Work Text:
When Mirabel rode back into town with her tío and Abuela from the river she was met with hugs, kisses, and loud cheers. As soon as she saw her mamá she slid off the horse and ran into Julieta’s embrace. She was so happy to be back with her loving family she failed to notice the tension behind her.
Abuela dismounted from the horse first and held up her hand for her son to take. Bruno looked at the outstretched palm for a moment before sliding off the opposite side of the animal. He grabbed the reins and walked to the nearby barn where he stole borrowed the horse in the first place. Abula followed close behind.
“Brunito, por favor.” The woman tried as they approached the ruins of Casita. “Talk to me, where have you been? What are you doing here? Why did it take you this long to come back to me?” She pestered the seer. “Mamá please!” Bruno spun on his heel. “I can’t. I can’t do this right now.” Abuela tried to approach him for another hug. “Aye mi hijo, it’s alright.” Bruno side-stepped, “don’t touch me. P-please d-don’t.” He looked so scared.
“Bruno I just want to know what happened to you.” Abuela’s voice slightly cracked, still full of emotion from her talk with Mirabel. Bruno was about to respond when he heard the young girl’s voice.
“He’s over here, I promise.” Mirabel led Julieta and Pepa around the corner when they stopped in their tracks. Abuela went to meet the sisters, apologizing for her past behavior and saying she was just scared to lose them too. The three women looked back to where Bruno was frozen on the spot.
He couldn’t move, too many scenarios were playing in his head. Mirabel said she would bring him home but he didn’t believe her at the moment. He felt so open, there were no walls to hide behind. No safe place he could escape to. He was trapped.
His sisters stood with shocked expressions on their faces. Bruno couldn’t tell if it was from grief, anger, or relief. He had no clue, so he just stood there petrified. Would they hate him? Would they hurt him? Would they blame him for everything? What would they do?
Pepa was first to answer his question as she rushed to hug her long-lost brother. Julieta was hot on her heels. The two women scooped up the thin prophet with ease.
“Oh, Bruno you’re here!” Pepa wailed. “Hermano I’ve missed you!” Julieta cried. The hug didn’t last long before Pepa harshly pulled away. “Where the hell have you been?” She screamed. Bruno stepped back at her loud voice, causing Pepa to pull him in for another embrace. “I thought I’d never see you again.” She sobbed once more. “Pepa I-” Bruno started, his voice causing another mood swing from the emotional triplet.
“You asshole!” Pepa looked about two seconds away from decking the clairvoyant. “I thought you were dead! You fucking piece of shit I thought I lost you!”
Pepa’s line of affectionate insults lasted for a few more minutes before Julieta was able to calm her sister. At least enough to let the man speak.
Bruno was finally able to get out an apology for everything that he could think of that may be the reason for Pepa’s anger. The same train of thought went for Julieta but the sisters just gaped at him.
“You think I care about some dumb joke?” Pepa shook her head. “Hermano, we thought you died.” Julieta gravely spoke. Bruno’s eyes went wide. “What? Of course not! I couldn’t leave my family, that’s why I stayed. You thought I died?” Bruno blurted out.
“Hold on, what do you mean you stayed?” Julieta questioned. “Do you mean you were living in the Encanto?” Bruno fidgeted on his feet. “Well, yes, technically I was. But also I never left left.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” Pepa placed her hands on her hips.
“Well, I left, but didn’t, leave…”
Bruno along with the few children who knew of his existence retold the story of how he lived in the walls protecting Mirabel. He assured the family that he took care of himself as well as he could once their questions about food and living conditions began. Once the explanation was over, and the proof in the ruins of Casita was shown, Bruno had his own question.
“Did all of you think I was dead?” He softly spoke as he pet one of his rats.
The Madrigals all exchanged looks with each other. They had settled in the church for the night but no one wanted to leave the topic of Bruno’s return until morning. It had already been an emotional day but it was far from over.
“Bruno, when you left your door went dark.” Julieta was the first to speak. “That’s never happened before. What else did you expect us to think?” The seer just shrugged. “You often snuck out of the house Brunito.” Abuela followed. “I thought you’d come back when you were ready. You always did.”
“That’s what we were hoping for too,” Luisa spoke up from her place next to Isabela. “Sometimes we wouldn’t see you for days, but you always came back.” “We searched for you tío.” Isabela sounded bitter. “I thought you were on one of your grand adventures again.” She glared at the prophet. “Let me guess, that’s just another childhood lie you told us?” Bruno shrunk in on himself. He expected the adults to be mad at him, but Isa? He missed all his sobrinos dearly, it hurt to know they regretted his leaving too.
“I thought you completely left the Encanto.” Agustín’s gentle voice caught Bruno’s attention. “No one had ever tried to climb those mountains before but, it didn’t exactly seem like something that would have bothered you at the time.” The seer chanced a glace to where Félix sat next to his brother-in-law. The man was looking at him hard. “W-what about y-you?” Bruno studdered.
“Bro, we know exactly what I thought.” Félix wrung his hands. Bruno shrunk in on himself more. He didn’t like where this was going. “You weren’t in the best mindset amigo. I wanted to believe Agustín, that you left. You found some other town somewhere and you were happy. I wanted to think you found a place you could be yourself.” Félix moved to sit next to the prophet, wrapping an arm around his brother. “But that’s not what you thought. Was it?” The seer spoke barely above a whisper. Félix shook his head. “I thought you were dead Bruno. No one could get into your room, it was shut up tight. I-I thought.” The usually composed Félix began to wipe away silent tears. “I thought you jumped Bruno. I thought you went up all those stairs and jumped the night you disappeared.”
“I thought about it,” Bruno said only loud enough for Félix to hear. “But I couldn’t do that to the family, not to Mirabel.” He let out an empty chuckle. “Seems that was the popular opinion anyway.”
“I’m just glad you’re back bro.” Félix affectionately jostled the man.
“We all are.” Abuela nodded, followed by a murmur of agreement from the rest of the Madrigals.
“Me too.” Bruno smiled. The first real one in a long time.