” she agreed. “I can still make a list and have people issue RSVPs as quickly as they can.”

“That’d be nice. I think having rough numbers is nice but being more precise can only help us plan things better.”

“What about the Madrigals?” your fiancé asked and you tensed. “Can they come?”

           You looked at him for a few seconds. 

“I know you are not close to them but I was invited to their weddings,” he explained. “And Félix is a dear friend.”

             You softly smiled and squeezed his hand, pushing your discomfort away. It was not your place to refuse the Madrigals to your wedding. People would talk if they were not present and while you wanted to avoid Bruno, you could not do the same with the rest of his family. 

“Of course, my love. It would be an honour to have them with us that day.”

              You avoided your sister’s gaze but she didn’t say anything about it.

             You let out a sigh as you leaned on your balcony. The full moon was high in the sky, keeping you awake and saving you from the inevitable. The air was cool against your bare skin, making you shiver  but you enjoyed it nonetheless. Your eyes trailed on the everlasting mountains around the village, leaving you to wonder what was behind it. 

              Only your parents knew about the outside world in your family, you and all your siblings came after. They did tell you about the bloodshed and the hurt but you couldn’t help but think that there must have been some good out there as well. Decades had passed since then, would the world still be the same? Or would it be worse? 

               A chirping noise snapped you out of your reverie and made you look down. You arched an eyebrow when you saw two rats looking at you with a seriousness in their gaze that you found amusing. Your mother hated rats but you never really minded them, you used to have plenty in the shop when your dad forgot about his plate of food in the back for too long. You held out your hand, a silent offering, and they sniffled you for a few seconds before coming closer. You gently caressed them and they preened under your attention, making you giggle when they climbed on your shoulders and tickled your neck. 

“You’re free, aren’t you?” you sighed, envious. “I wonder where you go to sleep at night… Is someone taking care of you?”

                     You couldn’t help but think of the few rats you had spotten in Bruno’s bedroom and how the man seemed to be fond of them from what you’d heard. Could they be his? You shook your head and sighed, the rats didn’t belong to anyone but themselves, they were allowed to do as they saw fit. What would your mother think if she knew you wished to be just like them? Would she ever understand? 

              Bruno probably would. 

               Your thought took you by surprise. It was no secret that your mind often drifted to him, you had so many questions that were left unanswered simply because you couldn’t ask him. How was he? What was he doing right now? What had he done with the vision? Did he break it so that no one would know or did he hang it on the wall so he could see it everyday? 

“I don’t want to forget about you.”

                  The reminder made your face grow warm. He had seemed so earnest in that moment, had everything been different, you might have… You shook your head, entertaining these thoughts while you were awake was a dangerous thing. While you wished your will was unbending, you knew it was far from it. Had it been, you wouldn’t have found yourself thinking about another man ever so often. 

               You’d tried to completely obliterate him from your mind and it’d worked for a few days but then you would see Julieta or Pepa around and it was enough to bring you back these memories you wished to hate and yet cherished in your own way. It did not help with how nice Julieta was to you and you knew it was because she knew and for some reason she’d think you’d change your mind. 

“What do you have in store for us, Bruno?” you whispered to the stars, wishing they could answer you back. “What do you see?”

                   Was your future better than you’d hoped? Or was it just all the same? You would never know, you’d made sure of that. You were in control, you refused to be a slave to powers higher than you. You tried to push away those feelings that the vision awakened in you, something you’d never really explored before. 

the forest is so dense but you know he’d find you anywhere. 

                 You closed your eyes. 

“you can’t run away forever, querida.”

             The Bruno in your dreams was bolder than the one you’d met, though you had never given him a chance to show you how he really was behind closed doors. In your mind, he was wilder, more free, always chasing you and no matter how fast you ran, he would always catch you. You knew how it ended before it even began, it was like a game of cat chasing the mouse. 

            He wouldn’t bite, though, or not too hard. He’d hold you close and make you feel the way Adam did Eve when Eden was all they had. Whenever you woke up, your body was exempt from any sin you might’ve committed in the arms of Morpheus. One could mistake you for a saint. You avoided mirrors, it was hard to look at yourself after these kinds of nights. You were relieved to know that no one could read minds in the Encanto, God knew what chaos that could bring.  

            You were both eager and reluctant to go to sleep because Bruno’s dream still lingered on your pillow and you didn’t know whether you wanted to forget about it or pick it up where you’d left it. It wasn’t right, deep down you knew it but who was to blame? If you went to bed and if you did end up with your hand between your legs, moaning a five letters name in your sleep, no one needed to know.

“I don’t want to see you again.”

“You broke your promise.”

“I’m scared, Bruno.”

“I can’t throw away my life for you.”

             Bruno’s eyes snapped open and he recoiled from the sharp sunlight that’d managed to get past his curtains. He groaned as he sat up, rubbing his red eyes repeatedly, feeling even more tired than when he went to bed. Another night haunted by you, he’d lost count of how many times it happened. In his dreams, you were kinder, always so eager to feel his touch, even if he had to chase you a little bit for it but he always caught up, always rewarded with a kiss and something more. He’d grown weary of these dreams, no matter how lovely they were, the guilt grew in the pit of his stomach. 

               You had never asked him for anything but reassurance and he’d manage to bring you ruin. It’d never been his intention but it seemed that ruin followed him everywhere he went. He could scarcely remember the time he was praised for his gift. Even if now some people were happy with his visions, the stigma was still there.

             He rose up and walked toward his shelf where he’d kept the vision. The image was frozen in a kiss, something that seemed so immutable yet each morning he found himself staring at it, hoping it had not disappeared. It was selfish, he knew that, but he was giving so much of himself, surely this little act of rebellion could be forgiven?

“I wonder…” he hummed as he looked at your face. “Do you dream about me too?”

              Probably not. 

“You okay Bruno?” Agustin asked. “You barely touched your breakfast.”

               His sisters were already out for the day. It was the beginning of the week, a busy time for the Madrigals. Bruno already had quite a few people who wanted to see him as well. There were a few pregnancies in the village and they wanted to know if everything would be alright. While he loved being the bearer of good news, they were not always promised and Bruno was not looking forward to it.  

“He’s right, you know,” Félix nodded. “Why the long face?”

“I don’t have a long face.” Bruno frowned, just proving his in-laws’ point. 

“You really do.”

“Yeah, no Bruno, Félix is right, you really do.”

“I’m just tired,” he sighed, already. “Didn’t have lots of sleep.”

“Do you want me to ask Julieta to make an infusion for you? Might help you sleep more, I know it does for me.”

              Bruno’s heart softened at Agustin’s words. The man was a walking hazard but he had a kind heart and he loved his family. The curly haired man simply finished his second cup of coffee and gave Agustin a single nod as a response before he left. He needed to clear his mind, a walk through the forest sounded perfect. The weather was mild but it was not surprising for autumn, he still tied his hair half up to keep it out of the way. The forest could be quite humid and his curls would get worse, though he didn’t really mind. 

            What he loved there was the quiet. People never adventured too far from the village apart from some children on dares because who could be brave enough to wander too far from safety? Occasionally he would see a runaway donkey but most of the time, he was on his own and that’s what he liked the most. 

                 He had some memories of when he was younger and running around with his sisters and plucking flowers from the ground and gifting them to his mother. Things seemed simpler back then, when the world was not resting on their shoulders. Bruno was so caught up in his thoughts and the sound of the river had been so calming to him that he didn’t realise he’d walked on a path he’d never taken before. 

               Out of curiosity, he kept on advancing until he reached a clearing. His eyes slightly widened as he took it in, there were some flowers around but not much since the sun only seemed to shine in one place, it was such a beautiful sight. Then, Bruno’s eyes fell on you. 

              His heart leaped in his chest as he saw you sitting against a tree, eating an apple while reading. You seemed to be on your own, which he wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not. He’d grown so used to seeing your face without seeing you, he didn’t know what to do. He figured that leaving would be the right thing to do, he didn’t want to cause you more distress. He took you a step back and a branch broke under his foot.

“Who’s there?”

             The prophet froze, unsure of how to proceed, then your eyes met his.

“Bruno.” You breathed. 

            He gave you an awkward wave. 

“I…”

“Did you know I was going to be there?”

His shoulders slightly slumped at the assumption. “My life doesn’t revolve around you, y’know.” 

“I’m sorry,” you cringed, closing your book. “I knew it sounded bad as soon as I said it.”

“Then why did you say it?”

“I’m scared, Bruno.”

“I’m sorry,” you repeated. “I wasn’t expecting you. Or anyone, really.”

“I was just walking around and… I think I got lost.”

             He sighed and shook his head before looking at you for a few seconds. 

“You don’t look lost, though.”

“I come here when I want to read sometimes,” you replied. “It’s quiet.”

“How did you find this place?”

            It was your turn to stare. 

“I got lucky, I guess.”

“Oh, okay.”

            Bruno looked everywhere but at you. 

“Are you okay?”

              He tilted his head, attention back on you. 

“Why?”

“You seem…” you hesitated, unsure. “Troubled.”

             Did he really look that bad? What gave it away, his wild hair or his tired eyes? He almost wanted to laugh because of course, he looked like a fool in front of you, of all people. He couldn’t win, could he? He was in a place too small for real growth to be possible, surrounded by people who called him names behind his back and doomed to watch the person destined to be with him marry someone else. 

                 He’d tried to let it go because he didn’t want to hurt you or your family. He didn’t know your fiancé, maybe he was a good man and maybe he could make you happy but his visions never lied. He hadn’t tried another vision yet, too scared that maybe you’d bent destiny to your will and that he’d have no choice but to be alone. 

“I’ve got a lot of work to do today,” he sighed. “Important visions.”

“I thought all visions were important, since someone needs them.”

“You’re right,” he agreed, nodding. “It’s just that these ones are…”

             He sighed, rubbing his eyes. You frowned at the sight, if you didn’t know any better, you’d think that Bruno was anxious. It reminded you of when you’d been in his bedroom, all these weeks ago. You clenched and unclenched your hands a few times, feeling that you had to do something. You couldn’t exactly walk away from him when he was distressed.

“Do-” you cleared your throat. “Do you want to sit down?”

                Bruno looked at you like you had grown a second head and you almost grimaced. You’d been wrong, it was a bad idea, you should have never suggested…

“I’d love that.”

            Your heart raced in your chest as he came closer and sat at a reasonable distance from you. You almost believed yourself to be in a dream, the setting all too familiar. You couldn’t help but admire him with his new hairstyle. It suited him, though the way his hair was frizzier was almost comical, you were so tempted to run your hand through it. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’m seeing a few pregnant women.”

You blinked, taken aback by his statement. “Okay…?”

            His eyes widened when he realised how it sounded. 

“God, no, oh no, I mean, the visions I was talking about, they’re pregnant. The women, not the visions.”

                You couldn’t help but chuckle as he winced at his words. 

“So they want to make sure everything is going to go well?”

“Yes, but I’m worried I won’t have good news.”

“Kinda like me and…” your words faded when you noticed the dark under Bruno’s eyes. “Sorry.”

           He didn’t say anything, he didn’t know what to say.

“I think they’ll be okay,” you hummed. “I don’t think you should worry. Nobody can get hurt as long as we have Julieta around.”

             Your words brought him some comfort. 

“Yeah,” he slightly smiled. “I guess you’re right.”

             You saw his shoulders relax and you imitated him. You could not pretend to know what it was like in his shoes, the expectations and consequences of his gift were unknown but you could see it was taking a toll on him. You’d never noticed it simply because Bruno had never been so open before. 

              You were not sure how to feel about it yet somehow contentment was nearby. While you tried very hard to keep your distance from him, you now knew that mistreating him would be cruel and he already had enough of this from everyone else. You didn’t have to be best friends but being mere acquaintances couldn’t really hurt.

“It’s good to…” he cleared his throat, licking his dry lips. “It’s good to see you.”

           You didn’t know what he saw in your eyes, was it hope or a warning?

“You look better than I do.”

You snorted. “It doesn’t seem too hard, it’s like you don’t get any sleep at all.”

“Do I really look that awful?”

His eyes gleamed green and you were entranced. 

“Do you really want me to answer that?” You teased.

“You’re such a mean woman.” He dramatically sighed.

             You gave him a wicked smile and Bruno felt his heart jump out of his chest right into your hands. It was unwise to be alone with you, he knew that but oh, your hair looked so lovely in this light and you looked at him in a way he wanted to understand. How he wished he could speak plainly, throw the riddles and niceties away so he could bare his heart and know what you really thought of him. 

“This is a nice place,” he nodded, his eyes trailing on his surroundings, hoping the change of subject would ease his heartbeat. “I like it.”

             The words left your mouth before you could think.

“You’re welcome to come back anytime.”

           He wouldn’t, if he knew what was good. 

“I’d like that.”

         But Bruno was not one who couldn’t misbehave. 

Chapter Text

it's a lie, the high that you have with love, it feels like gold when you hold it

“Do you know what’s going on with Bruno?”

       Being the oldest meant being less susceptible to showing inner turmoil in times of crisis. One could argue that it simply was because one had become accustomed to the telling signs in a family but Julietta could argue that she simply had the most sense of all because her mother had always expected too much of her right from the beginning. Her face betrayed nothing when she heard her mother’s questions; she busied her hand with the dough in front of her. 

      If she had noticed how odd her brother’s behaviour had been lately, it was only a matter of time until their mother noticed it too. She did not know all the details, something that would shock most if they were to hear because it was common knowledge that Julietta and Bruno had always been really close and there had never been any secrets between them. 

      But time is not always kind to brothers and sisters, sometimes it forces them to walk different paths, uncaring if the choice is theirs or forced. She relaxed her shoulders in a familing way as she kept kneading the dough, wondering if Bruno had already been interrogated by their mother though she doubted it. Alma always came to her eldest first when she had questions to ask, simply because she expected Julietta to always keep an eye on everything.

“What do you mean?”

“He’s been acting… off lately.”

“You mean, more than usual?”

“So it would seem.”

        Julietta was no fool, the bags under her son’s eyes seemed bigger, as if he was barely sleeping at night. Agustin did mention how he came across Bruno a few times in the middle of the night, how he barely slept and caught the prophet staring at the candle for too long. She could not imagine how he felt, she had been blessed with her husband and never had she experienced unrequited love. Though, she was not sure that the term was correct when it came to the young Muñoz and her brother. 

“You know that we have a few pregnancies in el pueblo, I am not surprised that Bruno is busy enough with that.”

Alma’s shoulders slightly relaxed. “It is true that young mothers always come to see him for reassurances.”
“You know that Bruno doesn’t want to disappoint them, I feel like he always becomes part of the process sometimes.”

They both chuckled.

“Do you think that your brother is lonely?”

     Julieta sharpely inhaled and slowly turned her head to meet her mother’s eyes. 

“What do you mean?”

“It has come to my attention that he seemed quite shaken by the new wedding taking place soon,” Alma explained and Julieta tried very hard to calm her rushing heart. “I think that it can be hard to see another couple find happiness while Bruno is… alone.”

        Julieta was almost embarrassed to confess that she had no idea that her mother could be so aware of Bruno’s problems. Most of the time, she seemed to brush them away, because if you ignore them long enough, surely they will disappear, no? But then again, what would their mother say if Julieta told her the truth? If she told her that something was happening, something she would not approve of because it was almost considered a sin?

“Well, he is very busy and has his own quirks,” Julieta carefully replied. “I think that it might seem discouraging for some people to approach him.”

       At the end of the day, unlike his sisters, Bruno did not have someone waiting for him. He always played it off as if he didn’t mind, he told her many times that he couldn’t wait to become the funny tio and while she had been once convinced by it, Julieta was not so sure anymore. Being single because he hadn’t found the right person yet was acceptable but being single because he couldn’t possibly be with the one he was meant to because she already was with someone else, it was its own form of hell. 

        Julieta was worried because she knew that her brother’s visions always came true. What would that entail for her brother and for her family? Would he be foolish enough to go around everyone’s back and get involved with an engaged woman or even worse, a married one? Despite what everyone seemed to think, Bruno was not a bad person. While she trusted him with her life she wasn’t sure if she could trust him with his own heart. 

        If she was not wrong, it had been some time since Bruno and the young Muñoz had seen each other and while her brother seemed tired he wasn’t as miserable as you had left him after the vision. Julieta did feel slightly guilty to have pushed him to go see you with the food but he came back with a small smile on his face and assured her that he was alright. 

         He did not tell her exactly what you had talked about that day, he kept that information close to his chest and Julieta did not know if she should be worried or not. There were days when he seemed miserable but it was nothing that wouldn’t be solved with one of his long walks. When did he go when no one was looking? Could he be visiting you? 

“I wish there was something we could do…” Alma sighed.

          Julieta knew that no matter what they did, it would not make him feel better in the long run. What Bruno really needed, he could not have. None of you could be blamed for the situation and she took comfort with the fact that Bruno did not seem to resent you for your decision.

         As a woman, she understood that sometimes you did not get that freedom that your partner had handed to him at birth. She could never blame you for sticking with your first choice. She might have done the same in your shoes. 

“Do what?” Félix asked as he entered the kitchen with the breakfast’s dishes.

      Julieta eyed Bruno’s plate and noticed he’d barely eaten, once again. 

“What’s going on?” He curiously asked.  

“We were just talking about Bruno.”

“Ah, si, he seems a bit down.” Félix nodded as he started doing the dishes. “He’s looking a bit tired.”

“I think he just needs a bit more company.”

“Well that sounds perfect then!” he grinned. “Eduardo and Y/n are hosting a party to celebrate their engagement with friends, he even asked him for some help. Bruno would be more than welcome to attend and he’ll get to spend time with other people than us.”

“Where is it taking place?” The matriarch asked.

“Y/n’s house I believe, they’ve got a nice garden. Eduardo just told me last evening and I was going to bring it up during breakfast but got distracted. We are invited of course.”

“Will you come, mama?” Julieta carefully asked. 

“I’m not as young as I used to be,” her mother chuckled. “I believe that this party is for the young folk anyway.”

      Somehow it reassured her because she couldn’t imagine having Bruno, you and her mother in the same room without anything bad happening.  

“Do you know what Eduardo and Y/n like?” Julieta asked Félix. “I could bring some food then.”

“Well, now that you mention it…”

         Bruno took a deep breath as he flexed his shoulders. To his defence, he had never promised you that he wouldn’t peek into the future again. He had to, with the way things were, if not for your sake then at least for his. The news of the party had troubled him especially since you hadn’t mentioned it to him in the clearing just a couple of days ago. 

          He had thought that this new haven had become a sanctuary of honesty and… friendship between you and yet Félix’s news almost felt like a betrayal and he hated himself for it. He knew that you did not owe him anything and he was most grateful to be blessed with your presence during these walks in the forest but sometimes the jealousy clawed at his throat like a poison he couldn’t spit out.

        The prophet waited until it was late at night, when he was sure that everyone was asleep and wouldn’t notice his glowing door. He didn’t need anyone else asking questions about his business. He cleared his throat and rubbed his hands together before he started the ritual. When he opened his eyes he was met with your face once again. 

           you’re on the grass, looking at the sky and bruno is lying next to you, his food and wine long forgotten as he stares. your hand finds his cheek, Bruno could almost picture how smooth and warm it’d feel on his skin. he lets out a sigh when you lean in and press a chaste kiss on his lips but it seems like he has something else in mind because he rolls over you, deepening the kiss, allowing his hands to wander on your body.

           It was shameful how Bruno resented the other him for touching you in a way he could never. He had been raised a better man than this and yet here he was, fate torturing him like he was the worst sinner of all. The anger was replaced with confusion at the sight because how could he still see a future with you if you’d already kissed it goodbye? Was it just fate laughing at him or was there another deeper meaning to it? The visions with you grew too numerous and constant for it to be a mistake and while he wanted to let you know, he wasn’t sure that it was the best course of action. 

         What would you say to him if he came to you with this knowledge? You were celebrating your engagement, by the end of the year you would take another man’s name. No, Bruno did not want to fuel the pyre of your anger towards him. You both had finally managed to find a compromise and actually started getting along. It had taken some time, that is true but Bruno did not want to throw it all away because it was the right thing to do. He still perfectly recalled your reaction to his first vision and he didn’t want to repeat the same disastrous affair. 

        His eyes slightly widened when he realised that the vision wasn’t going to stop there and he grew more and more aware of the tightness of his trousers. He swallowed hard as the other him kisses his way from your chest to your navel and Bruno was so grateful that no one was around to witness that. He didn’t catch any ring on your finger but it left him more confused than anything else. Were you still engaged in the vision? He paled at the prospect of you being unfaithful to your fiancé because of him.  

        What would his family think? Would he be labelled homewrecker on the top of everything else? Would he have to leave altogether? He remembered the conversation he’d had with you a little while ago, how he told you that he’d wanted to leave at some point but maybe this time he wouldn’t have the luxury of choosing, maybe he would be forced to, for your sake.

         When the tablet appeared in his hands he didn’t really know what to do with it. It felt wrong to keep it without you knowing but then again what would you say if you knew about all he saw with you in his dreams? Would you call him a monster too? His shoulders slumped at the thought, his heart hurting to have you so far away when he knew deep down that you were supposed to be here with him.

      After careful consideration, he hid it under his bed, deciding that he was not in the right mind to deal with it at the moment and he figured he could always look at it tomorrow morning with a new eye. 

       Bruno plopped down on his bed and let out a deep sigh. His thoughts were plagued by your very being, rest seeming almost like an unreachable feat. His mind drifted to the vision once again and it mixed with everything about you that was constantly dancing in his head. He tensed and snapped his eyes shut, trying to make them go away but it did the exact opposite. How was he able to perfectly picture your darling self in situations you’d never been before? 

         His right hand slowly drifted to his stomach and he stopped himself at the waistband on his trousers. Was it really wise? The shower felt like miles away and he was too tired, he just wanted to deal with it and sleep. Perhaps deep down, all that Bruno was was a selfish man. 

        He groaned when he grabbed himself, giving a few lazy strokes to build it up and sighed when he smeared the precum on the head. His hand became yours and he imagined you whispering sweet nothings and praises in his ears, kissing his collarbones and nibbling his sensitive skin. He was not proud of it but he didn’t think it could hurt, and if he ended up muffling your name in his pillow when he came, no one needed to know.

“Just let us know if you need anything, mi vida,” Camila smiled as she kissed your cheek. “We’re just a few houses away.”

“Si, mama,” you rolled your eyes. “It is just a party and you already know all about it.”

“Your mother just wants to make sure that people feel comfortable, Mariposa,” your father chuckled. “You know how important it is for her.”

“We know,” your financé smiled, a reassuring hand behind your back. “And we really appreciate it.”

“Ay, dios mio, what a lovely man you are, Eduardo,” your mother fawned and you tried hard not to groan at her antics. “We are so lucky to have you.” 

“I consider myself the lucky one, Senora Munoz.” He replied, boring his eyes into yours.  

        The warmth that usually took you whenever he looked at you never came but you smiled at him nonetheless. 

“Very well, let us go, Camila, the young want to celebrate life, who are we to deny them that?”

       Your father manoeuvred your mother away before she could launch into another one of her speeches and both you and Eduardo let out a chuckle when they finally left the house. You looked around the garden, softly illuminated by different lamps with the musical playing softly in the background though you suspected that once Félix arrived, it wouldn’t say that way for too long. 

“Excited?”

“I am,” you nodded. “I hope people will have a good time.”

“I’m sure they will, amor, with all the alcohol we have?” he grinned. “We’re bound to have a good time.”

“You are a rascal, Eduardo Sanchez.”

“And you love it.”

         The first few guests arrived not long after their departure and you made sure to greet them together and guide them into the backyard. 

“Félix!” Eduardo smiled as his friend arrived. “Look at you!”

“Look at this gorgeous couple!” Félix mimicked a chef’s kiss. “Absolute perfection!”

“Too much, Félix, too much!” Eduardo chuckled but the grin was large on his face. 

“What are you talking about?”

          You chuckled as he gave you a warm hug. Pepa and Julieta both kissed you on the cheek and you helped them carry the food they brought on the tables. Agustin made a beeline for the punch as soon as he said hello. You wondered how many drinks it was going to take this time for him to start singing on the table without his shirt and the thought brought a smile to your face. No one partied like him, from what you had heard.

“I would love it if you were my best man.”

Félix grabbed your fiancé's forearm and gently squeezed it. “Eduardo, it would be an honour.” 

       Eduardo let out a relieved sigh and gave him the brightest smile. You knew he’d meant to ask him for a little while now and he’d only gathered the courage to ask Félix tonight because you’d pushed him to. It had been important to him and while you were glad that it’d gone well, you couldn’t help but feel guilty, somehow.

“Thank you, mi amigo.”

         You used this diversion to walk away and grab a glass of sangria for yourself. People were barely starting to show and you already felt overwhelmed, somehow. Was it such a good idea to have this party at all? You stared at the glass, catching your distorted reflection on the surface.

“Trying to set it on fire, Munoz?”

        You didn’t even look up to meet Bruno’s eyes.

“Isn’t it funny that alcohol is one of the few things that we made sure to bring with us here?”

“Ah, well, you know, people always loved their drinks.”

          You hummed, swirling the liquid in the cup, almost dazzled by how the lights reflected on the dark surface.

He spoke after a little while. “You look lovely.”

“You shouldn’t say that.” You whispered.

“I didn’t know it was bad to compliment the bride-to-be at her engagement party.”

You gave him a pointed look. “You know what I mean.”

       He tilted his head, his curls cascading over his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry if I offended you.”

         You nibbled on your lower lip but didn’t say anything for a little while. Why did all of your interactions have to be so… complicated? You were never quite sure on how to tread with him. Surely things were different now, surely nothing could go wrong from having these innocent conversations with him. Bruno didn’t not have hoofs, a tail and horns, he was not planning your fall. 

“You look nice too.”

      An olive branch. 

“Thanks.”

      A beat.

“You don't seem too surprised to see me.”

“Surprised? You were invited.”

“Yet you didn’t mention anything to me when we saw each other.”

“Well, you see…”

         You looked over Félix engaged in heartfelt conversation with your fiancé, enthusiastically moving his arms around as he told his story. Bruno looked at you for a few seconds before it dawned on him. 

“It wasn’t your idea, was it?”

“Félix did something similar with Pepa and told Eduardo that it could be a good idea.”

“Ah.”

“I didn’t tell you because when I saw you there was nothing to tell at the time,” you earnestly said as you placed a hand on his shoulder. “I promise.”

Bruno slightly relaxed under your touch and allowed himself to squeeze your hand real quick. “I believe you. It’s hard to stray away from Félix’s plan once he gets started. Though, I’m surprised that everything looks so good, you wouldn’t think that it’s a last minute kind of thing.”

You crossed your arms and rolled your eyes as you sighed. “Well, you can thank my mom for that.”

“Mothers are terrifying.”

“Yours more than mine.”

“I agree.”

       You both chuckled. 

“It’s nice to see you, Bruno,” you softly said. “I’m glad you came.”

“Well, I’m glad you want me around.”

          I always want you around .

“I should go, I’ve got a few things I need to check.”

“Sure,” he nodded. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“See you.”

          Bruno followed your silhouette as you moved between the crowd with grace. You looked like a vision in your purple dress. He had noticed that you seemed to favour this color more than others and it complimented your skin so well. Your hair was up today, out of your face, which seemed to be the most practical for dancing or fussing around but Bruno loved it when it was down. He had to fight very hard not to push it out of your face sometimes. 

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Bruno Madrigal.”

         The latter turned around to meet the beautiful blue eyes of the young Marina Avila. She was much taller now, the same height as him and her baby cheeks had disappeared into a heart shaped face and full lips. Her dark skin highlighted her bright blue eyes, courtesy of her grandmother, he’d been told as a child and her brown  hair, usually kept short, was now down to her waist. If it wasn’t for her striking eyes and the scar near her lips, he wouldn’t have recognized her.

“Marina,” Bruno blinked, surprised. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

She placed her hands on her hips with an arched brow. “And who’s fault is that?”

            Bruno had the decency to look sheepish and it was enough for her face to break into a grin before she enveloped him in a hug. 

“I didn’t think I’d be seeing you here,” she admitted. “You’ve never been one for parties.”

“Well, Eduardo is friends with Félix, you know how it goes.”

“And you know Y/n?”

           Bruno’s eyes trailed on you as you laughed at Agustin’s joke. How effortless it was for him to imagine himself at your side, tugging you closer to him while you were with his family. He felt like he knew you more than Eduardo did, though he could not swear on it. Who knew what happened between you two behind closed doors?

“Yeah, we’re friends. I think.”

“You think?”

“You know what it’s like making friends in your twenties, it’s not like you just grab someone’s hand and ask them to be friends.”

“Life would be easier if it were the case though,” Marina sighed and Bruno couldn’t help but chuckle. “At least I wouldn’t feel so awkward at my mother’s tea parties.”

“You, awkward?” Bruno scoffed. “I remember a little girl grabbing strangers’ hands so they could become friends.”

“It worked with you alright, didn’t it?”

He smiled. “I suppose so. I’ve been held hostage ever since.”

           She playfully slapped shoulder, earning a genuine laugh. Marina observed him for a little while. He looked tired, that was true but then again she was not surprised, Alma Madrigal seemed to run her children to the ground with all the work she had them do for the community. It’s good to see you, she wanted to tell him but his attention seemed to be focused on someone else entirely.

          She followed his gaze and saw the couple of the moment engaged in a dance as if the world did not exist for them. She wondered what it was like, to have found the one you were meant to be with. Her eyes went back to Bruno for a second and she wondered if he felt envious sometimes. With both sisters already married, it was bound to get lonely for him. Maybe she could keep him company, like she used to? Her cheeks grew warmer at the thought.

“Hey Bruno, wanna dance?” She asked him.

“Sure.”

          You observed Bruno dance with the beautiful woman from afar. You were not familiar with her, she probably was an acquaintance of your fiancé but the latter was nowhere to be seen so you couldn’t ask. You tried to ignore the jealousy that settled into your stomach when the two of them laughed, seemingly enjoying themselves. Bruno was allowed to have fun with friends, you couldn’t hold that against him. You snapped out of your reverie when Julieta waved her hand in front of you.

“What?”

“Sorry, it seems I couldn’t catch your attention.”

“Oh,” your cheeks burned with embarrassment. “I’m sorry Julieta. Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s perfect. I just wanted to say that I’m glad to see that your foot is doing better. I know it was a while ago, but still.”

“I can’t thank you enough for the food, Julietta,” you replied, squeezing her hands. “Honestly I think I would’ve suffered for longer if it hadn’t been for you.”

“Listen, can I… Can I talk with you in private?”

           You swallowed hard, your eyes drifting to Bruno, before nodding. 

“Sure, follow me.”

          The house was quieter inside. Vanessa and Francesca were already fast asleep and while people were having a good time, they were also cautious of the noise. You brought her into the kitchen, if someone were to find you, it wouldn’t seem too odd for you two to be there. You offered something to drink but she politely refused, saying that she’d had enough for one night. 

“I wish Agustin would follow my advice, but he does like to party from time to time.”

“Who could blame him?” You chuckled and she did the same. 

“Y/n, you know what I want to talk to you about?”

“I have my doubts.”

“I promise, I’m not here to tell you that you have made the wrong choice,” she softly started and you frowned, wondering where this was going. “I’m aware that my brother has his own… quirks and that it can be hard to be around him for some people, but I promise you, he is a good man.”

“Julieta…”

“No, let me finish, please,” she implored and you could only yield. “I’m not trying to make you leave your fiancé for my brother, I understand the situation you are in. What I mean is that despite that, I hope you can call us friends.”

“You?”

“Me, Bruno, Félix, you know. Us.”

“Oh,” you blinked, at a loss for words. “I wasn’t really expecting that.”

“You could have completely shut my brother out of your life but you didn’t. You showed him kindness despite everything and I think he considers you a friend.”

“He is a friend,” you confirmed. “And I did shut him out at the beginning but then I realised that I was wrong.”

        You remembered the way he looked at you in the clearing.

“I know it is not conventional, our relationship but I know he is nice and he tries to do good, in his own way.”

        Julieta’s shoulders relaxed as she smiled.

“I’m glad you see it that way too.”

“Say, Julieta.”

“Yes?”

“Was Bruno ever wrong with his visions?”

“Not that I can recall,” she honestly replied. “But maybe this time he is.”

       Somehow, that did not bring you the comfort you thought it would. 

          It was nearing midnight and yet nobody seemed tired yet. You couldn’t even imagine how the wedding was going to be. No rest for the wicked, that was for sure. The corners of your lips twitched up when you spotted the youngest Madrigal sitting on his own, watching the crowd moving to Colombian tunes while he sipped from his drink. You straightened yourself before making your way to him and you ignored the butterflies in your stomach when he smiled as you approached him. You tilted your head toward the empty chair next to him and he gave you a nod as a response. 

“Having fun?”

“I think I should be the one asking you that, you’re my guest and all.” 

“I got to talk to Ada for a bit, she seems really bright.”

“She is. She helps in the shop as well.”

“I think I might have seen her around,” he hummed, eyes scanning the crowd. “But I’m not sure.”

     You nodded and took a sip of your water.

“I saw you were dancing earlier this evening,” you said, examining your nails as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. “I don’t think I’ve met her, though. Is she your friend?”

“Marina? Yeah, we met when we were babies or something, I think she’s one of my oldest friends.”

You weren’t sure how to respond to that. “Oh, wow.” 

“Yeah, she’s changed but not that much,” he chuckled. “I’m not surprised she’s friends with Félix.”

“Who is he not friends with?” You tried to laugh but it sounded too hollow. 

“Yeah, you’re not wrong.”

         He sighed as he took a sip of his drink, allowing himself to relax in the comfortable chair. The punch had been a courtesy of Ada Muñoz, he’d heard and the young woman did not mess about with it, the thing was quite strong despite the fruity note. If he wasn’t careful he could end up with a massive hangover tomorrow. 

“Do you have a date for the wedding?”

      Agustin lit a roman candle and aimed it at the sky, people cheering as the red and green flew in the night.

“Not a fixed one, but we were thinking of January.”

“So soon?”

“Well, I feel like it has been planned a while ago,” you chuckled with no humour. “And, well, getting married in winter sounds nice, don’t you think?”

         Bruno’s eyes drifted from the stars to you. You swallowed hard as he openly stared, perfectly aware that people were too preoccupied with the fireworks to actually notice you two. 

“I thought you would have preferred spring.”

“Why?”

“Because you like the flowers.”

“Thanks to Pepa there’s flowers all year round.”

“Am I wrong?”

“I never said that, Bruno.”

“Then why-”

“Bruno, please.”

        A silence settled between you two as you stared at each other. 

“Am I invited to the wedding?”

“Yes.”

“Does Eduardo know?”

“Eduardo is keen on inviting your family. So is my mother.”

“Ah, so it’s my family who’s invited but not me personally.”

“What do you want me to say, Bruno?” you snapped, annoyed at his remark. “Do you want me to personally invite you?”

“Lo siento,” he apologised with his hands up. “It was stupid.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

“I’ll be happy to come, if you want me around.”

It was your turn to be surprised. “Really?”

         Bruno opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Eduardo who called you from afar. 

“Amor! Come see Félix and Agustin!”

“Coming!” You called back. “I’m sorry, I have to…”

“No, I know,” Bruno nodded. “Fiancé duty and all that.”

       You exhaled with a smile and nodded as well. You wanted to tell him something, anything but you didn’t really need to because Bruno looked at you like he knew. He nodded as he gave you the softest smile.

“I’ll see you around, Muñoz.”

“See you around, Madrigal.”

Chapter Text

I had been lost to you, sunlight, and flew like a moth to you

        The setting sun was your reminder to make your way back home soon. You did not quite have the freedom to roam around until the dead of night and to be fair, you were not sure if you were ever going to get it. Eduardo was a kind and understanding man, but despite the quiet in the Encanto, one could still worry about its inhabitants. 

      You watched with fascination the way the golden light was caught in the precious stone on your finger, a rainbow mix that left you breathless. You were told that the ring had belonged to his grandmother, it was a gorgeous thing, almost too pretty to be on your finger. Your head snapped up when you heard a branch break and it only took you a couple of seconds to recognise the familiar face making his way to you.

“Bruno.”

     In the sun his skin looked golden, gone were the bags under his eyes and he seemed almost innocent. Your mind wandered for a moment about a younger Bruno, one not completely shut out by everyone. The one who would probably be the prankster out of Julieta and Pepa, who would try to steal from the cookie jar while no one was looking. How different would he have been without his gift?

He gave you a shy wave as he came towards you. “Hey.”

“I wasn’t expecting you today.”

“I needed to get out of the house,” he admitted as he sat near you. “Too much going on.”

“Visions?”

“Pepa.”

“Ah.”

      You couldn’t possibly imagine how chaotic it must be sometimes in The Madrigals’ house. You remembered well enough the days when Francesca refused to take baths and was throwing tantrums in ways that made you wonder how someone so small could possess such a large set of lungs. What would it be like with someone who could throw lightning at any minor inconvenience? 

     You cast another glance at the golden sky turning pink and almost sighed. A tiny part of you wanted to remain here for a bit longer and you might have if it hadn’t been such an awful thought. A couple of weeks had passed since your engagement party, which had been a total success, if it were for the juicy stories you heard later on. 

     People were all excited about your wedding and if you allowed yourself to reflect on it for a minute you would drown into a sea of doubt and guilt and all of that because of… When your eyes landed on Bruno again, he seemed to be expecting something and you realised that he must have asked you a question while you were lost in thought.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“I said that Julieta wanted me to ask you out for dinner.”

You tilted your head, arching a brow. “Huh?”

His eyelashes flustered as he fidgeted his hands. “No, that’s not-” he inhaled. “Julieta wants you to come have dinner at the house this week, if you can?”

“Oh,” you nodded. “That sounds…”

       Absolutely terrifying. Julieta Madrigal made it so easy to become friends with her, you’d barely talked to the woman and yet there was a sense of familiarity with her that you didn’t even possess with some of your oldest customers at the shop. While you were comfortable around her, you weren’t sure how you felt about Alma Madrigal. After all, she was the one that everyone owed everything, in a way. 

      Your parents were not close but they had met a few times and your mother kept gushing about what an amazing woman she was. The issue you had with her is that she seemed like something out of a book, what was the proper way to act around her? Was she simply a mother or so much more?  Worst of all, what if she noticed something about you and Bruno? What would she think? You were startled when Bruno snapped his fingers in front of your face. 

“What?”

“It looks like you were gone for a bit again,” he softly explained, brows knitted together. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you rasped, touched by his concern. “I just- I don’t know about dinner, it sounds really formal.”

“Consider it just a dinner with friends then,” he offered. “Nothing too much, you don’t even have to dress up.”

“Will your mom be there?”

“I’m afraid she comes with the house, Y/n.”

      You threw him a deadpan look and he giggled. 

“Yes, she will, but I know she wants to meet you.”

“Why?”

“Well, to congratulate you for your engagement, I guess. Also because Julieta and Félix have been mentioning you these past few weeks. I think Julieta was just really keen on seeing you again.”

“Does your mom know about…?”

      His face became more serious as he shook his head, lips pressed into a thin line. 

“No one knows apart from Julieta and she will never tell a soul.”

      You trusted her, she had been forthcoming enough during your engagement party and you knew that she’d been earnest in her wish to befriend you. This invitation was almost expected in the course of a flourishing friendship and honestly having a bit of time away from your house wouldn’t hurt as well. It seemed lately that all your mother could talk about was the wedding. Mija, we need to go cake tasting! Mija, we need to find you a pretty dress to wear! It was overwhelming and you hoped that it would change once you were married. But what if it didn’t?

“I will try to come.”

       Bruno beamed and air left your lungs.

“She’ll be delighted, I’m sure.”

       It was arranged for you to go with Ada. Your mother could not be prouder, her daughters invited to spend some time in la casa Madrigal. What an honour! She’d said with tears in her eyes. It seemed that everything could make her cry nowadays. You had been right to assume that she would be beyond pleased to learn about the invitation. 

      She wanted you to wear your best dress and jewellery and didn’t want to hear anything when you told her that it was just a simple dinner and that was it. You were grateful for your sister’s presence, you weren’t sure if you could have walked all the way there without holding her hand. You cast a glance at her as you walked, admiring how beautiful she looked with her hair braided out of her face. She’s grown so much in the past few years, she was almost taller than you.  

“Are you nervous?” She asked and your eyes drifted ahead.

“A bit.”

“About Bruno?”

“I haven’t really been thinking about him, to be fair,” you admitted. “I’m more worried about his mother.”

“Does she know?”

“No, she doesn’t. I don’t think she’d be happy about it.”

“Why?”

“Because the vision brought more bad than good.”

Ada hesitated for a few seconds. “Well… I heard she’s nice.”

“Yeah.”

“But, what about Bruno, though?”

“What about him?”

“You seem friendly with each other at the party.”

his hand is soft on yours, the punch makes him look flushed and pretty.

You ignored her pointed look. “We’re friends.”

“When did that happen?”

“you can stay, if you want.”

“When we figured that it was better than the other option. Also, it would look weird if we just avoided each other all the time.”

“Everyone avoids him all the time.”

      You guessed that she was right, in a way. 

“It just works that way,” you shrugged. “Why, do you mind? I thought you wanted us to be friends.”

“I don’t mind,” Ada carefully replied. “And I think it’s great that you guys decided to be friends but also isn’t it… awkward?”

“Bruno knows where my heart lies,” you confidently replied. “And he knows to stay in his place.”

“What about you?”

     You met your sister’s eyes. 

“Where do you stand, in all that?”

       You heard Agustin call your name before you could reply. You had been so caught up in your conversation that you hadn’t noticed you’d reached the house. You said nothing as he gave you and your sister a hug, hushering you into the house and you blessed your lucky stars. While it was your second visit, the place seemed larger than the last time. Was it because you actually had the time to admire it? 

“Where’s Julieta?” you asked him as you entered the parlour. “I have something for her.”

“She’s in the kitchen,” Agustin replied. “Here, I’ll take your jackets, ladies. It’s just over there, Y/n, if you want to see her.”

          Ada let herself be guided to the foyer by him while you went the other way, clutching your basket so tight your nails dug into your skin. Despite what you were feeling, tonight was not meant to be a disaster. You were lucky enough that the invitation had been extended to your sister as well, you could not picture yourself going there on your own. You slightly relaxed when Julieta smiled as she spotted you. She gave you a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek as a greeting. 

“I’m glad you could make it, you and Ada.”

“Thank you for the invite,” you replied. “It’s really kind. Ada’s looking forward to your cooking.”

“Ah, she’s so sweet! I hope she brought her punch, Agustin loved it.”

        You grinned as you held up the bottle you'd taken with you.

“Fantastic!”

“I also brought something else,” you told her as you handed her a jar of honey. “Homemade.”

“You keep bees?”

“My mom,” you clarified. “She’s really good with them, she’s been making honey since before I was born, I think.”

“Oh, I will cherish that,” Julieta beamed. “I know exactly in which recipe I can use it.”

“I hope you’ll enjoy it.”

“I’m sure I will. Come on, I’m almost done but you should go back.”

“Do you need any help?” You offered, noticing that some things were still cooking.

“You’re a guest in this house tonight,” she reassured you and gently pushed you outside. “It’s alright, I can handle it. Go join your sister and the others.”

“Alright.”

         By the time you were back with the group Félix seemed to be talking about some pictures that were on the wall. Some of them were the triplets when they were younger, others were Alma and Pedro. You’d only heard of him, how much he was loved in the community, how he would build different worlds with his words, the kind of poet that would have been talked about at school, given the chance. It was a shame that it would never happen.

       Your eyes lingered on a group photo of a birthday party. There were eight candles on the three cakes and the triplets were surrounded by other children. Bruno’s hair was much shorter than now and his smile even more sheepish. Clinging to his arm was a smaller girl you did not recognize at first, with dark skin and bright blue eyes. You snapped out of your thoughts when Félix called your name.

“Ada said you brought the punch?”

“Of course I did. I left it with Julieta, had to make sure that we wouldn’t down the bottle before dinner was served.”

“That’s a clever trick you’ve got there,” he grinned while pointing his finger at you. “Almost seems rehearsed.”

“Tricks you learn with time, Félix,” you teased. “I’m sure you know.”

“Absolutely.”

“If I had known that you guys were so eager, I would have made more than one bottle.” Ada mused.

“Don’t say that,” Agustin replied. “We actually need to get up tomorrow.”

“Doesn’t Julieta have a magical cure for hangovers?”

“When she’s gracious enough to make it.”

“You make it sound like she wouldn’t just teach you a lesson.”

“That’s exactly what I would do.” You laughed.

“Time for dinner!” Julieta called out.

“Bruno’s still in his room,” Agustin said as everyone migrated toward the dining room. “I’ll go get him.”

“I can go,” you offered and you missed Ada’s glance. “I know the way.”

“Oh no, it’s fine-”

“That’s really nice of you, Y/n,” Julieta smiled, interrupting her husband. “Thanks.”

“No worries.”

      You did not look back as you climbed the stairs. Oddly enough you were somehow still filled with the same sense of dread as you made your way up,  almost like the first time you came. It seemed like a lifetime ago. You knew that it was not rational, you were not seeking a vision and Bruno was now a friend, you had nothing to fear. Yet, the feeling lingered in the back of your mind. 

         You deeply inhaled as you admired his door for a few seconds. You hadn’t noticed at first that his depiction was not really accurate. Bruno’s hair wasn’t that long yet, the lines on his face not properly formed to that point. You couldn’t help but wonder if it was meant to be an older version of him and you shivered at the thought. Did that mean that the house had shown him what he would look like later in life when he was five? How did one even recover from that? 

     You shook your head and knocked on the door, patiently waiting to answer but no one came. You tried another time and waited another minute and when you were sure that no one was coming, you opened the door and let yourself in. His bedroom was massive, it wasn’t a surprise if he had not heard you. Going in wouldn’t hurt. You shook the sand off your face once you passed the hourglass threshold and sneezed. What if Bruno had allergies, would he have been able to stay in that place? 

    You cupped your hands around your mouth and called his name a couple of times, hoping that you were not disturbing him in the middle of a vision. You looked at the stairs, your ankles already aching at the idea of having to climb up but your saving grace came from your left instead. Bruno emerged from a door you hadn’t even noticed and he stopped in his tracks when he saw you.

He softly called your name. “You’re here.”

“I hope I’m not disturbing you,” you politely smiled. “Dinner’s ready.”

“Ah, you drew the short straw to get me?”

“Actually, I offered to.”

       Bruno tilted his head, confused. 

“Really?”

     You hummed in agreement. 

“Why?”

“You’re the one who invited me, that’s only fair.”

“Julieta was the one to invite you,” he corrected. “I’ve only delivered the message.”

“Then think of it as me doing the same,” you sheepishly smiled. “I’m only delivering the message.”

          He chuckled, the sound almost foreign on his lips and yet always present when you were around. You couldn’t help but wonder how he was with other people. Was he as easy going or more of a tortured soul? At your party, you’d only seen him talk with his family or that Avila girl. You remembered how he’d laughed at something she said and how she held him close when they danced. Hot iron seemed to try to escape from your chest, clawing its way out of your throat at the thought of them together. You blinked and raised your hand to your neck, almost dizzy by the sudden heat you felt. 

“Y/n, are you okay? You look pale.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you reassured him. “I think it’s just dry here. I’ll grab some water when we go down.”

“I can grab you some now, just wait a sec.”

“No, Bruno, I’m-”

      But the man already left before you could finish your sentence. 

“...fine.”

         You softly exhaled and shook your head. While he was a complicated man, his compassion was not misguided. He tried to help around him as best he could, despite what people could think of him. Had he been like that as a child too? You thought back to the picture downstairs, he’d seemed like a kind soul. Bruno was back only a minute after and handed you a glass of water. 

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Will you be okay going downstairs?”

We both remember how it went the last time. 

“Yeah, don’t worry.”

           He pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded. You could somehow tell that he was not completely convinced by your words but he was also not keen on picking on a fight with you he knew he couldn’t win. You tilted your head toward the door and he nodded, following you as you left.

“Say, Bruno.”

“What?”

“I don’t understand why there are so many stairs in your room if you can just use the sand to move faster.”

He blinked, surprised by the change of subject, but scratched his chin as he replied. 

“The stairs are not for me,” he replied. “They’re for the people coming for a vision.”

“I remember you told me that the people have to be willing to come up there to get what they want, right?”

“It’s to give them time to think about what they want...” He trailed off.

        Something clicked in your mind. 

“To let them think about whether their vision is worth it or not.” You finished.

“Exactly,” he nodded. “Many people gave up because it was too much, which just proved that they didn’t really need to know their future.”

“What about elderly people?”

“They tend to send someone younger.”

You nibbled your lower lip. “You helped me climb.”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“I told you, you were nice.”

        You thought about it once again and hesitated for a few seconds. Bruno caught it right away.

“What?”

“Did you… Did you know me before that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you see me coming?” you clarified. “In a vision?”

        You wouldn’t have noticed the shift in his eyes if you hadn’t been carefully looking for it. Instinctively, you took a step back and he immediately took a step forward, his hand trying to reach out to you before he remembered where he was. Your heart hammered in your chest as you tried to calm your breathing.

“You didn’t tell me.” 

      Had everything been a lie since the beginning? 

       Bruno's eyes widened at the betrayed look on your face. He’d worked so hard to build a friendship with you from scratch after  that happened, he wasn't really to lose it all again. 

“I didn’t want to freak you out even more!” He whispered, eyes darting left and right to make sure that no one was around.

“You had a vision of me before we met and you didn’t even think to tell me about it?”

“I dreamed of you once, a few days before you came but I didn’t even remember it at first! I only remembered later.”

         Even if that were true, you found it hard to believe. Why hadn't he said anything about it since then? You genuinely thought you had gotten better at communicating with him but he’d just proved you wrong. You mumbled something under your breath and he tilted his head, trying to make out the words but in vain. 

“What?”

“I said, how convenient!”

        He shushed you as he placed his hand on your arm. He was so cold, compared to usual and you shivered under his touch. Bruno brought his face close to yours and for an instant you thought he was going to kiss you but he didn’t. You hated yourself for almost being excited at the thought. 

“Y/n, I promise you that I would have mentioned it to you when you first came had I remembered.”

        His quiet tone caught you off guard and you immediately softened.

“And why didn't you tell me after?”

“I think we were still trying to find our own footing, I didn't think it was important.” 

     You frowned and opened your mouth but he cut you off. 

“No, okay. I know it was important, but I also know that you are stressed about everything. I knew that it would only fuel that stress and it's not like it would have changed anything, would it?”

         You don’t know that, you wanted to say but then, what would that say about you? Your decision could not be so easily swayed, especially after everything that had happened. Showing an ounce of vulnerability was not something you could afford, not when Bruno could jump on it to prove you wrong. 

“You can’t keep that stuff secret from me, Bruno. That’s not fair.”

“It’s not fair of you to expect my complete honesty in this situation as well,” he retorted. “You’re the one who wanted nothing to do with me, remember?”

“But we’re friends now.”

He nodded. “We are, but that does not make our situation go away. Whatever your choices are, I respect them. I wish you would do the same for me.”

       You could feel the ache and taste the iron in your mouth at his words. The worst thing was that he was not being irrational. In the scheme of things, you were, but how could you turn a blind eye when Bruno could see you like no one else? What else had he seen without telling you?

“But Bruno, if you were in my shoes, how would you feel?”

       He gave you a rueful smile. 

“No le sé. I would be confused and scared but I think I would trust you.”

“You would?”

“Y/n, sometimes trust is all we have in this world.”

       At that moment you wished you didn’t have a whole party to join downstairs and that you could go back to the meadow instead. In the privacy of the forest, you felt like you could be true to yourself without consequences. You wished you could talk more about what Bruno had seen. 

“If you ever see something bad, would you tell me?”

     Bad for you or bad for me?

     The way he tilted his head and looked at you with his lovely green eyes shouldn’t have been so endearing and yet... 

“Of course.”