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It's the middle of the night when you're awoken by incoherent mumbling in your ear. Trying to tune it out, you shut your eyes tighter, absorbing the warmth radiating off the man next to you. His left arm is wrapped around your chest, his right arm underneath the pillow, propping it up for you. Uncounsiuoulsy, you curl yourself tighter into his embrace, and he tightens the grip around you.
"Mi amor," he mumbles through closed eyes, breathing into your hair. Gently you bring up his left hand to your lips, enjoying the feeling as his rough hand caress your skin.
Dios mío, how did you end up so lucky?
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Music and laughter fill the night sky as the voices of the townsfolk carry all the way to the stars. You smile to yourself, feeling a buzzed heat humming throughout your body.
You may have had a little too much to drink.
Walking down the road to escape the fiesta, the wind sweeps past your head, cooling the sweat sitting on your flushed skin. Under your breath, you thank Pepa for the beautiful weather. That being said, you weren't surprised by the excellent weather; after all, the Casita had finally been rebuilt. So perhaps it was strange that you left the Madrigal's party, especially when it was so festive. The entire town was dancing the night away, but it had begun to become too loud, so overwhelming that you had to step outside. Plus, with the weather sitting at a comfortable heat and the wind carrying a calm breeze, you were itching to take a late-night walk.
Finally, you reached your destination. A small stream that flowed through Encanto, leading to the outside world. Kneeling down, you dipped your hand into the stream, enjoying the instant coolness that touched your flushed skin. Bringing up the water to your neck, you sigh with relief.
The sound of footsteps made your head whip around, trying to locate the source of the noise. Suddenly, you were very aware of your surroundings. Was it an animal? Did someone follow you? You were still close enough that if you needed help, it would be a quick five-minute run to the town. Still, you would only stumble and fall before you even reached the town in your inebriated state. Debating on whether or not to call out to the noise, you shrunk into your clothes, hiding behind the moonlit shadows.
Someone stepped out before you reached your decision and bent down for the river. Then, sighing, they took off their sandals and sunk their feet into the water. You watched quietly from the shadows, trying to make out the person. Then, shuffling forward to get a better look at them, a twig snapped beneath your feet, echoing in the quiet space.
Their eyes shot towards you, open with shock, then fear, then curiosity. They opened their mouth before shutting it again, quickly getting up and slipping their sandals back on. Realizing that they were leaving, you quickly got out of your hiding space.
"Lo siento, lo siento," you mumbled out thickly, voice thick with intoxication, "I didn't mean to hide or to startle you, I was just taking a walk."
They relaxed before looking at you nervously. While they struggled to say something back, you took your chance to take a good look at them. The moonlight hid half of their face in shadows, yet, it also made their face look soft and kind. Their hair was loose and gently moving with the breeze, his eyes sunken in with exhaustion. He looked... really familiar. You stepped closer to them, trying to get a better look at him. He looked weirdly at you before shaking his head.
"No, it's quite alright," he muttered, "I was doing the same."
You didn't even realize you were grinning until your cheeks started to burn. Oh Dios, you drank much more than you acknowledged. "Ah, then let's share the water, after all, it's much more fun than just being by yourself."
You seated yourself on the bank of the river, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of rocks beneath you. Slipping off your sandals, you slipped your feet into the water. With a sigh of content, you looked behind to see him standing rigidly and unsure. Tapping the open space next to you, you beckoned him. Still looking conflicted, he got closer before stopping again. "You... you're ok with sitting next to me?"
Snorting, you turned your head up to the moon. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Finally, he slipped off his own sandals again and sat down next to you, once again dipping his feet into the water.
Closing your eyes as you felt the buzzing heat creep up to them, you turned to look at him. "Trying to get away from the party huh?" When he didn't answer, you talked more. "I don't blame you, I'm doing the same. It was fun but..." you trailed off, "it just got a bit much."
His head was still facing toward the other side of the river as if he was trying to avoid looking at you. You turned to look at your feet and laughed, "but I also left because people were trying to keep the alchol away from me."
At that, his mouth quirked into a lopsided smile. "Let me guess, the townsfolk cut you off," he guessed.
"Ding, ding, ding," you laughed, "you got it, Señor." He smiled at that before speaking. "I... well..." he trailed off, "the fiesta also became too much... but it was nice while for a bit."
"Yeah, I'm happy that the Madrigal's casita was rebuilt," you started, nodding in agreement to his statement, "they, of all people, deserve the help of the town."
"All of them?"
You looked at him in surprise before starting again. "Of course they do! They work too hard for us; it's the least we could do to help them rebuild their home." He turned to look at you, opening his mouth before quickly shutting it again when no words came out. "I don't care if they caused a little bit of chaos here and there," you mumbled, "they all deserve our help. In all honesty, they deserved our support a long time ago, and I'm happy that we can finally offer it. I don't care if it's helping Pepa lift her spirits or helping Maribel with something, or even helping Bru..." you trailed off, eyes wide.
You. Are. An. Idiot.
You smacked your palms into your forehead, feeling the sting from the impact. No wonder he looked so familiar. It was so obvious! His curly brown hair, his brown eyes that seem to hide a million emotions, his green poncho that he always seemed to wear.
Realizing you finally figured out his identity, he began to get up before you placed your hand on his arm. "You don't have to leave," you say softly before feeling your cheeks burn. "Un.. unless you want to," you quickly stutter out.
His voice was tight with confusion and stress when he spoke again. "You... you don't mind me?" Huffing, you look him straight into his eyes. "Like I said, I don't care who. They all deserve our help. Plus," you add, "rumors are always made up by bitter people who are only bitter at themselves. Still, they try to spread that bitterness around."
He paused before sitting back down. "Thank you," he whispered.
A comfortable silence traveled between you before you grinned wickedly at him. Then, you grab a flask from your pocket and open the top. The smell of alcohol hits your nose, causing your eyes to water. Looking at him, he smiles and gently shakes his head no. Shrugging, you bring it to your lips. "Salud," you cheer before downing the entire flask.
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The sound of birds chirping pulls you out of your sleeping state. Groaning, you held your head in your palms before bringing up your pillow to cover your ears. Then, blood pounding in your head, you shut your eyes down until your entire body is trembling.
You never want to drink again.
A familiar churning in your stomach pulls you to the bathroom, where you heave and try to stop yourself from emptying your stomach.
Seconds, minutes, maybe hours go by before you stumble to the sink and glance at yourself in the mirror. Clothes caked in mud, eyes hollow with dark circles, skin a sickly yellow color. It looked like you died before being resuscitated.
Dios mío, I wish I was dead.
Cleaning yourself up and changing clothes, you looked back at your reflection. You look slightly better, but you still felt sick to your stomach. You needed to visit Julieta ASAP for some food to get rid of your awful headache.
As you head for the door, you pause, eyes widening. How did you get home last night? Desperately, you think back to the night before and resist the urge to slam your head into the door. The night flashes behind your eyes. The fiesta, the singing, the dancing, the unbearable heat building up around you, the taste of alcohol. Closing your eyes, you stare at the door. The walk you took, the coolness of the river, the moonlit shadows, the stranger you talked to, the realization of who the stranger was...
Sacame de mi miseria.
Stealing yourself, you walked through the door and stumbled your way to the Madrigal's house. Unfortunately, it seemed like you weren't the only one suffering from being hungover as the line for Julieta stretched for what seemed like miles. Luckily, she appeared to be aware of this happening and prepared a decent amount of plain arepas.
The next couple of minutes, or perhaps hours, you weren't really sure, went by in a blur. You struggled not to zone out, scratching and picking at your arms to remain present. The sun was beating down on you, the heat getting stuck in your hair. Sweat dribbled down your temple, and you gently dabbed it off. Finally, you could feel yourself losing the battle of staying present, so you resorted to pinching your skin. Yet, no matter how hard you pinched your skin, you seemed to wobble.
Legs collapsing, you led out a small yelp as you fell forward, the ground coming closer and closer to your face when all of a sudden-
Letting out another small yelp, you felt yourself steadied by hands grabbing your shoulder. Catching your breath, you realize that you're practically leaning on the man, his green poncho cushioning your head.
Wait. Green poncho?
Looking up, your face flushed red with embarrassment. Bruno's face also seems to be twinged with red, but honestly, you are not sure if that's just your hungover mind.
"You ok there?" he asks quietly, helping you stand back up. Before you answer, you register that you're still gripping his arm as you try to steady yourself. If possible, your face turns redder as you quickly collect yourself and stand up.
"Haha, thanks," you mumble out before groaning, "you should have just let me fall, at least that would have put me out of my misery."
He chuckles at that before pulling out a plain arepa for you. Then, noticing your shocked face, he quickly explains, "Julieta made the rest of the family help by passing out the arepas."
Grabbing it, you open your mouth, but you hear whispers from the line before you can bite it.
"Cursed..."
"Poisonous...
"Would rather wait in line..."
"Why...different Madrigal..."
You slowly raise your eyes to look up at Bruno. His eyes are hidden by his hood, but even you can see the hurt swirl in his eyes. He reaches out to grab the arepa from your hand, muttering something about "I'll let someone else give you it," before you quickly bite a piece off and chew it.
Instant relief washes over you as you feel your head stop pounding. Bruno just stares at you, mouth slightly open in shock. Then, loudly, you proclaim to the line, "thank you, Bruno, for the arepa! I feel so much better now."
The line quiets before someone behind you asks for an arepa from Bruno. He seems startled by someone asking one from him, but he smiles when he gives it to them. Slowly, more people take arepas from him until he has no more.
He looks up at you and smiles.
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After everyone gets some of Julieta's life-saving food, you stumble back to your house before spotting Bruno awkwardly standing next to Julieta. Growing courage, you walk up to him and notice him wide-eyed before smiling at you.
Before speaking, you say a polite hello to Julieta and thank her for the food before facing Bruno. "I hate to ask this," you started, "but, uh, what happened last night?"
Julieta looks at the two of you and squints. Then, feeling the gaze of his sister's squint, he shuffles his feet. "Uh, how much do you remember?"
It's your turn to awkwardly shuffle. "Not gonna lie, I have no memory after I, uh," you laughed nervously, trying to cover up your embarrassment, "don't remember after I downed my flask." Julieta snorts, hearing this, and turns to face Bruno. "Is this where you disappeared last night?" she asks before laughing at Bruno's expression. "I'm just teasing. Anyway, I need to find Isabela." she says as she leaves.
Now that it's just the two of you, a weird silence stretches out before Bruno coughs awkwardly. "After you," Bruno waves his hands in circles as if trying to explain your drinking habits, "drank from your flask, you became, uh, really intoxicated."
Groaning, you roll your eyes, inwardly kicking yourself. "I... I didn't say anything bad did I?" you asked hurriedly. Bruno shakes his head. "We just talked about simple things like the weather, and, well actually you were talking a little incoherently," he adds. Your face contorts into a tight expression. "Great," you sigh, "another thing to add to my list."
"List of what?"
Chuckling nervously, you explain that you had a list of every embarrassing thing you've done while intoxicated. When you're finished, your cheeks are pink, and you swear that your ears are buzzing.
He laughs at your explanation and your smile. His laughter was slightly raspy but not in a sick way. It was... kinda cute?
"Anyways, I wanted to thank you for what you said last night and today," Bruno says. "I really appreciated it."
You shake your head. "You don't need to thank me. It's just the truth. It irks me that the people in the town still treat you like this. I wish..." you trail off, realizing some people are staring at the two of you, including the Madrigal family. Huh, I guess they weren't used to seeing Bruno talk to strangers. Shaking your head, you clear your throat. "You deserve to be treated better."
It's Bruno's turn to turn bright red. His eyes widen by your statement, a million emotions flashing through his eyes. His skin, even covered by shadows, turns red. If he didn't have his hood on, you could probably see his ears tinted red.
What you didn't know was that his heart was beating rapidly.
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It's a couple days later when you see Bruno again.
The marketplace is loud with bargaining and general chatter. Around you, people are selling jewelry, soaps, vegetables, just about everything someone would need. Your own little stall filled with a different types of spices and herbs sits in the center.
Multiple people come up and buy the spices you offer throughout the day. However, it's not until the sun begins its ascent down that everyone starts closing up shop, preparing themselves to go home.
Just as you are about to start closing up, you feel eyes looking at you. Turning around, you realize that it's not just one person staring; it's half the market. Spooked, you look around, trying to pinpoint why people are burning their gaze into you when your eyes finally stop and land on the mysterious figure of a man in a green poncho.
He fiddles with his hands as your gaze reaches him. "I..," he starts but quickly stops as the staring becomes too much for him. He shakes his head and begins to walk away before you quickly lean over and grab his arm. The eyes following the both of you only ignite into a stronger burn, and whispers begin to float around.
He shakes your hand off before quickly turning away.
"You should really avoid him (y/n)," another shop owner says. Murmurs of agreements echoed around you. "He's bad news," another adds.
You whip your head around to look at them, opening your mouth to let out an angry retort. "You guys are," you start before stopping. You shake your head to clear it. Unfortunately, the market seems to take your silence as a win, and they carry on with themselves before you open your mouth again. "He deserves a second chance," you begin, "and if you can't see that, well..." You stop yourself before you can say anything more. You don't want the townspeople to hate you. You're just frustrated.
Yet the more you think of it, the angrier you get. Like a hive of angry bees, you find yourself stumbling out. "He hasn't done anything to deserve your hatred for him. All he's done is see your future. He doesn't control your future, you do!" Your rambling angrily, but you can't bring yourself to stop. "It's not his fault if he says your fish dies, it's your fault for not trying to change the future!"
People stare at you before you finally regain your senses.
With that, you pack everything up and head back to your house. There, you place a dozen different spices and herbs into a small bag and make your way to the Madrigal house.
The doors open for you even before you knock on the door. Stunned, you stay outside, looking around to see if you spot anyone walking by. Your prayers are answered when Dolores reaches the door and looks at you curiously.
Clearing your throat, you asked her if she knew where her uncle was. She stared at you oddly and nodded before beckoning you to follow her inside.
This was the second time you've been in the Casita, but honestly, the first time was a drunken haze, and you didn't remember much. Now sober, you breathed in and admired the beauty of the house.
"Dolores? What is it?" you hear Pepa call out as she walks to the center of the house. She stops when she sees you, and you politely bend your head.
Grabbing your bag, you open it to show the contents inside. In the corner of your eye, you see Dolores standing behind her mother. Julieta walks up and places a hand on her sister's shoulder. Recognizing that they were waiting for you to explain why you were here, you fiddled with your fingers.
"I just wanted to drop the spices off to say thank you for the fiesta and the arepas that you made," you said, looking at Julieta. "They were, quite literally, a life saver."
Julieta's warm smile makes you relax. "Oh, you didn't have to thank us. I'm just happy that I could help."
You shake your head at Julieta's answer. "Trust me, you guys deserve more than just these spices after everything you've done for us. Plus," you laugh awkwardly, "just think of them as a gift."
Pepa smiles, looking at all the spices and herbs your brought them. "This is way too many spices and herbs," she exclaims, "Julieta will have a field day with all of these."
You smile again before tensing up when you see Bruno enter. He looks shocked to see you, and you glance at Dolores, realizing that she didn't tell him that you were looking for him. She looks smug.
Bruno just stares at you and then at his sisters. "Look Bruno," Julieta starts, "look at what they brought for us." He slowly creeps up to look at the bag and gently smiles before turning red again when he realizes you're staring at him.
You quickly divert your glance to the ground, feeling the familiar flush of red tinting your cheeks. You're brought out of your embarrassment when Julieta clasps her hands around yours, her cool skin only highlighting the blush you feel. "Please stay for dinner with us," she asks.
"Oh no, I shouldn't," you start, but Pepa cuts you off.
"You brought so many spices, you have to at least stay for dinner," she exclaims.
The gears in your head were working on trying to figure a way out of this predicament. Should you stay? No, that's too much. They're just trying to be polite, they don't actually want you to stay. But what if they actually want you to stay? Do they?
"Bruno, what do you think?" Dolores asks, her words slicing through your anxious brain. Julieta and Pepa look surprised that Dolores asked Bruno but nodded in agreement. "Yes Bruno, what do you think?" Pepa asks.
"Uhhh..."
Bruno looks like a deer in the headlights, his eyes open wide, his mouth hanging open. He fiddles with his hands and shuffles his feet. It almost looks like he wishes that the walls would swallow him up.
"Yea," he starts turning his face to look anywhere but you. "Yea, they should stay for dinner," he says, before quickly adding, "only if they want to. There's no pressure."
You inwardly roll your eyes. Saying that there's no pressure meant that there was definitely pressure. Yet, you were also oddly thrilled to hear that. He wanted you to stay for dinner? Or was he just saying that to please his sisters? Was he just trying to be polite?
You quickly ask yourself many questions, unable to stop your brain. Do you even want to stay? Why do you want to stay? Is it because you're trying to be polite or because you want to keep it for some other reason? What is this other reason? Is it him? Wait, do you like-
"Perfect," Dolores says, "I'll tell Abuela and the rest of the family." Julieta and Pepa nod before again thanking you for the spices and telling you to make yourself at home.
As the sisters walk away, Dolores walks up to you. "Thank you for defending tío Bruno."
As she walks away, you stare at the ground again. Hmm... was the ground always that shiny?
Bruno's awkward chuckle slaps you back into reality. Then, looking around, you realize that it was just the two of you standing in uncomfortable silence. "Do... do you want me to show you around?" he asks, clearing his voice with a cough.
You nod as you follow him out, too stunned to say anything else.
Dios mío, you were too sober for this.
As Bruno showed you around, you couldn't help but be in awe of what you saw. Colorful flowers littered the railings, beautiful vases lined the walls. Each door had different engravings, all unique and charming.
You slowed your step to a stop when you saw Bruno's door. He looked... fearsome. The engravings didn't capture his soft lips or the way his eyes showed when he was happy. It didn't catch the flow of his hair or the form his eyes crinkled when he smiled. Instead, it showed a face twisted with power. His eyebrows slanted downward, his face in a permanent scowl.
Was this how the town saw Bruno? As a cursed man?
Lost in your own thoughts, you didn't realize the look Bruno gave you when you stopped by his door. "Would you like to see it?" he asks softly.
You turn to him, and even if you were sure you were gonna say no, your face must have been laced with curiosity. Bruno approached the door, grabbing the doorknob when you finally found your voice.
"Wait, you don't have to show me," you say, but it's too late. Bruno opens the door and walks in. There's no choice but to follow.
The first thing you notice is the smell. Earthy and warm. Like the ground after the rain. The second thing you see is the literal sand. Mounds and mounds of sand, stretching across the entire room. Reaching down to touch the sand, you noticed how smooth the sand was and how the sun made it look like gold.
"This is," you tried to find words to describe your amazement. "Wow."
Bruno smiles at you and lets out a small chuckle. "Yup. This is what my Casita gave me."
Looking around, you notice the staircase that goes to the top. "Did the Casita try to kill you? Why are there so many stairs?"
Bruno shrugs. "It's not that bad once you get use to it."
A call can be heard in the background. It's Julieta's voice.
"Dinner is ready!"
You feel your stomach drop. You were about to eat with the Madrigal family. How did this happen? Was it too late to escape?
Bruno grabs your shoulder before you can think another thought. Startled, you look up at him. He flushes, quickly letting go of your shoulder. "Sorry," he mutters. "I didn't mean to startle you."
Opening your mouth, you want to reassure him, but he's clearly not done talking.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess," he starts, avoiding your gaze. "I...I just wanted to say sorry for approaching your stall today at the market. I... I wasn't thinking."
"You don't need to be sorry about anything."
He looks up at you in surprise, eyes shifting to look at you, before darting back to the ground.
"But me showing up probably affected your busniess in a negative way. They're... the people are gonna say I laid a curse on..."
You reach out to grab his arms, stilling him before he dives deeper into turmoil. "Bruno," you assured, "it's not your fault. I doubt it will affect anything, and even if it did, people will come back."
"Plus," you joke, "I'm the only stall that sells spices and herbs, so if people don't want to buy from me, they're gonna have really bland food."
He seems to calm down at this and lets out a quiet sigh of relief. He's about to say something else when Julieta yells again.
"We should head to dinner," Bruno sighs, "we don't want to keep people waiting."
You nod and follow him, looking back at his door one last time before glancing away.
Even though you were sitting next to Bruno, who you arguably were the closest to (although that didn't mean much when you've only started talking to him for a week), you were anxious. However, Julieta's food smelled heavenly, and you could feel your mouth begin to salivate.
"So... who are you?" Camilo's voice rings out across the table as everyone begins to eat. Dolores elbows him in the side, giving him a crossed look.
Ah, so the interrogation begins.
You looked up from your sancocho trifásico, suddenly not hungry no matter how good it smelled. You hated this part of talking.
"My name is (y/n), and your family was kind enough to invite me to eat dinner with everyone."
Julieta pipes up. "They brought us plenty of spices and herbs for me to cook with, so I had to invite them over."
Camilo nods and takes a bite of his own dish. He instantly melts at the taste. "Well we should invite them over more cause whatever spice this is, it's amazing."
You chuckle nervously, trying to resist the urge to scratch your arms.
One question down, hundreds more to go.
It's Mirabel's turn to ask a question. You like this girl. You haven't been in Encanto for long, but she was clearly one of the friendliest and easiest people you've ever met. Plus, she seemed like one of the only people comfortable talking to Bruno for long periods.
"I haven't seen you around. Did you move here?"
"Yes, I actually did recently move here," you explained. "I was born here, but when I was young, I went to live with my aunt in the city with my younger sister."
"Did you like the city?"
You look up to see Isabela's eyes open in interest. In fact, all the young kids looked interested in the city.
"Well..." you start, deep in thought. "The city is..."
You can't find the correct word to describe the city. "I would desribe the city as fast-paced, festive, complicated, overwhelming, joyful, blissful terror."
"Those are complete opposites of one another," Camilo speaks.
You shrug. "It's hard to explain. There's days that I wish i was still in the city, but there's days where I think back and realize I should have moved years ago."
"Well, what caused you to move away from the city?"
The voice makes you want to shrink into yourself. Alma looks at you, waiting for your answer. You know she's a nice Abuela, but the sheer power she has over the town makes you nervous.
You clear your throat with a slight cough and sip some water before answering. "It was getting difficult to...to enjoy myself in the city. And, after talking to my sister, I realized that I didn't belong there. I had been faking my personality for all those years I lived there."
All eyes are on you, and you start digging your nails into your palms.
"Anyway, I did some research and learned that my parents were from here. So I decided to come back."
When you finish, you expect more questions, but they never come. Then, finally, the family seems to realize that you might have said more than you intended.
"Well, I'm glad you're here."
You snap your head to Bruno. Then, realizing what he said, he reddens, but he doesn't take it back.
The rest of the family nods with him, and they all welcome you. But then, the conversation begins to spin to a different topic, and you let out a sigh of relief.
You feel a hand on yours and stare down. Bruno's hands lay on top of yours, and before you really understand what's happening, he flips over your hands to have the palms facing up.
Your breath catches in your throat as you look at your palms. There were nail marks from where you were clenching your hand, and blood was slowly oozing out of some of them.
You looked around the room to see if anyone else saw them, but the rest of the family were all entranced with their current discussion.
It was just you and Bruno.
You don't dare look at him. You felt... pathetic.
After a bit of while, Bruno, let's go of your hands. His gaze burns into your skull until you are forced to look back at his eyes. He doesn't say anything but mouths "eat."
Sheepishly, you do. You can feel the wounds closing themselves as you continue to eat.
The rest of the night passes in a blur. You played games with all the kids and joked around with them. You helped clean up the table and talked to the rest of the family. You even spoke to Alma multiple times.
You glanced up at the clock, realizing that it was nearing midnight.
"I really have to leave. Thank you for inviting me over." You bow at the family. "Everything was delicous."
"Thank you for giving us spices, they were amazing." Alma says, gently smiling.
In the corner of your eye, you see Dolores whispering something into Bruno's ear, but you don't care enough to focus on it.
As you grab your bag, you feel someone hover behind you. You don't even have to guess who it is. The earthy smell and green poncho are enough for you to think who it is.
He looks up at you before muttering that he'll walk you home. You don't argue with him.
The night is still warm when you walk down the road, Bruno walking next to you. The stars showed brightly above, twinkling like miny jewels. It would have been beautiful if not for the uneasy silence between the two of you.
Finally, you reached your house in frosty silence.
You're about to say goodnight when he finally speaks. It was so quiet you nearly mistaken it for the wind.
"How's your hands?"
Comprehending his words, you avoid his gaze, looking shamefully at them. "They're fine. Not a scratch on them. Julieta's food is truly a gift," you joke weakly.
He doesn't smile.
"Seriously, they're ok, Bruno. You don't need to worry," you explain, "I was just nervous to meet your family."
His eyes can tell that's there's more to the story, but he won't push. Instead, he looks up at the stars and hesitantly opens his mouth.
"I know, my family can be a bit much sometimes," he winces. "But if you ever feel the urge to... to do that again, feel free to just tell me."
"I love my family, I really do, but sometimes..." he sighs. "I get overwhelmed too."
The wind whistles through the both of you. It blows your hair across your face, hiding the shocked expression you have on your face. You were not expecting him to open up to you.
"Also..." he bites his lips as he talks. "Dolores told me what happened today at the market, after I left." He grabs your hands, so your attention focuses on him. "You shouldn't have done that."
"The townspeople will start treating you weirdly. Defending me only makes things more difficult for you."
The conversation that occurred to you when the both of you were in Bruno's room comes back to you. So he was still apologizing for that?
Your lips turn into a thin line. "Don't blame yourself for that. It's not your fault. Who cares if things get more difficult?" You shrug, "I don't mind it as long as I can have you."
Instantly, crimson lights up your entire face. Did you really just say that last part out loud. Bruno, too, looks taken back by that declaration, covering his mouth with one of his hands. His blush peaks out beneath the hand.
"An..anyway," you cough out, "you should head back. Your family is probably wondering why you're taking so long."
"Ye..yeah," he mumbles out. Before he leaves, he looks at you again. "You.. should come over again, for dinner sometime," he says. "But only if," he coughs nervously, "only if you want to."
Smiling, you nod your head. "I would love that."
He seems to calm down and shuffles his feet. "Then, uh, buenas noches."
"Buenas noches, Bruno." You turn to head inside when something pops into your brain. Mustering the courage, you turn to see Bruno walking away. "By the way Bruno," you yell out, seeing him turn around to face you. "Tell Casita to redo your door. Your'e much more handsome than your door."
Not waiting for a reaction, you slam the door shut.
Running to the washroom, you splash your face with cold water. Then, wiping off the water, you stare at yourself again. Your skin still looked red, even when you tried to cool it down. Thinking of Bruno only heated your face up.
What is happening to you? You stare at the mirror hard, willing the answer to come up. Why were you blushing at every other thing that Bruno said? He was just a misunderstood stranger that you happened to like talking to. It wasn't like you liked him or anything.
Right?
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For the next month, you had a comfortable reoccurring schedule. Every morning, you woke up and got ready to go to the marketplace. Then, every week, you would close early on one to two days and bring spices to the Madrigal house. Then, you would stay for dinner, getting closer to the family, and they happily used your herbs. Then, Bruno would walk you back home and linger for just a little too long before finally heading back.
It was... nice.
Then, one night when walking back home, the two of you decided to take a detour. Walking to the river where you first met, you sat down, nostalgia creeping on you. Bruno took his place to your left, quietly humming a tune.
The past month has been interesting for the two of you. Initially, it had been awkward and embarrassing, with the both of you walking around like headless chickens. But, over time, you started to really open up to him, and he, in turn, opened up to you.
Bruno had listened to you cry when the anniversary of your parent's death rolled by. He explained how you don't even remember what your parents look like or what they sounded like. He let you explain how moving in with your aunt had been challenging for you. You tried your best to shelter your younger sister from the brutal city, and while she was much happier growing up, it just meant that you had died inside at a young age. You explained how you fled away from the city as soon as your aunt passed away, no longer needing to take care of anyone.
You remember him hesitantly rubbing your back, and when you didn't tell him to stop, he continued to do it until your tears dried up. You remember his comforting words of "I wish you didn't have to go through that," and other terms such as "you're free now."
Bruno often talked about the time he lived in the walls. How his desire to protect another family member from being an outcast like him made him run away. He sniffles as he explains how much pain he caused his family, how his existence is a curse. You let him lean on your shoulder as you trace the pattern into his hands. You remember gently talking to him about how he was just trying to protect his family. How was it so filled with love that even you were mystified about it. Finally, you talked to him about how happy you were because of him.
Shoulders brushing, you took a turn looking at the stars. The river quietly lapped the shore as the two of you intertwined hands.
You didn't have to look over to know he was tinged red. Even though the two of you guys had become more comfortable with physical touch, he was flustered anytime you showed affection.
Although it wasn't like you could really make fun of him for that. You were just as bad.
You weren't sure what you and Bruno were. Of course, you guys were friends, but there was something more. Something that always made heat pool to your stomach and legs weak.
Yet, you never brought it up with him. You were too nervous. Kicking yourself mentally, you quietly sighed.
"Mmm?" Bruno mumbled as your sigh caught his ears.
"Aha," you shifted nervously. Was this the time you brought it up? What if it ruined everything?
"(y/n)?"
Bracing yourself, you turn to face him and find out he's been looking intently at you. You can feel another blush creep up your skin.
"Bruno...what...what are we?" you ask bluntly.
He sucks in a breath, momentarily letting go of your hand before gripping it again. Finally, he opens his mouth to speak, but you cut him off.
"Because, Bruno, I... I really like you," you nervously state. "I've liked you for a while, and everything you do makes me feel like I like you more and more."
"I...I don't want to ruin anything between us, but I understand if you don't want this, I can just dissapear," you ramble.
"I just don't-" he cuts you off when his lips crash into yours. They're so soft as they hungrily try to absorb you.
You lean forward just as he pulls back. Eyes wide, you can tell he's about to apologize for kissing you without asking. Your heart melts at the sight of him.
You prop yourself up in your knees and lean over his body, capturing his lips one more. In an instant, you feel the heat between your bodies humming with pleasure. He grabs the back of your head, pulling you closer to him. His tongue peaks into your mouth, greedily trying to absorb all of you.
It's hot. It's way too hot. The heat encases the both of you as you begin to travel down his neck, giving every inch of skin kisses.
He's still on his back as you do this, but you can tell he's trying to control himself from getting up and doing the same thing to you.
"Mi corazón," you breathily moan out, "oh, mi corazón, mi corazón, mi corazón..."
"Mi amor," he replies.
Suddenly, a twig snaps, and the both of you guys scramble off of each other. Dolores steps out, hands covering her ears, eyes closed tightly. "Tío Bruno? Everyone is wondering why you're not back yet."
She turns around and walks back to the house.
You look at Bruno's face and feel another pool of heat in your stomach. His lips are red and puffy, his eyes glazed over with pleasure.
"It's alright, you can go back home. I'm close enough to walk back to my house anyway," you explain. But Bruno shakes his head at you and reaches his hand out to you. "Come back with me, mi amor," he whispers.
Smiling, you take his hand.
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When you wake up in the morning in Bruno's bed, he isn't there. Worriedly, you look around and see a faint glow from his vision cave.
Debating on whether or not to visit him, you sit in his bed and absorb the smell of sand.
Finally, boredom gets the better of you, and you creep to the cave, feeling the sand shift between your toes. The softness of the sand sticks to your clothes and hair, but you don't mind. It's like having a small piece of Bruno everywhere you go.
Eventually, you reach the cave. You had never actually seen Bruno perform a vision. Sure, you heard of it. Heard of the rumors and listened to the process from Mirabel, but you've never actually seen it.
Taking a deep breath, you summoned the courage and walked in.
A sandstorm greeted you as you walked in. The soft sand that covered your feet turned into miniature knives that stung your skin as you walked. Green swirled through the sand, intertwining with one another. In the middle, Bruno sat cross-legged, eyes bright green as he stared at the vision he was seeing.
Just as you walked in, the roaring sound of sand stopped, leaving nothing but the twinkling sound of the vision.
Bruno looks intently at the vision plate he created. As you walk up behind him, he doesn't hear you at all.
Determined not to scare him, you try to make your footsteps louder, but the sand cushions the sound. Yet, he turns around to see you standing there, and his face becomes instantly unreadable.
Did you make a mistake in coming in here? Perhaps you should have just waited? Are you bothering him?
You begin to scratch your arms as the itching spreads. Instantly, Bruno leaps across the room and grabs your shoulders. "Mi amor, what are you doing here?"
You look up at him, seeing his eyes melt when he makes eye contact with you. "I was just wondering what you were doing." Breaking free from his grasp, you marvel at the space around you. "So," you start, "this is where the magic happens?"
He nods at your question before explaining his process with the sand and salt, as well as his other rituals.
"Still, you probably shouldn't come in here," he states, looking at the walls. "I don't want you to see me like this. It's not a pretty sight."
He doesn't continue, but you can tell what he means. Don't look at me when I use my powers. I don't want you to see the monster that people think I am. That I know, I am.
"Bruno," you walk up to him, standing face to face with him. He half-heartedly looks up at you before your lips touch his own, and you run your fingers through his hair.
Pulling away from him, you intertwine your fingers. "There's nothing that people say that will make me question you or your gift."
"Your gift is beautiful, and I'm sorry that other people can't see that," you continue. "Your powers do not make you a monster. You are filled with so much love, you know that?"
Bruno only hums.
"Bruno," you ask, "Bruno look up at me."
He does so, staring straight at you. His eyes are glowing green, and you know it's just his magic still seeping into them.
"Beautiful," you murmur, "what a beautiful shade of green."
He kisses you.
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It's the middle of the night when you're awoken by incoherent mumbling in your ear. Trying to tune it out, you shut your eyes tighter, absorbing the warmth radiating off the man next to you. His left arm is wrapped around your chest, his right arm underneath the pillow, propping it up for you. Uncounsiuoulsy, you curl yourself tighter into his embrace, and he tightens the grip around you.
"Mi amor," he mumbles through closed eyes, breathing into your hair. Gently you bring up his left hand to your lips, enjoying the feeling as his rough hand caress your skin.
Dios mío, how did you end up so lucky?
You turn to face him, and even though you try to be quiet and gentle about it, his eyes slowly open. "Mi amor?" he whispers, his voice thick with sleep.
You shush him as you lie back down, intertwining your legs with his. His face is close enough that you can feel the tickle of his breath. Leaning forward, you kiss his forehead.
"Te quiero, Bruno."
"Te quiero más."