Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Encanto woke up with the sunrise, slowly becoming more active as the sunlight slipped into the little valley. It was time for people to start their days, to go about their work to keep the village running as it should.

Bruno hated this part of the day.

He adjusted his hood, pulling it lower over his face. A few of the townspeople had requested his service today, to see into their futures, and he knew it was going to be rough. They were never happy with him afterwards. It didn’t even matter what the news was anymore, unless it was absolutely, completely positive all the way around, they would find something to be upset about. It was almost a self fulfilling prophecy at this point.

But today was going to be even worse. Before his requested visits, he had a rather dour errand to run.

Even with the town only just starting to wake, there were enough people in the streets for him to hear their whispers as he passed, their tone always harsh or conspiratorial. He didn’t have to make out the words to know they were talking about him. Again.

It was fine, though. He had gotten pretty good at ignoring them.

He stopped at the town bakery, the smell of fresh baked goods warm on the morning air. He took a deep breath, enjoying the peace it brought for a moment before he would surely ruin another innocent soul’s day. He sighed, but opened the door regardless of his misgivings. The smell was even stronger inside, lovely and warm. He wished he could enjoy it properly.

Luckily, there was only one other person in the shop, the woman working behind the counter. Laila, he believed. He had never really talked to her before. It wasn’t like the Madrigal’s had any reason to visit the bakery with Julieta’s cooking, especially him. He didn’t go into town anymore when he didn’t have to, and she had never asked him for a vision or anything of the sort. She had thick black hair tied back into a tight bun on her head and was wearing a simple dress and apron.

It took her a moment before she noticed his presence, busying herself by placing some pastries on display. She paused when she did notice him, recognition igniting in her eyes as they widened slightly in fear when he slid his hood off. That was to be expected, so he tried not to let it get under his skin.

“Bruno Madrigal.” She said as way of greeting. “... Do you have something to tell me?”

He nodded, debating with himself if he should stand closer to the counter or stay where he was. It hardly mattered as the woman put down her tray and walked out from behind the counter to stand in front of him.

“Go on then.”

Right. He had to actually tell her, not just stand around like an idiot.

“I had a vision early this morning and you were in it. You were at your mother’s bedside and … “ He paused, debating how best to put this, but he didn’t have to. She seemed to know what he was going to say before he said it, like he was just confirming what she already knew.

“Do you know when?”

“Tonight.”

She nodded and he could see her deep brown eyes start to go glassy with unshed tears just before she rushed off, back to the counter, and started putting the pastries back on their tray.

“I’ll have to close up for the day, then.” She said, forcing a cheerful tone that landed hollow. She worked quick, having all the baked goods put away in only moments and the ovens shut off. She ushered him out the door, locking it behind her, and running off into the streets, vanishing from sight quickly.

There were already far more people out than there had been when he had first started his journey to the bakery, and all their eyes were on him. He winced, pulling his hood back up to cover his face. Even as he left to continue on with his visits, he felt the eyes on him and he knew what they were saying now without having to hear them. Poor Laila, she got a visit from that Bruno! Surely her poor ill Mama won’t make the night now, and come the morning they will be proven right and it will be all bad luck, evil Bruno’s fault!

He forced himself to just get through the morning. He did his visits, met with the usual disappointment when his predictions weren’t good enough for them. Luckily, it wasn’t anything too bad and he could continue on his way from each visit without any further trouble.

It was a relief when he finally got home. He could run off to his tower and forget about all of this until the next morning.

-

It was just as Bruno said. That night, Maria Moreno passed away in her bed with her daughter by her side. The funeral was held a few days later, a properly somber affair. Maria had been rather popular in the small town, revered as the best baker they ever had, and all the town was in attendance. They all wished to properly say goodbye.

All of the Madrigal’s attended, of course. It was practically their duty as carers for the town and its people.

Even if some of them didn’t want to be anywhere near the ceremony.

Bruno could feel the crowd's eyes on him, their stares weighing down on his shoulders. He pulled his hood over his head, trying desperately to block out some of the gazes he saw at the corners of his eyes. He took a deep breath to calm himself, searching for something else to focus on. He ended up focusing on the only person there that wasn’t throwing him glances when they thought he wasn’t looking.

Laila Moreno stood at the front of the line of well wishers, slowly making her way through them with quite a few nods and murmured thank you’s. She looked exhausted, eyes red from crying, but despite everything she had managed to keep herself together for the whole ceremony. He did not want to force her to see him, not after he had given her such terrible news. She probably blamed him, too. But there really was no avoiding it. When Alma stepped up to offer his own condolences, he stood by her side with his sisters, doing his best to avoid eye contact.

“Laila, I’m so sorry for your loss. Your mother will be missed by everyone.”

Another automatic nod and thank you. Julieta and Pepa took turns giving the other woman a hug and murmured words of comfort.

“Bruno?” He jumped, blinking at Laila and meeting her eyes. She was smiling at him, small and sad but grateful, and the look in her eyes was warm. “Thank you for telling me. Otherwise I would have been at the shop when she passed. It means a lot that I could be there.”

He felt his face heat up, staring at her with wide eyes.

No one had thanked him before, not in a long time. It has been even longer since anyone had meant it. He wasn’t sure what to do with his hands, settling on picking at the edge of his ruana.

“Of course. That’s what I try to do.”

“And you don’t get enough credit for it.”

He couldn’t meet her eyes anymore, looking down at his hands as they picked, picked, picked.

“Thank you.” He mumbled. He cursed himself silently. He was a full grown man, well into his twenties, and here he was acting like some child faced with a compliment they didn’t know how to handle.

Thankfully, he didn’t need to stick around. With a nod from Alma, the family left, returning to their own home. He could hear his sisters whispering and giggling on the walk back but he tried to ignore them. He was sure they were planning something or were going to tease him. Sure enough, once they were home they were on him.

“Well, what do you know? Our little brother has an admirer.” Pepa had said with a giggle, forcing herself at Bruno’s side. He frowned at her, about to retort, but then Julieta was on his other side with a warm smile.

“It has to be nice to be appreciated by someone. She was so kind!”

“Did you see his face? He got so red.”

“Said the woman who can’t even talk to Felix!” Bruno shot back playfully, managing to remove himself from between the women. Julieta giggled and Pepa looked offended.

“At least I can admit I like him!”

“Dios mio, I’ve only talked to her twice! And they weren’t exactly the best circumstances. What makes you think I like her?”

“People bond over tragedy all the time.” Pepa waved off.

“You just need to talk to her some more, about better things.”

“Maybe you could visit the bakery more.”

“Maybe you could leave me alone! No, but that would involve not butting your nose into your brother's business for once in your life.” Pepa swatted at Bruno’s shoulder.

“I’m your sister, it’s my job!” A thunder cloud was starting to form over her head, which was their signal to stop the teasing.

“That’s enough.” Their Mama said. “We need to prepare for dinner. Everyone to the kitchen.” She ushered them away and they dutifully obliged, each helping to make dinner even though it was mostly Julieta who did most of the cooking.

Bruno frowned as he worked, mind running off to places it probably shouldn’t. His sister’s teasing had really gotten to him if he was actually thinking about Laila like that. He huffed at himself and pushed the thoughts away. It was all nonsense, they hardly knew each other and the likelihood of anything happening was so low. It was better to just forget about the whole thing.

Though, it had been nice, to feel appreciated by someone. He could cling to that, at least.

Chapter Text

It was a few days later when Bruno dared to face the town again. Not nearly as many people were asking for visions, thankfully, but that still left a few he had to see.

He trudged into the kitchen, searching about for some breakfast before heading out.

“Brunito, there you are!”

Alma was at the table with his sisters and now they were all looking at him. Of course. Alma motioned for him to come over and sit with them. Once he was sitting Alma continued with what she had been saying while Julieta slid him an arepa. He gave her an appreciative smile.

“Now, what are we all planning on doing today, hm?”

“I’ve made plenty of food I’ll be taking into the center of town today. I plan on being there all morning, so I may miss lunch.” Alma nodded at Julieta then looked to a very nervous looking Pepa.

“And what about you, niña?”

She took a deep breath, a look of determination setting on her face.

“I’m going to do it! Today, I’m going to talk to Félix! I’m supposed to meet him this afternoon.”

“Genial!” Julieta cheered, giving her sister a tight hug.

“Guess I can’t pick on you about that anymore, huh?” Bruno said with a chuckle. Pepa rolled her eyes.

“I’m sure you’ll find something else.”

“I’m sure it will go well.” Alma said, her eyes turning back to her son. Bruno stuffed the last of his arepa in his mouth, hoping that if he was chewing on something she wouldn’t bother him. It was a vain hope, though. “And you, Bruno?”

He chewed slowly before swallowing, buying himself a bit of time.

“I have to go into town and give some visions.” He said, deflating in his chair. Alma nodded.

“Bien, then you can stop by the bakery when you’re done with that. You can get some pan de yuca to go with dinner, give Julieta at least a slight break.”

Bruno gave her a look, eying her with suspicion.

“You’ve never sent me to the bakery before … “ That’s when he noticed the slight smirk and twinkle in her eye and groaned.

“Mierda, not you too, Mama!”

His sisters giggled, but Alma shushed them.

“Relax, niño, I’m not asking you to marry the woman. Just talk to her. You could use a friend and she is kind.”

“I’m a full grown man, Mama! I can make my own friends.”

“Then where are they?” Pepa muttered under a breath, earning herself an elbow to the side from her sister and a pointed look.

“Pan de yuca, brunito.”

He sighed, long and loud and as dramatic as he could make it.

“Fine! I’ll get the bread.” He huffed, pushing himself away from the table and off his chair.

“Oh, can you get some tres leches cake for dessert?”

“Good idea, Pepa. Hopefully Señorita Laila will have some.” Alma said, getting up to give Bruno the money he would need. Then she whispered in his ear. “Please, mijo, just talk to her.”

She looked at him with such a soft, loving smile, he would be a monster to not smile back so he did, giving a nod.

“Alright, Mama, alright.”

She gave his hands a squeeze.

-

The morning had been especially bad today.

First, he had to tell that poor couple that they would never have children of their own. That was devastating to them and he had no idea how to handle the situation, so he just mumbled an apology and left. Then he got yelled at when he told the farmer that it would be a rough season, as if he was the one who controlled the weather! And the next family got mad when he warned them about their son's broken arm, then the next got mad when he said their daughter wouldn’t marry the man she wanted.

He was almost delighted to be going to the bakery that afternoon if for no other reason then it meant he could just go home and take a nap in the solace of his room.

He entered the store to the same warm smell of cooking bread and pastries. Every eye in the place was on him almost immediately, a mother pulling her child behind her skirts protectively. He yanked on his head nervously, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He just had to get the food and leave, just get the food and leave. The other customers were quick to get there things and leave until the shop was empty.

Just him and …

“Can I get anything for you, Bruno?”

He needed to take another steadying breath before he could look up to her and face the warm smile he found there.

“Ah, yeah, um, Mama asked me to get some pan de yuca for dinner. And Pepa wanted tres leches, if you have any.” He pushed his hood off now that the place wasn’t crowded.

Laila hummed thoughtfully, leaning back against the counter.

“Well, I’ve got plenty of pan de yuca, but if you want the cake you’re going to have to wait an hour or so for me to make it fresh. How patient are you?”

“Ah, well…” She was already rolling her sleeves up and headed for the kitchen door. “Wait, you don’t have to! I don’t need the cake, you don’t have to go to all that trouble for me.” He spoke rapidly, rushing over to the counter to stop her. She gave him a look, one that stopped him in his tracks. He felt stuck, trapped by the intensity in her eyes.

“Bruno.” He took a step back, gulping, as she stared deep into his eyes. “Cálmate, it’s no trouble. It is literally my job. So, are you going to stick around until it’s done or come back in an hour or so to pick it up?”

“Um…”

He wasn’t actually sure. On the one hand, he didn’t want to have to be in town for longer than he had to. On the other, he really didn’t want to face his mother empty handed, even if he was going to go back for it. She had told him to get the pan right after his work. He had to decide which would be worse, facing the town or facing his mother.

… Well, that wasn’t really much of a debate. He would face the town at their angriest before he would see Alma upset. It wouldn’t be too bad as long as he stayed in the bakery, right? There wasn’t even anyone here right now! He could do this.

He rapt his knuckles against the wood of the counter, mumbling under his breath. “Knock knock knock knock knock, knock on wood.” It was just one of the several things he picked up to encourage good luck in the vain attempt to fight against his supposed bad luck. If he was going to keep himself stuck in this bakery for another hour he didn’t want anything bad to happen.

“Alright, I suppose I can wait here. Don’t want to get Mama mad at me, eh?” He tried to joke, forcing a lopsided grin onto his face.

To his surprise, Laila grinned back, a knowing glint in her eyes.

“Definitely not. Come on then, you can come into the kitchen with me.”

“Wha - really? Are you sure?”

She shrugged and turned back to the kitchen door.

“Of course, I could use the company.”

She disappeared into the kitchen and for a moment Bruno didn’t move. The whole situation made him uncomfortable, uncertain. But he couldn’t just stay here, either. Surely that would make her mad and he really didn’t want her to hate him like everyone else. Or, probably more accurate, he just didn’t want her to act like she hated him. She probably did hate him just like all the others but was just being polite. He was more than happy to pretend, at least for today, that it wasn’t the case.

The kitchen was very warm, the ovens working constantly lined against one wall. Laila was at the counter that ran along the opposite wall, pulling out supplies from the various cupboards.

For a moment, neither said anything. He hovered awkwardly around the doorway, just watching as she worked. It was almost hypnotic. Every movement was so fluid and confident. She hardly even looked as she grabbed what she needed and combined everything in the bowl, her skirts swishing with every slight movement. Her face looked so peaceful as she worked, nothing there but concentration, not a concern to be had. It felt like only an instant before the cake was poured out and put into one of the ovens to cook.

His anxiety came back the moment her eyes fell back on him and he started picking at the edge of his ruana.

“Don’t hover, that’s impolite. You can sit over here if you want.” She motioned to a small table at the far end of the kitchen.

“Ah, right.”

He shuffled over to the table, feeling her eyes on him the whole time. She waited until he was sitting before speaking.

“So, the infamous, reclusive Bruno Madrigal. Tell me something about yourself, something I wouldn’t already know.”

“Oh, well, that’s … I’m not sure what - what to say.” He rapped his knuckles against the table six times exactly. “There’s not really a lot to me.” He gave a strained chuckle. She rolled her eyes.

“No creo eso. I know perfectly well you don’t spend all your time telling visions and walking around looking like a kicked puppy. There has to be something else you do with your time.”

He winced slightly, a frown etching itself on his face.

“... a kicked puppy? Really?”

She nodded, giving a sympathetic grimace.

“Afraid so, amigo. Every time you leave one of those idiotas houses. Es ridículo. They’re the ones who asked you to be there, the least they can do is be polite about it! Just some common decency, you know. It doesn’t matter how much you hate someone or think they’re bad luck or whatever, they're still a person! And you should treat them as such. Take me for example. I hate my neighbor, Diego, with quite literally every fiber of my being! Qué cabrón! That puta was just talking to me the other day but I didn’t insult him to his face or yell at him, as much as I would like to do nothing else! Because guess what? I’m a polite person! And I try to be a nice person! Why can’t anyone else seem to put in just that most basic courtesy to others? Especially someone who spends so much of his time trying to help them, por el amor dios!”

Bruno stared at Laila with wide eyes as she went off on a rant, struck by the sudden intensity of her anger. He had trouble accepting that she was actually angry on … his behalf? It certainly wasn’t something he expected. Sure, Pepa had gotten angry a few times when she heard some of the things people did or said to him, but that was rare considering she had to keep herself calm so often.

Eventually, Laila did reach the end of her rant, taking a deep breath to calm herself down, then another one. Then she snapped her fingers three times fast, mumbling under her breath. “Tranquila, tranquila, tranquila.”

“Sorry about that. I tend to go off like that sometimes. It’s something I’m working on.”

“It’s fine,” he said with a shrug, giving a reassuring smile. He watched her as she poked about the ovens, checking on whatever was baking inside. “It sounds like you needed that.”

She stopped at one of the ovens, pulling out a large tray of sweet rolls and setting it on the counter to cool for a short bit.

“Yeah, it does feel nice to rant about things sometimes.” She admitted. “So, that’s something you didn’t know about me. Now you have to tell me about you.”

“Ah right, I suppose that’s fair.” He drummed his fingers against the table while he thought, staring intently at the grain of the wood. “I suppose I like animals.” He finally said.

He jumped when she suddenly sat down across from him with a huff, his heart stuttering at the smile she gave him.

“That’s sweet! What’s your favorite animal?”

Don’t say rats, don’t say rats, don’t say rats. That’ll freak her out and drive her away.

“Uh … I suppose I like rodents a lot, I think they’re cute and pretty smart -”

“Like rats?” He winced, making her chuckle. “It’s okay, you can say you like rats, I’m not about to judge you! I promise!”

“They’re not dirty.” He swore. “They’re constantly cleaning themselves. And they can be trained so well, they’re so smart! I’ve taught mine to do all sorts of tricks! And some of them really like to cuddle and are really sweet and -”

“You have pet rats?”

He had messed up, he was sure of it. No one liked rats. Why did he even bring them up? He could have just said no, he could have said rabbits or something.

But … she didn’t look creeped out or upset. She was just watching him, curious.

“... yeah, a few. Does that … not bother you?”

She gave a shrug and made a noncommittal sound.

“Not particularly. I can’t say I love them, I have had a problem with them getting into my flour. But if they aren’t getting into my food then I don’t mind them too much.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” He said with a nod, a lopsided grin taking place of his frown.

“Alright, you turn again. Tell me something else about you.”

To Bruno’s surprise, the hour seemed to go by in a flash. It was too soon when the cake was done and he had to pay and leave. Laila smiled at him, bright and beautiful, as she handed over the cake and pan.

“I’m glad you came by, Bruno. I really liked talking to you.”

He gave her another one of his lopsided grins and took the baked goods.

“I liked talking to you, too. It was nice.”

“Then we should get together again sometime, go for a walk or something so we can talk more.”

“Yeah? I mean, yeah! That would be nice. I’d like that.”

“Next time, then.” She said with a wink. Bruno chose to ignore the heat he felt rising in his cheeks. “Better get home, then. I don’t want Señora Madrigal mad at me because I kept you so long.”

He chuckled and shook her head.

“She’d be mad at me for not getting the pan back, not you. I think we can say you’re safe from her rage.”

“For now.” She added with a snicker, making him laugh, loud and proper.

They waved at each other as he left, the door shutting behind him.

The walk home was a pleasant one. Bruno was happy, a fuzzy warmth in his chest.

He was sure his family would be happy to hear the two got along. He groaned. Their teasing was going to be relentless. Still, he found he didn’t mind too much.

He even forgot to put his hood up.

Chapter Text

Julieta and Alma noticed the change in Bruno almost immediately. It took Pepa some time, but she had noticed, too.

It wasn’t brought up until they were all sitting around the dinner table. Pepa was going on about her afternoon with the ever charming Félix, a rainbow shining over her shoulders. Bruno was pinning everything on her talking throughout the whole dinner, to keep the attention off of himself. He kept his head down and asked questions whenever he felt like she was slowing down , bringing a new sparkle to her eyes and sending her down another happy tangent.

But that couldn’t last forever.

“But enough about my day.” Pepa said, taking a bite of her pan, a mischievous smirk pulling at her lips as her eyes went to him. Aqí vamos. He let out a sigh before she had even asked the question. “How was your day, hermano querido?”

“Fine.” That was all he was going to give him, keeping his eyes on his bowl of stew. He could hear Julieta let out a muffled giggle.

“Oh, just fine, is it?” She said and he could hear the smirk in her voice. “Come on, now, we’ve all noticed. You were practically beaming when you got home!”

“Oh, but you don’t like the lovely baker, right?” Pepa snickered.

Bruno could feel the heat gathering in his face at the teasing, but he couldn’t stop the grin from creeping up nonetheless, widening to a proper smile with the delighted squeals of his sisters.

“Okay, fine, it went very well! We got along! That doesn’t mean I like her like that or that we’re going to start dating!”

“Oh, why not? It would be fun!” Pepa said with a cheeky grin. Bruno rolled his eyes.

“The only fun you would get out of it would be tormenting us! Like I’d put anyone through that torture.” Pepa threw a roll at him but he managed to fumble a catch. “Ha!”

“Oh, quit it, you two. Let’s not dissolve into a food fight.” Julieta sighed, the corners of her lips twitching up in a fond smile.

“You’re only saying that ‘cause you know you’d lose!” Bruno said with a laugh. “No one can beat these muscles.” He made a scene of flexing, earning a laugh from his sisters.

“What muscles? You’re a twig and you know it!”

“Ah, déjalo, you hurt my pride!”

Alma shushed the two of them with a single look, though it wasn’t a harsh one.

“I’m just glad you found a friend, mijo. You must bring her by sometime.”

He shrugged, taking another bite of the pan. After all, it was really good!

-

It was another afternoon after a very long morning, and Bruno was about ready to give up on his gift all together.

Habit made him start for home, to bring him back to his tower and some time to rest away from everyone. He thought better of it when a familiar smell caught his nose. He hadn’t realized he had gotten so close to the bakery, but when he looked up, sure enough, there was, tempting him with it’s smells and the promise of companionship. Who was he to deny?

When he entered the shop, it was empty. Not even Laila was there behind the counter. Perhaps she was back in the kitchen since no one else was there, but he couldn’t hear the sounds of someone shuffling about. He frowned, stepping closer to the counter, searching for any sign of another person in the building. It didn’t seem right. If Laila wasn’t here, then shouldn’t the door be locked to prevent someone wandering in like he did?

When he strained his ears he thought he could hear something, however slightly. Breathing, maybe, but it sounded uneven, rough, more like quiet gasping. Coming from the kitchen.

He probably shouldn’t but in. It might be best if he just went home.

And yet…

He skirted around the counter, peering through the kitchen door.

Laila was there, sitting on the ground, back pressed the cupboards under the counter, knees pulled up to her chest and face buried in her arms. Her shoulders shook slightly, and he now recognized the gasps as crying. She was crying.

He shuffled across the floor, silently sitting next to her on the ground and gently resting a hand on her shaking shoulder. She jumped slightly at his sudden touch, rolling her head to the side to look at him with watery, dark eyes, furrowed with confusion.

“Bruno?”

“Hey.” He said, voice soft. “Rough day?”

She nodded, uncurling a bit from the ball she had so effectively forced herself into and looking down at her lap.

“Sometimes it’s okay. When I’m working I can forget for a while, sometimes, but … I can’t seem to forget today. Almost everything reminds me of Mamá.” The tears started welling up in her eyes again as she hugged herself tight, refusing to look him in the eye. “Extraño a mi mamá.”

A moment passed while Bruno thought over what to do. He ended up wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in for a hug. He wasn’t sure what else to do. A good hug always made him feel better.

She broke down, crumbling into him, grasping at his ruana and sobbing into his shoulder. He just held her tighter, rubbing circles into her back. He rested his cheek against her hair, pinned up proper as always, and mumurred reassurances. It was nonsense, mostly, but he wasn’t sure what else to do, just working off of what felt right.

He hated how broken she sounded, his heart wrenching with every loud sob like it was breaking itself. He couldn’t imagine what it felt like, to lose someone you loved, couldn’t imagine the pain she was going through, but he could try his best.

He let her cry as long as she needed to. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours, he didn’t care. He thought of nothing but her and comforting her, getting her through this moment.

Eventually, she did manage to calm down, her sobs lessening into whimpers, then ragged breaths. Even then, he didn’t let her go until she pulled away, going back to her spot next to him. She sniffed and rubbed at her face, trying to rid herself of any sign of her meltdown.

“Lo siento, I don’t usually fall apart like that.” She gave a shaky laugh, one with no warmth behind it.

“You don’t need to apologize. I mean, you’re going through a lot right now, you know, with your mamá … You’re grieving, it’s understandable. You’re allowed to be upset or sad or angry or whatever it is you’re feeling. Ah, but I’m rambling now. My point is, you’re allowed to have as many meltdowns as you need.”

She watched him as he tried his best to find some sort of comforting words. By the time he finished, she had a small smile on her face, sad and a bit watery, but with its warmth back.

“Gracias, Bruno.” She said, her hand grabbing his and giving a small squeeze. “I really appreciate it. What would I do without you?”

“Ah, cry alone I suppose, just wishing you had a young, handsome guy to comfort you and whose shoulder you can cry on.” He said it as dramatically as he could, giving an over the top pained expression.

That managed to make her laugh, even if it was pretty quiet. He didn’t care.

“I suppose so. But wherever would I find such a man! Surely there isn’t anyone in the town caring and kind and handsome enough for that.”

“Wait, you actually think I’m handsome.” Bruno asked, confused whether or not that was just part of the playful banter. She just giggled.

“Of course. What, has no one told you that before?”

He shrugged, giving a lopsided grin.

“You mean other than mamá? No, not really.”

She scoffed.

“Idiotas. All of them. That or blind.” He made a noise, a mix between a scoff and a chuckle, shaking his head. She giggled. “Seriously though.”

He smiled, squeezing her hand.

“Of course.”

She stared at him a moment, the prettiest smile on her face, before sniffing and rubbing at her face again.

“I should probably get back to work.” She huffed, letting go of his hand and getting up. His heart clenched at the absence, but he refused to show it, standing up with her.

“You sure? You could always close early.”

She shook her head, walking over to the sink to wash her hands.

“Not before dinner rush. Maybe after.”

“Wouldn’t that be when you close anyway?”

“Not usually. I stay open a few more hours just in case, work on prep for tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a lot of work.” Bruno decided to sit at the small table, watching Laila work. She either didn’t notice him settling in to stay or didn’t mind, either way she didn’t comment on it. “Do you ever take some days off?”

She shrugged, poking around the ovens.

“Not really, people always need bread.”

“Then maybe you can get an assistant or another worker or something.”

“Yeah, I probably should.” She hummed to herself, pulling a large bowl over from where it had been tucked away in the corner. “I wonder if anyone’s looking? I suppose I could ask around the teenagers, they’re always looking for some money.”

She took off the towel that was sitting over the bowl, checking whatever was inside. She gave a satisfied nod, bending down to grab a bag of flour from under the counter and sprinkling it across the stone. Then she dumped the contents of the bowl out, some sort of dough. Obviously. He should have known that.

They talked as she kneaded the dough, about everything and anything. She had gone on a few rants, about rude customers, about the annoyancances of baking, especially about Diego. She really didn’t like him. She said it was because he wouldn’t leave her alone and kept trying to hit on her after she already said she wasn’t interested.

“I know he’s not the smartest, but come on! Just take the no and move on to one of the many other women who are more than happy to fall on their knees and suck his dick! That’s not a slight against them, of course, they can do whatever they want. He’s just so stubborn in the worst way possible!”

“You can be stubborn in a good way?” Bruno asked, tilting his head to the side slightly as he thought about it. “I mean, I suppose if it’s about something good like making sure the poor are fed or something. Yeah, no, you’re right, nevermind, pretend I didn’t say anything.”

She had chuckled then, flashing him a smile before returning to her dough.

The bread was put into the oven before he had to leave.

“Have to get home in time for dinner.” He had said, nearly at the kitchen door before Laila stopped him.

“Wait!” He stopped, of course, turning back, but before he could ask her anything she had wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. It took him off guard, but once he realized what she was doing he hugged back.

“Muchas gracias, seriously. You made my day better.” It was too soon when she pulled away, the brightest smile on her face. “Promise you’ll visit more?”

He smiled back, eyes soft.

“Of course, as often as I can. If that’s okay?”

“Obviously. I did just ask you to do it.”

“Yeah , right.” He chuckled. “I’ll see you soon then.”

This time she let him leave, hugging herself tight once the front door had shut. Alone again.

Chapter Text

“Bruno!”

Bruno froze at the shout, just for a moment, before he pulled his hood down enough to look around. It wasn’t difficult to find who had shouted at him.

Laila was by his side in an instant, a bright smile in her face.

“Hola! How’s your day been?”

“Terrible, but better now that you're here.” He said with his own lop-sided grin.

She let out a dramatic gasp, hand coming up to clutch at invisible pearls.

“Well don’t I feel honored.” Bruno chuckled. “So, what are you doing?”

“You know, my job. Giving visions, getting yelled at, the works. I mean, I - I don’t hate my job or anything, it’s just… it’s just…”

“The yelling and being hated part?”

He didn’t answer, looking away and messing with the edge of his ruana. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, before he suddenly felt a hand in his hair, ruffling it a bit, followed by the sound of falling sand.

“Bruno, amigo, why do you have sand in your hair?” Laila asked, looking at some of the sand that still clung to her hand before brushing it off against her skirts.

“Ah, lo siento, that would be from the visions.” A moment later he gave a mischievous smirk. He took a step back before vigorously shaking his head, instantly pelting Laila with sand, more sand than she thought anyone’s hair could hold.

“Bruno! Stop!” She squealed, a giant smile on her face. She crossed her arms in front of her face to protect it, giggling. “You’re going to get sand in my hair, pendejo!”

He laughed with her, loud and boisterous.

“Que? Can’t handle a little sand?”

He only laughed louder when she shoved him, forcing him to stumble back a few steps.

“Why though?” She all but shouted, shaking her head to loosen the grains of sand. “Why sand?”

He shrugged, continuing on his walk to the next house.

“I’m not sure, that’s just how it works. I need a circle of it, a pretty big one. When I’m having my vision it sort of, um… flies around I guess. And you can see the vision in the sand. See, I have a jar with me right now.”

He pulled a large jar out from beneath his ruana, held in a sling of sorts that sat on his shoulder. Somehow, Laila hadn’t noticed it hidden there. She wondered how many visits they had where Bruno just had a jar of sand tucked away.

“Is that what that is? And here I thought it was the spirits of the damned, released only to curse those who are given a vision!”

He let out a bark of laughter, shaking his head.

“You’d think that’s how it works based on how everyone acts.”

Laila huffed and rolled her eyes.

“As amazing as this place is, there are certainly some downsides.”

Bruno stopped suddenly, smile fading. There was the house, sitting amongst all the others, nothing special about it except for what he had to do there. He swallowed thickly, clutching at the strap across his chest.

“Hey,” Laila’s voice was gentle, drawing his eyes towards hers, warm and kind. “I can go with you, if you want. Just this once.”

He blinked at her.

“Really?”

She smiled.

“Of course. I can be your assistant for the day. Just tell me what to do.”

Well, he couldn’t deny the thought was comforting, to have a friend with him to face whatever anger these people would have towards him after the vision. And Laila was plenty capable of handling that sort of thing. But …

“What would they think of you? Working with someone like me.”

She rolled her eyes.

“They can think what they want, I don’t care about them. I just want to be there for you.”

His heart clenched at her words and he nodded. How could he say no?

“Alright, okay, I think you can help set up, then.”

She nodded, the smile never leaving her face. He turned back to the house. There really was no delaying it further.

“Okay.” He mumbled, grabbing a handful of salt from under his ruana and tossing over his shoulder. “Here goes nothing.”

He knocked on the door.

The family, a mother, father and their three children, were all very polite when welcoming him, albeit a bit stiff. They ushered him into the living room where they cleared out space for him, and the children were shooed into another room with their grandfather. Laila could see them peering around the doorway when their parents looked away, ever curious.

It was too soon when everything was set up, the circle of sand and the piles of sage ready. Bruno would usually take his time, gather his nerves, but with Laila’s help there wasn’t really time for that. He sat in the center of the circle, in front of the sage.

“What would you like me to look for?” He asked, his voice so much quieter than moments before when he had been laughing with Laila.

“Es mi hijo.” The mother said, eyes wide with worry. “He wants to leave Encanto and go to the city. We know how dangerous the outside world can be …”

“We just want to know if he’ll be okay.” The father said.

Bruno nodded, motioning for everyone to enter the circle as well, sitting in a circle. He lit the sage and had everyone hold hands. He focused a moment on the flames, clearing his mind before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. The three others looked on in amazement as the sand began to rise, a wind whipping at their hair. Just like a sandstorm, Laila thought. Like Bruno said.

She looked to Bruno. His eyes were wide open now, glowing a vibrant emerald green, dark curls flying around his head. For a moment, her breath caught in her chest and it wasn’t because of the wind.

“There!” The mother said, letting go of her husband's hand to point at something.

Sure enough, there was a figure in the sand, shining emerald green. It was a young man, working at what could be a shipyard. As they watched, the scene changed, then changed again. Scene after scene showed the young man living his life outside the walls of the mountains, struggling to find a job he enjoyed, taking some classes, meeting a few women before settling on one he clearly loves very much. There were moments of grief and moments of laughter. No children, she noted, explained by a scene of the young couple crying in what appeared to be a doctors office. Still, it went on, showing the life to its full before ending with the now elderly man passing with his wife by his side. It hadn’t been an exceptional life and there were many difficulties, but you could tell the man was happy in the end.

The sand came together and melted, forming a glowing green pane of glass, the final image of the vision reflected in its depths.

The wind suddenly stopped and the sand fell, raining on all of them. Laila could see now why Bruno had so much sand in his hair.

“Well, there you go.” Bruno said, holding the glass pane carefully in his hands, staring at the image before smiling at the parents. “Your son will live a long life.”

For a moment, they didn’t say anything, worry and fear etched into their faces. Bruno’s smile faltered.

“He will have such a hard life.” The mother finally says, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “You saw it! He couldn’t find a job, he has no children. He’s so alone.” The father hugs the mother close, glaring at Bruno as if this was his fault.

Laila could feel Bruno tense next to her. She squeezed his hand, the one she still hadn’t let go of. Neither of them seemed to feel the need. The gentle warmth and pressure were a comfort to both of them.

“But you saw that he was happy.” She managed to keep herself polite and encouraging him. “He finds a woman he loves and they stay by each others side.”

“Still…” the mother said, still unconvinced.

“There will always be troubles and obstacles. That’s just a part of life you have to accept. You can’t keep these things from him forever.”

The parents were silent, clearly unhappy.

Laila sighed, not really willing to push further. She got onto her feet, dragging Bruno to his as well. He had been staring intently at the floor but his head snapped to her when she moved.

“Why don’t we get along, then. We can sweep up this mess and be on our way.”

“There’s no need.” The father said. At least he wasn’t glaring anymore. “We will clean. Just, please. Go.”
Bruno left without a word, dragging Laila with him. Once they were outside Bruno paused, taking a deep, shaking breath, but only for the moment. He was walking again almost instantly, headed for home based on the direction.

“Well, that could have gone better.” Laila said, keeping her voice bright for Bruno’s sake.

“It could have gone a lot worse, too.” He admitted. “Gracias, Laila. For helping, that is. It made things a bit .. I don’t know, easier? More manageable? Yeah, I think that’s it.”

“No hay problema. It was nice to do something different.”

“Yeah… yeah! Why aren’t you working?” He looked over to her, brows furrowed in visible confusion. She shrugged.

“I was talking to a few people I knew about working at the bakery. I think I managed to convince Luz, but we’ll see.”

His face brightened at the news.

“Genial! Then you can give yourself more time off.”

“Well, not right away. I do have to teach whoever how everything works and all that.”

“But, you’re not doing anything right now, are you? You could come over for dinner!” He seemed to catch himself, bright smile falling as he was taken over by anxiety and concern. “That is, I mean, you don’t have - have to, if you don’t want to. It was just a suggestion is all, if you wanted, it might be nice to spend some more time together or -”

“I’d love to.” Laila interrupted, voice raised slightly to cut through his anxious rambling. “You can introduce me to those rats of yours.”

His lop-sided smile was back in an instant, looking so delighted at the very thought. It made her giggle.

“Really? I mean, yeah, that'd be great!”

The two chatted and laughed together the whole way to the house.

Chapter Text

When Her and Bruno got to the house they had gone straight to the kitchen for snacks, surprised to find Julieta already starting to cook.

“Oye, Julieta! I brought a guest for dinner.”

The woman looked surprised, though she quickly recovered, smiling wide.

“Laila! I’m so glad to see you!” She greeted, walking over to grasp the other woman’s hands. “It’s about time he brought you over. He talks about you all the time!”

“Hermana, cállate! Before you say something embarrassing!” Bruno growned, the slightest of smiles on his face. Julieta laughed.

“Laila’s not the only guest tonight. You’re not going to believe who Pepa brought for dinner.” She said in a hushed tone, conspiratol. Instantly, Bruno was invested, leaning against the counter next to her. Laila scooter closer as well.

“Oh, do tell!” She said, smirking along.

“She was gone all day. She claimed she was helping water the crops, but then I saw her at the town center. With Félix!”

“You think they were on a date?” Bruno whispered back, smirk widening at the notion.

“Well, I’m not sure about that, but they were certainly getting pretty flirty with each other.” The two siblings giggled.

“And she just didn’t notice you?” Laila asked.

“I hid once I saw them. Didn’t want to ruin the moment, you know?”

“Well, I’m certainly not above ruining a moment!” Bruno’s smirk turned mischievous, eyes glinting with glee. “Where’s she at now?”

“Sitting room. Just don’t tease her too much, we don’t want a flooded house.”

“No promises!” He shouted over his shoulder, already on his way out.

“If you need any help, let me know.” Laila made sure to offer, a hand on the other woman’s shoulder. She nodded, smiling.

“Gracias, I appreciate the offer. I’ll let you know.”

With that she was running off to catch up to Bruno. The last thing she wanted was to be left alone in a strange house. As comfortable as she was with Bruno, this was still an unfamiliar house, someone else's home, and she felt like she was intruding if she wasn’t by someone else’s side, preferably someone she knew, specifically Bruno.

The sitting room was warm and cozy, decorated with so many bright colors. There was a collection of couches and chairs in the middle, each a different shade of red. And in one of the couches was Pepa and the man who must be Felix. Pepa looked absolutely radiant, little rainbows hovering around her shoulders, her cheery disposition only accentuated by the bright yellow dress and gold earrings.

Laila recognized the smirk on Bruno’s face, playful and mischievous. She knew there was going to be a lot of teasing, perhaps from both of them.

“Hola, hermana!” He called, a teasing lilt to his voice. Pepa’s head snapped to him in an instant, a scowl on her face and a cloud over her head. He pretended not to notice, falling onto one of the chairs in the most uncomfortable looking position, a leg slung over the armrest and an elbow on the other, head propped on his hand as he gave his sister a look. “I see you have a friend over.”

“I see you do, too.” Pepa said, glancing over to Laila with a smirk. Bruno’s face fell a bit, realizing his mistake, but he forced the smile back on, not wasting the chance to tease his sister.

“This is my friend, Laila.” She gave a little wave, having walked over to lean against the back of Bruno’s chair.

“Nice to finally meet you!” She said, beaming at the other woman. Pepa smiled back.

“It’s nice to meet you, too! This is my boyfriend, Felix.”

Felix nodded, smiling a warm, happy smile.

“About time!” Pepa glared at Bruno, but he only smiled back. “How long have you been fawning over him again? Weeks? Months?”

Pepa’s face turned the brightest shade of red, making Bruno laugh even as the cloud grew darker and started to thunder.

“You know, Laila, it really is great we all finally get to meet you. Bruno talks about you all the time.”

Now it was Bruno’s turn to look mortified, actually straightening a bit in his chair. Laila was smirking.

“Oh really? Please, do tell me all about the things he says.” She said with a chuckle, deciding to sit on the end of the couch closest to Bruno so she could see all the ways the teasing got to him. It was just too cute, how flushed he got. “You might as well add in some embarrassing childhood stories while you're at it.”

“Laila, you’re supposed to be on my side!” Bruno whined, drooping in his chair.

“I’m on no ones side! I seek my own entertainment!” She laughed.

“Ai, you should see him, though!” Pepa was laughing too. “Everytime he comes home after seeing you he looks like a love struck puppy! ‘Oh, you won’t believe what Laila told me today! Laila made the best smelling cake today. Did you know Laila has the prettiest eyes?’”

Everyone was laughing but Bruno. He groaned, hands covering his face and sliding lower and lower in his chair.

“You’re a million times worse!” He sputtered out. “I swear, you don’t talk about anything but Felix anymore!”

The two shouted back and forth at each other, trying to outdo the other in terms of teasing and embarrassing each other. Felix and Laila simply watched, sharing glances with each other, mirroring fond smiles on their faces. Laila rolled her eyes and he chuckled, nodding.

She was sure this sort of thing could go on for quite some time, but thankfully they were interrupted when the house itself started to move. Laila yelped when the couch suddenly jolted, forced to her feet along with everyone else. Felix started, too, but Pepa and Bruno hardly reacted.

“I think we’re needed in the kitchen.” Bruno said with a shrug, happy enough to remove himself from all the different embarrassing nonsense that Pepa had been throwing at him. Pepa nodded in agreement.

“I did tell Julieta I’d help.” Laila said.

So, off to the kitchen they went.

Not that Felix or Pepa did anything to help. They were too busy sitting at the small table, looking love struck with each other. But Laila helped, and Bruno was eager to follow suit. Julieta would tell her what she needed done and she would show him how to do it. The work went quickly when they worked together. Whenever Laila and Bruno went shoulder to shoulder with each other she couldn’t help but notice the way his face would flush and he would try to avoid eye contact or hide the smallest of smiles that took over his face. He wasn’t very good at hiding it. Laila would just smile in turn.

Time seemed to slow down and speed up at the same time, and before they knew it dinner was ready.

Alma returned home just before it was ready, back from a day of visiting with the townspeople.

“I see we have some guests tonight.” She said, catching everyone’s attention. Julieta was quick to welcome her mother home, putting down what she was doing to give her a hug. Bruno and Pepa did the same, all with smiles on their faces.

Laila felt a now very familiar pain in her chest, like her heart was being twisted in every direction. She wanted nothing more than to disappear, to fall into her grief once more as if nothing else existed, but that would have to wait until later. For now she smiled, going over to greet the older woman.

She was talking to Felix at the moment.

“You make sure to treat her right, Señor.” The or else hung in the air, but he didn’t seem to mind. He just smiled big, returning to Pepa’s side, causing the woman to beam. It was a surprise there was no rainbow blooming over her shoulder.

“And Sénorita Moreno! It’s a delight to see you again.” She grasped the younger woman’s hands in hers. She smiled politely. “How are you doing, querida?”

She shrugged one shoulder, polite smile never leaving her face though it did look a bit more pained.

“As well as can be expected. Some days are better than others. I’m just glad today’s a good one.”

Alma nodded, squeezing the other’s hands reassuringly.

“As am I. I know it can be difficult, but I have faith in you. You are a strong woman.”

“... Gracias, señora.”

Her smile was warm and comforting. With a final squeeze, she let go of Laila’s hands.”

“Is dinner nearly ready? I can help carry things to the table.”

It was a relief when the subject changed. Laila didn’t want to think too much about her mother’s death, at least not right now. It didn’t help that Bruno was staring at he, some sort of emotion in those big forest green eyes of his. It wasn’t pity, at least, but it did make her heart flutter in her chest. The look he gave was just so soft and genuine.

Dinner went very well after that. Everyone was in high spirits, joking and laughing and talking like a big family. Even Alma teased her children now and then. By the time the food was done and it was time to clean up, no one was willing to stop the conversation. Julieta, Bruno, and Laila worked together to clean and put away the dishes while the other three sat at the table. The kitchen was filled with so much warmth and love, it left everyone feeling perfectly happy and content.

It was with much regret that Laila announced she had to return home.

“I have to be up early in the morning. You know, gotta get all my baking done before the shop opens.”

“I’ll walk you home!” Bruno was quick to offer, drying his hands and getting ready to go. Everyone said their goodbyes and the two of them left, walking out into the humid night.

For a while, they walked in comfortable silence, the only sound being their footsteps on the cobblestone path and the distant sounds of the night animals in the jungle.

“So …” Laila finally said, a smirk tugging at her lips as she side eyed Bruno. “ … You think I have pretty eyes?”

He stopped walking, his whole body freezing up. She could see the panic starting to rise up in him and laughed, the sound echoing around the street. He relaxed a bit at the sound, a sheepish smile on his face.

“Ah, well… you see, what - what happened was…”

“It’s fine,'' she said with another laugh, eyes sparkling even in the dark. Bruno gulped unconsciously. “I think you have really pretty eyes, too.”

Bruno was grateful for the dark of the night. It meant she probably couldn’t see how red his face was getting at the compliment. Probably. The dark didn't do anything for his stuttering, though.

“I - you think… um, I - I … Gracias, Laila.”

She laughed again, a bit quieter and warmer than before. She reached out, holding his hand in hers and dragging him along to get him to keep walking. He hardly paid any attention to what his feet was doing. The only thing he could think about was her, her hand warm in his, her laughter in the night air, the moonlight shining in her hair. He wondered what she would look like with it down, falling along her back in thick curls, his hand running through them.

He … wasn’t sure where that thought had come from.

He wasn’t really sure where any of this was coming from. Of course, he knew he liked Laila. She was a beautiful woman, terribly kind and funny, the best friend he could have asked for. How could he not like her? But … he supposed he hadn’t realized how much his feelings for her had grown. Over the weeks he had known her.

It almost caught him by surprise when she had stopped walking.

“We’re here,” she announced, voice quiet. He looked up at the house they stood in front of, sandwiched by others, so completely unassuming.

When he turned his head to her he found she was already staring at him.

“Thank you. For inviting me over to dinner. It was really nice.” She said, smiling. He nodded.

“Of course. I just - I like spending time with you.” He said it with a shrug, trying to ignore the warmth that bloomed in his chest.

“Yeah, I like spending time with you, too.”

They stared at each other in silence for a moment, then another moment.

He knew what he wanted to do. She was so close, all he needed to do was lean forward a bit and …

He couldn’t do it.

“I’ll see you later, then.” He said, feeling himself deflate but trying to ignore it.

“Of course. Buenas noches.”

She let go of his hand. It felt so cold without her warmth. He watched her open her front door and close it behind her.

She sighed when she was on the other side, leaning against the rough wood of the door.

What was that? She was so sure he was going to kiss her. She wanted him too. Maybe she should have just done it herself?

No.

She knew she liked him a lot. It was hard not to. She had never met someone so endearing and lovable before. And she could tell he liked her, too. There was no doubt in her mind.

The question was how long would it take before he did something about it.

She decided she would wait, a smirk spreading on her face as she made the decision. She would see what he would do about this.

And if he happened to take so long, then she would do something herself.

Chapter Text

A knock sounded through the Madrigal household, echoing through the entryway before fading to silence. For a moment, nothing moved or made a sound. Then, the silence was shattered once more when the knocking returned.

There was the musical clicking of tiles and the doors opened with a creak.

Laila stood in the entryway, fist raised to knock again. She dropped it to her side, peering through the doors with a wooden box resting on her hip. The tiles in the entryway shifted again, beckoning for her to come in. Hesitantly, she walked forward, jumping when the doors slammed shut behind her. She looked around but found that no one was there.

“Is anyone even home, Casita?”

A section of tile moved up and down as if it was saying yes.

“Should I just … wait here for them?”

The section of tiles repeated the motion and she sighed, deciding to lean against the wall by the door and settle in to wait.

It was probably ten or so minutes later when she heard a door opening and closing from somewhere on the balcony, followed by footsteps until, finally, Bruno came into view. A smile broke out over her face and she waved at him.

“Bruno! Just the man I was looking for!”

She could see him smile, too, leaning against the railing.

“Oye! Laila! What can I do for you?”

“I’m in a bit of a situation and I need your help. Come look?”

He hummed, almost immediately walking over to the middle of the balcony. As he walked, a staircase materialized in front of him with the clatter of wood. He was by her side in an instant, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“Whatcha’ got there?” He asked, trying to peer into the box but she pulled it away from him, resting it on her other hip.

“First thing first.” She said, putting a finger up in front of his face. “An explanation. So, at my house, there was a rat causing problems in the cellar, right?”

Bruno nodded, following so far.

“I was pretty upset, as one gets when a rat is messing with their food, but I’m not really into killing animals, you know? So I tried to convince her to leave somehow, like blocking the openings she comes in through and rat-proofing the cellar, all sorts of things.”

Bruno, sensing the impending rant, decided they should probably go sit down. He gently grabbed her hand and dragged her over to the side of the ‘room’, where there was some couches and chairs to sit in. She went without complaint, not stopping her explanation for a moment as she sat, placing the box on her lap. Bruno tried peering into it again, only to find a blanket blocking his view. He huffed, sitting down next to her with his legs crossed.

“None of it worked, of course. Clearly that rat was smarter than me. How? No idea, but she was. But I did rat proof the cellar, you know, she couldn’t get into the flour and stuff anymore, so, you know, as long as she didn’t bring friends I thought it would be fine. I even started feeding her, trying to earn her trust. I thought if I could get her to like me I could always bring her to you, so you could take care of her and I wouldn’t have a rat in my basement. EXCEPT! A few days ago, she just stopped showing up! One day, there was a rat, the next, nothing!”

Bruno had started petting one of his rats by this point, another perched on his shoulder, cleaning itself. A frown was on his face, certain that the poor thing had gotten killed. Probably eaten by some predator.

“But, I did still hear some squeaking. I thought it was her, so I went looking around, moving stuff around and all that. That’s when I found this.”

She moved the box, setting it in between them on the couch. The rat on Bruno’s lap jumped out of his hands, sniffing at it. He shooed him away, reaching out to move the blanket and finally see what all this was about.

He let out the softest of gasps when he saw them, eyes going big and a smile spreading on his lips.

They were rats, just babies, all cuddled together in a pile, twitching occasionally in their sleep. They were old enough to have their fur, but as one lifted it’s head to sniff at the air, not old enough to open their eyes. So little, so unbearably cute!

“Their mom still hasn’t come back and it’s been a little over a day. I was worried, so I thought I’d bring them to you.”

He hummed, reaching into the box to gently run a finger over one of the babies head.

“Alright.” He finally said, getting up with the box in his arms. “Come on, I think I know what to do.”

The two traveled up the stairs and to what could only be Bruno’s door. It had his face and name on it, afterall. Whatever Laila had expected to see when he opened that door, that was most certainly not what she got.

What she got was sand. Lots of sand.

First there was what looked like a waterfall of sand, then what looked like a pit with sand piled along the edges of the tiled floor. And stairs. So many stairs.

“Bruno, lo juro por dias, you’re lucky I like you.” She groaned, resigning herself to trudging up as many of these stairs as she would need to.

He let out a nervous chuckle at her comment.

“We’re only going halfway up, don’t worry.”

She huffed but otherwise didn’t respond. There were still a lot of stairs, but she wasn’t about to back down now.

She was exhausted by the time they reached that halfway point, where there was a dip in the rock wall with a door. At least Bruno was kind enough to wait for her to catch her breath for a moment.

“I swear, you must have thighs of steel walking up those things every day.” She managed to huff out.

Bruno’s face heated up, a dusting of red along his cheeks, but he pretended it wasn’t there and shrugged.

“Ah, well, they’re - they’re not that bad.” He blushed harder when she gave him an incredulous look. He looked away, staring at the door instead. “Let’s, ah … let’s get going.”

The room past the door looked to be his bedroom, and it was very cluttered. There was the largest array of blankets and pillows on the bed, shells full of various knickknacks and old visions. Around the edges of the room and on the floor were different things she assumed was for the rats, like boxes filled with blankets, what looked like a make-shift maze that was definitely too small for them, a tiny stage of some kind, and on and on and on. Despite the clutter, the place was clean, somehow.

Bruno was mumbling under his breath, putting the box down on the bed before starting to look through the different boxes and make-shift shelters for … something. Laila watched him, sitting on the bed next to the box, deciding to take out some of the babies and hold them in her hand. There were nine of them in total, all varying shades gray or brown. Her favorite was the lightest gray one. Every time she picked it up it would nuzzle into her palm with a little squeak. It made her giggle.

Bruno froze at the sound, glancing over at her with wide eyes, but only for a moment before he returned to his search.

“Ah, there you are!” He finally said, ever so gently lifting a smaller cardboard box and bringing it over to the bed as well. “These babies are a bit younger, but the mom should take care of yours, too, if we put the babies together.”

“Really?” She looked into the box and, sure enough, there was a bundle of little rat babies, these ones not yet grown in their fur. Mom was there, too, looking up at them curiously.

“Yeah, they take care of each other's babies all the time.”

“It won’t be too much for her?”

He shrugged, starting to transfer the babies over to the box with the mom. She sniffed at them as they were placed, giving them a few licks, almost immediately starting to care for them. She smiled.

“I’ll keep an eye on her, just in case.”

“I knew you were the man for the job.” She said, placing the babies she was holding into the box, too. “Thanks, Bruno.”

She looked up to him from where she was sitting, her smile so brilliant and eyes so warm it felt like they were melting him from the inside. He gave a soft smile back, gently picking the box back up to put it back. Then he sat by her side.

“Of course! Anything for you.” He said with that lop-sided grin, making her blush.

She wondered if he had any idea what he was doing to her with just a smile.

“You know,” He said, falling back onto the bed with a thwump, hair falling in a halo of curls around his head. “This is the second day you’ve been away from the bakery. Did you get someone to help or just not open today?”

“Yeah, I found someone. She doesn’t know how to actually bake yet, but you know, she can still sell, and I made some extra things she can put in the oven if she runs out. And if there’s any special orders, I can work on them tomorrow or something.”

He chuckled, the sound like warm honey in her ears.

“Paid time off!”

She laughed, too, falling beside him, his eyes following her closely.

“Still can’t take a lot of days off, but you know, once a week or so is fine. I can do a lot with a day.”

Bruno snorted, scrunching his nose and the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly. It was adorable.

“Like what?”

Laila chuckled again, scooting a bit closer, though not by a lot. She didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.

“You’re just asking for another rant, asking that question.”

He shrugged, but didn’t deny it.

“I like hearing you talk.” He admitted, averting his gaze to stare at the ceiling, his cheeks growing red. There was no way she could miss it that time, they were too close. It made her smile, but she managed not to giggle.

“Alright then, then let me explain in great detail what I can get done with only one day off.”

While she did just that, Bruno was smiling, staring at the ceiling for a while before closing his eyes. He relaxed into the bed, letting himself listen to her voice and forget all his troubles, just a little while.

Chapter Text

The bakery had been very busy that day, leaving Laila rushing around all day. Luckily, the new girl she hired was also there to help, managing the front while she baked away, slaving over the ovens. Luckily, there was a lull in the afternoon and the two could relax for a bit before the next rush of customers came through.

They were talking, the girl, Sophia, going on about something that had happened over the weekend with her friends. At 17, she had finished her schooling and was eager to find something to do with all the extra time she now had and decided she wanted to try baking. Laila, of course, was more than happy for the extra help and was delighted someone had responded to her inquiries. It helped that the girl was a hard worker and eager to please.

It was in the middle of their conversation that the door opened, drawing their attention to the new visitors. Laila smirked when she saw none other than Julieta and Pepa, storming up to the front counter. Pepa had a cloud over her head, but it wasn’t raining, which was a promising sign, though the sisters' expressions looked very serious. Laila doubted the conversation would actually be all that serious, though. Just a hunch.

“Hola, Julieta! Pepa! What can I do for you today?”

“We need to talk.” Pepa snapped out, crossing her arms. “And we’re not leaving until we do.”

Julieta nodded.

“Sí, I was expecting as much. Sophia, querida, can you handle the front for a bit.”

The girl looked startled to be addressed, nervous to be around such important people as the Madrigals.

“Oh, ah, sí, Señora, of course!”

She squeezed the girl’s shoulder as she passed, the sisters following close behind her.

“So,” Julieta had said as the two sat at the small wooden table, but Pepa was quick to talk over her.

“How long are you going to draw this out?”

She hummed, deciding to check her ovens.

“Drag what out?”

“Oh, don’t act stupid. You know exactly what we’re talking about!”

Of course you did, but there was nothing wrong with a bit of messing around. You finished what you were doing before, sowly, making your way to the table to sit with them, their gazes intense. As slow as you could, you brought your hands to rest in front of you and returned their stares.

“Pretend I am stupid. What do you want?”

Pepa was far too impatient to play such games, her cloud rumbling with the threat of a lightning strike. Laila snickered and Julieta rolled her eyes.

“Why aren’t you and Bruno dating yet? It’s clear you like each other.” Julieta offered, putting a hand on her sister's shoulder to calm her. The rumbling subsided and their eyes were back on her.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Laila said, scratching at her face as she thought. “He’s not very subtle about his feelings, is he? Wears his heart on his sleeve and all that.” She smiled as she thought about him, the action not going unnoticed. “And I do like him too.”

“Then why aren’t you two dating!” Pepa cut her off. She took it graciously, just shaking her head with a mischievous smirk.

“I’m curious.” She said with a shrug. “I want to see how long it'll take him to ask me himself. It’s going to happen, obviously, so I don’t really mind.”

“You’re really going to drag that poor man around like that?” Julietta tutted, but her scolding tone did little to dampen Laila’s mood.

“Ah, I’m not dragging anyone along! I’m just being patient, is all.”

“Just let him struggle.” Pepa said with a smirk of her own, leaning back in her chair. “I, for one, am more than happy to watch.”

Julieta rolled her eyes at the two other women and sighed.

“I certainly can’t force you, but I can’t say I approve, either.” She said, crossing her arms. Pepa snickered.

“What, would you prefer we pick on you instead.”

Julietta scoffed.

“Like you could find anything worth teasing me for.”

Her smirk slowly dropped when she saw the look Pepa was giving her, making Laila giggle.

“You sure about that, hermana?” She cooed, false sweetness dripping from her words. “Oh, I suppose that means I was mistaken when I saw you in the town center.” Julieta groaned, already knowing what Pepa was going to say. “You know, with that man at your table.” Julieta put her head on the table, hands over her head. “Flirting with you. I must have been mistaken, though.”

“No. Really?” Laila said, smile wide. “Oh, do tell! What was his name? What did he look like? Was he handsome? Was he nice?”

Julieta groaned again, but Pepa was more than happy to tell about the man she saw. He had to be the guy who had just moved there from the city, she had said. Augustine. He was dressed very dapper, rather tall, pretty good looking.

“Of course, not as handsome as my Felíx.” She had made sure to tell them.

“Of course.” Laila said with a roll of her eyes.

Julieta refused to remove her head from the table, hiding the blush that was steadily taking over her face. She had never been all that good at deflecting her siblings' teasing. Pepa was vicious with that sort of thing. At least Bruno could throw it back.

While Pepa went on, Laila could hear the door to the bakery open and close again, a familiar voice greeting Sophia. She couldn’t help the smile that took over, genuine and only a bit mischievous.

“Hold that thought!” She said before dashing out of the room. The sisters shared a glance with each other, slightly confused but more curious. Julieta groaned again and Pepa laughed when, just as quickly as she left she had returned, a frazzled looking Bruno being dragged behind. His eyes widened when he saw his sisters at the table.

“I - I’m not - not sure I want to get involved with - with - whatever you three were up to.” He stuttered out, trying to pull away, but Laila’s grip was firm.

“Bruno, mi amigo, you really want to get involved.” She said, pushing him to sit down. He did, though he still looked rather anxious, glancing between the three women. “Pepa, go ahead and tell him.”

With those words and the sight of Julieta looking thoroughly embarrassed, Bruno figured out what was going on and smirked, leaning in with his elbows on the table and his chin in his hands. And it wasn’t like Pepa was going to pass up an opportunity to tease her siblings further. She spilled the information out in a rush, delighting in her sister’s sounds of dismay.

Little did poor Julieta know, things were only going to get worse for her, and everyone else was going to thoroughly enjoy it.

“I hate to interrupt.” Bruno started, placing a hand in front of himself on the table.

“No you don’t.”

Bruno paused, giving Pepa a look.

“Yeah, I don’t, but! I do have something to share. So! I was going about my day, giving visions, getting yelled at all, you know, the usual.” Laila scoffed but otherwise didn’t comment, willing to let it go so she can hear the story. “One guy wanted me to visit because he wanted to ask about his love life.”

“Of course.” Julieta sighed, making Bruno smirk.

“So I do my vision and see who he’s going marry one day and you’re not going to guess who it was.”

Everyone’s eyes went to Julietta, her face going the brightest red any of them had ever seen. Pepa bursted out laughing, but Laila tried to shush her.

“Bruno, please, you have to tell us who this lucky man is. You can’t leave us in suspense like this!” She begged.

He leaned back in his chair, staring Julieta down with that mischievous smile of his, the corners of his eyes crinkling. Laila was laughing, too, and most definitely staring, but it wasn’t like she cared all that much if anyone noticed.

“Oh, I’m sure you know him. Handsome guy. What was his name again… Augustine?”

Bruno was quick to cover ears as Pepa let out the loudest, ear-splitting squeal any of them had ever heard. Laila covered her ears, too, laughing away with Bruno as Pepa’s cloud started dropping little bits of hail on them.

“Qué demonios, you people are so loud!” Sophia yelped in surprise from the front of the store, just serving to make them laugh harder.

“That’s it, I’m leaving.” Julieta slammed her hands against the wooden table before shimmying her way around her dying siblings to make her exit.

“Oh no you don’t! I want you to be there when I tell Mama!” Pepa dashed after her.

“Hold on!” Bruno shouted after them, but they were already gone. He sighed, shoving himself out of his chair to follow.

“Lo siento, but I definitely have to see this.”

“Adios, amigo! Vamos! Vamos!”

He flashed her a smile, all teeth and joy, the sort of smile that could stop a woman’s heart. It certainly felt like that to Laila. But before she could process that he was gone.

She sat there for a short moment before finally getting up with a sigh. Back to work with her.

Bruno better tell her what happens later.

Chapter Text

When the Madrigal triplets rushed out of her baker earlier, Laila was not expecting to see them again that day. That’s how it usually went with Bruno, at least. If he wanted to see more of her than just a visit, then he would ask her to come over for dinner and stay with her until she was ready to leave. There was no leaving and coming back later with him.

Which was why it surprised her so much when he came back later that night.

Sophia had already been sent home for the day and Laila was sweeping up the floor in the kitchen, nearly done closing up. Her thoughts were stuck on the warm bed that was waiting for her at home and the unfinished book on her bedside table.

Then she heard the front door open.

She made an irritated noise in the back of her throat. That only meant trouble. She knew she had switched to the closed sign. No one was supposed to be here.

She finished her sweeping first, leaving the broom leaning in the corner. She double checked all the ovens were off and the bread for tomorrow was prepped for the morning. Finally, she decided she couldn’t put it off anymore and went into the front.

She froze mid step, blinking, brow furrowed in confusion when she spotted the familiar green ruana. It was Bruno, pacing back and forth, sandaled feet scuffing against the wooden floors. His hood was up, his hair covering his face and his shoulders around his ears. He was worrying the bottom of his ruana and mumbling something to himself. He was clearly upset and Laila could feel her throat tighten at the thought.

“... Bruno?” She kept her voice quiet and gentle, but he still jumped, head snapping over to look at her, and she felt like her heart was going to break.

His eyes looked so sad and tired, glistening with unshed tears. She could never properly explain the depth of the pain there.

“Laila.” He breathed, eyes shimmering and breath hitching.

She was by his side in an instant, arms wrapped around him as tight as she could manage, which was perhaps a bit too tight, though Bruno didn’t say anything. He hugged back desperately, hands balling up the fabric on the back of her shirt, face buried in the crook of her neck. His whole body was shaking, a broken sob tearing its way out of the center of his being, so painful and distraught.

“Te tengo, cariño. Estoy aquí. No voy a ninguna parte.” She whispered into his soft hair, rubbing circles in his back and gently lowering him to the ground. She let him lean into her and cry into her skin, continuing to whisper the softest comforts she could think of, on the verge of tears herself. She held him tight and refused to let go, even as her body began to ache from being in an uncomfortable position for so, even as the night grew late and her eyes grew heavy. She would stay there as long as she needed too, even if it meant being there all night.

It wasn’t all night, though, granted it had gotten very, very late. Still, Bruno’s sobbing had gradually lessened until he was silent, though it seemed he had no want to let go any time soon. He forced himself to let go anyway, arms falling to his side. He kept his head where it was, taking in the comfort of her warmth and smell, warm and sweet, like baked pastries.

“Feeling better, cariño?”

He didn’t trust himself to speak, simply nodding his head the best he could.

“Do you want to go on a walk, clear your head?”

There was a pause, then another nod. She nodded in turn.

“Alright. I have to finish closing, but I’ll be right back, okay? I just have to write something down.”

An even longer pause was followed by a sigh as he pulled away completely, rubbing at his tear-stained cheeks and red eyes. He looked terrible, but she knew he had to be feeling at least a little better after a good cry. She shoved herself to her feet with a huff, stretching out the knots that had formed while she had been sitting there.

She wrote a quick note, leaving it on the fridge for Sophia to see in the morning, with an explanation that something had come up and she wouldn’t be in that day, followed by a few important instructions. She was rushing back to the front of the shop as soon as she could manage it, reluctant to leave Bruno alone for too long in the state he was in.

When she returned he was standing, leaning against the front counter. He looked more tired than ever, eyes drooping and body slouching. She needed to get the poor man home, in his bed so he could get some sleep.

He looked up at her and she offered a kind smile, reaching out her hand. He watched it a moment with emotionless eyes before taking it, letting her lead him out of the shop, only pausing briefly to turn the lights off and lock the front door.

The night had gotten chilly without the light of the sun and it was dark, the only light coming from the lampposts every once in a while, not a star in the sky. Clouds covering it all up, she was sure. But Bruno’s hand was warm in her, so she didn’t care.

They wandered around the cobblestone paths for several long minutes before he let out a deep breath.

“Lo siento …” He mumbled, head down and hair hiding his face. “Lo siento, I shouldn’t have bothered -”

“Don’t.” Laila’s voice was stern and hard, startling the man enough to have him look at her, catching the glint in her eyes from a passing lamppost. “You don’t need to apologize for that.” She continued, voice softer. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I’ll always be there for you. That’s just how it is.” She wanted to say more. She wanted to say how much she loved him, how much she wanted to never leave his side, to be there to wipe every tear and hear every laugh. But she thought that would be too much, at least for now.

Still, he seemed happy enough with your words. At least he wasn’t hiding his face anymore.

“Are you … do you want to tell me what happened?”

He shook his head, but not to say no. More like he was trying to clear his mind of something, quickly rubbing a hand down his face before she could see the tears threatening to fall again. She still noticed. He reached into his ruana, throwing a handful of something over his shoulder, no doubt salt. She knew how much he relied on his superstitions to fend off his bad luck.

“It’s stupid …” he mumbled. “I just … Mama got mad at me again and I - I guess … it - it just got to me, you know?”

She knew.

“Why? Did something happen?”

He shook his head again.

“Gave someone a - a bad vision and they complained. I made the family look - made the family look bad. I’m not - not …” He couldn’t finish the sentence, rubbing the tears from his eyes, or at least trying too.

Laila stopped walking, forcing Bruno to stop as well. When he looked to her his heart nearly stopped at the emotion clear on her face, lit by the warm glow of the nearest lamppost. He had never seen her so angry before, so completely furious it distorted her features into a mask of rage. Was she really shaking? He tried to put his free hand on her shoulder, to calm her or something.

She blinked at it, managing to calm herself with a few deep breaths.

“Why is that -” Another deep breath. “ - why is that your fault?”

He shrugged, looking away again, staring a the ground instead.

“I should have given them a better vision. I should have been able to calm them down afterwards. I should have - should have done something different. I don’t know.” He sighed.

Laila was too angry for words. Instead she hugged him. Sure, it was from the side and he was as stiff as a board, not really sure what to do, but that didn’t matter. She just needed to calm down enough to SAY! SOMETHING!

“... it’s not your fault…”

“Hm?” He tilted his head to the side, trying to see her face. She pulled away enough to look at him.

“It’s not your fault. You’re just doing your job, whether the visions are good or bad. You’re not bad luck, you never were. Those - those - malditos idiotas! ¿Qué diablos están pensando? And your mother! How dare she! How fucking dare she! Is some stupid, pointless image more important than her own son? ¡Maldita perra sin corazón!”

“¡Oye! Watch it! She’s still mi mama. She’s just doing what she thinks is best, for us and the Encanto.”

“Lo siento, lo siento.” Laila said with a sigh, scrubbing at her face. She did her snapping mantra to calm herself down and took a deep breath. When she looked at Bruno again, he was smiling at her, small and soft, sending her heart leaping in her chest.

“Alright, ready to go home yet?”

The smile left him and he stared off into the distance.

“Not really.”

“Come on, Bruno, you need to get some sleep.” He shrugged. “You could - you could always stay at my place for the night.” She offered, ignoring the blush it brought to her cheeks. “You can sleep in the guest room, or … if you don’t want to be alone, I can put the hammock up in my room.”

For a moment, Bruno didn’t respond, just continued staring off into the distance. But then, finally, he nodded.

“Okay.”

She nodded as well, gently pulling him along the street. It took a few moments to reach her home, but it was enough to help her calm down. The anger was still there, but she had managed to push it down enough to deal with later. Probably when you were alone and could curse out Bruno's madre without upsetting him. That insufferable woman!

No, push it down, now wasn’t the time.

The house was dark when the two of them arrived, but Laila didn’t bother to turn on any lights, leading Bruno through the rooms easily. It was a fairly small house, one she had lived in her whole life. She knew right where everything was. It wasn’t until they reached her bedroom that she actually turned on a light. The lamp on her bedside table was dim enough, she knew it wouldn’t hurt their eyes with the sudden light.

Bruno looked around the room while Laila rummaged about in the closet. It was a rather small room, with the only furniture being the bed shoved up in the corner and the bedside table and lamp. There was also a guitar in the opposite corner, surrounded by pages of sheet music. He cocked his head at it.

“I didn’t know you played guitar.” He stated in a hushed voice. He didn’t know why exactly, but it felt wrong to go any louder than that.

“Oh, yeah, occasionally. I can play the piano, too.” Laila said in an equally quiet voice, closing the door with a bundle of fabric in her arms. He stood there awkwardly, just watching as she hung the hammock up across on side of the room.

“So … is there a reason you have a random hammock in your closet.” He tried to joke, awkward smirk on his face.

“‘Cause sometimes I want to sleep in a hammock! What’s it to ya?” She whispered with a huff, throwing a pillow at his face. He snickered, not doing a thing to defend himself.

“Alright, all set. I’m going to get ready in the bathroom, you settle in.”

He nodded as she gathered some things and left the room. By the time she returned, changed into her nightgown with her hair down, Bruno was already asleep in the hammock, blanket pulled to his chin and ringlets splayed around his head.

She couldn’t help but smile fondly at him. He looked so peaceful, all the worries and troubles from the day erased from his features. As quietly as she could, she stepped closer to him, picking up his ruana and shirt he had thrown on the floor and folding them. She hesitated by his side for a moment, thinking something over very intently.

She stepped closer, gently brushing the hair out of his face, letting out a quiet sigh. She wondered how much longer it would take before he said anything, confessed his feelings for her. She was willing to be patient, but she wasn’t sure how much more patient she could get. Maybe she should just tell him herself …

Or maybe she was just thinking too hard and should probably go to sleep.

Slowly, she leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. She heard Bruno sigh in his sleep, the slightest of smiles tugging at the corners of his lips and her heart melted.

She had to force herself to leave him alone and go to bed, turning the lamp off and plunging everything in the quiet darkness of the night.

Chapter Text

Bruno groaned, sunlight shining right in his eyes, making it difficult to stay asleep. He tried, but it was a fruitless attempt. So, with a disgruntled sigh, he shoved the blanket away from his face and sat up in his hammock, rubbing a hand down his face. His eyes flickered over the fabric of the blanket, the hammock, the wooden floor, as he thought, remembering the night before.

He glanced over to the other side of the room where Laila was still sleeping soundly. She was stunning, dressed in her white nightgown, the blanket bunched at the end of the bed and the thin sheet barely hanging onto her form. Her hair was spilled out over the pillows and bed in a mass of soft black curls, a few stray strands disobediently clinging onto her dark cheeks, ruffled by her steady breathing. She looked so perfectly tranquil, expression relaxed. Everything about her was soft and peaceful and ethereal, like it was an angel asleep in that bed, not the human woman he knew she was.

He let out a gentle gasp at the sight, a lop-sided smile climbing its way on his face and eyes soft.

He wasn’t sure how he got so lucky to have someone so perfect and beautiful and kind as a close friend. The thought made his stomach churn uncomfortably, however, and he frowned. A close friend. That’s what they were, he knew that, but he hated it all the same. Would he ever be happy just being friends when he knew he felt so much love for her?

His hands fidgeted and twisted the blanket, fighting the urge to reach out to her. He wanted to be by her side, holding her close, feeling her warm body against his as she slept, safe in his arms. He wanted to run his hand through her hair. It looked so soft, sunlight falling on it making it burn with golden light. He wanted to feel the softness of her skin under his fingertips as they ghosted across her cheek, pushing the stray strands of hair out of her beautiful face. He wanted to see her wake up, eyes shining in the sunlight just like her hair, a sleepy smile tugging at her lips. He wanted to kiss your perfect lips, gentle and chaste, just enough for her to know how much he loved her.

His breath hitched, stuck in his throat. He needed to do something else, needed to distract himself.

He got up, stretching out his arms before glancing around for his shirt and ruana. He remembered taking them off and dropping them to the ground last night, but they weren’t there now. They were folded neatly and placed on the nightstand. He felt warmth blooming in his chest, a soft smile on his face. Carefully, he walked across the room, picking them up and putting the shirt on.

He glanced over to the bed, heart stopping at the sight of Laila sleeping. He was so close and his hand itched to touch her. And she was asleep. Maybe he could just …

He had moved before he could stop himself, brushing her hair out of her face just like he wanted to. He let his fingers linger for a moment on her cheek, watching her face closely. An overwhelming sense of love and adoration washed over him and he had to pull away before he bursted from it. He tore his eyes away, forcing himself to leave the room, closing the door gently behind him.

He took a deep breath, feeling his chest rise and fall, and shook his head. He couldn’t keep doing this. He knew he wouldn’t be able to go through his days like this. He longed for her more than he could stand, so much so it hurt. The thought of being without her made him feel like there was a coal in his gut, burning him from the inside out. He needed to do something!

He needed to tell her how he felt.

He just … he just needed the right time! Maybe she won’t go to work today and they could spend the whole day together. That should give him some opportunities. He nodded to himself. Yeah, that should work out.

But first…

-

Laila woke to the smell of something cooking. She groaned, but had no difficulty waking up, no fight to fall back asleep. When she was up, she was up, and there was no sleeping in. She stretched herself out, loosening her muscles for the day.

There would be no work today, she reminded herself, feeling whatever little tension she had leave her body. She had left a note for Sophia letting her know that something had come up and she wouldn’t be able to come in. She wanted to make sure Bruno got his sleep and if she got up when she usually did, then she’d be waking him up just before dawn. That wouldn’t have been nearly enough time.

She glanced over to the hammock, now hanging empty. She supposed that meant it was Bruno rummaging around her kitchen cooking breakfast. She should probably get up and make sure he didn’t burn the house down or something. She smiled at her little joke and got up, picking out her clothes for the day and getting dressed. She wasn’t even going to try and put her hair up today. She didn’t really need to, anyways, so she left it down.

When she left the bedroom, she saw Bruno attempting to cook. He didn’t notice her at first, concentrating intently on what he was doing. It looked like he was trying to stir some scrambled eggs, a stray strand of hair bouncing against his forehead. She smiled, chest filling with warmth. He was just so handsome, it really wasn’t fair. She let herself stand there a moment and watch, up until he had taken the eggs of the stove top and started rummaging through the cabinets.

“Plates are in the second on the left.”

Bruno jumped when she spoke, snapping his head towards her, surprised. After a moment he collected himself, giving a shy smile.

“Laila! I, uh, I didn’t see you there.”

For a moment he stared with wide eyes, standing there awkwardly, before he shook his head slightly, looking away with a red face and mumbling something under his breath.

“This one?” He asked, pointing to a cabinet and she nodded. He found the plates in there and took two out. While he plated the eggs, she busied herself setting the table and getting drinks. It had been a while since she had set the table, a very long while, since before her mother had gotten too ill to leave her bed. She frowned at the thought, a lump forming in her throat. She pushed it down, forced herself to keep going. Now was not the time for tears. Perhaps she would let herself grieve later today, but not before breakfast.

Bruno brought the plates over and she smiled at him, earning herself a smile in turn. She loved it when he smiled.

“Gracias, Bruno.”

He just nodded, not looking at her as he sat. For a moment they ate in silence, comfortable, enjoying the food. It wasn’t great, a little over cooked and rubbery, but that hardly mattered to her. Bruno had made it for her, in a stolen moment that was achingly domestic. She would have eaten it if it was charred black.

“So…” Bruno said, drawing her attention back to him. He was looking at her with those big brown eyes, the corners crinkling with his smile. “Got any plans for today?”

She hummed around her bite of eggs, then shook her head.

“I left a note telling Sophia I wouldn’t be in today.”

A look passed over Bruno’s eyes, one she couldn’t place, but he seemed excited. His smile was brighter than the sun.

“Well, what do you want to do?”

She shrugged.

“I’d love to visit the babies! And you still have to finish that story you were telling me last week.”

He chuckled, scratching at his thin beard.

“Alright, we can go over to Casita then!”

But he seemed nervous at the idea, probably not looking forward to seeing his mother again. It would be an awkward encounter after their fight, but no matter. She would be there to get him through it.

They did the dishes together when they were done. It only took a short moment, but Laila cherished it. It wasn’t long before they were out the door, laughing as they walked.

-

Laila squealed in delight when they finally reached Bruno’s bedroom, the rats scattering around her. That was fine. She was already holding on in her hands, still so little compared to the adults but much bigger than it had been a month ago when she gave it to Bruno. The little rat was familiar with her by now, letting her pet its cheek and sniffling at her hand.

“There’s my baby!” She cooed at it, heading over to sit on Bruno’s bed, crossing her legs. A few other rats came to investigate the intruder, before deciding she wasn’t doing any harm and scittering off to do whatever rats do.

Bruno watched her, smile soft and eyes warm. He decided to sit by her side, collecting a few of the other babies she had brought to show her. She squealed in delight at them, too, giggling when they started playing around her legs and shoulders, one daring to go so far as to climb onto her head. Bruno chuckled at the curious little creature.

“They’re growing so fast!” She had said, bringing her beautiful dark eyes to him. He just nodded.

“Sí, they grow fast. They have to, with such short lives.” He cursed himself when he saw her frown, but it was an unfortunate part of keeping rats as his beloved pets. Keeping that from her would only hurt her more when the poor thing lived out its life and had to leave so soon. “They only live a few years.”

She hummed, rubbing at the rat’s fuzzy cheek. It leaned into her touch, but she didn’t giggle like before.

“That’s gotta be rough, seeing so many of your pets … pass away so often.”

Bruno shrugged, smile strained.

“It is what it is. Do you remember where we left off in the story?”

Her eyes lit up at that, a dazzling smile on her face as she fell back on the bed, cradling whatever baby rats would sit still and suffer through it.

“Alejandra was about to confess her feelings to Julio.”
He chuckled, laying down next to her, making sure to leave at least a few inches of empty space between them.

“That’s right. She saw him standing alone by the lake, lit by the moonlight, and she knew she had to tell him! So she left the house, picking her way through the long grass until she finally was by his side. They looked out over the lake together until she felt she was ready.”

He weaved the story for her, having her hanging off of his every word. It was intoxicating, finally getting to tell his stories to someone. It was even more intoxicating to see her reactions to it. He felt his heart swell at every gasp, whine, and mumbled ‘no way’. She even rolled onto her side, the babies playing around her on the bed, her eyes on him the whole time. She looked so beautiful with her hair down, thick curls falling around her perfectly.

“But Julio grabbed her wrist before she could run away. ‘Wait! Please, hear me out. I know I tricked you, pretending to be my twin brother, but you have to understand! I only did it because I love you! I thought it was the only way you could love me back. I love you so much, mi amor.’”

Bruno glanced over to Laila to see her reaction, but he felt his heart skip several beats. The way she was looking at him got to him in a way nothing else ever had, face filled with so much adoration and love, like he was the most perfect, amazing thing to ever exist. How ironic, that he felt the same about her. He could feel his face flush, throat going dry. He probably should look away, but he couldn’t. A part of him thought that if he did, the moment would vanish and her with it.

“I can’t live without you, mi Alejandra.” he continued, unable to tear his eyes away from hers. He hardly even noticed that the space between them had grown smaller. “I long for you, amor. I long to hold your hands, to run my hand through your hair, to hold you close and just feel your warmth and hear your heartbeat. I want you so, so bad, with every fiber of my being. It’s like a fire, burning me up from the inside, consuming me. A life without you in it isn’t a life worth living. You bring light and warmth into my life. You make everything right.”

His voice had gotten quiet, just above a whisper. Laila leaned in closer til he could feel her breath against his lips. It sent a shiver down his spine, his face feverishly hot. He wasn’t sure when his silly story had become a love confession, but he put his own feelings into the words nonetheless, and he got the feeling she knew that. He took a deep breath.

“I love you. I love you too much to keep going like this. Please, stay with me?”

He could hear Laila’s breath stutter, the most beautiful smile flashing across her face. She chuckled, the sound like honey in his ears.

“Wow, Julio’s not usually that romantic.”

Bruno could feel his face heat up even more. He had to be as red as a tomato by now.
“Ah, w-well, that’s - “

And he had been fully prepared to go on an explanation that it wasn’t actually Julio, it was his brother, in case that hadn’t been clear, but he didn’t really get the chance to finish.

Soft lips were pressed against his and he felt himself melt into the mattress, a sigh escaping him. He heard Laila giggle and felt a wash of embarrassment, but that hardly mattered because she just kissed him again, a hand caressing his cheek. Without thinking about it, he gently grabbed her waist and pulled her closer, feeling her body against his. The kiss was slow, tender, and it made him feel like he was bursting with love and joy, a joy so deep and pure he wasn’t sure he could ever feel despair again.

She pulled away only when they needed to breathe, and even then Bruno let out a wine at the separation, burying his face in the crook of her neck. She giggled, running a hand through his hair and scratching at his scalp. He melted into her, soaking in the affection and closeness like he would starve without it.

“I love you, too, Bruno.”

Chapter Text

Dinner that night was a lively affair. Pepa and Julieta had also invited their boys, Félix and Augustine. Julieta and Augustine had started dating almost a week ago now, the man having plenty of opportunities to visit her with how clumsy he was. Laila wasn’t sure whether or not he was doing it on purpose. If he did, it certainly worked. Or maybe that was Bruno’s vision.

Either way, the dining room table was filled, laughter ringing out as they joked and teased and talked. It was a stark contrast to the silence of her home. She preferred the livelier environment by far.

By the time everyone had finished, no one was really ready to go home or to their rooms and leave their loves behind. While Pepa and Bruno worked on dishes, everyone else sat at the small wooden table, continuing the conversation. Laila couldn’t even remember what it was they were talking about. She did remember the smirk on Félix’s face when he suggested the idea.

“Hey, we should play a drinking game! Man, wouldn’t that be fun?”

The suggestion earned quite a few different responses. Pepa agreed pretty easily, but then again she had the feeling the woman would have agreed to anything her man said. Julieta seemed uncertain, but Augustine convinced her it would be fun. What better way for a couple to get to know each other than with a little game? Bruno shot Laila a look when Agustine said that before quickly looking away, face flushed slightly. She smirked at that

“Alright, I’ll play.” She agreed.

“Yeah, me too.” Bruno was quick to agree once she had.

The only one who refused was Alma, pushing herself away from the table.

“I think I’m a bit too old to be playing drinking games.” She had said.

“Nonsense!” Was Félix’s quick response. “You can’t be older than thirty-five!”

They all knew, of course, that Félix was just being a charmer. It always seemed to work on Alma, just as it was working now. The woman gave him a slight smile, but she shook her head.

“No, no, you kids have fun! I’ll just be going to my room for the night.”

They all told her goodnight as she left, deciding on the rules for their game while the dishes were finished. Bruno and Julieta were finished and sitting with them by the time they were ready. The rules were very similar to truth or dare. Someone would ask someone else in the group truth or dare and all that. If the person refused to tell the truth or do the dare, they would take a shot of tequila (under the conditions that every third shot had to be water). Simple enough with plenty of potential for shenanigans.

So they all sat around the small table with a shot glass filled with tequila in front of them, the bottle ready to refill whenever.

“Alright, I want to start!” Pepa said, eyeing the people in the group. “Félix, truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

She hummed, tapping a finger against her chin.

“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done to a family member?”

Félix let out a bark of laughter, not at all perturbed by the stares of everyone at the table.

“Probably pushing my brother out of that tree when we were little. Pretty sure he still holds a grudge from that.”

“As he should. Why’d you do that?” Laila said. He just shrugged.

“He called me a name. Now, Augustine! Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Are you really that clumsy, or are you just looking for excuses to see Julieta.”

The man’s face went red and he let out a cough, not looking anyway in the eye.

“... yes?” He said with a shrug.

“What the hell does that mean? Be clear, man.” Félix teased, smiling. Augustine shrugged.

“Both.”

Pepa awwed and Laila murmured, “I knew it.” Julietta smiled softly at him, grabbing his hand under the table. He smiled back.

“Anyway, uh … Bruno, truth or dare?”

“Ummm …” He thought, brow furrowed. “Let’s do a dare.”

“Alright, um … I dare you to …” Augustine glanced around the kitchen, looking for ideas. Julieta whispered something in his ear and he nodded, smirking. “Okay, I dare you to eat a raw onion.”

The look on Bruno’s face caused everyone to laugh.

“Come on, do we even have onions?”

Julieta was quick to leave for the fridge, coming back with a whole onion and placing it on the table.

“Eat up or take a shot, hermano.” She said with a smirk, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Bruno groaned, eyes flickering from his shot glass to the onion and back.

“Can I at least peel it?”

The group glanced at each other before shrugging and murmuring alright. So, Bruno grabbed the onion, peeled off the outer layer, and took a big bite, much to the displeasure of everyone around him.

“That’s so gross!” Pepa said with a laugh.

Bruno shook his head, making the most disgusted face, forcing the bite of onion down and groaning.

“Dios mio, I hate onions.” He mumbled and Laila snickered. “Julieta, truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

Bruno smirked, reaching underneath his ruana and taking out a rat, making everyone let out some very loud noises, both in delight and disgust. Julieta took her shot, shaking her head.

“I’m not holding your stupid rat!” She yelled, her words met with laughter.

“Is he asking you to hold rats often?” Laila asked, bewildered.

“Way too often!” She groaned, putting her head in her hands. “He’s been trying to get me to hold one of those things since we were, like fifteen. But I can’t do it! They’re just so disgusting!”

“Hey!” Bruno said defensively, the rat scurrying out of his hands to sit at his shoulder, starting to clean itself. “They aren’t disgusting! I’ll have you know they are very clean!”

Julieta waved his comment away.

“That changes nothing. Laila, you haven’t gone yet have you? Truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

“I dare you to hold the rat!”

Laila gave her a deadpan look, not even looking or hesitating to grab the rat off Bruno’s shoulder and holding it, petting it’s cheeks with her thumbs.
“Come on. You really think I haven’t held one of these before?”

Pepa snickered at her sister, earning herself an elbow in the side.

“My turn! Okay …” Laila looked around the group, landing on Pepa. “Can I ask two people if they agree?” Bruno shrugged and the others seemed just as uncaring about the details, so she went on. “Okay, this one is for Pepa and Félix, then. Truth or dare?”

The two whispered amongst each other.

“Truth.” Pepa finally said, and Laila smirked, leaning back in her chair.

“Have you two, you know … slept together yet.”

That got a lot of very loud yelling, making her smirk and cover her ears. Julieta was going on about how inappropriate the question was, Bruno was yelling about not wanting to know about his sisters sex life, and Augustine just looked appaled. Pepa and Félix clinked their shot glasses and drank.

“Well, since we’re going there, Laila, truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Are you a virgin?”

“No. Augustine, truth or - “

“Hold on a second, you can’t leave us like that! Give us the details!” Pepa interrupted, giving her a hard look.

Laila didn’t miss the look on Bruno’s face. He was very unhappy with the answer, as much as he tried to hide it. It was stupid to think that she hadn’t been with anyone before, but it still bothered him. The idea of anyone being with her like … that, it felt wrong. She just rolled her eyes.

“What is there to say? I was seventeen, it was just some guy. The whole thing was awkward and uncomfortable and I didn’t really enjoy it. Haven’t done it since. I told myself I’d wait until I met someone I actually liked. Now, Augustine, truth or dare?”

Pepa and Julieta shared a look, though she didn’t know what it meant.

“Dare.”
“I dare you to say how you feel about everyone in this room.”

He grimaced at that, but nodded.

“Well, I think Julieta is the most beautiful, kind woman in existence.” He said with a wide smile in her direction. She blushed, covering her face, but there was a smile on her lips too. “I think Pepa is a good sister, even if she does tease a lot. Félix is a fun guy. Bruno is the nicest guy I know, and Laila is …” He frowned as he tried to think of something.

“Just give me your first impression.” She encouraged and he shrugged.

“Loud.” He finally settled on, making the group laugh. Said woman just shrugged.

“I can be.”

It went on like that for quite some time, going late into the night. At some point it had devolved into getting Laila to take a shot. Somehow, she had gone the whole night without a single drink, and everyone was determined to get to her.

“Tell us your greatest fear.” Pepa said.

“Other than living alone, that one day Diego will get fed up with my constant rejections and attack me or force himself onto me.”

Pepa sighed, letting her head fall to her hands. Another failure, though the answer was serious enough to be believable.

“Worst sexual experience?” Félix tried.

“I only had the one and already told you about it, try again.”

“Biggest turn on?” Pepa tried again.

That one at least caused her to pause, but she just smirked and shook her head. “A bunch of stupid little things. As long as I’m in love with the guy, it could be anything.”

The group went silent for a moment, thinking. Except for Bruno. He was happy enough watching everyone else struggle, a dopey smile plastered on his face as he leaned back in his chair, his leg pressed against hers. He was probably drunk, she thought. He had almost the most shots out of the group, second only to Julieta who herself looked rather red faced.

Speaking of whom …

“I got it!” she declared with a clap, startling Augustine. “I dare you to kiss Bruno!”
Pepa gasped, quick to join her sister’s plan.

“And no peck on the cheek or anything!” She added. “A proper, long kiss, on the lips!”

Bruno was suddenly very interested with the table, knocking against the surface, face flushing red. Laila, however, remained unphased. She smirked at the sisters, shaking her head again.

“Really? You want to do this now? What sort of first kiss is that?” She scoffed, the smirk unwavering.

“You’re right.” Julieta said with a shrug, flashing a smirk of her own. “It would be the worst. Guess you better take that shot, huh?”

For a moment, the two women simply stared at each other, a battle of wills. One that Laila would win as Julieta’s smirk slowly faded. She glanced over to Bruno, face as red as a tomato but now he was looking at Laila with such loving eyes, filled with nothing but adoration. Laila chuckled, turning to Bruno as well.

She leaned in and pressed her lips against his, gently. It took Bruno a moment to realize what was going on, but once he did he melted into her, caressing her cheek and kissing back. She didn’t let it last too long, pulling back after a few moments, smiling at the look on his face. He was staring with wide eyes before he began to blush, looking away with a lopsided grin. A giggle bubbled up out of him and he clumsily granned at his hood, pulling it down to cover his face and resting his head on the table. She chuckled, turning back to the group who were staring at the two of them with mouths agape.

The yelling that followed was deafening, but it did little to wipe the smile off her face. Julieta and
Pepa wanted to know everything! Since when? When was the first kiss? What was it like? When was she going to tell them? She didn’t answer any of theri questions, happily watching the sisters flounder and freak out.

Under the table, Bruno nudged her leg with his, hand searching for hers. She gave it and he squeezed slightly, another giggle bubbling up as he peered at her from under his hood. He looked so happy, making her heart melt.

Chapter Text

They decided to call it a night shortly after that, everyone yawning and stumbling off to wherever they went. Laila made it her responsibility to get Bruno back up the stairs of his room and into bed before she left for home.

Unfortunately, Bruno didn’t seem to want to move from his spot at the table. He watched everyone else as they left the table, mumbling goodbyes, but he remained firmly in place.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed.” She said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

He shook his head slightly and groaned, resting his head on the table and burying his hands in his hair. It was odd, he had been fine just moments before, but now his whole body was tense, like he was in pain.

“Mi amor, are you okay?”

He shook his head again, only slightly, just enough that she could see it move.

“Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

“Headache…” He slurred, looking up to her with a grimace on his face. His eyes glinted bright green and he closed them tight, another groan tearing it’s way out of his throat.

“I’ll get you some water and food.” She reassured him, kissing his temple before doing just that. There were some spare arepas on the counter and she grabbed one, hoping it would help with the pain, and went searching through the cabinets for a glass. There was a clicking as casita moved the tiles on the counter, catching her attention. She accepted the offered glass with a nod, filling it and returning to Bruno’s side.

He had his chin resting on his folded arms, staring ahead blankly. His eyes were glowing a bright green, like when he had his visions, the glow washing the table in green. Was he having a vision now? She thought he needed to do his ceremony to have visions. Could he just got them sometimes? She realized that, even though they had known each other for six months or so now, she had never asked how exactly his gift worked. No matter, she could ask him later.

For now, Laila sat next to him, setting the water and food down and scooting her chair as close to his as she could get it. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, drawing him up and into her where she could comfort him best, running a hand through his hair, the other gently rubbing his arm. She wasn’t sure he could feel it, nor hear the whispered reassurances, but she hoped he could, just so that he knew she was still there.

It only lasted a few minutes before he was blinking, the light fading and a grimace fixing itself onto his face. He groaned, leaning into her and burying his face into the fabric of her shirt.

“You okay?” He hummed and nodded. “Why don’t you drink some water and eat, then. You’ll feel better.”

For a moment he didn’t move, more than comfortable enough being held in her arms. Eventually, he sighed and detangled himself from her. She nudged the glass and arepa and he obediently drank and ate, a frown tugging at his lips. It looked like he was thinking about something, shoulders tense. Once he was done, He sat for a moment and stared at the table, running a finger over the grain of the wood while he thought. Then he knocked on the wood, mumbling under his breath, “knock knock knock knock knoc, knock on wood”. He finished it with a gentle rap against his head, digging under his ruana for a handful of salt that was promptly thrown over his shoulder. He took a deep breath, held it for several seconds, and let it out slowly, a bit of tension easing out of his body.

“Want to go to bed?” Laila asked, drawing his eyes to her. All she could see in his gaze was worry before he quickly looked away, nodding. He pushed himself away from the table, rising on wobbly legs. She was quick to get up, too, standing by his side and supporting him.

The two made their way out of the kitchen and up to his room. It was a fairly long journey on its own, but it felt even longer with a drunk Bruno clinging onto her. Still, they managed it well enough and made it to his room without falling. Once the door had closed he stumbled over to his bed, collapsing onto the soft blankets with a sigh.

“At least take the ruana off, amor.” Laila said with a sigh of her own and a fond shake of her head. He stared at her from his spot on the bed a moment, blinking lazily. He huffed and pushed himself up so that he was sitting, yanking on the offending fabric until he had managed to pull it over his head and toss it to the ground. He fell on his back, humming as the rats hopped onto the bed with him.

Laila watched from her spot by the door, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Once he had settled and her job was done, she pushed herself away from the wall and walked towards him. He opened an eye slightly as she approached, a smile spreading over his face. He patted the empty space next to him on the bed, beckoning her to come lay by him, by she shook her head, smiling back fondly.

“I can’t stay, I have work in the morning.” She said with a giggle, leaning down to kiss his forehead. He pouted at that, trying to grab at her to make her stay but she managed to step back just in time.

“Please, don’t go.” He whined, rolling onto his side to look up at her with his big eyes.

“I have to.” She said again, voice gentler and quieter. His face turned darker, concerned and worried, no more joking around. He even sat up.

“You - you can’t.” he stuttered, eyes pleading. She frowned at that, but still refused to sit down.
“Why not, amor? Did … did you see something?”

He looked down at his lap, worrying his bottom lip. After a moment he nodded.

“I - I saw you. You were going home alone, and someone - someone …” he struggled to finish the sentence, motioning with his hands like he was trying to grasp for the right words. “You got hurt.” He finally said, looking up at her with the saddest eyes.

She thought for a moment.

She really did need to get home if she wanted to actually go to work in time tomorrow. She couldn’t skip out on Sophia two days in a row, that just wasn’t fair to the girl. But if she was in danger just from walking home like Bruno said, and she had no reason to believe he was lying, then she couldn’t leave.

“Did I have a knife?”

He gave her a confused look, head tilted to the side slightly.

“In your vision, when I ‘got hurt’, did I have a knife with me?” His eyes looked over her shoulder as he thought a moment, then he shook his head. “I’m I being attacked in some way.” There was another pause before he nodded. “Then I’ll just take a knife. I’m not above stabbing someone if they attack me. I can defend myself.”

But he still looked worried. He stood up, taking the few steps to reach her and wrapped her in a hug, determined not to let her go.

“Please, you can’t go. You’ll be safest if you stay.”

She sighed, walls slowly falling to the warmth and comfort of his body. She really did want to stay, but …

She sighed.

“Do you have an alarm clock or something? I do still have to get up in the morning with enough time to go home, change clothes and wash up, and get to the bakery in time for it to open.”

Bruno hummed and shrugged, looking at her hopefully.

“Casita could wake you up.”

The nearby floorboards creaked as if agreeing. She sighed again.

“Fine, I’ll stay for the night. But I need to be up at five am sharp!” Another groan came from the floorboards. Bruno smiled, bright as ever, and pulled her towards the bed, causing her to fall on top of him as he fell over onto the mattress. He giggled at the situation but she huffed, rolling her eyes though she was still smiling. She pulled away from him to lay down properly and get under the blankets and Bruno did the same, snuggling close to her so he could hold her close. He buried his face in the crook of her neck with a sigh, draping one arm around her waist and the other going under his pillow to help cushion his head. She giggled, running a hand through his black curls, drawing another sigh out of him as he relaxed further into her.

The lights were turned off, plunging them in darkness. Laila yawned, allowing the late hour to draw her into sleep.

“Buenos noche, mi todo. Te quiero.” She murmured. Her only response was Bruno’s soft, even breathing as he slept soundly by her side.

Chapter Text

It was early when a figure slipped out of Bruno’s room, closing the door as quietly as possible in her attempt not to wake anyone. The sun wasn’t even up yet, just the slight graying of the sky giving any hint that it was on its way.

Laila sighed once the door was closed, so close to escaping without waking anyone. She tiptoed down the stairs and into the courtyard, the chill of the morning air seeping into her skin and making her shiver. She had nearly made it to the door when a voice made her jolt.

“Trying to sneak out?”

She groaned quietly, turning to face the source of the voice.

Julieta was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, arms crossed and smirking.

“I just didn’t want to wake anyone.” She said with a shrug.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. No one can hear anything in those rooms. Would you like some coffee?”

“Dios, si. I’d love a cup.”

The kitchen was dark and cold, but the lights turned on the moment the two entered and it was quick to warm up as Julieta got started with her cooking for the day. After a large glass of water, of course, and a noble at a snack to ease the pain of her headache. Laila chuckled at her, earning a washcloth to the face.

“Oh hush, you.” She scolded with a shake of her head and starting the coffee. “So … you spent the night.”

Laila rolled her eyes, sitting at the same wooden table as the night before.

“Hey, it’s nothing like that! There was no funny business, just sleeping. Besides, he was far too drunk to stay awake.”

Julieta hummed, brows furrowed.

“Sure. Then why didn’t you just go home? It has to be easier to get ready for work.”

“Because Bruno asked me not to.” Julieta looked confused, so Laila elaborated. “After you all left he had a vision. Apparently I was attacked on the way home or something of the sort. He begged me to stay. How could I say no?” She paused. “Unless he was lying, but I highly doubt that.”

Julieta nodded, placing a cup in front of Laila filled with strong coffee, just what she needed in the early morning. “Gracias.” She mumbled and took a sip. Julieta sat next to her with her own cup, sighing.

“Bruno never lies, not about his visions.”

Laila hummed thoughtfully, taking another sip.

It was … concerning to say the least. There wasn’t a lot of crime in Encanto. Perhaps some vandalism from some kids here or there, but nothing serious. Definitely no attacks in the dead of night. Who could possibly hate her that much?

She really didn’t need to think that hard.

“It was probably Diego, el culo. Can’t imagine how I’ve managed to make anyone else angry.” She said with a nod, gulping down the last of her coffee. “Any chance I could borrow a knife?”

Julieta got up, rummaging through one of the many drawers and not coming back until she had found a small paring knife.

“Just make sure you return it, preferably without blood.”

-

Bruno woke up to an empty bed and a pounding headache.

He groaned and shifted, burying his face in the pillow in a vain attempt at falling back asleep. He felt cold and alone and didn’t want to face the day. Unfortunately, the headache was just bad enough to prevent him from falling back asleep, no doubt made worse by the unwanted vision the night before.

Images flashed before his eyes, memories of what he saw. A dark night, the flash of something metal, and Laila, his Laila, his everything, slumped over on the road. A whine caught in his throat and he sat up, pressing his hands into his closed eyes hard, trying to fight off the images, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t stop the flashes of red, her stained clothing, her warm eyes cold and empty.

He all but jumped out of bed, wincing at the pain in his head but forcing himself to get changed, to keep going, to not think about it, don’t think about it. With a final tug he pulled his ruana over his head, the weight on his shoulders a comfort. He practically ran down the stairs, to the kitchen, escaping the walls of his room as they closed in on him. He didn’t stop until he had reached the other side of his door, letting it slam behind him. He leaned against the balcony railing, taking deep breaths and trying to clear his head.

He closed his eyes and listened. He could hear Julieta in the kitchen downstairs, the various birds calling in the jungle, the wind blowing through the house. He took another deep breath, smelling the morning air and the food cooking downstairs. He gripped the railing tighter, searing the feeling of the painted wood into his skin. He felt his heart rate slow, evening out.

He was calmer, but the anxiety wouldn’t wash away. He needed to see her, to make sure she was okay. Maybe he could visit her before he went to do his visions.

But first, he had to get through breakfast.

He winced in pain again, rushing down the stairs to the relief the kitchen offered.

“You’re up early.” Julieta commented. He grunted in response, grabbing a glass and watching as it filled with water. His hand itched and he knocked it against the counter.

“You - you didn’t happen to see Laila leave this morning, did you?” His voice was softer than he wanted it to be and he winced, gulping down the water and filling the glass again.

“I did, we had some coffee together before she left.”

He nodded and let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t leave at night, the vision couldn’t have come true. He drank his second glass and left to sit at the table, cradling his head in his hands as he fought through the headache.

“ … are you doing okay?” He heard Julieta ask and winced but tried to nod against the wood.

“Yeah, yep, I’ll be fine. Just a bit of a headache. I’ve had worse.” He gave an awkward chuckle and for a moment it was quiet again.

“That’s not what I was talking about, hermanito.” He lifted his head to look at her, confused. She didn’t say anything, just gave him a look, her hands on her hips. It took several long moments before it clicked and he quickly looked away, keeping his eyes trained on the table.

“... what did she tell you?”

“Oh, nothing much.” She said, turning back to her cooking. “Just that you had a vision of her getting attacked and made her stay the night.”

The air hung heavy between them, much being left unspoken. She wanted him to talk about it, he knew that, but he didn’t want to. The images flashed in front of his eyes once more. Such deep red, almost black in the dark of the night.

But it was day now. The sun was shining bright outside. She was safe at the bakery.

“I … it - it was really bad …” Was what he came up with. He tried swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat but it stuck. “There was so much blood and, and, and her eyes were so … empty, I - I …” He didn’t finish the sentence, lapsing into silence, fighting off the tears.

Julieta had stopped what she was doing, a concerned frown on her face. That just made Bruno feel guilty. He hated upsetting his family with his visions, but, he decided, this was too important. He couldn’t let Laila get hurt. Even as he thought that he could almost smell a metallic tint to the air.

That vision would never leave him.

-

He rushed out of the house the moment he could, barely managing a goodbye to his mother before he was out the door. Logically, he knew she was fine, but his anxiety wouldn’t settle until he had seen her.

The streets were already bustling with life, people going about their day, glancing his way before hurriedly looking away. He paid them no mind, hardly noticed they were even there. He only sped up when he saw the bakery in the distance, not relaxing a moment until he was in the door and saw Laila at the counter.

She blinked at his sudden appearance, Sophia jumping from where she was stocking the display. But he didn’t care, not really. He just needed to see that she was safe.

“... hey, Bruno, are you okay?” she asked, eyes full of nothing but worry, confusion, and love, making his heart melt and he smiled.

“Yeah,” He said, walking over to her. “I just wanted to see you.”

And she smiled too, the prettiest sight that took his breath away. It felt like all the anxiety in his body vanished in an instant, replaced with love and adoration for her.

“If you say so, amor.” She said with a chuckle and a slight shake of her head. “Do you have any work today?”

He nodded, leaning against the counter close to her.

“Yeah, I have a lot of visions to do. I’ve gotten almost ten requests.”

“Sounds exhausting.” she said with a sympathetic sigh, then thought a moment. “I could always go with you, if you want. And if Sophia is okay with it. I know I’d be gone two days in a row, but …”

“I’m okay with it!” Sophia said, walking over to the counter with her empty tray. “I like to think I’m getting pretty good at handling the shop myself!” She said with a bright smile, proud of herself. But Bruno seemed hesitant. His lips pursed together in a tight line, staring at the counter.

“You don’t have to. It’s - It’s not exactly … pleasant work. Sometimes I can see some pretty terrible things.”

“All the more reason for me to come with you.” She said with a wave of her hand. “I can help you. Be your emotional support and all that.” He frowned, but he could see the determined glint in her eyes and knew she would not be taking no as an answer. He was so grateful for it.

“Fine, if you want.” He finally relented.

“Perfect! I’ll be right back.” She smiled brightly at him before disappearing into the back.

Bruno sighed, resigned to wait for her return in the corner, out of the way of the few customers that came in, casting glances his way before hurrying out with their goodies. He pulled his hood over his head, looking out the window, trying to disappear from their eyes.

It was then that he noticed the man standing outside, across the cobblestone road by the other shops. He was tall and built and would have been handsome had he not been glaring, anger twisting his face into an ugly look. And that glare was directed right at the bakery. Bruno felt a shiver run down his spine and forced himself to look away. It was easier to do when Laila was walking out of the back, now without her apron.

“Alright, you ready?”

He nodded and they left the bakery, ready to start the long day ahead of them.

Chapter Text

It was a hard day. Thankfully, none of the visions were too terrible. Bruno didn’t have to predict any deaths, though he did tell a few people about coming illness. Many would become upset with him once their visions were read, but that’s where Laila would step in. She was better with people, he decided, and was able to help calm them down. They were just warnings, she would tell them. Take the opportunity to be prepared, she would say, and they handled that far better than whatever he would have made up to try and help.

“Maybe you should come with me more often!” He had said with a laugh, getting her to smile. “People like you a lot more than they like me.”

She just huffed and waved her hand.

“They’re just too caught up in their own gossip.” She said, “But, I wouldn’t mind coming with you more often. You only go out every couple of days or something, right? I could do that.”

He wanted to tell her no. The last thing he wanted was to put her through the same abuse he went through. He never wanted to see her hurt. But, at the same time, he wanted to say yes. He wanted to have her come with him, to help and comfort him. He wanted to be selfish, just this once. Laila was a stubborn woman and would no doubt come anyways, every time, whether he wanted her there or not.

“Alright.” He finally said. “Not sure I could stop you anyway.”

She smirked and shrugged.

“No, you can’t.”

They chuckled together at the shared joke, however lame it may have been, before they had to continue on to the next home on the list.

They took a break around midday, stopping at the marketplace to find a stand that was selling something they could snack on.

“Bruno, look!” Laila grabbed his attention, pointing to one stand in particular. “Empanadas! Can you get some for us? I’ll get some fruit, too, and we can meet back up here.”

He agreed and they separated. It was only for a moment, there was no long line to wait through, just the bustling crowd to wade through. It was while he was waiting for the food that he was suddenly hit by something hard, sending him stumbling, though he managed to stay on his feet. He looked around himself, a confused frown on his face and an apology ready on his tongue, but the words never came out.

It was the man, the same man he had seen outside the bakery earlier that morning. He glared at Bruno before vanishing into the crowd, there one second and gone the next, leaving him confused. His stomach churned uncomfortably, a terrible feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.

But, then again, he did have the bad habit of overthinking things sometimes. Perhaps it was nothing. So he stayed where he was, getting the food, all while that feeling grew stronger inside him. It was the sense of impending doom, like something terrible was going to happen.

The moment he had the empanadas he left, searching the crowd for Laila. She wasn’t in the spot they were supposed to meet at, nor could he find her at any of the fruit stalls. And the feeling continued to grow, like a hand around his throat, nearly choking him with how overwhelming it was.

She wasn’t in the marketplace anymore. When he realized that he felt panic grip him. His vision from the night before returned to him. He couldn’t breathe.

He needed to calm down.

He took a deep breath, leaning against the stone of the building behind him. He focused on his heartbeat, forcing himself to take deep breaths until it had slowed. A calmness swept over him, cold and eerie, unlike anything he had felt before. That was fine. At least he had calmed down.

He threw a handful of salt over his shoulder and focused. The breeze picked up suddenly, swirling around him, making his hair and ruana sway. His eyes began to glow a bright emerald green, startling the people closest to him. They walked farther away, giving him concerned looks and murmuring to each other, but he couldn’t see or hear them.

He just needed to know where she was. A few seconds from now, maybe a few minutes, not a lot.

There she was.

It was over in an instant and he was pushing his way through the crowd, to the alley he had seen her in. It took longer than he would have liked to reach it, the crowd slowing him down more than before. He heaved a sigh of relief when he found her, his angel, unhurt.

She was standing in the shade of an alleyway, a look of complete fury on her face, a glare strong enough to kill someone fixated on the man that loomed over her. He was saying something to her, a hand on the wall behind her, blocking off her escape into the marketplace. Bruno couldn’t see his face properly, but he could see Laila’s, her lips twitching into a scowl. As he neared she tried to escape, to duck under his arm and reach the crowd, but before she could he grabbed her, grip tight on her upper arm, and yanked her back against his body. A pained grimace crossed her face.

Bruno could feel his blood boil at the sight.
“Hey! Let her go!”

The shout escaped him before he had even thought about it, startling both of them. The man’s grip loosened enough for Laila to pull herself away, spinning around in a flurry of green skirts, eyes flashing. His eyes widened in shock as she pulled her arm back and punched the man right in his nose. There was a sickening crunch, a stream of crimson flowing down his face as he screamed in pain.

That was when Bruno reached them, hand grabbing Laila’s to pull her further away, even as she kicked and screamed and spit profanities at the man.

“Don’t touch me! Don’t you fucking touch me! Leave us the fuck alone!” She yelled over and over again, mixed with as many curses and insults as her mind could come up with, and she was very creative. All Bruno could do was hold her back with a gentle hand, letting the crowd yell and shout around them, confused and furious themselves. Several had gathered around the injured man, trying to help or hold him back. Chaos had erupted around them, but Bruno could hardly pay it any attention. Laila had all his attention, angry tears pouring down her face, making his heart break.

“Please, mi todo, look at me.”

Somehow, over all the commotion, she heard him. Her head spun to face him, gaze softening. Though the fury still blazed inside her eyes he could also see the fear that had her in a vice-like grip. She breathed heavily, almost panting. He rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles, drawing her closer so he could embrace her, surrounding her in the safety of his arms. He glared at the man over her shoulder, but kept his voice gentle and quiet for her, feeling her shaking lessen as she calmed down.

“Enough!”

The voice cut through the din like a knife, causing silence to fall immediately. The only sound to be heard was the sharp footsteps of heeled boots against the cobblestone and Laila’s heavy breathing. Bruno refused to look away from the man, but he didn’t need to to know it was that had arrived.

His mother came into view, standing between the two groups, sharp eyes searching, taking in the situation. Then, she turned her back to Bruno, facing the man.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“I don’t know!” He yelled, eyes glaring at Laila over the towel that had been shoved in his face to soak up the blood. “We were just talking and this puta went crazy! She might have killed me!”

The crowd murmured, a few giving the woman cautious glances, others shaking their heads. Alma simply nodded and turned to Laila, still in Bruno’s arms, clutching desperately at his ruana. She took a deep breath, murmuring her calming mantra under her breath. Then she peeled herself away from Bruno and he was forced to let her go and watch as she drew herself up, face like stone.

“I admit, it was an overreaction on my part to hit him, but it most certainly did not come from nowhere.” Alma nodded her understanding and motioned for her to continue. “This man is my neighbor, Diego. He’s been harassing me for months.”

“Harassing!” The man yelled with a forced bark of laughter. “I say hello when I see you. How is that harassment?”

Alma raised a hand, causing him to shut his mouth.

“Laila, continue.”

She nodded and took another deep breath.

“He’s right. He does greet me every morning, before his attempts to get me to … be with him, if you know what i mean. I’ve said no every time and asked him to stop and leave me alone, but he will not. This morning, when I left home, he didn’t bother me. I had hoped that meant he had finally listened, but apparently not, because not long after I noticed he was following me. When I reached the bakery he stayed outside, standing across the street and refusing to leave until I left again and he continued to follow me. I thought I had lost him in the crowd, but then he pulled me into the alley.”

She kept her voice even and calm, but Bruno could see her hands clutching at her skirts, knuckles white. Bruno felt his heart sink and a wave of guilt wash over him. Had he really not noticed they were being followed? He should have never agreed to split up. He should have stayed by her side. Then none of this would have happened.

“He was just talking to me, I admit, but the things he was saying … absolutely disgusting and horrendous things, what he would do to me once he had the chance.” She couldn’t suppress the shiver that crawled up her spine. “But the worst of it, the most unforgivable thing he did, was threaten the life of the ones I love. That’s when I tried to leave and he grabbed my arm and pulled me against his chest and … and I’m afraid I panicked.”

Alma looked Laila over before giving another curt nod and looking back to Diego, though she did not face. She was not happy with that man, Bruno could tell, not happy at all.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” She asked, voice cold and stern.

The man was glaring at Laila, but tore his eyes away, giving an innocent, concerned look. Bruno felt anger rising in him once more, but he kept it down.

“I believe this is all just a huge misunderstanding.” He said, wiping at the blood on his face with the towel, finally taking it away from his face. “I didn’t mean to come off as anything but friendly. I was just trying to make polite conversation. As for following her, I was just concerned for her. I saw her leaving her house yesterday with … well, a less than desirable sort. She didn’t get home at all that day. I was worried, so when I saw her leave this morning, I followed her, just to make sure she was okay. I pulled her in the alleyway just to talk to her.”

The crowd seemed swayed by his defense, but Alma remained cold, unphased. She narrowed her eyes at the man.

“She is a full grown woman, not a child. She can spend her time with whoever she chooses, and she has clearly not chosen you. There is no reason for you to continue to bother her when she has repeatedly asked you to leave her be. And there is even less reason for you to grab her when she tries to leave. You have no excuse not to be listening.”

Alma’s heels clicked against the stone as she turned back to Laila.

“Your arm, querida. May I see?”

She nodded after a moment, letting the older woman grab her arm with gentle hands, inspecting her for injuries. She tutted at the forming bruise on her arm, discoloring the dark skin, and gently prodded at the busted knuckles from where she had hit Diego, tearing out a hiss of pain.

“Bruno, mi hijo, take her to see Julieta. And let her know we need a pastry here as well.”

He obeyed in an instant, warm hand in hers as he led her away, leaving his mamá to decide what to do about Diego.

They walked in silence, Laila working on dampening her fury and evening out her breathing and Bruno focused intently on getting her to Julieta.

The woman in question was in her usual spot by the church, a short line of townspeople waiting patiently for their turn to be healed by her food. She noticed the two approaching, waving at them happily before she noticed the looks on their faces.

“Brunito, what happened?” She asked once they were close enough. “Is someone hurt?”

“Laila is.” He said solemnly, shoving the woman closer to the stand. She sighed.

“It’s not that bad.” She huffed while Julieta busied herself searching for the injuries. Laila offered up her arm and she was quick to take it in her gentle hands.
“Ai, what happened to cause this?” She said with a wince, already heading back to her stand for a treat that would fix the damage.

“Diego grabbed me and I punched him in the face.” Julieta stared, surprised by her bluntness.

“Diego? The man who can’t take a hint, that Diego?” Laila nodded and Julieta tutted, shoving the small pastry into the other woman’s uninjured hand. “That’s … concerning.”

Bruno snorted.

“No, really? You don’t say?”

Both women shared a glance with each other before turning their worried gazes to him. There really wasn’t more to say, though. They knew of his vision on the matter, or at least pieces of it. They knew how dire the situation was, and it was eating at them all.

Laila ate her goodie, sighing in relief as the bruise on her arm vanished and the skin on her knuckles stitched itself back together. Bruno watched intensively, only relaxing when he had seen that she was okay, carefully taking the once injured hand in his and laying a kiss on her knuckles.

“It’s going to be fine, in the end.” He said, pressing another kiss into her forehead. “I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you.” And he held her tight, as close to him as he could manage, just to feel her warmth, to feel that she was there and safe. She hugged him back, burying her face in the crook of her neck, a sad sort of chuckle escaping her.

“It’s not me I’m worried about.”

Chapter Text

“What happened?”

Laila and Bruno shared a glance before his eyes returned to the wood of the table and she shrugged.

They were now sat at the dining table in Casita, Alma looking the two down with her stern eyes. Pepa and Juliet were sat across from them, looking terribly concerned by the whole situation. Everyone knew very little about what was going on, and Alma wasn’t having it. She was determined to get the full picture, which meant interrogating her children for what they knew.

“I already told you everything from my end.” Laila said first. “At least what happened today. Bruno did have a vision last night that may be connected.”

Bruno gave her a halfhearted glare, but there was no heat behind it. She mouthed an apology and he rolled his eyes. It would’ve been brought up eventually. It was probably better to just have it said upfront.

Alma’s eyes were on his, waiting. He kept his head down, fiddling with his fingers and knocking on the wood. His breath caught in his throat as he tried his best not to let the images overwhelm him. It helped that he could feel her hand in his under the table, warm, soft, present and not dead. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself, but his voice still came out shaky when he spoke.

“I-I did have a vision … last night, after everyone else left. Um …” Another deep breath. It was - was about Laila. I didn’t see … who did it, but in the vision she was … attacked. It was … very, very bad…” His breath hitched at the memory, her lifeless body on the side of the street, no one around to help. He could feel his eyes start to burn, but forced himself to finish, unable to meet anyone’s eyes, especially hers. “She - she … didn’t make it.”

There was silence after his words, the air hanging heavy around them. He squeezed her hand, needing that reassurance.

“Bruno.”

He closed his eyes tight, shaking his head. He didn’t want to look at her, to see the expression on her face. The hand was enough to know she was there, he didn’t need anything else. But a gentle hand forced his head up and he had to open his eyes to look at her.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked, but she wasn’t angry. She looked concerned, perhaps a little bit confused, but not angry. “That’s not something you should have to live with by yourself.”

He yanked his head out of her hand, staring back at the table.

“I didn’t - didn’t want you to worry…” he mumbled, but Laila just scoffed.
“I was already worried about something like that happening, remember?”

“She was.” Pepa said while Julieta nodded. “She said just last night it was one of her greatest fears.”

Bruno winced, shrugging slightly.

“I - I guess so. Still …”

“Bruno, please, just look at me for a second.”

He sighed, but did as she asked, finding comfort in the warmth of her eyes.

“Next time you see something that bad, tell me, okay? I may not be able to do anything about the future, but at least you won’t be in it alone.”

He stared at her a moment, just taking her in, eyes wide with awe. Eventually, he managed to remember himself and nodded.

“... alright.”

As Bruno talked about his vision and the other three responded, Alma was thinking. Only once silence had settled over them, thick and heavy, did she speak again, words coming out slow at first, thoughtful and careful.

“This is a very serious situation. We will have to move forward very carefully.” She thought a moment before continuing. “We cannot prove he’s done anything yet, even with Bruno’s vision. He’s already been punished for his earlier actions, no more can be done.” She sighed tiredly, sitting back in her chair. “I believe it would be best if, for now, you stayed here with us. You’ll be safe as long as you're within Casita’s walls.”

Laila simply nodded.

“Alright.”

“While you’re staying here, there will be rules.” Alma continued. “You will attend both breakfast and dinner with us and I want you to be inside by dark.”

“Yes señora.”

“Bruno, I want you to do the same.”

He looked startled to be addressed suddenly, blinking at his mother as his face morphed into confusion.
“What? Why?”

Laila and Alma shared a knowing glance.

“Bruno, he threatened your life, too. You’re the one I was talking about when I said he ‘threatened the ones I loved.’”

He stared at her a moment and she could see the gears working in his head. Then, suddenly, his face shifted into an expression of realization, mouth forming a little ‘o’, a blush creeping into his cheeks.

“Ah, right, okay then.”

Laila smirked at his flustered reaction, giving his hand a squeeze and earning herself one of his sweet little smiles.

“In before dark.” Alma restated. “And I don’t want you to go out alone anymore. I’ll have the villagers visit you in the vision cave.”

Bruno nodded.

“Yes, Mamá.”

Alma pushed away from the table and left her chair, apparently done with the conversation.

“I’ll have Caita make up the guest room for you.” She said before heading for the door, though she paused before actually leaving. “And one more thing, you two.” She called back, instantly catching the group’s attention. “Let’s not go spending the night in each other's rooms, understand? I want none of that nonsense between the two of you.”

It took a moment for Bruno to understand what she meant, but when he did realize his face turned a bright red, letting out a strangled cry of “Ma!”

The woman around him burst out into laughter, causing him to groan and bury his hand in his hands.

“Yes, señora! No funny business! I promise!” Laila managed to get out over her own laughter. Alma gave a mischievous smirk and a chuckle before leaving the room, letting the young adults enjoy themselves for a moment longer.

-

Laila returned to Casita just as the sun was setting, holding a bag packed with what she would need, at least for now, just her clothes for now and other small things. She would fetch the rest of her things the following day. She had also stopped by the bakery, working a while longer and letting Sophia know that she would have to handle closing herself, at least for a little bit. She had given the older woman a wondering look but thankfully didn’t ask any questions.

“There you are!”

Pepa was the one to greet her at the door, the two hugging briefly before making their way to the guest room.

“It used to be our nursery, when we were little.” Pepa told her as she sat her bag by the bed. “We don’t really use it anymore, so we turned it into a guest room. Of course, we never really used it as a guest room either. We don’t really get a lot of guests spending the night.”

Laila hummed, letting her know she had heard but not quite able to come up with a response. Her mind was running away from her and it was taking everything she had not to lose herself in her thoughts, the rest of the world fading away to a blur of nothing. It would be so easy to just let it happen, but it would be dinner soon and there were better things to focus on then this whole mess. So she drew herself up, took a deep breath, and turned to Pepa with a smile.

“Hey, let’s go bother Julieta about dinner.”

Pepa huffed, but followed as she left the room.

“Your version of ‘bothering’ her is just helping!”

“While being obnoxious.” Laila corrected, snickering.

-

Laila didn’t return to the room until well after dinner, deciding she had enough for one day and wanted to get some sleep.

She was sitting on the bed, reading her book, when there was a quiet knocking at the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened to show a nervous looking Bruno, tugging at his ruana. She smiled at him, putting her book on the nightstand and motioning for him to come over. He hesitated a moment before walking across the room, making sure to leave the door open behind him. She scooted over, leaving enough room for him on the bed if he cuddled close, which he was more than happy to do, letting out a content sigh and wrapping his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder. Laila kissed her forehead, snuggling back with a happy hum. For a while, neither did anything more than hold the other, holding each other close.

“... I’m really scared…”

It was barely a whisper, just loud enough for Bruno to hear and his heart fell. His grip on her tightened. He tried to think up some words of comfort, but nothing good came to mind, so he didn’t say anything. Instead he shifted, moving so that he could hold her against his chest. She gripped at his ruana, burying her face in the fabric and letting out a shaky breath.

He combed his fingers through her hair, watching as the soft black curls twisted around his fingers.

“I’m scared, too.” He admitted after several long, quiet minutes. “I don’t want to lose you.”

She chuckled, shaking her head before pulling back just enough to look into his eyes, searching for … something, or perhaps just taking him in, memorizing how they look.

“I’m nor afraid of dying.” She whispered. “I was, but now … now I’m just afraid that you’ll get hurt, caught in the middle of all this.” Her eyes looked so sad as she said that. He frowned, cradling her face in his hand and rubbing his thumb just below her eye, as if wiping the sadness away like a tear. She closed them and leaned into his touch. “Maybe … maybe it would have been better if we had never met. Then you wouldn’t be in danger at all.”

Bruno’s breath caught in his throat at the very thought. Laila heard the hitch in his breathing and opened her eyes to look at him, concerned. He shook his head, dislodging the very idea from his mind.

“Please, don’t say that. Never say that. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I would face my own death time and time again if it meant I’d never have to lose you.”

She was silent a moment, but did eventually agree, nodding her head, the slightest of smiles tugging at the corner of her lips.

“Let’s not die, though. I feel that is the better option here.”

Bruno chuckled, nuzzling into her hair with a smile.

“Alright, if you insist.”

They sat like that for some time, talking and giggling in each other's arms late into the night. It was only when Bruno was nearly falling asleep that Laila eventually had to force him out with a playful shove.

“Go on, before you fall asleep here.”

He groaned, refusing to let go for a moment longer before he resigned himself to leaving. He forced himself to his feet, stretching before heading for the door.

“Hasta mañana.” He murmured, looking back at her from the doorway. She smiled at him.

“Good night, mi amor, I’ll see you in the morning.”

He hummed, watching her a moment longer before finally leaving, closing the door gently behind him before heading to his room.

Chapter Text

Bruno paced around his vision cave, mumbling to himself, brows drawn as a deep frown sank onto his face. By his feet a few of the friendliest rats scampered about and followed him, one occasionally jumping up to climb up his legs and find a spot to sit. He hardly paid them any attention, lost in his own thoughts.

Eventually he nodded.

“Okay. Okay, I’ll do it. I can do it.”

He nodded again, having come to a decision. With that he marched into the middle of the room, to the sand pit. He sat down cross-legged in the soft sand, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. He moved slowly, lighting his usual fires and, just for good luck, tossing a handful of salt over his shoulder. He took another deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment and raising his hands in front of them. When he opened them again, the bright green light took over and the sand surrounding him was kicked into the air by the strong breeze.

He searched the images that flashed across the sand, a brilliant emerald.

He just needed to know what was coming next, wanted to make sure that Laila would be safe. The last vision he had still plagued his mind, leaving him waking up in the dead of night with nightmares. And he knew this could be the same, though the voluntary visions were often far less intense. With the ones that just popped up, they would suck him in entirely, as if he was truly there, watching whatever was occurring as if it was right in front of him. But with his ritual, they were more distant, more like reading the events in a book. He was sure, then, that he could manage whatever he saw.

And yet, his hands still trembled as the images became clear.

It was, thankfully, different from the last one. There was his Laila, walking through the streets of Encanto, looking to be safe and sound. The image shifted, showing Laila again but this time she was shoved against a wall, face scrunched up in fear and fury at the man attacking her, the man that was now easily recognized as Diego.

Bruno could feel his blood boiling, his heart jumping into his throat, but he grit his teeth and forced himself to keep going. He had to know how it would end. He had to. So he forced himself to keep watching as the struggle continued until the image shifted once more. Laila was sitting in a chair at a table, her arms wrapped around herself, her whole body shaking. As he watched he saw himself appear by her side, wrapping her up in his arms and comforting her.

The vision ended there, the glass forming from the sanding and falling gently into his hands. The breeze stopped abruptly, the sand falling on top of him an oddly comforting wait. He frowned at the glass in his hand, inspecting the final image.

Laila was clearly upset, very upset, but she would come out of it alive. He sagged, his shoulders shaking and tears pricking at his eyes. The relief was immense, overwhelming. He held the glass close to his chest, curling in on himself until his forehead was touching the sand, his hair falling like a curtain around his face, blocking everything else out.

She was going to be okay.

A sob tore its way out of his chest, but he didn’t care. He let himself cry this time, his sobs echoing off the surrounding stone.

Because she was going to be okay.

-

Two weeks had passed since Diego had dared attack Laila and she hadn’t seen a hair of him, gracias a dios, and she was starting to fall into her new routine.

She still woke up early, got dressed and ready for the day, and went down to the kitchen. She would help Julieta with the cooking, the two making idle chit chat until the rest of the house woke up. Alma was always the next to enter the kitchen, sitting at the small wooden table with a cup of coffee. Then it would be Pepa or Bruno, depending on who had managed to tear themselves away from bed first. It was usually Pepa. When Bruno came in with a yawn or a stretch, he would smile at her and give her a hug, mumbling a goodmorning into the skin of her neck or hair. Her heart always did a flip in her chest and she would smile and say good morning back. Then, once the food was done, they all ate and went about their day.

She spent her days at the bakery like usual, giving Bruno a goodbye kiss before she had to leave the house.

He had … mixed feelings about doing his visions at home. It was nice, not having to go into town so often, and because the people had to come to him there were far less visions to give, which was a great help for his headaches which often followed. But that also meant he would have to do them alone. Laila’s offer of help didn’t really work out anymore, not when someone could come for a vision at any time. She couldn’t very well hang around the house all day every day like him, not when she was needed at the bakery. So, he encouraged her to go on to her job and resigned himself to being alone.

But then she would be back before dark, in time for dinner, after which they would spend their time together doing anything or everything, just enjoying each other’s company. It was nice, despite everything else. In those two weeks, they had grown only closer. It was common to see the two cuddling on the couch or in one of the hammocks together, talking or just sitting together in silence. Any affection between the two was teased by his sisters, but he didn’t care. He simply loved her more and he was not about to hide that just because of some teasing.

Everything was going well, but there was still that weight on all of their shoulders, always careful but knowing that something could happen.

Bruno started doing an extra vision every morning before breakfast. The attack was different every time. Sometimes Laila would be hurt, sometimes not, but none of those times did she die. It never got to be that bad, and for that he would always be grateful. But the attack was still coming, it was only a matter of when.

-

Three weeks had passed.

It was enough time that Laila was starting to hope that, maybe, there was the chance that Diego was getting over himself. Maybe he would just leave her alone.

She knew better, of course. Bruno had shared his daily visions with her, a way of reassuring her everything would be okay in the end. She smiled at the thought. He was just so sweet, the kindest man she had ever known. She couldn’t help but think she had gotten so lucky to have the opportunity to be friends with him, let alone a couple.

She just wished more people saw what she saw.

She sighed, finishing her cake. It wouldn’t be picked up until tomorrow, so she put it away for now. With that she started closing the kitchen up, ready to head home for dinner.

“Alright, I’m out of here!” She told Sophia once she was ready to go. The girl smiled at her and waved her off as she left into the orange light of sunset.

It was later than usual, the sun already disappeared behind the western horizon and the light was fading fast. She needed to hurry fast if she wanted to get back in time. She didn’t want anyone to worry. In her rush, however, she neglected to pay attention to her surroundings as much as she should have.

She didn’t notice she was being followed.

-

Something was wrong.

Bruno paced the courtyard, mumbling and muttering, eyes glancing between the front door to the sky to the tiled floor beneath his feet. Pepa and Félix watched from the side, talking amongst themselves nervously.

“She should’ve been back by now.” Pepa ran her hands over her braid, trying desperately not to let her anxiety get the better of her. Despite this, the cloud above her head was heavy with snow, threatening to drop on the group and perhaps grow to cover all of the encanto. Félix rubbed a comforting hand up and down her arm.

“She’ll be okay.” He made sure to tell her. “She’s a strong woman, we both know that. She’ll be back.”

And still Bruno paced. It was dark now, the courtyard lit by the lamps around the edge of the room, and he had enough. His mutterings stopped, his face growing cold and determined, and he marched into the kitchen.

Julieta and Augustine were there, talking in low voices. The dinner table had been set and the food was ready, but Laila’s absence had put a halt to preparations. None of it had been moved to the table. They looked up when he entered, not quite able to wipe the concern off their faces.

“Bruno? What are you doing?”

“I’m going looking for her.” He informed them, speaking up before they could. He grabbed several of the fresh arepa’s Julieta had made and was ready to storm off. The only thought he had was that he needed to find Laila, he needed to help her, he needed to make sure she was okay, he needed to …

He was stopped at the doorway, just managing to avoid running into his mother. He stuttered out an apology, managing to take a few steps back to let her pass. But she didn’t move from her spot, eyes stealy. She glanced around the room before returning her eyes to her son.

“And where do you think you’re going?”

“Ah, well, it’s - it’s just that it’s dark out, and, uh, and Laila isn’t back yet. I was - was just going to go looking for her.” He stuttered out. All the courage he had mustered only a moment ago seemed to fade when faced with his own mother. He cursed himself for his weakness. “Please, I need to go.”

“No.” Her voice was stern, the command final. She looked past his shoulder. “Augustine, I need you and Félix to go get her. Start at the bakery.”

The man nodded, giving Julieta’s hand a comforting squeeze before leaving, scooting past the older woman to do as he was told.

“But … why can’t I help?” Bruno asked, working to keep his voice even and not betray the panic and anxiety and now anger that was quickly taking him over. “I know her best, shouldn’t I be going out too? You can’t expect me to just sit here and do nothing!”

Despite his attempts at staying calm, his voice was getting louder and it must have been visible on his face. Alma’s face softened as she looked at him. “Mi Brunito.” She said, her voice gentle and loving. She reached out to cradle his face in her hands. “I know you want to go, but I need you to stay here. I can’t risk you getting hurt, mi hijo. Please understand.”

Of course he understood. She wasn’t being unreasonable. That didn’t change his pull to go out into the town in search for her. He knew he couldn’t sit still when she was missing. Still, he nodded, if for no other reason than to put his mother at ease.

“Alright, Mama, alright.”

She gave him another soft smile and a gentle kiss to his cheek before she was moving on, talking to Julieta about keeping the food warm until everyone returned. He left them there, returning to pacing, biding his time.

He waited until Pepa had gotten enough control of herself to disappear in the kitchen before he moved. He didn’t even bother glancing towards the kitchen food, instantly slipping away through the front door not even bothering to close it just in case they heard it.

He pulled his hood over his head and vanished into the night.

Chapter Text

The night turned cold, the light of the stars and the moon blocked out by the clouds. A thin spattering of rain fell on the village, a thick fog rolling in.

Pepa had to be worried sick. And if she was that stressed, Laila could only imagine what Bruno was going through. She tore her mind away from them, at least for a moment, as she tried to find some way out of this.

Diego was behind her, gripping her arm tightly, the tip of a knife very noticeable against her back. He marched her through the jungle, farther and farther away from the Encanto, and the farther they got the less likely it was anyone was going to find them, regardless of how much they searched. No one in the Encanto was much of a tracker, no one would be able to follow whatever minor trail they were leaving.

Laila couldn’t rely on anyone coming to save her. She had to find her own way out of this. She could feel the weight of the knife in her pocket. If she could just find a moment to grab it, she would be okay.

There was a rough shove on her shoulder, strong enough to send her falling to the ground. She grunted at the impact with the ground, instantly trying to push herself to her feet and get a hand into her pocket, but Diego was faster. He pinned her to the ground with his body, easily grabbing her wrists and forcing them over her head, held in one large hand. She struggled, but her attempts only earned a cruel laugh from the man, making her blood run cold.

“Lucha, perra.” He growled in her ear, shoving her face in the dirt and making her struggle harder in an attempt to breathe. “It won’t make a difference. You’re mine now, and I’m not letting you go.”

He buried his hand in her hair and pulled, making her hiss in pain, her stomach curdling at the sensation of wet warmth along her neck as he kissed her. His other hand groped her body and pulled at her clothes. She pushed down the nausea, trying to focus. If he kept going like this he would find her knife and she would lose her one form of defense, her one out of this whole situation.

She went limp under him, gritting her teeth and keeping quiet. He groaned against her skin, hips grinding down.

“Puta de mierda, quieres esto, ¿no? You want me to take you like this, don’t you?”

His grip on her lessened enough for her to look around, searching.

Because while he was on her, touching her with his disgusting hands and grunting those foul words, he didn’t have the knife anymore.

-

“We can’t find her.”

Alma nodded at the two men, looking very dour as her fears were confirmed. She took her time to properly think out what they should do next, turning her back to the men and her daughters, just for a moment, taking slow steps towards the center stairs, stopping when she reached the steps and clutching onto the railing.

“Bruno can tell us where she is.” She finally decided, turning back to them, face as stern and determined as ever. “He can have a vision and tell us where she is. Julieta, go get him.”

The woman nodded, rushing off to her brother’s room where he must have stormed off to when he couldn’t go searching himself. It wouldn’t surprise her if he had already been looking into the future, worrying himself sick making sure she would be okay.

While she went to fetch him, Pepa went to sit, stroking her braided hair and murmuring under her breath, “clear skies, clear skies”.

She was worried about her friend. Of course she was. Who knows what could have happened to her, especially after everything that had happened. She could be hurt, she could be dead, or worse. The worry was doing terrible things for the weather and if it got too bad they would never find her! She had to calm down, but the more she told herself to calm down, the more she worried about the weather, the more she worried about Laila being found, the more she worried about what had happened to her, the worse the weather got and the more she told herself to calm down.

Félix sat by her side, a calming presence even when he didn’t say anything.

“Oye, it’s alright, mi vida. Just take deep breaths.” His voice was soothing, as was the hand rubbing up and down her arm. She took the deep breaths just as he said, copying his own breathing. It helped, at least enough for the slight misting of rain to stop. The fog still hung thick outside.

Augustine watched from a respective distance, ringing his hands nervously, unable to stop the restless pacing. His eyes ventured from the couple to Alma, still holding onto the railing, to where Julieta had disappeared.

Nothing like this had ever happened in Encanto before. It was a peaceful place, a good place, so very unlike the city he had come from. Such a thing as this shouldn’t have been possible. They should have been able to prevent this. At least they would be able to fix … whatever had happened, he was sure. Julieta was too kind a woman to not care for the other woman if she came back injured in some way. Unless it was already too late…

No, he couldn’t think like that. Laila was a strong woman, most definitely not afraid to defend herself if that man ever tried something. She would come out of it alive, he was sure. Unless…
He frowned, angry at himself for thinking such a thing again.

They were all taken out of their thoughts when they heard a door open and close, looking to the balcony eagerly to see Bruno.

But it was only Julieta who appeared, staring down at her mother with wide eyes, so much worry and fear in her face and her movements, body stiff.

“He’s not there.”

Alma’s face fell and, for a long, tense moment, she didn’t say anything.

“What?”

“Bruno’s gone.”

There was a clap of thunder, the rain coming down hard and drenching everyone in the courtyard. Alma hardly noticed.

Her Brunito was missing. Su precioso niño, su dulce bebé, he was gone.

And it felt like her world was crumbling around her.

-

The fog was thick, weaving between the trees and underbrush of the jungle, but it did little to slow Bruno down. He knew exactly where he needed to be and he needed to get there as quickly as possible. He hardly paid attention to the thorns tugging at his ruana and scratching at his legs. He didn’t even stop when the rain started to come down.

He could feel his heart thudding in his chest frantically, the fear burning in his gut.

Shortly after he had left, he searched the future for her and what he had seen made him feel sick. Diego, that man, of course it had been him. He saw him in the middle of the jungle, the ugliest look on his face, a large scratch bleeding on his face, the blood falling down the side of his face and into the dirt. And below him, covered in dirt, bruised and weak, was Laila. His hands were wrapped around her neck, her hands scratching down his arms as she struggled desperately, the light fading from her beautiful eyes.

It wasn’t going to happen. He wouldn’t allow it. But even as he ran through the jungle, he knew he was running out of time. He forced his legs to work faster, his breath coming out in gasps, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. He couldn’t stop, he couldn’t slow down.

He wasn’t going to be late. He couldn’t be late.
So he kept running.

-

Laila didn’t fight, biding her time. Because perhaps if she played along he would let her wrists go. She could see the glint of metal not too far away. If she could just grab it -

Diego groaned in her ear, his hand making it’s way up her shirt, digging into her skin. Then, finally, he let her wrists go. One hand pressed hard between her shoulder blades, fingernails digging in and scratching, while the other tugged at her skirts. She started struggling again, hoping to distract from her other, smaller actions, slowly reaching towards the glint of metal in the grass, her breath catching in her throat when her fingers wrapped around the cool handle.

Suddenly, she heaved up against him, managing to push him off enough to turn onto her back, slashing out blindly with the knife. He roared with rage as she managed to cut his cheek viciously, the injury instantly pouring blood, a few drops splattering against her face. She tried to attack again, this time aiming for his stomach, but he was ex[ecting her now.

He blocked the attack, grabbing her wrist and snarling as he squeezed. There was a sickening crack and a searing pain, causing her to yelp and forcing her to drop the knife. He was quick to snatch it away, holding it against her throat.

“Maldita perra, didn’t actually think that was going to work, did you?” He said with a cackle, the cold metal digging into her neck, contrasted by the warm blood that fell onto her face and bubbled up under the knife. “I will have you, but if you’re not going to behave …”

She didn’t hear the end of the sentence, too distracted by his hands around her throat. Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe, blood pounding in her ears. She wanted to gasp, but nothing could make it’s way out of her throat. She clawed desperately at the man’s arms and wrists, trying to pry him off, but he had always been stronger. The pressure in her head was building and building, unbearable even as her lungs burned. She couldn’t think, mind filled with nothing but panic and the need to fight.

Her body thrashed, her legs kicked, but he only laughed, watching her face closely. Was this really how she would go? With the last thing she sees his terrible face, the last thing she hears his laugh, and the last thing she feels this pain? She tried to shake her head, tried to kick his stomach, but her limbs were starting to grow heavy like they were filled with lead, too heavy to keep moving. Her kicks were growing weaker and her clawing becoming less and less effective. Her thoughts were slipping from her mind, her vision blurring, unable to make out a thing as everything began to grow dark.

And he only watched, grinding against her shaking leg with a filthy moan.

“That’s it, just like that.” he said, between panting breaths, arms shaking with the effort he put into strangling her. “Just die like the useless bitch you are. Pathetic piece of shit. This is the only thing you’re good for.”

She let out strangled noises, desperate to get any sort of air into her lungs but failing miserably. Her hearing was the last thing to go, the sounds of Diego's grunting and groaning and the rustling of something in the brush the last thing she heard before everything faded. Not going black, just … not existing anymore.

Diego let out a satisfied grunt, not noticing the rustling until it was too late.

Something slammed into his side, hard, knocking him onto his side and off his prize. He snarled, jumping to his feet in an instant, hand on the knife he had been sure to stash in his pocket this time. Not that he would need it when he saw who he was facing. He snickered at the man that stood over that puta’s body, the man that had taken what was his, had dared to cross him.

“Ah, there you are!” He said it cheerily, as if he was greeting an old friend. “I was just about to come visit you, you know, once I finished here. But it looks like you saved me the walk. How nice of you! Probably the only good thing you’ve managed to do with your pathetic excuse of a life.” His voice turned sour towards the end.

Bruno Madrigal was not a large man, not particularly strong or any good in a fight. None of that mattered to him at that moment. He took another step forward, over Laila’s unmoving form (Dios mio, she wasn’t moving, she wasn’t moving! He was too late! Dios, not her, please, not her, she can’t be gone, she can’t be, please!). He faced the much larger man head on, eyes glowing their emerald green, a silent snarl of his own pulling at his lips. Diego was cast in the green light, looking like one of his visions.

For a moment, neither moved, just staring the other down. The rain had soaked them through and left them cold and shaking, though that could also be the adrenaline.

(The cold couldn’t be good for Laila. He needed to move her, to dry her off, to get her back home, to get her something of Julieta’s to eat. She would be okay, she had to be okay, he just needed to -)

Diego suddenly lashed out, aiming his knife for Bruno’s stomach, but he was faster. The blade slashed harmlessly through the green ruana, so close to his side but leaving no scratch behind. That strike was all it took to break the dam. Diego snarled and growled like a wild animal as he attacked Bruno, savage and uncontrolled. Bruno couldn’t even think, could only move and react, avoiding strike after strike. Somehow amongst the attacks he managed to grab the other man’s wrist, digging his fingers in and twisting. Diego howled and was forced to drop the knife and for a moment Bruno felt a sense of victory. He managed to shove the other man back, farther away from Laila.

Diego only snarled more and punched him in the stomach and this time he wasn’t fast enough to avoid the hit. The breath was knocked out of his lungs, his vision going white as pain burst like a firework through his body. He struggled to stay on his feet, but while he was stunned Diego got another hit in, this one connecting to the side of his face with a sickening crack, sending him flying to the ground.

He groaned, pushing himself onto his hands and knees, spitting out a mixture of blood and saliva into the grass. His visions swam in front of his eyes, far darker than it should have been.

In an instant Diego was standing over him, cackling like a madman. He gave a hard kick into the smaller man’s gut, sending him crashing back to the ground.

“You’re fucking pathetic!” He spat, giving him another good kick. “How that bitch could ever fall for someone as weak and worthless as you I’ll never understand.” Another kick, this one making Bruno yelp in pain and groan. “You took her from me! She was supposed to be mine, but she chose you instead! You can both go to hell, and I’m gonna be the one to send you there!”

He gave one last kick, making sure Bruno wasn’t about to get up before leaving him to grab his knife from where he had dropped it.

Bruno groaned, taking the brief break in the beating to try and focus, turning his head to the side and trying to blink the blurriness and darkness out of his vision. He thought he saw something moving, something that wasn’t the large man tramping about. He didn’t dare hope -

But then Diego was back, burying his hand in Bruno’s hair and yanking. Bruno hissed, hands clawing at the other man's arm, struggling to his feet to ease the pull. Once he did he was shoved against the trunk of a tree, the blade of the knife pressed close to his throat. He dared not even gulp in case the movement would make the knife sink deeper.

“It’s about time someone ended your miserable life.” Diego hissed. “You won’t be plaguing this town anymore. And once you’re gone, I can finish putting that puta in her place, pleasing me! Then I’ll kill her, too, and you can be miserable together.”

He cackled at his own plan. Bruno gritted his teeth at the sound, trying to push the man off him. He needed to get Laila out of here! He couldn’t let this man put a single filthy finger on her! He simply would not allow it!

Suddenly, Diego’s cackling was interrupted but a grunt of pain, something Bruno couldn’t see pulling the man away from him. Bruno gasped, a hand going up to to cradle his throat as he tried to decipher what was happening in front of him.

His breath stuck in his breath when he was finally able to make out Laila, watching in awe as she moved gracefully around the man, turning until she was between Bruno and him. Her face was contorted into a look of blinding fury, hair pulled out of its bun and falling around her shoulders in a mass of black, darker than the night, sticking to her body from the rain. In her hand he saw the glint of metal, a small knife clutched in her hands, dripping with rain water and blood.

“Maldita perra!” Diego spat at her, clutching at his profusely bleeding arm, but she didn’t even flinch, didn’t move an inch from her spot.

“Make another move,” She said, voice eerily calm and cold. “And I will kill you.”

He laughed, shaking his head.

“Kill me? Really? You think you’re actually capable of that?”

She didn’t respond.

For a moment everything was still, the only sound the falling rain and Diego’s demented giggles.

Then he lunged and Laila reacted.

Chapter Text

The weather only got worse as the hour passed, thunder rumbling through the town and lightning thrashing across the sky. It got so bad, any searching for the missing couple had to be put on hold.

Which, of course, only made the weather worse.

Félix kept up his position by Pepa’s side, pulling every trick he knew and even trying new things to try and calm her down. They had disappeared into her room a few minutes ago, which helped to lessen the storm some, but still not enough.

Julieta stayed in the kitchen, working her stress out on a lump of dough, kneading far too hard for it to be any good, but that hardly mattered. She just needed to be there and be doing something. What if they came back? What if they were hurt? She needed to be ready to help. Augustine sat at the small table, a silent companion as the minutes dragged on with no word

Alma hated it. She hated the whole situation. She hated that she was so useless, that her own bebé varón was out there in this storm, facing a dangerous man while she was now stuck at the house. He could be hurt, he could be badly injured, he could be dead, and she had no way of knowing. All she could do was pace about her room, clutching her locket in shaking hands, murmuring prayers under her breath. She stopped at her window, the light of the candle bright despite the storm raging outside, staring out into the dark of the night.

“Oh, Pedro.” She sighed, a prayer to her dear husband. “Please, keep him safe. Wherever he is, whatever is happening, bring him one in one piece. Please.”

The only answer was the rolling thunder.

-

Laila decided that Diego had to be the stupidest man she had ever met. He really couldn’t tell how serious she was, could he? He couldn’t sense any sort of danger, thought of her as nothing but a helpless woman. The thought made her lip curl as the brute rushed at her, knife raised as if to plunge it into her.

It wasn’t difficult to dodge him, a simple step to the side, dancing around his movements. She dared to glance over the man’s shoulder to where Bruno was, still kneeling on the ground, struggling to get himself together. It seemed even that quick check was too much of a distraction and Diego managed to cut her across her stomach before she could get out of the way completely. She hissed in pain, deciding enough was enough.

In that single moment, it finally became too much. This man, this filthy, disrespectful, rude, violent, worthless, absolute waste of life. She couldn’t stand him. She had hated him before, but this. This feeling that washed over her was something she had never experienced before. Fury was too gentle, anger not even a spark in comparison, loathing too kind a word. Whatever it was, it burned inside her and for a moment, for a single, life-altering moment, she knew nothing else. She couldn’t think, couldn’t feel, couldn’t even tell what was happening around her. There was only this fire, burning her up from the inside out until she was sure there would be nothing left of her but ash.

-

Bruno forced himself to his feet, leaning heavily against the tree behind him, arm cradling his stomach. He could only watch, eyes wide in fear and awe, at the sight before him.

Laila looked like an angel about to deliver God’s judgment to this poor, unknowing soul. Lightning flashed, illuminating the droplets of rain on her skin like so many burning stars, igniting the fire in her eyes that made his legs even weaker. She stood tall and resplendent, despite the mess that was her hair and the blood that stained her clothes and seeped into her shirt.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion yet all too fast at the same time.

Lightning flashed again as Diego lunged for her, face twisted in the ugliest expression, a demon searching to strike her down. She stared him down, the look in her eyes making him falter, as if he would catch on fire if he got too close. For a split second, he could see the look on the man’s face, confusion and dawning dread as he realized a second too late that something was wrong.

She stepped to the side right as he reached her, a hand grabbing at the front of his shirt. She used the momentum to curl herself around him, chest against his back, the metal of her knife glinting a final time as the lightning flashed.

Everything went still. He wasn’t even sure either of them were breathing.

Then, what felt like an eternity, Diego collapsed to the wet ground, staring at the sky above him. There was a sound, like a bubbling wet gasp, a hand grasping desperately at the grass, as if he could find something that would help. But there was nothing there but mud, the substance caking his fingers and hands, seeping into his clothes.

Laila watched his struggles with empty eyes, the fire he had seen only moments before already dying out just as the man was. It was terrifying.

Finally, the man gave a final garbled gasp before stilling entirely, his body sinking into the ground fully, eyes staring unseeing.

The only sound was the rain falling against the ground and Bruno’s own labored breathing.

“Laila?”

He cringed at his own voice, far too loud in that moment. She looked up at him slowly, blinking, face blank, then back down at the body. A frown marred her face, eyes frantic as they took the sight in. It looked like she was fighting to break from some sort of trance, mind fogged down by something.

Her eyes suddenly widened and she let out a strangled sort of sound, stumbling back, the knife falling out of her hand and to the ground with a small thud. She tried to bring a hand up to her face, to cover her mouth, but she suddenly realized how much blood was on them, both hers and his. She fell to her knees, staring at her shaking hands. She looked like she was going to be sick.

He made his way to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder. She jumped at the sudden touch, head snapping to him.

“Bruno?”

He nodded, sitting by her.

“I’m here, I’m okay, you’re okay. Here.” He struggled to pull his ruana over his head, wincing at the painthe raked through his body at the movements. Once he had managed to pull it off, he bundled the soaked fabric up, tried ringing it out the best he could, and pressed it to her still bleeding stomach, trying to put pressure on the injury. Laila was slow to react but after a moment she took over, pressing the fabric closer to her.

“Come on, let’s go home.” he said, trying to encourage her to her feet.

She nodded, snapping out of whatever mindset had gripped her so tightly. She was quicker to get up than he was, helping to steady him. He leaned against her, wincing again, and she wrapped her spare arm around him. Once they were ready, they started the long walk home.

-

“Nothing?”

Julieta shook her head.

“No sign of them.”

Alma nodded, forcing herself to sit down at the little table.

“They’ll show up.” Augustine tried to encourage them. “They can handle themselves, I’m sure of it. They’ll be walking through that door any moment now.”

Alma respected the man’s attempts, but his words fell hollow. He hardly believed them himself. She murmured another prayer. She knew she would feel no peace until she saw her baby again, home safe and sound.

Casita started causing a commotion. The floors creaked and cabinets slammed open and closed, startling all her occupants. Augustine was quick to shoot out of the kitchen, the others following close behind him.

“Bruno!” Alma heard Pepa cry from the balcony and her heart stuttered in her chest.

The front door shut with a loud slam and there he was, her bebé, her niño, and he was hurt. There was a bruise covering a good portion of his face and every movement left him wincing in pain. Laila looked to be in far worse condition, barely able to keep herself on her feet. Her shirt was soaked through with blood and, if she looked close enough, she could see the discoloration of bruises around her neck. They were both dripping with rain and shivering from the cold.

Everyone was already there, crowding them and asking if they were okay.

“Please.” He said, voice trembling, the worry clear in his eyes. “Help her.”

Julieta had reacted before he had said a thing, taking in the most obvious injuries and ushering them into the kitchen. The two sat silently while she got what she would need, ignoring the questions of the other three young adults. Alma herself stayed quiet, observing how distant Lila seemed from the world around her and how worried that made Bruno. He held her hand, trying to offer some sort of comfort until Julieta returned.

“Eat.” She commanded them, handing the pastry to Laila first. She took it into her free hand and took a little bite. Once Julieta was sure she had swallowed, she handed the other one to Bruno who did the same.

After a moment or two, the others went quiet, waiting as if they expected answers. Bruno looked like he was mentally preparing himself to do just that, but Laila still looked out of it despite her injuries being healed.

“Mamá…”

She raised her hand, instantly silencing him.

“No, we will not be discussing this right now.” She decided. “The two of you need a change of clothes and rest. We can talk in the morning.”

He nodded, getting to his feet and sighing when the movement wasn’t met with pain. He tried to help Laila to her feet, offering his hand, but she didn’t accept it. She wouldn’t even look at him, just stared at the table. That blank look was still on her face, her eyes so empty, and Bruno couldn’t help the fear that was clawing its way up his throat, making it tight. He took her hand and squeezed, managing to draw her eyes to his.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay.” He told her in his gentlest voice, so quiet she could only just hear it. She looked up at him for a moment more before nodding, pulling her hand out of his and forcing herself to leave the room. Bruno could only watch as she left, a pained expression on his face.

Laila was clearly hurt, in shock from what had happened, and he had no idea how to help.

-

Laila changed in the bathroom, taking the opportunity to shower and clean up properly. Her numb mind registered that she was quite the mess and it wouldn’t do to be walking around like that.

She carefully peeled her clothes, wincing as they tugged at her skin where dried blood had glued them on. Once that was done she left them in a pile on the floor and got into the shower, sighing when the warm water hit her. For several long moments, she just stood there, watching the pink water as it flowed down the drain. Eventually, she forced herself to grab the soap and start cleaning.

She went through the motions, everything automated like she was some sort of puppet, forced through the steps while her mind was a thousand miles away.

She didn’t want to think about what happened, what she had done. She knew the moment she did she would fall apart, but she couldn’t do that. She had to be strong, she had to stay the pillar everyone saw her as. She couldn’t let it get to her, not yet at least. Perhaps in the comfort of her room, alone where no one could see her, perhaps then she would let herself feel, let herself ponder everything, the implications of her actions, the repercussions, what would happen next.

But for now, she needed to dry off and get dressed once more, this time in blue skirts and a white shirt. She cast a forlorn glance at the pile of cloth. That had been her favorite skirt, the same shade of green as Bruno’s eyes when he had his visions, a stunning color. They were ruined now, the blood having soaked into the fabric along the waist. The shirt was even worse off.

Amongst the bundles was another piece of fabric, a duller green splashed with the same shade of red as the others, the color of drying blood.

Bruno’s ruana. It had been ruined.

She recalled his struggles to remove it and giving it to her to stop the bleeding, soft hands against hers, voice gentle and calming. He cared so much, only sought to help her despite his own painful injuries.
He could've died.

The thought sent her falling to the ground on her knees, the tiles cold beneath her. She couldn’t breath, the air catching in her chest and the burn of tears pricking at her eyes. Everything she had pushed away was suddenly flooding over her, a tidal wave that could not be escaped and she was drowning in it.

There was a knock at the bathroom door, a voice speaking out in a gentle murmur. She couldn’t make out the words, mind too foggy to focus that much, but she recognized the voice as Bruno’s. She sobbed, the sound tearing its way out of her chest painfully as she curled up into herself. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, doubling over until she felt the cool tiles against her forehead. She couldn’t hear anything, couldn’t see anything. All she knew was panic and grief.

-

Bruno had gone to the bathroom to check on Laila. He had already dried off and changed into a fresh pair of clothes, though he still felt underdressed without the familiar weight of his ruana on his shoulders.

He tried to listen for a moment before rapping a knuckle against the wood.

“Laila? Are you doing okay?”

The only response was a broken sob and his heart dropped.

“I’m coming in.” He warned before cracking the door open and peering inside, relaxing the smallest amount when he saw she was at least dressed, but that hardly compared to the pain he felt when he saw her, sobbing on the floor, her hands buried in her hair and pulling.

He was by her side in an instant, ignoring the pain of his knees hitting the tile hard and scooping her up into his arms. She immediately clung to him, burying her face into his chest, her breathing coming out in sporadic gasps, her shoulders trembling under his hand.

“Hey, hey, you’re okay.” He murmured into her hair, rubbing circles into her back. “It’s okay, it’s over. Please, mi amor, you need to breathe. Just focus on me, okay? Breathe with me. Got it?”

She managed the smallest of nods, another gasping breath escaping her. Bruno nodded as well, finding her hand to press it against his chest, taking a slow, deep breath. She did the same, or at least tried to. It came out a bit shorter and stuck in her throat, but that was fine. She just needed time to calm down was all. Then they could talk about it in one of their rooms, probably hers since it was closer. At least then they would have some privacy.

Her second breath still clung to her lungs and struggled to get out, but the third was a little better, then the fourth was even better. It took time, but her breathing evened out and her tears slowed, though they never did stop.

“Do you think you can get up?”

She nodded, hesitating before forcing herself to let him go. He helped her to her feet and led her out of the bathroom, giving a passing glare to the pile of bloody clothes.

If Diego wasn’t already dead, he would have killed him himself.

Luckily, they reached the guest room without running into anyone and he was able to close the door behind them and settle Laila onto the bed.

“I’ll go get us some dinner, we can eat in here tonight. Is that okay?”

She nodded, running her hands through her hair.

“Gracias, Bruno.” She murmured, voice so quiet. It made him wince, but he hid the look by placing a gentle kiss on her temple.

“I’ll be right back.”

And he was true to his word. It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes later he was rentering the room, a plate in each hand. Casita opened and closed the door for him and he murmured a thank you. Laila was still on the bed, but now she was brushing her hair. Her eyes still stared at nothing, but after her meltdown in the bathroom some of the fire had returned. It wasn’t much, just a spark as she looked up at him, giving a shaky smile, but it meant she was getting better.

He set the plates on the nightstand, sitting on the bed behind her so he could wrap her up in his arms, nuzzling into the crook of her neck with a deep sigh. They stayed like that for a while, Laila combing through her hair and Bruno cuddling close. Neither spoke until the brush had been set aside.

“... okay?”

She nodded.

“‘M okay.”

A moment of silence.

“Do you … want to talk?”

She didn’t answer right away, playing with the hem of her shirt before sighing.

“Can we eat first?”

“Of course.”

He shuffled to the end of the bed to grab the plates and forks he brought before shuffling back over to hand her one of them. She thanked him and they ate in comfortable silence, content to be in each other's presence.

There wasn’t much talking to be done. After Bruno returned from putting the dishes away, all Laila could do was open her arms to him, silently begging him to come cuddle with her. He would never be able to say no to that, so he laid down next to her, letting her get comfortable before settling himself around her, one arm draped over her side and the other cushioning her head. He waited patiently as she struggled to find what to say.

“Take turns? I say what I’m feeling, then you?”

He nodded.

“Sounds like a good plan.”

“Okay …” She thought a moment longer. “I think I’m just … overwhelmed? I don’t regret what I did. Diego had it coming for a long time, I think. But it’s still … a lot you know? I think the thing I’m stuck on is …” She took a deep breath, doing her best to remain calm. “You almost died, Bruno. And it would have been my fault.”

Her voice tapered off into silence. He took that to mean it was his turn.

“I was scared. I was so scared he would kill, or he would hurt you in a way I couldn’t fix.” He took his arm off her side, bringing his hand up to cup her face and stare deeply into her eyes, such beautiful eyes. She didn’t deserve to have them spill tears so often. He gently laid a kiss on each eyelid, feeling her body relax at the attention. “I’m just so relieved that you’re okay. I’m happy that we’re safe and that we don’t have to worry anymore.”

She gave a little smile, nodding in agreement.

“It’s nice, not to have to worry anymore, at least about that.”

“Besides,” Bruno said, a mischievous smirk on his face. “Now at least we know we’d kill for each other.”

Laila looked shocked at his joke before bursting into giggles, shaking her head with a fond smile.

“It might be a bit early to joke about, cariño.”

He chuckled too, shrugging.

“Eh, that’s just how I deal with things.”

She giggled again, burying her head in his hair.

“Stay? Just for tonight.”

He huffed, letting himself nuzzle into her shoulder.

“Not sure mamá would like that much.” He murmured.

She scoffed and he could tell she was rolling her eyes even if he couldn’t see her face, making him smirk.

“She can give us one night. I think we’ve been through enough to earn that.”

And he didn’t really need much convincing, body already getting heavier as sleep steadily pulled at him. His only response was a noncommittal hum.

Casita turned the light off for them and they fell asleep in each other's arms. It would take some time before anyone would be able to fully heal. These sort of things didn't just disappear after one conversation. There would be many nights filled with nightmares of his hands on her, waking up breathless, a hand shooting up to caress her neck. But things would get better. They would one day be able to joke about in private in their room, giggling without a worry of nightmares. They would get better. Together.

Chapter Text

The group of children looked up at their Tia incredulously, looking more than a little doubtful.

Laila chuckled, giving her pile of dough a few more good kneads before returning it to it’s bowl and covering it with the damp cloth. She looked different from when that story happened, older. Her hair had white hairs threaded into it, stark compared to the pitch black. Her face had more lines and creases, her skin had a few more odd spots, and she was a bit heavier.

“Tia, is this a true story?” Isabell said, crossing her arms. Luisa looked to her sister in shock, as if the very idea of doubting Laila was a terrible sin.

“Do you think it is?” She answered with a smirk, the girl huffing.

“I’m almost sixteen, Tia! I’ve grown up. I know a lot of your stories are made up. There’s no way this one is the one that’s real.”

“Well, I think it’s real!” Luisa argued.

Dolores was quiet, just watching thoughtfully.

“Well, regardless of whether or not any of you believe me, I need you to promise not to tell anyone the story, understand?”

The three nodded eagerly.

The only reason they had approached Laila in the first place was because of the rumors in town. Dolores had been hearing them for years, brief discussions about a man that had disappeared several years ago, before any of them had even been born, and the few people they suspected were responsible. Her Tia and Tio.

And it was just … such a different sort of rumor. She had heard plenty of other things, but they were all about boring everyday things, crushes and family issues. This was … not that. It was even more than the terrible rumors about her Tio. She just had to tell her primas, and when they had heard, they had insisted on asking their Tia themselves. Well, Isabella had insisted. Luisa was happy to just let it go as made up nonsense, like a lot of rumors or gossip. But Dolores was curious. She couldn’t confirm it herself like she could many other things, which left only one person who could tell her what really happened.

As the group of teenagers walked home, she remained thoughtful. She had to admit, Tia Laila had a habit of embellishing her stories all the time. Even if what she said was true, did it really happen like that? Was it really that bad?

Well, she supposed there was one other person who would know.

-
It was deep into the night. Everyone was sound asleep, or at least they were in their rooms. Dolores couldn’t hear into any of the rooms except for maybe Abuela’s, and even then just the room by the window, and the nursery. Casita made sure to keep everyone’s rooms soundproof, something she was endlessly grateful for, even if it made it difficult to tell if everyone was out of it.

It was good enough for now, she decided, sneaking out of her own room. She listened a moment, made sure she couldn’t hear anyone before tiptoeing down the stairs and to the dining room.

That room was also silent, the only sound being the scratching of the rats behind the walls and the gentle breathing no one else was ever able to hear. It sounded like her Tio was asleep, a startlingly rare occurrence for him. He never stayed asleep long, so she decided to get a snack from the kitchen and wait however long it took.

It was nearly an hour and a half, as it turned out, which was longer than usual. Dolores couldn’t bring herself to be upset, though.

She heard him groan and shift in his hammock, met by a chorus of squeaks. She giggled at the distressed squeaks, quick to return to the dining room and sit by the family tree. She knocked on the wood, three quick knocks then two slow ones. For a moment, Bruno froze, but then she could hear shift again and the strain on the hammock as he left it. She could hear every shuffling footstep and the groan of the wood as he sat in his chair, the one by the wall where she sat.

“Dolores?” He asked in his soft voice. “Everything okay, niña?”

“Everything’s fine.” She assured him. “I just had a question.”

He hummed and she could hear him lean against the table.

“What’s that?”

She thought a moment, debating how best to phrase this.

“Luisa, Isabella and I went to visit Tia Laila today. She told us a story but this one was about you guys. I wanted to know if it was true or if its just another one of her stories.”

There was a pause and she imagined he was nodding or something similar to that.

“Yeah, she does get pretty dramatic, doesn’t she?” He said with a chuckle, the smile clear by his voice. “What was it about?”

“How you two met and how you saved her life from that man, Diego.”

He went silent, the chair creaking as he shifted, thinking.

“... what did she say?”

So, Dolores did her best to recount the story, albeit without her Tia’s usual dramatics and cutting out a lot of the more pointless side stories. Sure, they were cute, but they weren’t important to the end of the store, the one she really wanted to get behind.

Bruno remained silent through it all and even after she had finished. It was a minute or two before he actually said anything.

“Yeah, that’s about it.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah, that’s what happened.”

“Que - what happened to the body then!?”

“Buried in the jungle somewhere. I wasn’ there when they did it, I’m not sure where exactly he ended up.”

More silence between the two.

“The only people who know are our parents and Abuela?”

“And you and your primas. No one in town knows and you can’t tell them.”

Dolores thought a moment longer before nodding to herself.

“Okay, I can keep another secret.” She got to her feet, stretching out her shoulders. “Gracias, Tio. I’m heading back to bed now. Buenas noches.”

“Sleep well, cariño.”

Bruno listened to her fading footsteps until he was alone once more.

He didn’t leave his spot at the table right away. He supposed he was feeling a bit nostalgic, remembering those early days. He smiled sweetly at the memories, twisting the golden wedding band on his finger as he reminisced. The peaceful moment could only so long however and he was soon frowning again, heaving a heavy sigh.

He pushed away from the table and to his feet, shuffling back over to his hammock. He should probably attempt to sleep a few more hours before morning, but as he sunk into the fabric, he knew sleep would be more difficult than usual tonight. He couldn’t help but feel the emptiness around him and in him, a cold that reached his bones and an overwhelming loneliness that hurt his chest.

He curled up, holding his blanket close, but it did little to ease his discomfort.

He just … he missed her so much.