Chapter Text
Bruno woke up, stirred awake by the sensation of falling. When he opened his eyes, he was relieved to see that he was in his bed, in his new room, rather than falling down from the sky.
Out of breath, he started by trying to calm his erratic heartbeat down. He looked around, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room. It was simple, there weren't much furniture but he never needed more than what was necessary. The walls were bare too, he didn't even know what he would hang up there.
Not his visions, that was out of questions. He wasn't sure Alma would like that his omens were in their casita. So he usually destroyed the emerald plates. But he kept some shards, putting them at specific places of his room and they were casting a soft emerald glow that he preferred to the lamps shining too bright over his head.
He also had candles but he didn't light them often, they were reminding him too much of the miraculous candle that held so much pressure over all of their heads, back then. It only has been a month since the events happened, since he came back to his family. And even if they all welcomed him warmly, he still felt out of place.
It was so much calmer between the walls but as the house had been rebuilt by the family, they hadn't thought of adding the corridors between the walls. He didn't ask either, because he feared he would be mocked so he accommodated to only retreating in his room, like everyone else did.
He was sure that if he asked the casita, it would help him form a haven for himself but he also wanted to stop fleeing everything and made efforts to bond with his family. 10 years had passed and he was sure their relationships changed, he only hoped he wasn't perceived as a stranger to them.
He sighed and looked to the window, which was offering a view of the forest behind the casita. He wondered if he would be able to go back to sleep but also felt like taking a walk between the trees. The forest always calmed his mind and the night was a perfect time to be alone without anyone looking for him.
He got up from his bed, careful to not make too much noise, in order to not wake Dolores up. She was a light sleeper and her gift making her able to hear everything wasn't helping. He slid his green poncho on his lanky body and put on his trusted pairs of leather sandals and sneaked out by the window.
He was relieved his room was only on the first floor. His tower, which was full of stairs, was enough to unmotivate him to do anything. But now he was free to go anywhere, although he still choose to stay safely within the Casita, for now.
After ten years of staying hidden between the walls, he didn't feel ready to go in the village and support the judging stares from the villagers. He believed his nieces and nephews would push him out soon but for now he was still learning how to interact with his family, rather than seeing them live through the cracks of the wall.
He was now walking, between the trees, the light of the moon guiding his feet and helping him avoid roots and uneven ground. The rhythm of his breath was calmer now and his mind almost forgot what he had been scared of.
He decided to walk to the small clearing he knew was a few steps away and once he felt better, he would come back and try to get some rest. Once he arrived in the space, expecting it to be empty, he almost jumped out of his own skin when he spotted a body against the trunk of a tree, eyes closed and seemingly in pain.
His empathy stronger than his previous fear, he immediately went to the woman, crouching down in front of her and making his presence known to her, in case she hadn't noticed him yet.
-Are you okay?
She startled, opening her eyes to reveal pale grey eyes, which he could only associate with blindness, something he knew even julieta's cooking couldn't cure.
-Where am I?
-How did you get here?
They both stood silent as they realized they spoke at the same time. He decided to apologize for interrupting her.
-I'm sorry, go on.
-Sorry about that. Oh...
Another silence followed and she was the first to smile.
-Seems like we should take turns speaking from now on.
-I agree. You should go first, if you want.
She nodded, and the chestnut curls on her head followed along, in a graceful movement which reminded him of a flowing river, lively and beautiful to gaze at.
-I don't know how I got here. Well I know I walked a lot. And I had to sit down for a minute because I felt tired from all that walking but it seems that I can't get up again.
She offered him an apologetic smile and he noticed the pinkish scar running from her chin to her right cheek but focused on answering her, aware that the silence was becoming a bit long.
-Will you allow me to help you? My home is not too far and it's better to rest there than in the middle of the forest, at night. Then again, I would understand if you don't want to follow a stranger. I mean.. I don't know you either, so maybe I shouldn't offer you my help but I-..
His nervous rambling was interrupted by her hand reaching out, a small smile on her lips.
-I'll go with you. I'm about to pass out from exhaustion anyways.
She closed her eyes and when she didn't open them again, he started to worry.
-Dios mio! Don't fall asleep yet!
He shook her shoulders lightly and when he saw that she didn't give any signs of waking up, he sighed. She had warned him after him and was now passed out on the forest floor.
-I guess it's okay for me to carry you, huh?
He took her in his arms, surprised by how light she was. Did he get stronger? Then he made his way back to the Casita, trying to not trip on anything while asking fate what it was planning for him, making him meet that stranger in the middle of the night.
He entered the casita by the front door, because going back by his window was not a good idea. Everyone was deeply asleep in their beds and he was too anxious to wake up Julieta. And he didn't see any serious injury on her so she should be okay until morning at least.
Carefully, he entered his room and let the woman in his arms down on his bed.
-There you go, pretty stranger.
She was sleeping profoundly now, something he was almost jealous of. He sat on the wooden floor, too scared to go on the bed now that she was there.
Tomorrow he would ask Julieta for help without alerting the whole family of the new guest. He didn't want to cause a ruckus. He felt his eyes closing, and didn't resist. Some sleep would do him good too.
As he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see that he was sitting on the floor, his head resting on the mattress behind him. He quickly lifted his head, which his sore neck muscles made him regret. He winced, remembering that he wasn't a youthful man anymore.
He carefully got up, swearing to never sleep on the floor again as all of his joints cracked in a symphony of "pops". It's only when he turned around that he remembered the reason why he had spent his night on the floor instead of his cosy bed. That stranger was here, seemingly having the best sleep of her life as she was hugging one of his pillows, still passed out.
He thought he could enjoy the occasion to study her features a bit better and shamelessly stared at her, starting from the top of her head, which long and wild curls covered down to her shoulders. Her tan skin was covered in freckles, and her eyes had this pale grey color to them, which made her even more intriguing to him and..
His brain seemed to awake from his slumber and he realized that if he could see the color of her eyes right now, then it meant that she was awake and that would mean that he stared at her while she was awake, which was downright creepy.
She blinked, which set him into motion and he quickly looked away, ready to apologize before remembering that the reason why her eyes had this pale color to them was because she was blind. The morning was definitely not his time.
-Hello??
Her voice pierced through the silence, startling him even though he was awake.
-Oh, hum.. Hi. Slept well?
-Are you... The stranger from yesterday?
-My name's Bruno if you're wondering. Hi.
He felt stupid for greeting her twice but if she noticed, she didn't say anything and sat up, pushing her hair away from her shoulders.
-I thought I dreamed of you. Thank you for helping me out. I slept well, your bed is cozier than the forest floor. Oh, but where did you sleep then?
-On the floor but it's fine! I'm used to it.
-Oh, I'm so sorry. I'll get up and you can get your bed back.
-I don't need it. It's morning.
-Already?
He looked at the window and nodded then remembered that she couldn't see his movements.
-Yes. But don't worry! I'm glad you slept well.
-Yes. Thank you again. I don't want to intrude though, I should get back to.. What was I doing again?
-You are not intruding at all, Señora.
-Oh, I forgot to tell you my name. It's Lucía .
He nodded and almost hit himself for forgetting that she couldn't see him.
-Well, Lucía. You can stay for as long as you want.
-I can't possibly steal your bed again.
He smiled, thinking that her only concern was about him having his bed back, which felt nice. For once, someone put him before themselves. But before he could dwell on the feeling, a knock on the door startled them both. The door opened on Dolores and Bruno immediately knew that the fact that Lucía was there wouldn't stay a secret for long.
As much as he loved his niece, he knew she couldn't keep a secret. Well, he would have to introduce her to his family anyways so the sooner, the better, right?
Dolores's voice shook him up from his thoughts, she had entered the room and was looking at Lucía, eyebrows raised and a slight knowing smile on her lips.
-I thought I heard you sneaking out, Tío Bruno. So, who's this?
-I'm Lucía and I apologize for intruding in your home, it's just that I met Bruno minutes before passing out and he kindly brought me here. Can I ask your name, please?
-Dolores, pleased to meet you! And you are not intruding, we have a lot of space in the Casita for unexpected but welcomed guests.
The woman nodded, smiling and Bruno almost thought of going away, to avoid any questions or possible teasings from his family. But it wouldn't be nice for Lucía, she was surrounded by new people and she couldn't see them. So he wanted to be there to help her, because he knew too well that despite putting on a smile, it was hard to face daily life sometimes.