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Bruno wakes up feeling warm and relaxed in his bed. More relaxed than he's felt in years. He feels a warm and heavy weight on top of him that shifts in his arms. Hair tickles his bare chest, and a leg is tangled in between his own.
He blinks through heavy eyelids and looks down at the person on top of him.
Oh, it's just Mirabel.
Bruno closes his eyes and sighs, readying to go back to sleep.
And then he realises.
His eyes fly open, and his heart starts pumping adrenaline through his veins.
Ay Dios Mio! It's Mirabel! A very naked Mirabel.
Bruno stiffens and hovers his hands off of her bare skin. He gulps.
Don't think about her breasts touching you, don't think about her breasts touching you, don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it!
Ah, he was thinking about it.
He hesitantly cranes his neck to try and see her face. And his heart drops when he sees Mirabel's eyes shut but her lips pursed, like she was trying to fight off a grin.
He squeaks indignantly, "How long have you been awake for?!"
Mirabel can’t hold herself back anymore as laughter bursts out of her. "Your heart was beating like crazy! I could practically hear what you were thinking." She looks up into his eyes and grins. "Buenos días, Tio Bruno."
Her voice sounds like warm honey, and he feels himself wanting to melt with it. "M-morning."
Mirabel sits up and leans down to peck his lips. Bruno's lips tingle as his eyes stay glued onto her bare breasts. He gulps and breathlessly whispers, "Oh boy."
She chuckles as she stretches her arms and back out, and he enjoys the way her breasts stick out and the way her belly moves with her laughter.
"I gotta go to the bathroom. I'll be right back," she says as she gets up to go to the bathroom that’s next to his bedroom. Bruno still can't find words as he gets a front row seat to her fantastic ass in action.
Once Mirabel is at the doorway, she looks over her shoulder at him and his eyes quickly dart to hers. He feels himself blush when she smirks, knowing exactly where he was looking. And then she walks out of his sight, taking the warmth in the room with her.
Bruno's face falls and panic is left in its wake.
He lunges for his nightstand and frantically opens his top drawer to find two sacks inside. One full of salt, the other, sugar. He pinches some of the salt and throws it over his shoulder, uncaring if it falls onto his bed. He does the same with the sugar, and then starts knocking the wooden nightstand, "Knock, knock, knock- knock on wood!" He sits up and knocks the top of his head.
You know, just in case.
He needs all the luck right now.
Everything that happened last night was running through his mind. The happiest moment of his life. But now, in the light of the morning, when reality liked to make itself known, he realises it shouldn't have happened. How could he give in like that?
Ah, because it's Mirabel, you idiot. The woman you're in love with? The woman who, apparently, loves you back. Of course, you folded like a wet paper towel!
He crosses his fingers and holds his breath. Mirabel walks back in, as naked as the day she was born- and Jesus Christ, don't think about the day she was born- only to halt once she sees his face.
"Ooookay. I see that you're going through something. Lemme just-" Mirabel points towards his closet with an awkward smile, and then walks over to grab one of his newer ruanas. Air explodes out of him when she puts it on, and he thinks about how cute she looks.
He anxiously wonders if thinking these sorts of things about her will undo all the wards for good luck he just did.
Mirabel sits next to him on the bed, with her knees tucked up near her chest. She smiles comfortingly at him, "Can I hold your hand?"
Bruno takes a breath to calm his panic. He searches her eyes and finds only love shining through them, and that's what makes him nod.
Mirabel takes his hand and sits it on her knees. She fiddles with his fingers one at a time and quietly says under her breath, "Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco. Five, four, three, two, one."
He listens to her repeating the numbers forwards and backwards and he feels his anxious brain relaxing with satisfaction. Numbers were easy to follow. They went up and they went down. Just like breathing in and breathing out. His urge to keep repeating his wards of luck begun to melt away with the soothing sound of Mirabel's voice.
Once he feels some of his anxiety lessen, Bruno smiles weakly at her, "Thanks. I just, um- You know. It all came crashing on me all at once, I guess."
"Yeah, I kind of guessed that. You wanna talk about it?"
He rubs a finger from his free hand between his eyebrows, trying to soothe the tense muscles. “Maybe?”
He then eyes her relaxed state and can’t help ripping his hand from hers to wave about as he blurts out, “Why aren’t you more freaked out?! We’ve crossed a line- AND you and I lost our virginity last night! Isn’t that a big deal?”
Mirabel gives him an amused snort, “Okay, I’m kind of happy that I was your first, but no, I wasn’t a virgin. I lost that to one of my ex’s when I was 16.”
Bruno blinks in surprise, “Oh… That’s…good then...”
He hadn’t known that, but he felt weirdly relieved to know her first time hadn’t been on the sandy floor of his vision cave.
That honour would go to him; the idiot who had a vision of who he thought was his future bride and decided to save himself for their marriage. By age 40, he realised she had actually been his niece and that saving himself had been a pointless endeavour.
And then 10 years passed, and you really didn’t get a chance to find sexual companions when you’re hiding in the walls of your family’s home, so a virgin he stayed.
Until last night that is.
With his sobrina.
Hysterically he thinks, Well, you weren’t entirely wrong about her being your first, now were you?
Saving him from his spiralling, Mirabel says, “Yeah, but if it makes you feel better, the whole time I basically closed my eyes and thought of you.”
She frowns as she tries to remember, “Now that I think about, I think I might have said your name too, because José broke up with me pretty quickly after that.”
Bruno stares at her in shock. He was at a loss for words right now. How was he supposed to react to such blatant honesty?
(He tries to ignore the image of his niece at 16, closing her eyes and chanting Bruno’s name while another takes her first time. He ignores the perverse giddiness rising within him knowing that she had gotten off to the thought of him inside of her, ignoring the existence of the true owner of the cock thrusting into her. He ignores for now how this will play a part in his future fantasies.)
“UUUuum,” Bruno looks away to try and clear his throat of the embarrassing crack in his voice, which Mirabel cheekily grins at, and he tries again, “Thank you? I guess? I don’t really know how to respond to that, honestly.” He whips his head around to give her a stern look, “What about the obvious incestuous elephant in the room? Does that not freak you out?”
Mirabel’s face turns serious as she thinks. “Well, as I already told you last night, I’m fine with it all.”
She looks into his eyes with determination, making his heart skip a beat, “I love you, Bruno. I want this. I want to have everything with you; love, marriage, kids, the whole shebang.”
His heart softens at her words, and he looks down at the blanket covering him. “I-I want that too, believe me. But we can’t. The family wouldn’t approve.” Frustrated, he throws his hands up and waves them about, “When they find out you’ll be pitied, and they’ll kick me out faster than they can say ‘goodbye, freak!’.”
Mirabel shrugs, “If that happens, then I’ll just follow you.”
“So…what? You want us to pack up and leave the Encanto?” He says sarcastically.
Mirabel suddenly perks up and her grin is so bright that it almost blinds him from the conversation they were having.
“Yeah! We can just leave! Go somewhere where we can do all of that without the family stopping us. We can find a quiet little town to settle down in. We’ll have to find work somehow, but we could do it! I have my sewing skills and you have your construction skills, there’s bound to be something! We could live in a little house and raise our children there and no one would ever know that we were related!”
Bruno’s mouth hangs open. He's so overwhelmed right now. The picture she was creating was sweet and idyllic but not very realistic. The world outside the Encanto was drastically different to their little safe bubble, something he’s only ever seen in books and in his visions.
He must stop this, right now. He raises his hand in a stopping motion, “Mirabel, no. We’re not leaving the Encanto. We’re safe here. Everything we need is here.”
Mirabel’s smile dims slightly in disappointment, “Okay. Just…okay.”
Bruno hates seeing her sad, so he gives in a little. He sighs in resignation, “I’ll think about it, okay? How does that sound?”
Her smile is quick to return, and she suddenly straddles his legs to hug him, and his head ends up buried in her chest. “Thank you, thank you! I’m glad you’re even considering it.”
“Oh…well…” His face burns when he smells a combination of himself and Mirabel on the ruana she was wearing. He’s not used to this level of closeness between them just yet, so he hesitantly wraps his arms around her. Feeling her warmth in his arms makes him sigh in satisfaction as he nuzzles his face into the comfort of her chest. She giggles and he can feel the vibrations through her chest.
“You know, Tio, this is giving me some ideas.” Bruno looks up into her mischievous and heated gaze and anticipation courses through him. She leans down and lightly caresses his lips with her own, teasing him with her kiss. “Make love to me?”
He thinks about his previous panic and finds that with her lips on his and her body close to his own, he can’t seem to find that same voice screeching at him about how terribly wrong this all was.
So, with thoughts of only her on his mind, he dives in to greedily devour what she offers him.
...
The next couple of months are some of the happiest Bruno has been in a long, long time.
It was a time of secret dates, secret looks, secret touches, secret words.
Secret sins.
And he loved every minute of it because it was with Mirabel.
Even if there was a bitter part of him that hated that it was so secret.
Secrets and the forbidden get old pretty quickly when all you wanted to do was to be with the one you love in the freedom of your own home.
And then it came time for their secret to inevitably start cracking underneath the weight of reality.
...
Bruno jolts awake when someone touches his shoulder. He squints into the dark and grunts in question.
“Tio Bruno, wake up.”
He rubs his eyes and mumbles, “Mirabel? What’s wrong?”
He hears the joy in her voice when she says, “Nothing! I just have to show you something.”
Bruno shuts his eyes and groans, “Can’t it wait? It’s too early for anything.” He feels a serious compulsion to childishly kick around in a tantrum, hoping it’ll make her go away and let him sleep.
Her hand finds his as she gently tugs him, “Please? Now is the only time I can show you. I want you to be the first to know.”
That makes him pause and open his eyes. He can sort of make out her excited face in the dark. Did she have a surprise for him? A romantic one? He grips her hand and gets out of bed with a groan of effort. “Okay, okay! I’m coming. Let me get my sandals on.”
Mirabel practically leads him with a skip in her step out of his room.
“Where are you taking me, kid?”
She looks over her shoulder and grins, “Just wait and see!”
They start entering onto the floor where everyone’s doors were and Mirabel starts whispering, “I got up to go to the bathroom and when I looked up, there was a something new next to my door.”
Bruno rises an eyebrow, “Oh? What was it?”
“You’ll see.”
Once they’re out of his darkened hallway, he looks towards Mirabel’s door and finds… two new doors spiralling with potential magic.
Confusion floods his mind, and he can’t seem to find the words the closer they get to them. Mirabel stops them both once they reach the doors and expectantly looks at him, “Bruno, do you know what this means?”
His heart picks up and his brain is too shocked to answer her. No way.
“I’m pregnant!”
He slowly turns towards her. In a daze, he looks at her happy face, down at her stomach, and then looks at the blank golden doorknob on one of the forming doors, waiting for a letter of a first name for a new Madrigal child.
And it hits him.
Overwhelming joy suddenly lights up his soul almost to the point of pain as he whirls around back to Mirabel with a gigantic grin on his face. “Are you serious? Mi amor, are you serious right now?”
Mirabel grins just as hard as she nods, and tears start to build up in her eyes, “I’m serious.”
Bruno feels tears beginning to burn his eyes and he laughs in joy, in shock, in every emotion possible swirling in his heart. He scoops Mirabel up in a hug and spins her around, making her giggle with joy. Then he remembers that she’s pregnant, so he gently puts her back on the ground and anxiously hovers his hands over her, “Ay Dios Mio, are you okay? I shouldn’t have picked you up like that.”
Mirabel grabs his hand with a giggle, “I’m fine, I’m fine! Quick, let’s go somewhere more private.”
Feeling so much more awake than he did before, he tugs her along into her room. Once the door is shut behind them, he pulls her into a hug. “I can’t believe it! You’re pregnant!” And God, saying it out loud made it just a little more real. He hugs Mirabel tighter, “I’m so happy!”
She hugs him just as tight, “Me too! We’re going to be parents! I can’t believe it!”
Bruno pulls away and holds her face in his hands. He smiles softly, “I love you, Mirabel.” He lowers a hand to her stomach, “And I love them.” Mirabel smiles back in adoration, and he wants to capture this moment forever in a vision of emerald.
But like all of his visions, this moment will shatter into pieces when he lets it go.
Smiling falling away from him, Bruno steps away from Mirabel and avoids her eyes that slowly melt into confusion. “Mirabel, what will we tell the family?”
Mirabel’s breath catches in her throat and Bruno sneaks a look through the curtain of his hair. She frowns and hugs herself in comfort, “W-well…” She looks up at him, frightened, and the sight makes his heart ache. He wants to protect her. He wants what’s best for her and their children.
He wets his lips nervously, “We should tell them the father is some guy who came into town.”
Her mouth tightens in displeasure, and he hurriedly explains, “That way we can stay together, and I can be in the children’s life. It also means that you can stay with the family and get their support. And the townspeople love you too- they’ll be ready to help you at the drop of a hat.”
Mirabel marches into his personal space, making him lean back, “So you want to just live here in Casita not being able to be mine or our children’s father? Is that the kind of life you want?!”
He snaps, “No! Of course not! But if it keeps you with the family then I'm happy to step aside.”
“I don't want you to step aside! I want you to be with me; beside me! The family and the town won't accept us when they know the truth, so let's just go somewhere where they don't know about the Madrigal's. Please Bruno, let's leave the Encanto. Let’s be happy together.”
“Staying with the family will be good for you. For our children.”
“Really? You really think that? The house broke apart because no one was happy. You don't think it won’t happen again? Because if we do it your way, I won’t be happy. You won’t be happy.”
Bruno looks away from her and refuses to answer. Of course he won’t be happy. But once the twins were born, she could be happy once again, and that was fine with him. Mirabel and the children were what mattered in this situation.
Mirabel scoffs and turns away from him to sit on her bed. “Fine. Have it your way. We’ll go with that story for the family. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need my rest since I’m, oh you know, pregnant. With your children.”
He reluctantly walks out of her room, and before he closes the door, he takes one last look at her.
He hates this. One moment they were so happy, and the next they were angry and bitter. He feels tears choke him as he whispers, “I’m sorry.”
And he shuts the door.
______________________________________________________________
The morning arrives and Bruno awaits the inevitable chaos in the dining room.
Bruno couldn’t go back to sleep.
He had talked out loud to Casita and his rats. For advice, for help, for their secrecy. He got some answers back, but it wasn’t really informational. Since they were, you know, rats and a non-verbal sentient house.
He had even begged Casita long and hard about not showing the true origins of the twins in the family tree on the dining room wall. He still doesn’t know if they had actually heard him on that front.
Mirabel arrives in the dining room, and they share the same tired look. He walks over to her and reaches out to touch her shoulder. He sees her stony look and clenches his hand into a fist and swings it by his side. He whispers, “I know you’re angry right now, but I want you to know that I’ll support you when we tell them.”
She frowns but nods in acknowledgement.
Without really looking at him, she sits in her usual spot at the table. He goes into the kitchen and quickly makes some scrambled eggs on toast for them both. He didn’t want them on an empty stomach while doing this, especially with Mirabel in her current condition. He won’t deny that focusing on the eggs slowly becoming scrambled helps ease his anxiety somewhat.
He finishes cooking and serves it up to Mirabel. She mumbles a thanks and starts eating. They’ll enjoy this calm before the storm for as long as possible.
The first to arrive is Abuela who walks in with a small smile on her face.
Bruno takes a deep breath. Oh, how he wished he could hide away from this right now. But it was for Mirabel. For their children. He takes out his mother’s chair and smiles nervously, “Morning, Mama.”
She smiles in appreciation and sits down, “Morning, Brunito. Have you seen the new doors yet?”
“S-si, Mama. We have.”
“It’s wonderful news, isn’t it? Dolores is having twins! Alvaro will be a wonderful older brother.”
Mirabel and Bruno look at each other quickly. He tilts his head in question.
Are the doors for Dolores’ children?
Mirabel shakes her head and rubs her stomach. She brings a finger up to mouth and makes a gagging motion.
No, I’ve been having morning sickness.
He nods in understanding and turns back to his mother who hadn’t seen their silent conversation.
“Well, Mama, that’s actually what we wanted to talk about.” He comes around and sits beside Mirabel, and Abuela looks at Bruno in confusion. “Talk about what?”
Mirabel sits a little straighter, “It’s me who’s pregnant, Abuela. And the father has long left the Encanto.”
Bruno and Mirabel hold their breath as the older woman’s face becomes cold and unreadable. Slowly and a little too calmly, Abuela says, “Are you saying that you’re pregnant and the father won’t be taking responsibility for the children?”
Mirabel sneaks her hand in Bruno’s under the table and he squeezes in reassurance. “Yes, that’s what I’m saying.”
With a tone as cold as ice, Abuela asks, “Be honest with me, niña. Did this man force you?”
Bruno feels himself shudder in revulsion at the mere idea of some man, or even Bruno himself, forcing themselves onto Mirabel. He feels Mirabel squeeze his hand and she quickly jumps in, “No! It was consensual, I swear.”
Abuela slowly stands up and clasps her hands in front of her. She looks down her nose with a cold look and Mirabel ducks her head in shame. Bruno can only look on, unable to help.
“I’m disappointed in you, Mirabel. I thought you were better than to let some man talk his way into your bed. What will the rest of the family think? The town? I expected you to be someone who was worthy to be the next leader of this family, but today you’ve shown me that you’re too irresponsible for the role. You’ve shamed this family. Now, I think it best that you take yourself up to your room and stay there for the day. Do I make myself clear?”
Mirabel nods, fighting back tears, and stands up to leave.
Bruno stands up and glares at his mother, “Mama, that’s too far! We should be supporting her, not shaming her!”
His mother gives him a sharp look, “That’s not for you to decide. I know what’s best for this family, Bruno, so step aside and let me deal with this problem. Now, to your room, Mirabel. I’ll inform the family and think of something to say to the town in the coming months.”
Abuela looks away from them both and mutters under her breath, “And here I thought the last 3 years had been going perfectly.”
Bruno’s blood boils and he wants to continue arguing because damn her and her perfection!
But that's when Bruno truly Sees.
He Sees the cracks under Mirabel's dejected feet. He Sees the stern hardened look in his mother's eyes. He Sees the past being repeated, only with a new coat of paint.
He Sees the judgement and the pressure once again unfolding in front of him and he just can’t stand it.
Were Mirabel and him only meant to keep repeating the same thing over and over again?
Would Mirabel once again be miserable and unheard within the family?
Would Bruno once again be separated and only allowed to watch his little family's life from afar?
Will he forever remain behind a wall of his own making?
Would their children only suffer the same fate?
Were they passing on a genetic disease of judgement and pressure that will gradually kill their children from the inside?
Would they grow up like Mirabel and Bruno, thinking love was conditional?
What sort of life was that for them? Why weren't they allowed to be free and happy?
He suddenly realises that Mirabel and Bruno were shackled by the neck to their family, and they only kept yanking the chain despite their promises of change.
And both of them were suffocating.
He was okay with choking on that chain until he died because by now, he had accepted it. But when he turns to look at Mirabel and sees her pain and struggle on the end of that chain, he suddenly hates it with every fibre of his being.
And the idea of two new chains being created right beside them, each with a tiny circular collar just the right shape and size for a child, only makes him want to rip it all apart.
In that moment, he wishes their chains weren't so attached to the family.
He thinks about Mirabel's broken chain links being linked onto Bruno's, and sees that together, they weren't so alone.
That together they could be happy, and their children could grow up unbound, unburdened.
They could all be free.
He looks at Mirabel as she walks through the door and thinks about how to make her happy. How to make her smile. How to protect her.
And his decision is made.
...
When Mirabel had left the dining room, she had run to her room and flopped onto her bed and cried.
Abuela being so cold and unhappy with her was resurfacing some memories that she really didn’t need right now. Once she cried herself out and was only left with a massive headache that combined with her lack of sleep, she quickly dropped off to a dreamless sleep.
Mirabel awakens to the feeling of her mattress dipping under someone’s weight.
Bleary-eyed, she tries to make out the shape of the person. Even without her glasses, she still recognises the hunch of his shoulders and the profile of Bruno's brooding face. She sits up and blindly grabs for her glasses. Once she can see, she groggily asks, "Bruno?"
His eyes flick over to her, and she feels herself fully wake up once she sees how serious he looks. "What's wrong? Did something happen with Abuela?"
"I changed my mind."
Confusion and frustration washes over her and she has to take a moment to rub the sleep from her eyes to get her thoughts straight. "About what, Bruno? There have been a lot of things you've decided on recently."
He looks down at the floor with an unreadable expression. "We should leave the Encanto. We should... leave the family."
Hope suddenly catches in her throat and she studies his face, his body language, trying to get a read on him. Hesitantly, as if to not scare him, she asks, "What changed your mind?"
"I...I just can’t do it again. You being unhappy while living with the family. Maybe this time, I can protect you better by taking you away from here. I can protect all three of you."
The pain in his voice makes her shuffle over next to him and snuggle against him. "And I want to protect you too. I don’t want you to be unhappy either."
"I don't deserve you; you know?" Bruno looks at her, and she realises that his eyes are misty.
Mirabel gently kisses his cheek, "You're a good man, Bruno. You deserve the world."
"So do you."
She smiles vaguely.
Some part of her feels guilty for wanting to leave the family. It made her feel selfish and undeserving of any future happiness she could find. But for Bruno and their children, she would happily shoulder those feelings with her head held high as she shuts the door to her family behind her.
Because all she wants is to see Bruno walking in the light of the sun with a carefree smile on his face.
To see him laugh so loud that he no longer cares who hears him. To no longer look over his shoulder, waiting to see someone pass judgement over him. To see him sit by her side, afraid of nothing.
Mirabel wants Bruno to finally live.
If that meant leaving the family to do it, then so be it.
She was ready.
And if she clutches onto Bruno and whispers about how scared she actually is, that's between them.
If Bruno holds her just as tight and says he's scared too, that's between them.
If they spend time crying and holding each other close, heartbroken to leave the family, then well... that was between them.
No one would have to know.
And once the moon rises and its pale glow hits Mirabel's red eyes and tear-stained cheeks, something in her heart will be settled.
Tomorrow was the beginning of the end.
And she was excited.
...
In the time that they were secretly together, Mirabel planned.
She didn't know if Bruno would ever agree to leaving the Encanto, but she had wanted to be ready. Just in case.
So, when she wasn't with Bruno, she had asked new travellers in town about what was outside the Encanto. From them she was given a map of Colombia and information on the towns to avoid.
From the people who came to settle down in Encanto, she would observe what they carried with them in their new lives. And she would direct them to where they could get help.
She asked the travelling merchants what would be needed to help them travel out of town and wasn't too surprised to hear that money was their best bet.
So once their tears had run out and the moon was high, she shared this information with Bruno.
And then they started packing.
They scrambled to put together a pack for each of them of the necessities, and little things from their lives from the Encanto.
Clothes, blankets, food, water.
Mirabel packs her tools for embroidery, sewing, and stitching.
Bruno packs a couple of books, and pens, and some art supplies.
Mirabel packs the picture of her family with them all squished together because she doesn't know how she could leave it behind.
Bruno makes the decision to bring two rats with him because he doesn’t know how to live without them. And he tells the rest that Antonio will look after them.
With them all packed with as much as they can think of, they meet back in Mirabel's room. They look out the window to see the sun breaking over the horizon and they are reminded that they needed to leave soon before they could be stopped by anyone.
Mirabel gets under her bed and pokes a floorboard, "Casita, could you lift the floorboard here please?"
Casita reluctantly lifts the board, knowing they were trying to leave and not liking it at all.
She puts her hand inside and pulls out a wooden keepsake box. She whispers, "Thank you, Casita." She crawls out from under her bed and shows Bruno the box, "I've been trying to save up money in case this happened."
He nods in understanding, "It's smart of you. I pulled out my stash too."
"How much do you have?"
Bruno pulls out a bag and shows her the inside. It's more than how much she has, and it relieves her anxiety somewhat. "How long have you been saving this?"
He smiles sadly, "Probably since I came out of the walls."
It saddens her that he felt like he wouldn’t be wanted in the family again, but he hadn't been exactly wrong either. "Well, let's hope it's enough until we can settle down somewhere and find jobs."
Bruno shrugs, trying to appear casual, "If we can't, I can always sell my visions as 'art'. People outside the Encanto won't be able to tell what they really are anyway."
Mirabel frowns, "Are you sure? Are you okay with using your gift like that?"
Bruno grabs her hand and kisses her knuckles with a soft look, "If my gift can help us live a good life, then I am 100% okay with it."
He lets her go to hunch into himself and rub his arm. He hides his face behind a curtain of his curly hair. "And, I mean, at least it can be useful for something for once in my life, you know?"
Mirabel heart aches for him, understanding what it’s like to want to be useful to the people you love. She places a hand on his shoulder and smiles, "Hey, you don't need your gift to be useful. I like you the way you are."
His look of pure adoration sends a swarm of butterflies through her veins as he replies, "I like you the way you are too.”
She doesn’t need to see the future to know that their new life will be full of his love and his understanding of all of her cracked and broken pieces. He'll be there to gather them up and put them back together with a gentleness that she's always longed for. And she doesn't even have to prove herself to him to deserve such love and devotion.
In return, all she can do is love him more and more each day even though it'll never feel like it's enough.
Mirabel smiles, "Thanks." She falters for a moment, thinking of their next step. "We should leave a letter. I-I want to at least try to explain to them about...us."
Bruno nods solemnly, "If that's what you want to do then okay. We still have some time." He glances at the door and then back to her, "I need to get something I left in the walls anyway. Are you gonna be okay by yourself?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Bruno."
"I'll be back." And then he walks out the door on quiet feet.
Mirabel turns to her desk and grabs her sketchbook and a pen. She hovers over the paper, unsure where to start. She takes a deep breath and writes a letter to her family about the forbidden love of Bruno and Mirabel.
She begs for their forgiveness. She pleads for them to forgive Bruno. She writes her hopes that they understand her feelings one day. She writes about a future full of hope, love, and happiness. She offers her regrets for leaving, for breaking their hearts. But never for Bruno, never for their children.
She writes about how she will miss them and ends the letter with her love.
Bruno arrives back looking a little dusty, and she shows him what she wrote. His eyes dart along each line until he reaches the end, and he nods, "It's good."
"Did you want to add anything?"
Bruno pauses for a moment. Then he grabs the pen and writes something at the bottom. He hands it back to her without looking her in the eye.
Mirabel reads what he wrote.
I'm sorry. Please don't forgive me. -Bruno
She smiles sardonically, "Short and sweet. Just like you, I guess."
Despite the gloomy atmosphere, Bruno snorts. "You can only say that because you're slightly taller than me now."
Usually, she’d happily keep on teasing him, but today, she can’t make herself do it, so she gives him a weak smile in its place. He seems to understand so he offers his hand to her instead, “Are you ready?”
Mirabel folds up the letter and takes one last look at her room.
A room that wasn’t the nursery and one she had fought hard to have. It represented everyone’s recognition of her place within the family, and here she was, throwing it away.
Guilt eats at her until her eyes land on Bruno and his outstretched hand, and she smiles.
She wasn’t throwing it away. She was only upgrading to a room with a better view.
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
Her hand slips into his and he grins,
“Then let’s go.”
...
Together they carry big packs on their backs and make their way through Casita, planning to leave the letter in the dining room. Until the sound of a door opens, making them freeze in a panic. They whip around to see who it is, only to relax when Antonio sticks his head out his door.
The now 8-year-old sees them and frowns, “Your rats woke me up, Tío Bruno. I thought they were being silly again because they said you were leaving.”
Bruno curses underneath his breath and Mirabel thinks she hears him say, “Damn rats ratted us out.”
She raises an eyebrow at him and shakes her head. Of course, the rats did.
Antonio walks up to them and his eyes glisten with unshed tears, “They’re just telling lies, right? You’re not really leaving… Right?”
Mirabel slides her pack off her shoulders and kneels down to his level. She didn’t think she would have to do this face-to-face. How does she even begin? How do you tell a child that you would be leaving them for what might be forever? But looking into his sad expectant eyes, she knows she can’t lie to him.
Even if the truth will hurt him.
She places her hand on his shoulder and gives him a sympathetic smile, “I’m sorry, Tonito, but it’s true. Tío Bruno and I are leaving.”
Antonio’s lip trembles, “But only for a little while, right? Not forever like the rats said?”
Mirabel feels her throat constrict for a moment and tears begin to burn her eyes. Bruno places a hand on her back in support and it soothes her enough to quietly clear her throat. She had to do this, her favourite cousin deserves to know. He deserves a proper farewell.
“I hope it’s not forever, but for now, that’s what it looks like. I-I’m sorry.”
Antonio lets out a sob and throws his arms around her. “No! Please, don’t go!”
She squeezes him tight and shuts her eyes. She wants to ingrain how his hugs feel into her memory, how his warmth soothes her cracked soul, how his sweetness brightens up her day.
If only they lived in a perfect world where she could stay here with Antonio and openly be with Bruno at the same time.
If only, if only, if only…
“I’m going to miss you, Antonio.”
His hands grip her clothes tighter, and he cries. Her blouse develops a wet spot, and she says nothing as she pets his hair, trying to soothe him. She rocks him a little bit and hums a song, until his sobs quieten down. He doesn’t move from her as he sadly whispers, “Did I do something wrong? Is that why you’re both leaving?”
Bruno and Mirabel rush to say at the same time, “No, Antonio, no!” and Bruno kneels beside them and hugs both Antonio and her close.
Bruno says, “It’s not your fault, kid. Don’t you ever believe that it is for a second. We love you. We just, um, think that we need to see what’s outside the Encanto, that’s all.”
Antonio pokes his head out and doubtfully looks at Bruno with his wet and red eyes. Mirabel snuggles into him to get his attention, “It’s true! And if I could find a way, I would write to you all the time!”
A little smile breaks through Antonio’s dejection, “You would?”
“Uh-huh! Sure would! It’s just too bad the postal service is so slow in getting to the Encanto from the outside.” Antonio’s smile slips away again into disappointment.
She wanted to say that she would write to him just to put a smile on his face again. But she couldn’t do that. Not when the family probably wouldn’t want Bruno or Mirabel talking to Antonio once they read the letter that’s burning a hole in her bag. That would take explaining to Antonio something far harder than their departure.
Bruno smiles, trying to bring Antonio’s spirits up, “Yeah, it’s too bad we don’t have any homing pigeons. They’d be able to deliver letters faster than any mailman.”
Antonio suddenly brightens and yells, “That’s it!”
The child scrambles out of their little group hug as Bruno nervously says, “Not so loud, Antonio.”
Antonio ignores him and runs into his room. Bruno gets up first with his knees cracking, and then helps Mirabel stand. “What do you reckon he’s looking for?”
Mirabel shrugs, “I have no idea.”
Antonio comes back with a toucan on his raised arm while whispering to it. Mirabel blinks, unsure what Antonio needed Pico for.
Pico chitters at Antonio who grins at the bird, “Thank you, Pico!”
“Why are you thanking him? What did he say?”
Antonio turns to them and offers up Pico. “He said he would help us send letters to each other. He also said that he needed to go with you to know where to go.”
Mirabel’s heart melts and she kneels down once again to hug Antonio. “You’re one of the smartest kids I know, I hope you know that.” She feels Pico hop onto her shoulder and chitter in her ear. She pulls away from Antonio and tearfully smiles at him. “Once we find a place, we’ll write to you, okay?”
Bruno places his hand on the boy’s shoulder, and smiles, “You’re a very kind boy, Antonio. You’re going to grow up into a fine man.” He winks down at him, “That’s a ‘Bruno Prophesy’ guarantee.”
Antonio sniffs loudly and rubs his eyes with his hand. Despite the tears in his eyes, he stands up straighter and tries to be confident, “I’m gonna miss you two a lot, but I’ll be okay.”
Mirabel stands and Bruno holds her hand in support. She says, “We know. Look after the family for us, okay?”
He grins up at them, “Of course!”
Mirabel waves him goodbye as she and Bruno walk through the doorway with Pico perched on her shoulder. The last thing she sees is Antonio waving back, until his smile drops with his hand.
His big eyes despondently watch as they leave, and all Mirabel can do is turn away.
She squeezes Bruno’s hand, and he squeezes back.
Mirabel lets herself cry as she bids farewell to everything she knew and loved.
She can only hope for a better future.
...
Mirabel and Bruno leave the letter in the dining room with red eyes and make their way to the front door.
They stop at the door and Bruno turns to her. “This is our last chance to change our minds. Are you sure you still want this?”
Mirabel grips his hand tight and places her other hand on the doorknob.
“I do.”
Bruno sadly smiles, “Okay. Let’s do it.”
She opens the door, and they walk out into the sun together. Mirabel looks back at Casita and calls out, “Adiós, Casita! Look after the family with Antonio for us!”
Casita waves all of their window shutters back at them, and they don’t stop until she can’t see them anymore.
Pico flaps his wings, making her hair fly into her face, and takes off into the sky.
Mirabel pushes her hair out of her eyes and watches the bird. “You think he’s going to follow us like this the whole time?”
Bruno shrugs, “I guess so. I can’t imagine Pico would want to walk with us the whole way. Let him do his thing.”
She hums in acknowledge and pulls Bruno along. “Come on, we need to find the merchant I made arrangements with. He said that he’d help us get a certain distance out of here if we paid him enough.”
They walk through town and walk past shops that are beginning to open for the day, until Mirabel sees the merchant and starts to walk faster towards him.
Suddenly, Bruno tightens his hold on her hand and pulls her into an empty and dark alley between two shops.
She looks at Bruno in question. "What's wrong?"
Bruno seems to hesitate, and it only increases her worry. He wasn't having second thoughts, was he?
"No, nothing's wrong. I just, well... you know how I had to go find something in the walls?"
Mirabel slowly nods, still unsure.
Bruno hunches into himself and rubs his arm, "Well, I kept something hidden away in there. Something I had made years ago. And well, let's just say, I didn't think it would ever be used...until now."
Mirabel watches as Bruno sticks his hand inside his ruana and then he pulls out a small drawstring pouch. He turns her hand over and places it on her palm.
Anxiously he says, "It's yours. If you want it, I mean. You can say no, I won't be hurt if you do."
Mirabel studies the pouch and finds nothing special about it, but she feels something inside it. She opens the pouch and tips the small items into her hand.
Mirabel inhales sharply. It's two gold banded rings with a small emerald gemstone on each one. One is made for a man, and the other is small enough for a woman. They're simple, they're elegant, and she loves them. "Is this...?"
Bruno's eye flick between her and the rings, "Y-yeah, they're made from the vision of us." He suddenly looks panicked and waves his hands in front of her face, "Don't worry! I made sure to smash the vision enough that the jeweller never saw us, um, naked."
Amused, Mirabel’s smile grows with every word he says. But she has to put him out of his misery at some point, so she grabs his hand and asks, "No, I mean, are you asking me to marry you?"
Bruno freezes and stares at her. He swallows and rasps, "Yeah. Yes. I mean, do you-?"
Joy lights up inside of her chest and tears prickle her eyes. Mirabel clutches the rings in her hands to keep them safe as she leaps into his arms shouting, "Yes! Yes, Of course, I want to!"
Bruno nearly topples over but rights himself to hug her tightly. He sighs in relief, "Oh, thank God. You know I had to take responsibility since I got you pregnant and all that."
She leans back and gives him an unimpressed stare, "Do you want to marry me because you love me, or because you're taking responsibility?"
With wide eyes, Bruno stares back at her. He then grins awkwardly, "Both?"
Mirabel sighs with a shrug, "I guess I'll take it."
She pulls away and takes a moment to study Bruno's face. The shadows under his eyes make him look older, more tired, but his awkward grin shows the silly little boy still hiding inside of him. She smiles warmly, "You are so lucky that I love you so much."
Bruno sighs adoringly, and quietly and gently he says, "I know."
Mirabel wishes she could kiss him. But not now. Not when they were so out in the open. Not when they were still Tío Bruno and Mirabel the sobrina.
She feels the two rings in her hand and thinks maybe today was the day to start changing the reason why they shared a last name.
“Give me your hand, Bruno.”
He frowns in question and begins to raise his right hand.
Mirabel shakes her head with a soft smile, “No. Your left hand.”
Bruno’s eyebrows almost reach his hair in surprise. “Now? You want to do it now?”
“Uh-huh. Don’t you?”
He looks down at the ground in thought. Mirabel waits, letting him get his thoughts in order.
His eyes flick back to her, and she sees his rare determination shining in them. “Let’s do it.”
Bruno gives her his left hand and she slips the male’s ring on his ring finger. Mirabel looks into his eyes, wanting to make sure he knew how serious she was, as she holds his hand in hers. “Bruno. Now and in the future, I will always love you. You’re my place of safety, of understanding, of unconditional love, and I promise to be with you every step of the way, loving you every second. Even if we have to live in the walls together of some house.”
Bruno’s lets out a watery chuckle. Mirabel’s lips tremble as she smiles back as best as she can.
She holds out the other ring to him and he gently takes it from her. She eagerly offers up her left hand to him. Bruno slides the ring onto her finger and takes a deep breath.
He nervously looks into her eyes, but his voice is earnest, “Mirabel. Ever since you kicked down my door, you’ve given me things I thought I had lost. Hope, a place to belong… love. And now you’re giving me life. In more ways than one. I love you, mi vida, and I want to be with you until I die. I hope I can make you happy.”
Mirabel’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much, and she whispers, “You may now kiss the bride.”
Bruno softly chuckles, “What about the ‘I do’ part?”
She shrugs, “Who cares? It’s our wedding, we can do what we want.”
His grin lingers as he cups her cheeks with both of his hands. He leans in, and Mirabel closes her eyes as he kisses her temple. A kiss so gentle that her heart aches with it.
She opens her eyes as he pulls away, and they stare at each other for a moment.
Bruno’s sad eyes bring them back to reality as he stares at the ring on her finger. He holds her hand and rubs his thumb over it. Quietly, he says, “You know, it’s bad luck for an unmarried person to wear a ring on their left ring finger.”
Mirabel looks at his thumb caressing her finger and feels his longing.
She wasn’t naïve. She knew that even if they exchanged vows, rings, love, that they weren’t technically married in the eyes of the lord or the law. She knew that it would never really be theirs to have. She knew they couldn't have a wedding all in white, surrounded by the people they love. She knew, but she didn’t need a piece of paper or a big ceremony to prove their love. All she needed was Bruno.
She meets Bruno’s gaze and shrugs, “Well, I guess it’s good that I’m married to you then, isn’t it?”
A conflicted look passes his face, but she doesn't want to think about it anymore, so she laces her fingers between his and tugs him out of the dark space between the shops and towards the light where the merchant waits. "Come on, we have a ride to catch."
Bruno dutifully follows as Mirabel smiles at the merchant, "Hey! Do you remember me?"
The merchant squints down at her in thought. Then he snaps his fingers, "You're that senorita who wanted a ride out of the Encanto, right? Well, the price is still the same for two people if you've got it on ya."
"I do! Just give me a second." She rifles through her bag for her little bag of money and pulls out the amount they agreed on. "Here you go!"
The man tips his hat to her as he takes the money, "Gracias, senorita. Here, let me help you up."
Mirabel smiles as the man helps her up onto his cart, "Thanks, but it's Senora now. We recently got married." She looks at Bruno with love as he tries to get himself up onto the cart, only to slip and fall onto the ground with an 'oof'.
The merchant eyes Bruno as the fallen man grumbles under his breath and picks himself up. Then the man shrugs, effectively declaring that the two weren’t any of his business, "Okay, senora. Felicidades on the union."
"Thank you!"
Mirabel grabs Bruno's hand and helps pull him up. Once he's seated beside her, she leans her head onto his shoulder and holds his hand. He sighs and leans his head on top of hers.
Mirabel strokes her thumb across the ring on Bruno's finger and feels the reassuring weight on her own.
She watches as the town becomes smaller and smaller. She watches the trees and the mountains she called home fade into the distance.
She looks up into the sky to see two monarch butterflies, migrating away from the chill of winter to somewhere warmer, safer. And maybe one day when the sun shines down on the Encanto once again, they will make their way back home.
But for now, these two butterflies will hold each other tight and look into eyes full of love, and know they'll be okay.