What We Learned About Bruno

by ImaginationGamer21

Summary:

This popped into my head while I was doing dishes of all things and I started laughing and muttering. Thank God my coworkers have finally stopped staring when I start mumbling and giggling for no apparent reason. Probably not a good thing.

Anyway, these are mostly stupid ideas involving Bruno's hidden talents and/or issues that pop into my head that seemed hilarious or great at the time.

Will there be any angst or hurt/comfort? It's Bruno... It's the law...

Is Bruno gonna come out of this unscathed? Ehh... Maybe...

Is everyone else going to come out unscathed? Probably not...

Are you gonna sneak in references to your fics? I have no idea what you're talking about...

Chapter 1: Bruno's Memory Can Be A Burden

Summary:

Mirabel makes a horrible mistake and has to suffer the consequences...
Consequences being a chatty Bruno and bonding.

Notes:

Pre-Lightning Rod Incident
Pre-Adoption
Pre-Eclipse

August 5th, 1950

POV: Mirabel-centric
TW: Referenced torture, alcohol abuse, death, near-death, and quite a bit of trauma.
There's a bit of foul language too. Just a bit.

Mirabel, her papá, and Tío Félix just finished doing house chores... Again. But, at least they were allowed in all the rooms since Casita has been rebuilt a month ago. Well, all except Tío Bruno. He preferred to do his own cleaning because they "never do it right". Whatever that's supposed to mean.

Tío Félix and her papá just left Casita to help her mamá out with handing out her food and dealing with anyone who gets too testy whenever they're denied healing. The Madrigal men may not look like much. But, they can be a force to be reckoned with when crossed. Especially, her Tío Bruno.

Yes, he may be a timid slip of a man who couldn't hurt a fly most of the time. But, he can be downright terrifying when he wants to be. All it usually takes for him is to give them his meanest glare complete with glowing eyes and people trip over themselves trying to get away. Heck, just the sound of his approach has been known to terrify some of the locals. Mirabel couldn't help finding the contrast between Tío Bruno and El Brujo Bruno hilarious.

Speaking of Tío Bruno, Mirabel noticed that he's been sitting on the couch for the last two hours reading from a thick book. She tried to think of the last time he's had any form of family bonding and came up empty. So, Mirabel being Mirabel decided to fix that by having a nice chat with her tío. It's also a pretty good opportunity to check on him. See how life out of the walls is treating him.

Subtly, of course.

"Buenas tardes, Bruno!" Mirabel practically sang.

Tío Bruno was startled pretty badly and almost threw his book. But, he managed to keep from doing so and stared at Mirabel like she was gonna bite him. It took a moment for him to realize who was talking to him.

"Oh! Uh..." he stumbled, "B-buenas tardes, Mariposa."

"Whatcha doing?" she asked.

"Uh... I'm reading."

"What's it about?"

"Well... Uhh... I-I don't think you'd be interested..." 

"Come on!" Mirabel's definitely not whining, "How will I know it's not interesting if you don't tell me about it?"

"Oh... Okay." Tío Bruno took a breath to settle himself, "It's the complete collection of Sherlock Holmes... Uh... Translated to Español."

"Sherlock Holmes?"

"He's a detective." he explained, "Well, more specifically an unofficial consulting detective. Basically, when the pol... Uhh..." Bruno had that almost pained expression he always gets when he's trying to explain any foreign concept, "Well, when those more... Official are stumped they come to him for help. He's actually really good at what he does. I can count on one hand how many times he's failed. The guy notices everything."

"Kinda like you." Mirabel chuckled.

"Yeah, kinda like me." he smiled, "Kate got the book as a housewarming present and... I haven't been able to put it down since."

Mirabel nodded and Tío Bruno, figuring the conversation was over, quickly found where he left off and continued reading. The two sat in companionable silence for several minutes before Mirabel decided to try and make conversation.

"So... How's your day been?" Mirabel asked.

"Huh?"

Mirabel quickly recalled her mamá telling her to be specific when asking him a question.

"Your day." Mirabel tried to specify, "From when you woke up until now?"

Tío Bruno looked baffled for some reason before shrugging, "Vale, what do you want to know?"

"I dunno... Everything?"

"Everything?!"

Tío Bruno looked absolutely mystified. Mirabel was saddened that he was so stunned by someone asking how his day was. She felt anger flash through her that was directed towards those responsible. She WILL be having words with the villagers and her family. Especially, her Abuela.

"Yeah, why not?" Mirabel tempered her anger and shrugged, "I want to know how everything's been for you. What better way to start than asking how your day's been?"

Tío Bruno blinked at her before shrugging with a "Myeh" to show that he saw her point. He placed the thick book on a side table and made himself comfortable before launching into story.

"Well, I woke up with a mild headache because I had three vision dreams last night." he began before tensing a bit, "I'd... I'd really rather not talk about those... If that's okay."

"That's alright." Mirabel smiled.

Tío Bruno huffed his relief and relaxed before continuing, "So, I woke up with a bit of a headache. But, it wasn't bad enough for it to be an aguapanela morning. Barely even background noise, really. Twenty of my rats were sleeping with me and they took turns begging me for their morning pets. I started with Rosa since she is the oldest..."

Three minutes later and Mirabel was beginning to realize that asking Bruno to tell her everything was a bad idea.

"After I finished giving each of them their morning pets," Tío Bruno rattled on, "I got out of my hammock, got dressed in my tank top and shorts, and greeted Kate when she came in. It was her turn to check on me today. I had my first coffee of the day from her and I thanked the stars for that. I'm always a bit moody..." Mirabel gives him a skeptical look as she recalled all his confrontations with his sisters and Abuela, "Well, moodier, when I haven't had my first cup of coffee. Anyway, I left my room, went to the front yard, and began warming up for my early morning run. ¡Sí, felicidades!" he threw his arms up in resigned exasperation, "Luisa managed to get me in the habit of exercising! Now I can't start my days off without running for half an hour and going for a ten-minute dip!"

Mirabel couldn't help chuckling at that. She felt pretty proud of herself for having Luisa "talk" Tío Bruno into exercising. Mirabel even admits to having indulged in a bit of schadenfreude at the sight of Luisa carrying a still-emaciated Bruno outside kicking and screaming. He certainly looked better now even with his baggy clothes and signature ruana hiding most of the results.

Now that she's really looking at him, she can see their efforts were beginning to pay off. His skin was no longer gray and Mirabel could see the olive tone she vaguely recalls slowly returning. His eyes were no longer bloodshot and the shadows were faint. His once-emaciated form has filled out to where his bones weren't showing as much. But, they were still distressingly visible in some spots. Dr. Hernandez's predictions of him making a full physical recovery have dropped from "four years, two years at the very least" to "eight months, maybe a year".

Mirabel could see that he was slowly getting better. He looked happier and healthier. Then again... Anything's healthier than how he looked... Before. Mirabel barely suppressed a shudder at the memory of the shambling corpse that was her poor tío.

"I started my run when I was done warming up. It usually begins by running up and down Pueblecito." Tío Bruno gestured towards the now-living village in the distance, "I mostly do it to see if any new buildings have popped up. Try to keep my memories of the village updated, y'know? And yes, there are buildings popping up and disappearing every other day."

"That's probably because of Luisa." Mirabel shrugged, "They're always asking her to move buildings around."

"M-move buildings?!" Tío Bruno gaped.

"Yeah." Mirabel nodded, "Particularly the church. Padre Flores always wants the light to shine in at just the right angle."

"Mamá really should do something about that..." Tío Bruno seemed to be considering something before continuing, "Anyway, I ran up and down Pueblecito to rememorize the buildings, paths, and landmarks. After that, I ran into a part of the jungle I haven't mentally charted yet." he saw Mirabel's alarmed expression, "Don't worry, the animals don't bother me much. If anything, they just look at me before going back to whatever they were doing. Por favor, don't ask because even I don't know why the jaguars I ran by didn't wanna make lunch out of me. Maybe I'm just too crunchy for 'em, I dunno."

Mirabel giggled at her tío's self-deprecating humor.

He smirked a bit at Mirabel's giggling, "I found a rock formation that looked exactly like a bear. It certainly fooled me for a moment." he chuckled in spite of himself, "But, it was just a pile of rocks that, well, happened to look a lot like a bear. It was pretty interesting. I found all kinds of things in that area. I saw two Palma de Ceras that were somehow fused together. There was a flower I'd never seen before. So, I picked it for Isabela. She always loves seeing and growing new plants. I nearly fell into a ravine with Río Piraña at the bottom." Mirabel was alarmed, "I didn't fall, I swear! The jaguars rescued me! I... Uh... I found a bunch of rose quartz growing out the side of a mountain. I picked one that looked nice. Pepa needs a rose quartz to complete her quartz collection. Oh! And I also found..."

Twenty minutes of Tío Bruno's misadventures in the jungle and things he found for himself or others.

Twenty... Minutes... 

To her credit, Mirabel managed to look interested enough for even the "Ojos de La Familia" himself to not notice. A miracle in itself. She even threw in her opinions on the landmarks and objects he found. But, she was struggling not to say something to change the subject. She didn't want to hurt her tío's feelings.

"So, that was my morning run." Tío Bruno was positively beaming, "I went to the forest I always go to when I want to be alone. Y'know... The forest that only likes me for some reason?" Mirabel felt concerned and he obviously saw it, "Wait! It's... It's not what you think! I-I-I didn't go there to be alone. It was because that forest comes with a lake. Well, you... Uh... You know, er, knew that already. Ahem... I went for my ten-minute swim and used as many forms as I could while keeping it random. Luisa told me to keep my muscles guessing and not fall into a routine. Let's see, I did the backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, sidestroke..."

Mirabel was starting to question her life choices and who can even blame her? The poor kid just spent five minutes listening to her tío ramble about the pros and cons of swimming techniques.

"And that's why I prefer the breaststroke when I'm swimming to work out." Tío Bruno finished before moving on, "So, that was my ten-minute swim done. I left my little forest and walked back home to get ready for the day. I went into my room to use my bathroom. I still thank Casita every day for letting me have my own bathroom. It was bad enough for me to have to share a bathroom with mis hermanas y mamá. But, sharing a single bathroom with a dozen people?" he couldn't help shuddering, "I... I never handled that very well before I... Left... And I really can't handle it now."

Mirabel still felt pretty jealous of Tío Bruno in that regard. It would solve so many problems if she had her own bathroom. No more fighting over... Everything! No more Isabela hogging the mirror for an hour. No more Luisa somehow breaking the shower. No more having to share the tub either. Her tío doesn't realize just how lucky he is.

"I thought about just taking a quick shower before deciding I was overdue for a little self-care." he shrugged, "Well... I did shower a bit just to rinse the dirt off. After rinsing, I lit some scented candles and started to fill the tub." Bruno started to shrink into himself a bit, "This is... Uhh... This is where I had... Well, a bit of a dilemma."

"Oh?" Mirabel was mildly curious, "What happened?"

"I... Couldn't decide between sage and lavender." Tío Bruno laughed awkwardly, "It all sounds so stupid now. But, I couldn't make up my mind. I was worried the lavender might put me to sleep and make me miss breakfast. I was also worried the smell of the sage might be... Well, offputting. Personally, I love the smell of sage. It relaxes me without putting me to sleep. But... I-I didn't think the others would like it very much. It... Might remind them of my visions..."

And Mirabel was back to being angry with the villagers again.

"You shouldn't have to smell a certain way to please people." Mirabel chided, "Do what feels right for you. That's what self-care is all about. Doing something nice for yourself and no one else."

"I... I know." Tío Bruno sighed while fiddling with the tassels of his ruana, "It's a bad habit of mine and it's... It's hard. I just... Don't want anyone to be disappointed or... Or put off by me."

Mirabel knows that feeling all too well. The need to practically bend over backwards to please people. Feeling like nothing you ever do is good enough. Being in a constant state of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Mirabel reached for Tío Bruno's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He flinched a bit at the contact before relaxing when he felt the squeeze. Looks like he's still not quite used to physical affection. Mirabel's gonna have to fix that.

"No one's disappointed in you." Mirabel reassured him, "We all love you, tío. Rats, superstitions, visions, and all. It doesn't matter what the villagers think. If they're still giving you a hard time then tell us. We'll handle them."

She noticed how he smiled a bit when she called him by his title and how it grew with every word.

"They're not giving me a hard time." he insisted before his smile fell, "I'm just... I'm worried that... That they'll find a way to... Hate me again."

Tío Bruno, probably fearing that he jinxed himself, used his free hand to knock on the table while muttering, "Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock on wood."

"Well, in that impossible scenario." Mirabel smirked while grabbing his other hand, "We'll deal with it. Together. As a familia. And those villagers won't know what hit 'em."

He still didn't look convinced.

"You don't need to fit in." Mirabel insisted with another gentle squeeze, "Just be yourself and if they don't like it then they're not worth it."

Tío Bruno smiled a bit, "I only promise to try."

"No!" Mirabel spoke sharply which made him jump, "There's no try! You will do this!"

"Oh... O-okay..." his throat bobbed, "I'll... I'll do it..."

Mirabel looked for any of Bruno's tells whenever he lies which mostly boil down to winces and looking away. She grinned when she found none.

"¡Muy bien!" Mirabel grinned before releasing Tío Bruno's hands, "Now, about that self-care ritual of yours?"

Tío Bruno seemed to almost literally light up at the fact that Mirabel still wanted him to continue. Mirabel could almost make out a faint glow in his eyes. She wasn't too alarmed by it because she knew this is likely due to him getting excited. She didn't call him out on it either because she knew the effect kinda annoyed and embarrassed him. Not to mention the fact it often makes him mutter how his Gift never used to make his eyes glow that much before. He even said that his Gift never did this when he discovered his visions are much clearer and can split into different "paths". Now, that Mirabel considered it, Bruno's been saying that a lot lately since the Gifts came back stronger and better than before. He almost seems... Scared when he says that and it's been getting worse every day. Mirabel decided to file that thought away for later. Much later in Bruno's case since talking about anything relating to his Gift is a minefield and a half.

"Well, I decided to just go with using both." Tío Bruno shrugged, "I crushed up some sage and sprinkled it into the bath. I had some lavender oil from Isabela and dripped some of that in there. I also used some camomile leaves to relax, oats for the desert I call skin, and lemon juice because it's invigorating. I even had some cinnamon sticks I've been dying to use for their uplifting properties. Also..."

There's nothing like sitting there for five minutes hearing Tío Bruno's extensive knowledge of herbs. Mirabel is most certainly not wondering what she did to deserve this. She does not see this as a weird form of torture either. Nope! Not at all! She is loving every second of this!

"So, yeah, my bathroom and I both ended up smelling like an herbal garden." Tío Bruno chuckled, "But, hey, at least I felt a lot better. Right?"

"Yeah." Mirabel forced a smile that barely managed to look genuine.

Tío Bruno nodded before happily continuing, "Once I finished with the self-care bath, I got on what I'm currently wearing. Shirt, pants, and ruana with rats embroidered on it. I think your idea to use my ruanas to tell people whether or not I'm doing visions is really clever, by the way."

Mirabel's eyes widened in shock. Tío Bruno couldn't help chuckling at Mirabel's expression.

"How?" Mirabel gaped.

"It wasn't that hard for me to figure out." he shrugged, "People seemed... Inconsistent with me for some reason. But, I eventually figured out it was my ruana that they were reacting to."

"What gave it away?" Mirabel asked with a curious tilt.

"Last week you insisted that I wear anything other than hourglasses after..." he hesitated, "Well... You know."

"After overdoing it again." Mirabel raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah... That." he smiled awkwardly before continuing, "So, I watched people's reactions whenever I wear a different ruana. I noticed they beg me for visions when I wear hourglasses and they leave me alone when I don't."

"How'd you know it was me?"

"I looked back on my memories." Tío Bruno explained, "It's kinda like how you look at pictures in a scrapbook. Well... In my case, the pictures move and have sound." he waved his hands in front of him as if trying to shoo the thought away, "Anyway... I looked back and saw that it all started after I caught you whispering something to Abuela before she went to the annual meeting with the Encanto Council."

"When was that?" Mirabel asked while straining to remember.

"Last month." he smiled, "That was really nice of you to do that for me." 

Mirabel blushed at the compliment, "It was nothing."

"Finding a way to get me out of awkward conversations is not nothing." he insisted, "It really helped and I appreciate everything else you've done to make my... Reintegration as smooth as possible. From the code words to the affirmations to having Dolores check on me constantly to... Everything really."

Mirabel could feel the heat in her face increasing with every word.

"It's really... Nice. Y'know?" Tío Bruno was trying to blink back the tears, "To have people that actually care and want you around. It's... It's great."

Mirabel was the incarnation of a tomato, "Can we just... Continue with the chat?"

Tío Bruno seemed to have noticed something that Mirabel didn't. His eyes always widened a bit whenever he notices things. It's often in conjunction with something else depending on what he noticed. From the soft smile when it's something good to a deep frown when it's something bad. He frowned in this case and seemed at war with himself for a split second before shrugging.

Tío Bruno nodded to her request and continued, "I went downstairs to get some breakfast and noticed we were having breakfast outside. I... I was a bit nervous about that and the sun still stings a bit. But, I more or less sucked it up and went to the table to get some food. This is... Where I had my second dilemma of the day." he couldn't restrain his sigh of annoyance at himself, "Not even 7 in the morning and I already had two dilemmas..."

Mirabel gave one of his hands a few reassuring pats. "It's okay, Tío Bruno. We all have bad days."

He gave Mirabel a soft smile with his eyes even softer. An expression reserved only for family and those he considers family. Mirabel smiled back with a soft expression of her own.

"So, what was the problem?"

"It's so stupid..." Tío Bruno groaned.

"It's not stupid when it makes you feel anxious." Mirabel chided.

"I think not being able to decide between an arepa and an empanada is pretty stupid."

"Wait... What?" Mirabel's eyes were like their personal dinner plates.

"That's what I thought." he groused.

"No, I still don't think it's stupid." Mirabel quickly recovered, "I'm just... I kinda wanna know why you couldn't decide."

"Well... It was like this..." he began hesitantly.

Mirabel just had to open her big mouth. Now, she had to listen to her overanxious tío ramble about the differences between arepas and empanadas... For FIVE MINUTES!!! From the texture to the taste to how it even affects his Gift! ¡Dios mío! How does he even function with all these useless factoids in his head?!

"Thankfully, your mamá decided for me by making me some arepas de huevo."

"Your favorite!" Mirabel beamed.

"That's right." he smiled, "I especially like the way Julieta makes it for me."

"Yeah, I noticed that she put three different kinds of cheese in yours." Mirabel recalled, "She also served it with some avocado slices and a cup of mocha espresso.

"Just the way I like it." Tío Bruno grinned nostalgically.

"I also noticed you really like chocolate santafereño." Mirabel smirked, "You were practically hopping when mamá made you some last month to celebrate you being able to eat semi-solid food again."

"Yep, you definitely inherited some of my memory." he smirked while ruffling Mirabel's hair, "Though, to be honest, I like anything with chocolate and cheese in it."

"That's an understatement." Mirabel laughed, "I've never seen a happier guy after the day Kate and Hernandez told you that you could eat chocolate and cheeses again."

"Well, what can I say?" he shrugged, "I love my chocolate and cheese."

"Love is putting it mildly!" Mirabel laughed, "I swear you're obsessed! How you manage to stay so thin with how much chocolate and cheese you put into everything is beyond me!"

"Just lucky I guess." he chuckled awkwardly.

"So, what happened next?"

"Well, you should know." Tío Bruno smirked, "You were there too."

"Well, I wanna hear your side of the story." Mirabel insisted.

"It was mostly a lot of me noticing everything." he shrugged, "In fact, the rest of my day was a lot of observations... And awkward chats."

Part of her felt like she was really gonna regret this. But, she didn't want her poor tío to feel left out. She also really wanted to know if things are actually okay on Bruno's end. She won't rest until she's sure everything's bueno. She will not let anything involving her tío slip through the cracks.

"Never again." she declared mentally as she thought back to the events of that terrible night.

The charred ruana...

The acrid scent of burnt flesh...

Bruno's screams...

So much blood...

Mirabel shook those horrible images off and focused on getting him to talk. She gave him an encouraging smile as well as the puppy dog eyes. A deadly combination in Bruno's books and Mirabel knew it.

"Alright, Mariposa..." he sighed with a light shrug, "You asked for it."

That wasn't ominous at all.

"Okay, when Abuela was giving her announcements, I noticed she seemed unusually tense." Tío Bruno began, "So, I made sure to ask her what was wrong when desayuno was over. She... She still doesn't like showing any signs of weakness if she can help it. Turns out she was stressed over what to say to the council about the massive crack in the mountain. They're apparently as split as the mountain over what to do..."

Two minutes...

"Julieta seemed fine at first. But, then I noticed she kept wiping her hands on her apron. She only does that when she's really nervous. So, I asked her what was wrong. She told me that she was worried about me. I know... What a shock. She was worried that I'd never recover even with her and Isabela's Gifts. After we finished eating, she admitted to having a recurring nightmare about me wasting away into dust. I told her that I was okay and pointed out that I was back to solid foods now. I even had her hug me to feel that I am getting better. She..." Bruno's eyes started getting glassy, "She told me I was starting to feel like myself again. It was all she and I could do to keep from crying..."

Three minutes...

"I saw that Pepa actually seemed okay and chatting with Antonio who kept going on and on about what Pico said to Parce yesterday. Apparently, it was an argument that almost came to blows over who Antonio liked best. Fortunately, he ended that by saying he liked them both. I eventually found the time to give her the rose quartz I found. Pepa gave me a big hug and had rainbows over her head the entire time..."

Four minutes...

"I saw that Flor... Uh, that's Isabela... She looked pretty annoyed about something and I asked her qué tal. She told me she was struggling with growing the rare herbs I need for my... Migraines. I told her that it was okay because those herbs need very specific conditions to grow and Colombia just doesn't have those conditions. But, you know how stubborn your hermana mayor can be..."

Five minutes...

"Dolores seemed overwhelmed. So, I decided to launch into one of my stories to get her to focus on me instead of... Well, everything else. She seemed to appreciate that..."

Six minutes...

"Luisa's eye was twitching the entire time. So, I asked her what was wrong. She told me that she didn't want to have a day off because she still feels like she was letting everyone down and had no idea what to do today. I suggested trying to find a hobby... Maybe sculpting or something. That's kinda why my pants are stained white in some spots..."

Seven minutes...

"I noticed Camilo was staring at me a bit too intently. It made me a bit nervous. But, I managed to ask him what was up once you told him to stop. He told me that he wasn't doing anything. I worked up the nerve to call him out on his staring at me since Casita was rebuilt. That seemed to have caught him off-guard and he looked a bit... Creeped out. But, he did admit that he was just studying me to get his impression of me right. I asked him why and he told me that some of the kids were scared of me and people hated me because of him. That he wanted to make it right by learning all he could about me. I told him that people feared and hated me long before he was even a twinkle in Pepa's eye. He still wants to help repair the damage he caused to my reputation and get more people to see the real me. I couldn't say no..."

Eight minutes...

"I saw Félix looking at me with a huge grin and tu papá giving me an apologetic look. Your tío loco wanted me to have a guy's night out! He figured I was healthy enough to handle a few drinks. I reminded him that I've been cold turkey since Isabela was little. He seemed pretty embarrassed. I guess he forgot that I used to be pretty bad when it came to drinking. He told me that he just felt I needed to loosen up and that there was no better way than going out for a few polas. I told him that I could think of at least a dozen ways to loosen up and none of them involve going out and getting jincho. He told me I could still come just to hang out with them and make sure they don't do anything they'll regret. He even had the gall to invite trouble by asking what could possibly go wrong!" Bruno began rapping his knuckles on the table again, "Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock on wood..."

Nine minutes...

"I noticed that Kate was playing with her migas de arepa. I asked her if there was something wrong with it and she told me that it was fine. That she just had a lot on her mind. Can't say I blame her. She is far from home in a way none of us will understand. She told me she's still trying to make peace with the fact that she may never go home. I told her that this can be her home if she wants. That has got to be the 12th time I've told her that and she still looks at me like I grew a second head. She seems to believe me. But, she also seems... I dunno... At war with herself for some reason. I hope I'll figure it out someday. Preferably without any... Ahem... Peeking on my part..."

Ten minutes worth of breakfast conversations. Don't get Mirabel wrong. She's absolutely over the moon that her tío is integrating with the family so well. Especially considering how long it took to get him to sit at the table without freaking out. But, most people can only stand to hear so much chisme before they start screaming internally. But, she wasn't doing that! Nope! Not at all! She's actually enjoying that Bruno is in a chatty mood and not regretting it at all!

Just when Mirabel thought it couldn't get any worse, -Better! She meant better!- he starts going on about what he did in the village while he was out running errands. Most of which boiled down to things he noticed, things he heard, the flashing visions he had, and people trying to talk to him without scaring him off... With mixed results. Yes, this is what she wanted to hear from Bruno in the first place. But, she was already pretty burned out from the last two hours' worth of infodumps. Nevertheless, she still tried her best to take in everything he was saying all while trying to look interested.

"I wish people would tell me straight out when they want visions. Sofia, the baker's daughter, obviously wants a vision from me. But, she keeps hinting at it before she seems to change her mind. She's been at this for almost a week."

Five minutes...

"I've told Juancho over a dozen times to stop climbing trees or he'll fall. But, does he listen to me?! Nope! No, don't listen to Bruno! What does he know? He only sees the future!"

Ten minutes...

"Osvaldo is as bad with his words as ever. The things he says... Why do people say I'm tactless when he's worse than I'll ever be? He told me that he didn't blame me for his gut and that he was glad I wasn't dead. That I didn't... Y'know... Get in a horrible accident or... Do myself in." he started tapping on the table again, "Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock on wood. What is it with people and jinxing everything?"

Twenty minutes...

"I barely managed to avoid Señora Garcia. Probably would've ran into her if it weren't for my Gift warning me. Gotta be one of the few times I'm grateful for these flashes I've been getting lately. That woman absolutely DESPISES me! She planned nearly every last La Caza de Bruno." he visibly shuddered, "It's where I got a lot of the scars I used to have. Yes, even the burn scars. Made me scared of crowds and going into the village ever since. Nobody ever knew about it before the town meeting because... I was scared of how Abuela would react, what the village would do to me, and what the family would do to the village. I... I didn't want to ruin what she's been trying so hard to build. Besides, Garcia's hate is not without a good reason. She still blames me for the death of her esposo y hija. Her house... It burned down 30 years ago. I'm really trying to avoid her today because it's the anniversary of their deaths."

Thirty minutes...

"The three traders were here today. Diego and Javier are always fair with me. But, Ignacio hates me for some reason. Guess who was the one manning their stall that day? It took me way longer than normal to get those rare herbs because he kept making outrageous offers to keep me from getting my cursed hands on his wares. What does he think I use the herbs for? I'm an adivino not a brujo! Well, except when I'm making things to fix what your mamá's cooking can't. But, that's not the point!"

How long has it been? Mirabel gave up keeping track. She noticed that her tío still hasn't stopped talking. The older generation has warned her about this. That Bruno can sometimes go on a kind of autopilot and ramble his thoughts for hours. Honestly, Mirabel didn't really believe that... Until now.

Mirabel's mind seemed to go on a coffee break rather than continue trying to process everything her chatty tío was saying. A long coffee break. She was so out of it that she didn't realize he stopped talking until he started shaking her with panic in his eyes. Wait, there's more than just panic... Are they...?

Is it just her or are his eyes... Glowing?

Is he using his Gift?

What is he Seeing?

She can hear him shouting. What's he shouting about?

"Mirabel!" he shouted, "Mira, can you hear me?! Come back! Please, come back! Please! Please... Don't do this to me..." the panic quickly made way for anger, "Urgh! Why did you have to ramble like that?! Stupid! stupid Bruno! Can't you do anything right?!" the shade of green was getting darker by the second "No one... And I mean NO ONE... Wants to hear every last damned detail of someone's entire day!" he starts pacing like a caged animal and gesturing wildly, "Just a summary would've been enough! ¡Pero, no! You just had to give her your whole jodida historia de vida, tu bastardo flaco!" and now his rats are making a run for it.

Oh, that's why his eyes are like that. He's panicking and losing his temper.

Wait! Panicking?! Losing his temper?! Oh, no... No, no, no! Not again! Not when they just finished cleaning the house!

"Bru... Bruno..." Mirabel groaned while trying to recover as fast as possible, "I'm... I'm okay..."

Mirabel feared her tío didn't hear her for all of two seconds before he stopped his increasingly vulgar "the reason I suck" rant and almost ran to her. She allowed him to fuss over her for however long it took. Once he seemed assured she was fine, he started to take a few deep breaths to soothe his nerves and get his magic to settle down. Mirabel took the opportunity to make sure she was fully recovered from nearly being talked to death while her tío composed himself. Mostly by getting her brain to stop drinking its coffee and pay attention.

"Ohh..." Tío Bruno sighed with relief as the panic/anger-induced glow finally faded, "Gracias a Dios, I didn't break you."

"Break me?"

"You were practically catatonic!" he nearly shouted.

"Oh..." Mirabel mumbled, "Uh... When did you notice?"

Bruno took a breath and explained himself, "I was just finishing with what happened on my errands when my Gift decided to interrupt me."

"Your Gift?"

He gave Mirabel a withering look, "I had an involuntary vision."

"Oh."

"It wasn't anything important." Tío Bruno shrugged, "Pablo playing in the river, Rebecca arguing with Gabriel over the price of an apple, Cecila smelling a flower, Agustín being attacked by bees, random things like that." he shook his head and waved his hands as if shooing the thoughts away, "Anyway, when I came out of it, I saw you sitting there staring at nothing. I tried to get your attention, but it was like you couldn't hear me. So, I tried everything I could think of to wake you. But, you wouldn't even react. You just kept staring at nothing. I tried to get the others, but everyone has gone into the village. I kinda started panicking after that and... Uh... I might've gotten a little carried away at one point."

"You were being hard on yourself." Mirabel deadpanned.

"Yep... I mean, yes." he admitted, "I was starting to beat myself up for a moment there." Bruno shrank into himself a bit, "Uh... How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know my tío apparently has a mouth to rival my tía." she chuckled.

Bruno groaned and started trying to make himself smaller while having a death grip on his rosary. Mirabel knew he was probably gonna run to the nearest confessional after this. It's one thing for Bruno to let himself lose his temper like this. But, swearing in front of his sobrinos. He might as well have waltzed into the church and painted sacrilegious slurs all over the walls. 

"It's not your fault." Mirabel sighed, "I should've stopped you and asked you to... Well, sum it up."

Bruno didn't speak for what felt like an eternity. Even his rats returned to try to cheer him up. But, it didn't seem to be working. Mirabel feared that she screwed up. That she destroyed what she managed to build. That Bruno would never speak to her again. That he might go back into the walls or leave the Encanto entirely. It's a lot easier to do with that crack in the mountain. Her fears were somewhat assuaged when she sees him finally give his rats some scritches. She came close to praising God when she heard his faint voice say something she couldn't make out.

"What'd you say?" Mirabel asked.

"Why?" he nearly whispered.

Mirabel's eyebrow quirked, "Why what?"

He took another deep breath as his rats crawled back into his ruana.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked.

"I didn't want to make you feel bad." Mirabel explained, "I really wanted you to stop. But, you seemed so happy talking about everything. So, I tried to listen. But, it was just so much!" she sees Bruno nodding in agreement, "From how each of your rats likes to be pet to how the Butterfly is painfully slow for you to the texture differences between arepas and empanadas. It's just... How do you even function with all those thoughts?!"

"Remembering everything is normal for me." he smiled awkwardly, "I often wonder how people function forgetting things like they do."

"What do you mean?" Mirabel raised a confused brow.

"I mean that you guys constantly forget things every day." he pointed out, "Even you struggle to remember things. Like when you got people to see my lack of hourglasses as a not-so-subtle hint to stop bothering me about visions. Only I remembered that it started last month."

"Oh, yeah." Mirabel realized, "It must be pretty cool to remember everything like that."

"Yeah, it has its highlights." he smiled before dropping it, "But, it can be a burden at times."

"How?"

Tío Bruno sighed, "I can't forget anything. I still remember every horrible thing that happened to me and to everyone around me no matter what. I even remember every vision I ever had. The glass prophecies, the involuntary ones, and even the ones that invade my dreams. I'd... Rather not go into detail. If that's okay with you."

"It's fine." Mirabel offered a soft smile, "We'll help you anytime your head decides to be mean to you."

Bruno couldn't help giving Mirabel a wavering smile complete with glassy eyes.

"Gr-gracias, Mariposa." he sniffed, "You don't know how much that means to me."

Mirabel pulls him in for a hug and whispered, "I think I have a pretty good idea."

Bruno's eyes widened in realization before returning the hug with everything he had. The action made his rats squeak in protest and some of them bailed out of his ruana. It was there that Mirabel realized that Bruno is a lot stronger than he looks. She mildly wondered where his strength was coming from. 

"Oof!" Mirabel grunted, "Uh... Tío... M-my thoughts are probably not as bad as you think."

He only tightened his grip. This is starting to remind her of Luisa's bear hugs. The only thing missing is the-

CRACK!

There it is...

"Oookay, you're definitely getting stronger." Mirabel gasped, "Mind using that... Memory of yours to remember that and loosen up?"

"Nope." he answered, "You wanted... No, you needed a hug. So, I'm giving you a hug you won't soon forget."

"I also need to breathe." Mirabel wheezed, "So, can you just... Let up a little bit? Please?"

Bruno huffed in annoyance. But, he decided to be merciful and released Mirabel from his unexpected bear hug.

"Gracias..." Mirabel sighed while stretching herself, "You sure that you and Luisa didn't switch Gifts or something?"

Bruno made his eyes glow for a few seconds before responding with an amused smirk, "Pretty sure we didn't. Unless she can make her eyes glow too."

"Okay, you and Luisa didn't switch Gifts. You're just freakishly strong." Mirabel chuckled before turning serious, "But, seriously, if you ever have any bad thoughts or memories just come to us. We'll all do whatever it takes to make you feel better."

"Same to you." Bruno smiled, "If you have any intrusive thoughts come to me and I'll send them away personally."

"How?" Mirabel dared to ask, wondering if there was any merit to some people calling him a brujo.

Her tío grinned crookedly as he started making shooing motions above Mirabel's head.

"Shoo! Shoo!" Bruno shouted, "No bad thoughts allowed! Only smiles!"

Mirabel couldn't help laughing at his antics.

"See?" he grinned, "It's working!"

It took a moment for Mirabel to stifle her giggles enough to speak.

"Te amo, Tío Bruno." Mirabel smiled.

Bruno looked at Mirabel like he almost couldn't believe his ears before responding with a watery smile.

"Te amo, Mariposa."

Notes:

Spanish Translations:

Tío - Uncle
El Brujo Bruno - Bruno the Sorcerer
Abuela - Grandmother
Sobrina - Niece
Sobrinos - Nieces/Nephews
Buenas tardes - Good afternoon
Mariposa - Butterfly
Español - Spanish
Mamá - Mom
Vale - Okay
Aguapanela - Panela water (A sugar cane drink often used to treat colds or vision migraines in Bruno's case)
¡Sí, felicidades! - Yes, congratulations!
Pueblecito - Small town
Por favor - Please
Palma de Ceras - Wax palm (They're really tall palm trees)
Río Piraña - Piranha River (Three guesses as to why it's named that and the first two don't count! XD)
Ojos De La Familia - Eyes of The Family
Mis hermanas y mamá - My sisters and mom
¡Muy bien! - Very good!
¡Dios mío! - My God!
Arepas - Cornmeal cakes that are often stuffed with anything from cheeses to meats
Arepas de huevo - Cornmeal cake stuffed with eggs. Can be served at any time.
Chocolate santafereño - Hot chocolate with cheese.
Desayuno - Breakfast
Bueno - Good
Flor - Flower
Qué tal - What's up
Hermana mayor - Oldest sister
Tu papá - Your dad
Tío loco - Crazy uncle
Polas - Colombian slang for beers
Jincho - Pale (Colombian slang for drunk)
Migas de arepa - Arepa crumbs mixed with scrambled eggs and a tomato-onion sauce.
Chisme - Gossip
Esposo y hija - Husband and daughter
La Caza de Bruno - The Bruno Hunt
Adivino - Fortune-teller
Brujo - Witch/Sorcerer/Wizard
¡Pero, no! - But, no!
Jodida historia de vida, tu bastardo flaco - Fucking life story, you skinny bastard
Gracias a Dios - Thank God
Tía - Aunt
Gracias - Thank you
Te amo - A very strong I love you usually used with immediate family and romantic partners.

Chapter 2: Bruno's Rats Are OFF LIMITS!

Summary:

Apretá the Boa Constrictor learns why you should always fear the quiet ones.

Notes:

Pre-Lightning Rod Incident
Pre-Adoption
Pre-Eclipse

July 9th, 1950

Apretá-centric

Today Apretá learned why animals from The Outside fear humans.

It was just a normal day for the boa constrictor. Sunning herself on her favorite rock, climbing up trees, playing with the human that blessed them with understanding, and generally slithering around.

Right now, she was on the hunt for food. A frog, a lizard, an egg, anything really. Most snakes she knew had very poor vision. But, she, as a boa constrictor, has very good vision. On par with the humans, she'd dare say. She can't hear very well. But, she can understand whenever the young one or any of the other blessed humans speak to her. Not to mention her ability to sense heat even when sight alone fails her. All that combined with her blazing speed and great strength make her a formidable predator.

It wasn't long before she felt something warm nearby. She used her tongue rapidly to smell around and could detect the distinct scent of prey. A female rat to be exact if the musk is anything to go by. She often sees the skinniest blessed human with them. The little one told her to "not eat Tío Bruno's rats" that it would "make him really mad". But, this rat is nowhere near this Tío Bruno. Yes, it carries his scent of sage-sand-red flower. But, she's seen the human surrounded by hundreds of these creatures. Surely, he won't miss one. Right?

She slithers carefully and quietly so as to not be detected by the rat. Once she could see the rat, she knew fortune was in her favor. This rat was a fair size, well-fed, and completely blind. All the easier to catch it. She won't have to feed for a while once she gets a hold of it. The rat did have a moment of feeling like something was watching it. But, it eventually went right back to grooming itself. 

A fatal mistake in Apretá's eyes.

She slowly coils herself up and lunges for the rat. To its credit, the rat nearly dodged her attack and could've gotten away. But, the white rat just wasn't fast enough and she had it in her coils. She can just about hear it squeaking in alarm and fear. Screaming for its Bruno like how the humans would beg a deity for assistance. She thought she heard something yelling and her tongue picked up the sage-sand-red flower scent of the scrawny human. But, she was a bit preoccupied with trying to squeeze the life out of this rat who was putting up a pretty good fight. It was even trying to bite and scratch through her tough scales. Part of her admires the rat's struggle in the face of certain death. But, this is just a fact of life. She's the predator and this rat is her prey. In order for her to live the rat must die.

She was just about to give this stubborn rat her strongest squeeze when she felt a horrible pain in her jaw. It weakened her hold enough for the rat to escape. She just managed to shake some of the stars from her eyes when she felt a large hand wrap firmly around her neck and a sandaled foot was pinning her coils. 

She couldn't move!

She couldn't fight back!

She could barely breathe!

She was scared!

She flicked her tongue out for as long as she could and could practically taste the sage-sand-red flower of what she knows to be Tío Bruno. The spots finally cleared from her eyes enough for her to see the green-clad human. The magic of the young one's blessing told her that he was apoplectic. His brows furrowed so close she could see every furrow line. Eyes the color of dark emeralds and glowing so brightly she could barely see his pinprick pupils. His face was twisted in a look of absolute rage. She could also feel the air buzzing with unnatural energy and saw a foreboding gale coming from nowhere and everywhere.

She was sharply reminded of this human's terrifying "blessing":

To reach through the fabric of Time itself and peer into the future.

He spoke and it wasn't the nervous rasp she was familiar with. It was a dozen voices all shouting at the same time with an equal amount of fury.

"HOW DARE YOU!!!" he roared, "HOW DARE YOU TRY TO EAT ROSA!!!"

The rat has a name?

Of course, it has a name she recalled belatedly. This human names every rat he meets and somehow remembers all of them.

She had a moment of relief when this Bruno creature lifts his foot off her coils. That moment didn't last long before the foot came down with such brutal force it left Apretá wondering where he was hiding all that strength. Something snapped and she let out a loud hiss which would likely sound like a wail of agony to the young one.

"YOU KNEW..." the dozen voices that were somehow coming from one mouth hissed, "YOU KNEW SHE WAS ONE OF MINE AND TRIED TO EAT HER ANYWAY, DIDN'T YOU?! DIDN'T YOU?!"

Apretá decided to be honest in fear of facing even more pain from this enraged human.

How do humans show affirmation again?

Oh, right! They nod!

She nodded to the best of her ability despite her neck being in his firm grip.

The boa constrictor felt even more pain in her jaw and saw more stars.

Her sight just barely came back when the voices growled dangerously low like a jaguar when its cubs are threatened, "YOU KNOW MY SCENT... COMMIT IT TO MEMORY BECAUSE ANY RAT THAT HAS MY SCENT IS MINE!!!"

Apretá showed her understanding by nodding.

"IF I CATCH YOU, SEE YOU, OR EVEN HEAR ABOUT YOU EATING ANY OF MY RATS AGAIN," the voices snarled, "I'LL TIE YOU UP INTO SO MANY DIFFERENT KNOTS THAT IT WOULD TAKE ANOTHER MIRACLE TO GET YOU UNTANGLED, ¡¿ENTIENDES?!"

The poor boa constrictor had never nodded so swiftly.

Satisfied, the "blessed" human tosses the snake to the ground and lifts his foot up so she could escape.

And escape she did.

She willed herself to look back when she saw the gale slowing to a stop and felt the unnatural energy dissipate. The human cradled and wrapped the injured rat in his green garment, not unlike an infant. He was whispering reassurances in that familiar rasp like he didn't just have a dozen voices screaming at her. Apretá could just barely make out what he was saying to the rat.

"Está bien, Rosa." he cooed softly, "Ya sé. Ya sé que duele. Ya sé lo que es tener las costillas rotas. Luisa me abraza mucho. No te preocupes. Todo lo que necesitas es uno... Tal vez dos de las arepas de Julieta y estarás como nuevo. Incluso te conseguiré algunas guavaberries. Te lo has ganado después del día que has tenido."

Apretá could just about see the rat nervously sniffing in her general direction.

"No te preocupes por la serpiente." the human soothed, "Nunca más te molestará."

The boa constrictor recoiled in fear when he looks, not just in her general direction, but right at her with flashing eyes and intones, "Veré que así sea..."

She slithered away as fast as she could on a broken coil.

It took nearly an hour for the young one to come in with a piece of dried meat blessed by the healer. Not to mention a pretty severe reprimand and a promise to never make Tío Bruno mad again. The human hatchling certainly doesn't have to tell her twice. She never wants to anger that human again.

To avoid a repeat incident, the boa constrictor spread the word amongst the birds in the young one's realm who in turn spread it to the rest of the Encanto.

It wasn't long before all the animals learned what the villagers learned long ago:

Never harm Bruno's rats, lest you face the wrath of the seer himself.

Notes:

Spanish Translations:

Apretá - Squeeze/Press
¡¿Entiendes?! - Do you understand?!
Está bien, Rosa - It's okay, Rosa
Ya sé - I know
Ya sé que duele - I know it hurts
Ya sé lo que es tener las costillas rotas - I know what it's like to have broken ribs
Luisa me abraza mucho - Luisa hugs me a lot
No te preocupes - Don't worry
Todo lo que necesitas es uno... - All you need is one...
Tal vez dos de las arepas de Julieta y estarás como nuevo - Maybe two of Julieta's arepas and you'll be good as new
Incluso te conseguiré algunas guavaberries - I'll even get you some guavaberries
Te lo has ganado después del día que has tenido - You've earned it after the day you've been having
No te preocupes por la serpiente - Don't worry about the snake
Nunca más te molestará - It will never bother you again
Veré que así sea - I will see to it

Chapter 3: Things Happen for a Reason

Summary:

A very good reason...

Notes:

Pre-Lightning Rod Incident
Pre-Adoption
Pre-Eclipse

August 30th, 1950
8:45 a.m - 10:05 a.m

POV: Bruno-centric
TW: References to suicide, near drowning.

Sometimes even Bruno doesn't understand his Gift...

He's been pacing the shore of Río Selva for so long that his rats were starting to look as green as his ruana. You're probably wondering why he's there to begin with. It's because he's been having the same vision of this place over and over again. A falling object, the waterfall, and the deepest part of this river. Not to mention a lingering feeling that something terrible is about to happen.

Oh yeah, he's been getting sensations of whether or not a vision is good or bad.

In fact, his Gift has been more tied to his senses lately. From the shivers in his spine when his premonitions come to pass to just knowing when he's set someone on the right path. Even the villagers have been asking how he's been feeling lately. Bruno knew for a fact that their questions had nothing to do with his health. They may be ignorant at times, but they aren't totally dead from the neck up. They aren't blind to him constantly avoiding things and shoving people for seemingly no reason until disaster strikes not long after. Nor are they deaf when Bruno's only explanations are either "I had a good/bad feeling about it" or "It just seemed like the right thing to do."

To the family, every discovery is an exciting time since it seems to make Bruno's Gift so much easier on him and paints him in a more heroic light.

To those who liked Bruno, it's another reason to shower him with kindness because it's increasingly obvious that he's just trying to keep people safe.

To those who hated Bruno, they're just gonna have to keep their traps shut or face the wrath of the Bruno Protection Squad which has long since turned into an army.

To Bruno, it's just another thing to add to his rapidly growing mental list of Things That My Gift Never Did Before.

As for this waterfall vision... It's all he's been Seeing lately. It's been driving him up the wall for the past week. It showed up in all of his involuntary visions, interrupted all of his prophecies, and it's even invading his dreams. The poor seer just keeps Seeing this blasted waterfall every time he closes his eyes. He's had recurring visions before, but nothing this bad!

This morning was especially bad. He couldn't even lift his fork full of pan de queso to his mouth because his visions kept interrupting him. He had over a dozen unprompted visions in the span of three minutes and, of course, it worried his family.

Pepa asked him if it was just a backlog or the same vision. He told her that it was the same vision and that it's been driving him loco for over a week. That it's really bad today and he was even starting to get a migraine from all those visions. He probably didn't even need to say that last part considering he was cowering away from every light source while rubbing his temples and groaning. A blind man could tell that he was in bad shape.

Julieta wasted no time in giving him her aguapanela concoction to treat the drawbacks of Bruno's Gift. Well, the creation of the tonic was more of a team effort between Julie's magic touch and the often-proclaimed "magic" that goes into his tonics. But, they're just herbs and he's always been good at making all kinds of creams and tonics. Either way, the combination of her magic and herbs made short work of the vision migraine as it usually does.

Everyone asked what his vision was about and he told them what he Saw after some gentle coaxing. His madre suggested going to the river since it seemed to be so important. Mirabel suggested having a vision at the location and Seeing if he'll get any more details. Everyone seemed to be in agreement with Mirabel. Bruno didn't want to do a vision at all because of the usual reasons that mostly boiled down to "what if".

What if he Sees something worse?

What if it's something he can't prevent?

What if he gets blamed for it?

But, the family teamed up on him and managed to talk him into it. He wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or proud. Either way, he made his way to the river after breakfast. Well, okay, it was more like Luisa carrying him like a thoroughly annoyed sack of potatoes and depositing him right next to the waterfall. She wished him luck and told him to not even think about running because Dolores is always keeping an ear out.

His own sense of security... Used against him in such a way! The unmitigated gall of this family! It's... Actually pretty damned genius of them. Definitely something he would've done if he didn't have his Gift to keep track of his family.

So, there he was, bullied into having a vision at the river that's been driving him insane for over a week.

He always carries what he needs in case he ever needs to do a vision or even a prophecy on the spot. In this case, all he needed was copal-soaked sage and matches to center himself. Bruno only needs the sand if someone wants to see what he's Seeing or if he has to create a tablet. He's doing neither in this case. He just needs to be calm and centered or he'll never get a clear vision.

"And yet when I'm too stressed it can trigger a vision or a sandstorm..." Bruno mumbled as he threw salt over his shoulder, "Go figure."

He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a colorful stuffed rat Mirabel made for him. Bruno never went anywhere without her. It's for the nerves after all and he's a bundle of nerves even on his best days.

He gave little Prisma a small smile and gently hugged her as if she would fall apart at any moment. He stroked the stuffy gingerly as he placed her on his lap. And yes, some of his rats looked at him as if saying, "Hey! I'm right here!" But, they were aware of the significance of Prisma and weren't too sore about it. Besides, trying to nibble on her always led to angering their human. Angry Bruno always means empty bellies for his rats which is one of the reasons they don't like seeing him upset.

He took several deep breaths while running through his primary affirmation, "I can do this... I can do this... I can do this..."

He took out his personal matchbox he received as a housewarming gift. It's made entirely of naturally green wood with the edges painted gold. His signature hourglass was carefully hand-painted on the front and back. There were also tiny hand-painted rats dancing on the sides. It even had an oil finish to bring out the wood's natural beauty and protect it from the elements.

He gave the wooden matchbox his customary six knocks while muttering, "Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock on wood."

He opened the matchbox, pulled out a match, and struck it all in one fluid motion. Bruno took a moment to let the small flame calm him before using it to light the pile of resin-coated sage. He began settling himself by counting, "uno, dos, tres..." with every inhale and, "four, five, six..." with every exhale. Bruno settled himself into his usual lotus position and let his eyes fall shut.

Bruno breathed in the sage and soap-smelling resin and let it gently carry his remaining anxieties as far away as possible. It took several deep breaths that each lasted six seconds for him to begin to feel like he was weightless and floating away from the river. Most would find that sensation relaxing or even enjoyable. To Bruno, however, it's usually the most terrifying feeling in the world because it's one of the first signs of a vision. Right now, it's a signal letting him know he's in the right mindset to start calling upon his Gift and dive into that liminal space where the gyroscopic lines of the future reside.

Explaining the mechanics of his Gift is incredibly difficult for Bruno. It's all hard to explain without using metaphysical terms and making people look at him like he lost his mind. The only one who could even remotely understand was Kate. Hell, he had to use Kate as a mouthpiece to explain his Gift to the villagers. He basically explained everything to her in full and even she had a few "huh?!" moments despite her claims of understanding how it all works. After that, she explained it to them like they were children. Mostly by using monosyllabic words, making comparisons they can understand, and dumbing it down further whenever they got confused. That last part happened distressingly often. But, she managed to help them understand... For the most part.

It took her almost two hours to explain the basics and that was before he got his Gift back. Dios, that was torturous to explain considering he's still figuring things out. There are so many new things that Kate and mamá had taken to writing them down!

Speaking of things that are new with his visions... Well, other than being much clearer, multiple-choice, and more connected to his senses. He can ask more than one question. He used to be able to ask just one. One prompt equals one vision. That's not the case anymore which is a Godsend to a lot of people. Especially to a curious soul like Bruno who always wants to dig deeper and See more. Well, when his fears aren't getting in the way that is.

This time he's shoving those fears as far away as he can manage and allowing himself to give in to his curiosity for once. Yes, curiosity killed the cat and all that. But, as far as Bruno's concerned at the moment, satisfaction brought it back.

Bruno called upon his Gift and he could almost feel its excitement under the usual surge of power, warmth in his eyes, and green with bright dots clouding his vision. Like it knows why it's being called. He's pretty sure if his Gift could speak it'd probably say something like, "It's about damned time!"

He could feel the otherworldly electricity buzzing in his head as he internally asked his Gift what he's been wondering for the past week:

 

What will happen in this waterfall at El Río Selva today?

 

He learned long ago that he had to be specific when asking these questions. He can't just ask, "When will this person do that thing?" No, he has to give names, locations, and even dates. He needs to be specific. The more specific he is the less time it'll take to find the right line.

As if to prove him right, he felt himself stiffen within seconds as he became subconsciously aware of his Gift brushing against the correct timeline. A fine tremor runs through him when his Gift grabs a hold of the line and brings it to Bruno's attention. He felt he didn't need the sense of dread because he already knew it was bad. But, he still felt like it was gonna be bad all the same. When he looked at the line, his eyes tried to fly open like they usually do but Bruno resisted the urge. He didn't want his glowing eyes to be open for fear of a villager catching him. It took nearly all of his willpower to keep his eyes firmly shut as the pressure mounted and his mind flooded with flashing images of future events.

White water...

A rushing river...

An object floating on a piece of wood...

Battered by the water...

The object manages to stay on the wood...

A faint noise that can't be heard over the water...

Rocks...

So many rocks...

Wood being broken down by the rocks...

Going over so many tiered falls...

The object is still on the wood...

A moment of calm...

Bruno huffed out his frustration. It's just the same thing that he's been Seeing for the past week. The only thing different about it is how close it felt. Bruno gives it another prompt right in the middle of the vision.

 

What's the object that's gonna fall into El Río Selva?

 

The object is a burlap sack tied off with a length of rope...

A faint sound of rushing water...

A waterfall...

A very large waterfall...

The sack will go over...

That left Bruno with more questions than answers.

What's in the sack?

Why is it so important?

Why does it fill him with so much dread?

Bruno, fed up with his recurring vision, decides to ask what he's been wanting to ask for over a week. Fortunately, it combines all those questions into one. He just hopes the prompt isn't too vague. Asking questions that start with "why" always leads to so many possibilities. He's always discouraging people from asking "why" questions and here he is doing exactly what he tells people not to do. Ugh, he's such a hypocrite.

 

Why do you keep showing me this?

 

SPLASH!

"Madre de Dios!" Bruno exclaimed.

The sudden noise ended his vision prematurely. That's one of the worst things that could happen involving his Gift. It's like slamming a book closed in someone's face or shutting off a TV that you've been glued to for hours. It always leaves him dazed and blind for a bit too long for comfort. Well, losing his sight for any amount of time is alarming for Bruno. Especially when he's alone and not in the safe confines of Casita. Fortunately, it only took a few seconds for him to regain his senses. Regaining his sense of time took a bit longer but he managed thanks to the system he has in place. Once he recovered completely, he started trying to figure out what caused the break in his concentration.

A splash...

There was a splash...

A very loud splash...

What caused that splash? Were the kids jumping in the river again? Did someone trip and fall? Was someone trying to... Do themselves in? Oh, Dios! Bruno really hoped he didn't just witness that. That would be just his luck! Someone trying to take their life when he was right in the middle of a vision.

He quickly put the fire out using dirt, gave Prisma one final hug before putting her away, and dared to look closer at the river. He saw something in the distance that threw him a bit. It was a burlap sack tied with some rope floating down the river.

Is this the bag he's been Seeing?

His memory and intuition both say yes.

Did that bag just go over that waterfall?

Obviously.

Is it floating on a piece of wood?

Yes, it is.

It's a miracle that sack didn't fall off. The wood looks like it took quite a beating. Well, it certainly looked like one hell of a ride down those rapids in the last 182 times he's Seen it happening.

Before Bruno could question it further, he heard something that absolutely horrified him.

Mew! 

It can't be...

Mew! Mew!

Is that a...

Mew!

Can people really be that cruel?!

Mew! Mew! Mew!

At least a dozen visions involving the cruelty of man flooded his senses in answer.

Mew! Mew!

Did he even have to ask? Of course, people can be that damn cruel! This is actually pretty mild compared to the horrifying things he's Seen in his prophetic dreams.

Mew!

"Wait... Is the sack...?" Bruno questioned aloud before shrieking in horror, "Mierda! it is! It's sliding off! The kitten... It's gonna drown!"

Bruno quickly threw his ruana off, ordered the remaining rats to get out of his clothes, kicked off his sandals, and dove into the river without hesitation. He swam as fast as he could and grabbed the bag just as it slid off into the river. The kitten let out a half-drowned meow as Bruno barely manages to lift the bag out of the water and back onto the wood. He held onto the piece of wood and used his legs to paddle towards the shore. It was a bit of a battle against the river without his arms. But, he managed to get to the shore with the kitten still mewing pretty loudly. Thank goodness Luisa got him in the habit of exercising or he'd never be able to swim this well... Or at all for that matter.

The soggy seer quickly untied the bag and looked inside to see a pair of emerald eyes staring at him in abject terror. Bruno tried to reach in only to nearly get his hand torn up by claws and teeth.

"Woah!" Bruno pulled back in surprise before murmuring, "Someone's a little spicy."

He tried again much more slowly only to actually get his hand bitten and a bit scratched up.

"¡Ay!" Bruno shouted in pain as his eyes flashed a bit, "Okay! Okay! Message received! I won't touch you again!" Until you're okay with me.

The kitten hissed at him as if to say, "And you better not forget it!"

Bruno decided to switch tactics. Grabbing didn't work. So, soothing words it is.

"Hey..." Bruno tried to comfort the kitten, "It's alright... I'm not here to hurt you. Okay... You've probably heard that one before and look where it got you. You probably swore to never trust humans again. But, I swear I'm a good human. Hell, I can't even hurt a spider, let alone a kitten."

The kitten's eyes widened in surprise as realization sunk in.

"Ah... Not from Encanto are you?" Bruno smiled, "It's mi sobrino Antonio's Gift you see. When the magic came back it made everything stronger. From Julieta being able to put her healing in any food she touches to Pepa being able to actually control her weather to Isa being able to grow food. My Gift... It's been all over the place lately and..."

He noticed the kitten's eyes looked bored.

"Sorry... I ramble when I'm nervous." Bruno grinned awkwardly, "The point is that any animal that comes here can understand humans. It certainly makes it a lot easier to train my star actors here..." he gestured to the rats on his soaked shoulders, "...To not eat their costumes."

The kitten just blinked at him.

"Yeah... I know I'm weird." Bruno sighed, "But, I promise I won't hurt you. All I wanna do is get you somewhere safe..." he shakes out his sodden arms, "...And preferably dry."

The kitten just backs further into the sack.

"You know, that bag must be freezing and uncomfortable. Why don't we come out where it's warm, eh?"

The kitten refuses to move.

"Ay, Dios." Bruno rubs his dripping face exasperatedly, "This is gonna take a while..."

It did indeed take a while, but Bruno was a very patient man. He spent nearly ten minutes trying to coax the kitten out with no success. He was thinking about using some kind of lure before his hunger made itself known.

"Oh, Right..." a grumpy Bruno sighed as he rubbed his equally grumpy gut, "Didn't get a chance to eat this morning because of my stupid visions." he began reaching for his ruana, "Let's see. I think I have some food in here somewhere."

The kitten perked up at the mention of food and watched Bruno dig in his ruana while mumbling to himself.

"Let's see... Sage, copal, matches, Prisma, hola Rebecca, sand, paper, quill, spare quill, spare quill for my spare quill, ink, earmuffs, oye Marco, more sand, tiger's eye, Julie's emergency spices, retractable umbrella, safety scissors, buenas tardes Rosa, trowel, crayons, bird feed, sand again, first aid kit, house keys, Déjela sola Juan, spare keys, pocketknife, water, rope, vials..."

Ever since he was nearly bur... Uh... The incident... Bruno started carrying anything and everything for any situation. If it's even remotely useful and fits in his ruana it ends up with him. Needless to say, his ruana has a lot of fair-sized pockets. He carries some of these things for obvious reasons and others for reasons so specific it's ridiculous. If you need something, ask Bruno and he might have what you need.

"Aha!" Bruno cried in triumph, "There's my stash of arepas! Ooh, and I snagged an Arepa con Pollo y Queso... Fresh too."

Of course, Bruno's definition of "fresh" is more along the lines of "not teeth-breaking". Even after several months, he still retained his tendency to steal leftover food during the night. Not to mention eating food so old that it's a miracle he hasn't been seriously sick. The entire family and several others have been trying to break him of this but old habits die hard. Now, they just pat him down every morning and Bruno lucked out that his numerous recurring visions made them forget.

Bruno managed to take a bite that healed his hand when he heard the bag rustling and looked out the corner of his eye. The kitten slowly came out when it smelled the Arepa con Pollo y Queso. The kitten turned out to be a fluffy calico and Bruno had to bite his lip to keep from squealing in delight.

He's always been a sucker for cute animals and this time was no exception. The adoration made way for resentment at whoever tried to drown this adorable ball of fur. But, Bruno forced himself to stay calm because getting angry wasn't gonna help anyone. Besides, he had bigger problems than tracking down and having a lot more than just words with whoever did this. The kitten was sopping wet and refuses to trust Bruno enough for him to help. Even Bruno's rats could see that the kitten was soaked to its poor little bones.

"Hey, there." Bruno smiled.

The kitten backed away in fright but couldn't get back in the bag. So, the tri-colored furball cowered on top of the bag. Bruno barely stifled a chuckle at the sight.

"Came out because of the food, didn't you?" Bruno started tearing off a piece that had more chicken than cheese, "Eh, I'm the same way. You want me to come out of hiding? Just leave a few chocolate polvorones lying around and I'll come out eventually."

Bruno held the piece out which made the kitten cower more.

"It's okay." Bruno soothed, "It's food. Granted a few days old but food all the same."

The kitten only made itself even smaller. Bruno sighed and decided to just put the piece of arepa near the kitten and hope they eat it. Bruno nearly finished eating and sharing with his half-dozen rats by the time the kitten's need to eat overrode the fear. He saw the kitten cautiously sniff at the piece before taking a bite. Seeing the food was just food, the kitten started to gobble it up. Once it finished eating, it was sniffing around for more before looking at Bruno expectantly.

The kitten's motivated by food... Perfecto...

Bruno grabbed a couple of meat-filled arepas and tore them apart. He told his rats that it was to get the kitten to trust him. He started leaving a trail leading right to him that ended in a pile on his lap. Bruno crossed his fingers and silently prayed for this to work.

The kitten started eating the pieces of arepa bit by bit before coming right up to Bruno. The seer willed himself to hold still and not reach out. He didn't want to frighten the poor thing any more than it already was. The kitten smelled the food on his lap and seemed a bit apprehensive.

"Looks like I'm not such a bad guy, eh?" Bruno spoke softly, "I'm the one giving you all this food after all."

The kitten sniffed at him and cautiously crawled into his lap to eat the food. It took everything for Bruno to resist petting the kitten. Once the kitten finished every last morsel, the little calico stared at Bruno and he could only give an awkward smile in response. Then the kitten did something Bruno never would've expected unless it was weeks down the line. The little furball climbs up to his face and starts rubbing against him while purring up a storm.

"Really? Claiming me already?" Bruno chuckled while gently petting the kitten, "Then again, I have supposedly wild animals trying to crawl on me every time I set foot in Antonio's room or the jungle. Antonio tells me that they really like me and find me relaxing. I'm a walking sack of nerves who just barely keeps it together most days. What on earth is so relaxing about me?"

The kitten just starts grooming his beard which made Bruno giggle.

"H-hey, that tickles..."

Bruno allows the kitten to have its way with him for a few minutes which boiled down to rubbing and licking his face. He decided the kitten trusted him enough and gently grabbed it by the scruff. It mewed in protest and started struggling a bit.

"It's okay." Bruno soothed, "I just wanna check to see if you're hurt from those falls. Some of them looked pretty nasty. Especially that last fall."

The kitten stopped struggling and swinging as much. He held the poor thing close to keep it warm as he checked it for any injuries. The kitten was trying to cooperate but couldn't help being a little squirmy and playful.

Luckily, it wasn't hurt. Just soaked and tired from squirming so much. The arepas probably healed any injuries the kitten suffered. Bruno thanked whatever force was responsible for the Miracle for making Julieta's magic so much stronger. He took advantage of the kitten's tired state and checked its gender.

"A girl." Bruno murmured just as she sneezed and shivered.

Bruno reacted instantly by wrapping her in his discarded ruana. He didn't care if his things were gonna get wet. Those can be replaced. This kitten cannot. The soft wool of his ruana lessened the kitten's shivering. Bruno was just about to relax when a cool breeze passed through his still-sopping form. It made him shiver almost violently and...

"Ah-ah-ah-choo!"

The rats gave him concerned looks and immediately started pulling him towards Casita.

"Okay, okay." Bruno consented with a sniffle, "I'm going, I'm going."

Bruno shakily stood up, slipped into his sandals, and started towards Casita as fast as he could manage with a bundle in his arms and wobbly legs. He had no idea what to do with this kitten. Maybe Dolores will like her. She always wanted a kitten because she liked the sounds they made. He was going to get her one before...

The walls...

Anyway, Dolores' birthday is tomorrow and this kitten seems to be the perfect gift. The very idea seemed to take the wobble out of his legs as he began sprinting to get to Casita where the kitten will be safe, warm, and loved.

Notes:

What do you want me to name our newest and cutest member?

Spanish Translations:
Río Selva - Jungle River
Pan de Queso - It's basically a fluffy cheese roll.
Loco- Crazy
Madre - Mother
Mamá - Mom
La Familia - The family
La familia te protegerá - The family will protect you
Siempre - Always
Siempre y para siempre - Always and forever
Madre de Dios - Mother of God
Dios - God
Mierda - Shit
¡Ay! - Ow! (Can mean oh in another context)
Mi sobrino - My nephew
Ay, Dios - Oh, God
Hola - Hello
Oye - Hey
Buenas Tardes - Good afternoon
Déjela sola Juan - Leave her alone Juan
Arepa con Pollo y Queso - Cornbread with Chicken and Cheese
Chocolate Polvorones - Crumbly cookies usually served during celebrations
Perfecto - Perfect

Chapter 4: Bruno is a Sneaky Sponsor

Summary:

Mateo Gómez is living proof that wealth and a loving family don't always guarantee happiness. He's been on the bottle since his thirties and his family has become increasingly concerned. Kate considers him one of his toughest patients and Mateo has relapsed and gone through detox more times than she cares to admit.

After weeks of insisting, Mateo finally agreed to have a sponsor as long as he doesn't know they were there. Kate suspected he did that to severely limit the surveillance she gets over him and allow him to drink the minute she turns her back.

Well, two can play at this game!

Notes:

Post-Lightning Rod Incident
Post-Adoption
Pre-Eclipse

May 6th, 1951

POV: Third-Person Omniscient
TW: Alcohol abuse, rough recovery, swearing

Mateo thought he was the smartest man alive when he gave Kate his caveat to having a sponsor. He figured that they can't take his booze or hover over his shoulder with that kind of limitation. He won't be able to drink as much as he liked. Especially with this sponsor more than likely "knowing the game" and reporting back to what he saw as a killjoy. But, it's better than nothing.

Little did he know exactly who he was getting as his sponsor.

Not being seen, sticking to the shadows, doing what he came to do silently, and vanishing without a trace.

Bruno was practically in his element.

Not to mention the fact that he's a former alcoholic himself. He doesn't just "know the game". He's played it better than anyone he knows.

So, is it really all that surprising for Mateo to start finding sticky notes where his stashes used to be?

"The toilet tank is a TERRIBLE hiding place! -B"

"Top of the frame in your closet is even worse! -B"

"Really? In the couch too? -B"

"Alcohol behind the picture frame? Classic! -B"

"Loose brick walls aren't safe from me either! -B"

"False books are so old-fashioned! -B"

It only got worse every time Mateo thinks he can sneak his way through the 12-step and 12-key processes. He kept getting knocked back several keys and detoxed on the spot. Mateo always kept demanding how they even knew he relapsed only to be told that his sponsor informed them. 

The sticky notes shortly after he comes home from detox are just salt in the wound.

"I saw you drinking in your closet. -B"

"I saw you sneak into that bar using one of my favorite hidden entrances. -B"

"You can eat an entire tin of mints and bathe in perfume. They'll still smell the stink of your relapse. -B"

"Drinking under your blankets is a rookie mistake. -B"

"Clean out your cold box all you want. It won't make a difference. -B"

"Drinking on your roof like that brings back some interesting memories for me. -B"

It got downright infuriating for him when he tried to give his drink at least a little kick when his wife isn't looking. They always get switched out if he so much as blinks and he doesn't notice until the drink touches his lips. Always with those blasted sticky notes too.

"I wouldn't add anything other than milk and sugar to your coffee. -B"

"Alcohol and hot chocolate do not mix. -B"

"No guaro zone. -B"

"The milk and beer had a chat and agreed to not come within a hundred feet of each other. -B"

"Plain water only. -B"

"The only thing that should be spiked is the dragonfruit this drink consists of. -B"

"None of my tonics mix well with alcohol. -B"

Mateo eventually demanded to know why Kate had Bruno as his sponsor and what she had over him. Kate told him that Bruno was a former alcoholic himself and she had nothing over the clairvoyant. In fact, the seer himself volunteered to be his sponsor.

"Why?!" Mateo snarled.

"Because he doesn't just know the game." Kate smirked, "He played it better than anyone else and even invented some of the tricks you used. Hell, his family still hasn't found all of his stashes until AFTER Casita fell. Man, that was a lot of shattered bottles..."

Mateo could only stare in stunned disbelief before asking, "Why?"

"Because all of us, including your family, just want you to heal from this and live." Kate answered, "If that means having a Madrigal who can screw with time watching your every move. So be it."

Mateo could only sigh in irritation as he continued to futilely attempt to drink. Only to get his bottles switched out with water or juice every single time. He finally had enough and started roaring at the ceiling.

"Why?!" he snarled, "Why do you have to keep torturing me like this?! Can't you just leave a man to drink in peace?!"

A sticky note appeared on his cold box.

"I'm not torturing you. I want to help you. -B"

"Help me?!" Mateo growled, "You call this helping me?!"

A sticky note showed up on the table.

"If it gets you to stop letting your family watch you slowly poison yourself, then yes. -B"

"You don't understand!" Mateo bellowed.

Several sticky notes appeared on a counter.

"I understand more than you know. I know what it's like to just want the pain to go away. To want to forget every bad thing that's happened to you. Wishing that all your problems could just go away..."

"But, your problems will still be there even after you drink yourself into a coma. All those bad memories and the pain will just come back. It will all keep coming back more fiercely as you fight to drown it all while drowning yourself in the process..."

"And all of your friends and even your family suffer too. They are watching this all happen to you. Watching you slowly poison yourself until you die. Please, don't do that to your family. They love you with all their heart. -B"

"How do you know?" Mateo muttered.

Another sticky note showed up on the wall.

"Because they wouldn't be trying to get you to quit if they didn't love you. -B"

Mateo couldn't argue with that logic. But, the idea of his sponsor all but forcing him to go cold turkey was infuriating. Can't he just cut back or something?!

"Why won't you let me have even one drink?" Mateo growled.

"One is too many. Two is not enough. -B"

Now, he was starting to see why people avoid arguing with him.

"Did going cold turkey work for you?!" he hissed.

A sticky note appeared on the cold box again.

"Yep. -B"

Mateo sighed in annoyance and was about to leave the kitchen when he saw another note on the door.

"You should consider yourself lucky that you have to deal with me. I had to deal with Pepa and mi mamá. -B"

Mateo couldn't help shuddering in sympathy after reading that.

Another sticky note appeared in his hand.

"Yeah, that was a fun three years... -B"

Mateo decided that maybe having Bruno as his sponsor wasn't too terrible after all.

Notes:

Spanish Translations:

Mi mamá - My mom

Chapter 5: Don't Touch Bruno's Stuff!

Summary:

Kate quickly learns three things:

Don't touch random glowing gems that are apparently cursed.
Bruno is A LOT more powerful than he lets on.
She's never getting this song out of her head.

Notes:

Pre-Lightning Rod
Pre-Adoption
Pre-Eclipse

September 2nd, 1950
2:05 p.m.

Third-Person Omniscient

 

Kate was wandering around Bruno's room and couldn't help smiling at the normalcy of it. Sure the ceiling has no end in sight and Bruno's taste in knick-knacks is a bit... Off. But, it's a fairly normal room considering the fact that it's magic. The nurse couldn't help looking at Bruno's collection of odds and ends as well as the strange warnings written near them. 

The gargoyle apparently bites and scratches.

A harmless-looking necklace has killed anyone who dares to wear it.

An object that's covered in fabric can't even be looked at or you'll turn to stone.

There was even a tooth that must never be touched.

What had Kate's attention was a curious stone that was circular in shape, a bright orange, and glowing. It seemed to beckon her to hold it or at least touch it. She approached the gem when Bruno was busily feeding his rats. But, even the adorable rats weren't enough to completely distract him as he suddenly felt the hairs on his neck stand straight up. A sign that he eventually learned meant that a great danger to himself and those he cares about is near.

He quickly turned towards where the feeling was coming from and saw, to his horror, that Kate was holding that horrid gem that gave him so much grief years ago.

"Kate!" Bruno practically shrieked, "Put that gem down!"

But, it was too late.

The gem's glow became unnaturally bright as a dark figure flew out of the gem while cackling madly. Bruno couldn't help running to shield Kate while barely dodging the shadow. It flew around in a frenzy just as Kate dropped the gem before landing in front of the two.

"Ooh... Hohohoho!" the shadow cackled as it took the form of something vaguely owl-like with crazy orange eyes and a pink waistcoat complete with bowtie, "I'm FREE!!!"

"Not for long!" Kate snapped as the two went for the gem.

But, the creature was much quicker than even Bruno and snatched up the gem.

"Ah, ah, ah..." the creature giggled, "It's not nice to lock other people up in enchanted gems."

"It's not nice to try and kill people either..." Bruno grumbled.

"How so?" the creature smiled, "I merely want them to join my party. I see that you're not far from joining in, but you've still got that mortal body clinging to you like a leech."

It wasn't long before the crazed being saw Kate standing behind Bruno.

"Ooh, hohohoho..." the being guffawed, "You even brought a plus one!"

"Stay away from her!" Bruno snarled with his eyes glowing a dark emerald that heralded his anger.

"Ohh..." The creature stared, "You've been touched by Time itself. Well, phooey! That Time! Always spoiling my fun! Looks like you can't join my party after all. But..."

The owl-like being leered over at Kate.

"It seems your plus one hasn't been so fortunate." it smirked, "She's just all flesh and bone and—"

"Touch her and you'll regret laying even one claw on her!" Bruno growled while the glow got more intense.

"Well, that just makes it more fun!" the creature declared, "Now, how shall I get her to join my party?"

It brandished a rusty-looking knife.

"Stabbing?"

It strangled its own neck.

"Strangling?"

It crushed its neck a bit.

"Crushing?"

It held up an apple covered in green goop.

"Poison? Ooh, that one's always good!"

"How about none!" Kate glowered.

"None?" the being was taken aback before giggling again, "Ooh hohohoho! That's a good choice!"

Kate sighed with relief while Bruno looked apprehensive. It wasn't long before the relief was replaced with fear as the creature tried to grab her. Fortunately, Bruno was quicker that time and managed to pull her away from its claws.

"RUN!" Bruno shouted.

Kate didn't need to be told twice.

"Let's spin the wheel!" the creature declared while stretching its neck in a circle.

The whole room seemed to spin and enlarge as the two barely managed to get their bearings. They found themselves in what looked like a dark hallway with bright orange candles being their only source of light. Kate looked around in fear while Bruno just looked exasperated.

"Ugh, that's why I told you not to touch the gem..." Bruno groaned.

"Sorry..."

"It's fine." Bruno sighed, "We just need to survive until I can get the—"

The gem suddenly appeared at the end of the hall.

"Gem!" Bruno yelled as he ran towards the gem.

What stopped him was Kate yelling in fear.

"Bruno, help!" Kate shouted as she ran for it.

"Ooh, hohohoho!" the creature laughed while giving chase, "Now, where do you think you're going?! The party is THIS way! And trust me... It's to DIE for!"

It practically cackled as Bruno grabbed Kate and ran much faster than the creature chasing them.

Then it did something that surprised Kate and irritated Bruno:

It burst into song with music coming from nowhere and everywhere.

🎶I know we'll be the best of friends so there's no need to run!🎶

Bruno had to parkour over a bunch of wooden planks with poor Kate in tow.

🎶The sooner you get dead the sooner you can join the fun!🎶

Bells began to appear and fall on them to the tune of the song that they had to dodge.

🎶No need to fear for I am here!🎶

A bunch of yellow ghosts appeared to sing as they ran by them.

🎶Your mortal form will disappear!🎶

The creature began brandishing a knife and a water gun full of green goop.

🎶Now should we use this rusty knife or acid water gun?!🎶

It laughed maniacally as it began swinging the knife at Kate and shooting to the tune of the song.

🎶There’s a million gruesome ways to die!🎶

The ghosts appeared again to join in.

🎶Oooo oo oo oo🎶

Bruno could almost swear he can hear his old friend grumbling about being the only ghost allowed in the house. But, he was a bit more focused on keeping Kate alive. The being began shooting and swinging more and more that Bruno was just barely protecting Kate from getting sliced and melted.

🎶Oh, why resist when the party’s just begun?!🎶

The ghosts appeared yet again to join in.

🎶You’ll be having so much fun!🎶

The shooting and swinging were getting to the point that Bruno had to carry Kate to keep her away.

🎶There's a million gruesome ways to DIE!🎶

The ghosts were back.

🎶Why stay alive?!🎶

The ghosts stuck around to join in with the creature just as the swinging and shooting were getting to the point of just barely missing Bruno and Kate.

🎶And I’m sure your death will be second to none!🎶

The being laughed boisterously as it pulled some sticks of dynamite out of nowhere and started tossing them.

🎶Dynamite is quick but it makes a lot of mess!🎶

A cow came out of nowhere and Bruno barely managed to dodge it with Kate in one piece.

🎶And flattened by a cow is just embarrassing at best!🎶

The floor suddenly vanished out from under them and they fell into cake batter. The two got stirred around a bit as is approached an enormous oven. They barely managed to crawl out before they ended up inside.

🎶But baked into a yummy cake!🎶

The ghosts appeared just as the two nearly fell into a hole full of hissing snakes. Fortunately, Bruno's Gift warned him quick enough for him to grab the edge and he was strong enough to pull himself and Kate out of there.

🎶Or dropped into a pit of snakes!🎶

They fell into an enormous tank and had to fight off lobsters before managing to swim out of there.

🎶But drowning in a lobster tank might hurt a little less!🎶

The ghosts appeared in a row that Bruno and Kate ran by as they sang.

🎶There’s a million gruesome ways to die!🎶

A bunch of spikes suddenly appeared that Bruno and Kate had to jump over

🎶How 'bout impaled upon a spike?!🎶

The ghosts showed up again while the two were leaping spikes to the tune of the song.

🎶Oh, why resist when the party’s just begun?!🎶

Ghosts on bikes suddenly came from nowhere that they had to dodge while still jumping spikes.

🎶Maybe something on a bike!🎶

The ghosts sang as the exhausted duo dodged incoming bikes and jumped the spikes to the beat.

🎶There’s a million gruesome ways to die!🎶

The floor vanished from under them again as they were surrounded by dirt. An element that Bruno can manipulate which made it trivial to escape. It took a moment to calm Kate down enough to continue running.

🎶We could bury you alive!🎶

The ghosts sang with the crazed being as the two were dodging spikes and bikes again.

🎶We’re sure your death will be second to none!🎶

The two were getting close to the gem when bars came out of nowhere and formed a cage. To make matters worse, a huge alligator appeared and looked hungry. It didn't take long for Bruno to simply take its time away. The admittedly morally grey use of his magic took away his exhaustion from trying to survive while keeping Kate alive as well.

🎶We could put you in a cage with a hungry alligator!🎶

The cage bars suddenly melted as they fell into an active volcano. Bruno shielded Kate with his body and formed a time shield around himself which took quite a bit out of him and caused the molten rock to harden around him. Another form of earth that he could manipulate and break free of.

🎶Drop you in a volcano with an active crater!🎶

Electricity boomed around them that Bruno just barely dodged while being forced to carry Kate again in order to dodge them fast enough.

🎶What about ten thousand volts of electricity?!🎶

The two were dodging all kinds of giant books and scripts by Shakespeare to the beat of the song.

🎶Or try a death by Shakespeare in a...🎶

The ghost appeared to join in.

🎶Tragicomedy!🎶

"Now, that's just ridiculous..." Kate commented before Bruno pulled her away to keep from getting run down by an elephant. The floor disappeared again as they nearly fell into a giant pot full of soup. Again, Bruno's Gift warned him in advance and he was able to grab the edge and get out with Kate.

🎶Trampled by an elephant or turned to yummy stew!🎶

The two came across an angry dragon which they managed to survive by jumping on its head as it went in for a bite and slide down its back.

🎶Or try to fight a dragon armed with nothing but a shoe!🎶

A bunch of mummies appeared in the place of the suits of armor and tried to grab them. Bruno managed to dodge their arms while keeping Kate firmly in his grip. The mummies decided to chase after the two.

🎶We could do a Mummy’s curse!🎶

A hearse suddenly appeared and opened up. The two climbed over it and all the mummies crashed inside of the vehicle. It vanished in a puff of black smoke.

🎶We’ll put you in a fancy hearse!🎶

The two barely managed to dodge a bunch of needles and threads.

🎶Or turned into a stuffie!🎶

The being swung his knife again and they managed to jump over it.

🎶Now that’s something we can do!🎶

The ghosts appeared in a row yet again to sing

🎶There’s a million gruesome ways to die!🎶

Bruno and Kate jumped over a large guillotine just seconds before the blade came down with a loud thunk. One of the ghosts could only shrug as it sang.

🎶I thought I’d try the guillotine!🎶

They were dodging knife swings and acid shots again.

🎶Oh, why resist when the party’s just begun?!🎶

They ran by a ghost holding a broken spleen.

🎶I danced so hard I broke my spleen!🎶

The two were dodging spikes and bikes again.

 🎶There’s a million gruesome ways to DIE!🎶

Bruno fought off alligators trying to snap at Kate and dodged lightning again.

🎶There must be something we can try!🎶

The ghosts came to sing along as they were dodging dragons, mummies, and needles again.

🎶We’re sure your death will be second to none!🎶

They had to dodge an avalanche of grapes as the ghost remained in rows that they ran through.

🎶Maybe you can choke upon a grape!🎶

🎶To die!🎶

The floor vanished again and they would've fallen in a giant blender if it weren't for an old friend of his.

🎶Put you in a blender and frappe!🎶

🎶To die!🎶

A mob of people with pitchforks and torches chased after them which was a special kind of hell for Bruno. But, he was much too fast for those people to even come close to catching them. He couldn't help sighing with relief as they vanished from view.

🎶Maybe we can find an angry mob!🎶

Bruno and Kate suddenly appeared tied to stakes over a fire. The poor seer had to take a few deep breaths to overcome his intense fear before cutting himself loose from the stake. He ran over to free Kate and they made for the gem again.

🎶Tie you on a stake and cook you up like a kabob!🎶

🎶To die!🎶

They had to climb over an unstable mountain of pillows.

🎶Smothered by a pillow in your bed!🎶

🎶To die!🎶

Giant loaves of bread nearly crushed the two as they began to tire.

🎶A gluten overdose from too much bread!🎶

🎶To die!🎶

The being began swinging its knife and firing acid at them again.

🎶Then you can join the party cuz’ you’re dead!🎶

The spikes and bikes showed up again as the creature still kept swinging and firing away.

🎶I’m sure your death will be second to…🎶

The ghosts appeared one final time as the gators and mummies made another vain attempt to chase them down.

🎶Mister Reaper’s beckoning you!🎶

The being and the ghosts threw everything and the kitchen sink at the two as they approached the gem.

🎶Sure your death will be second to...🎶

Bruno grabbed the gem and muttered a quick incantation that quickly pulled the being in just as they got the final word out.

🎶NOOOOOOOOONE!🎶

The room returned to normal as if all hell didn't break loose and the rats merely looked confused. Bruno quickly wrapped the glowing gem in a cloth and put the cursed object away in a random drawer. The exhausted prophet trudged to his chair and slumped into it before heaving a huge sigh of equal parts relief and exasperation. Even Kate couldn't help plopping onto the sofa and groaning from fatigue.

After nearly three minutes of silence, Bruno managed to find enough strength to chastize Kate for what she did.

"So..." Bruno glared tiredly, "What did we learn?"

"I'm never getting that song out of my head." Kate mumbled.

"Kate..." Bruno's glare hardened.

"Ugh..." Kate groaned, "Never touch anything in here without your say."

Bruno seemed satisfied with that and slumped further into the chair while mumbling, "I'm getting too old for this mierda..."

Kate couldn't help snorting a bit at that. She also made a mental note to document everything she saw Bruno do. Those shields were new and she never saw him age something into dust before. She really needs to start keeping records of his powers to remember them all at this point.

After a nice long nap, of course.

Notes:

Spanish Translations:

Mierda - Shit

Chapter 6: Bruno Can Write More Than Just Stories

Summary:

Mariano finally found to courage to go into Bruno's room to get to know him. It was almost incredible how much they had in common. They both loved drama, romance, and Mariano even learned to be okay with all the rats. But, what really amazed the young poet was that Bruno could write more than just short stories. What Mariano is about to realize is how much the old and new poems are going to tell him about Bruno.

Notes:

Pre-Lightning Rod Incident
Pre-Adoption
Pre-Eclipse

June 10th, 1950
4:05 p.m.

POV: Mariano-centric
TW: This will probably make you cry a bit

Mariano feels like an idiot and the worst man alive.

How could he be afraid of someone like Bruno?

He wasn't evil.

He was far from cruel.

He wasn't even the least bit cursed.

If anything, Bruno was the sweetest guy he's ever met and that's saying something. He has known many people in the village who give up anything to help someone less fortunate. It's almost insane how many of the villagers in the Encanto would gladly give the shirt off their backs to help someone in need.

"Anyone except Bruno." he thought bitterly as Bruno went on and on about Rebecca's undying love of Manuel even though she was his amnesiac aunt.

Yes, the villagers are treating Bruno much more kindly and many more feel guilty about the things they said and did to him. But, half the time, it seems to be too little too late given how Bruno still reacts to the villagers. The fact that he's holed up in his room and not out there says a lot about how he feels about the village.

Mariano can't help feeling terrible because he was one of those people who believed Bruno was a brujo malvado. He still believed it even after the newest arrival to their little town chewed out the entire assembly and showed everyone how important Bruno was. The young poet has only now begun talking with the wayward seer in the hopes of getting in his good books and feeling better about himself overall.

He feels worse.

"Uh... You okay, kid?" Bruno asked with worry etched in his features, "Y-you look like someone died."

Before Mariano could answer, Bruno gasped in horror at what he said and began knocking on as many wooden surfaces as he could reach.

"Knock-knock-knock-knock-knock..." Bruno muttered, "Knock on wood."

Mariano was well aware of Bruno's superstitious nature mostly because the familia mentions it quite often. But, it doesn't make it any less unusual nor guilt-inducing to watch the man avoid cracks like the plague, put brooms upside down, throw salt everywhere, hang up all kinds of good luck charms, hold his breath before crossing thresholds, and knock on every wooden surface every time he tempts fate. And that was just to name a few of the countless things he does to keep away bad luck and encourage good luck.

Mariano swallowed the guilt-ridden lump in his throat before answering, "I feel... Guilty."

Bruno tilted his head, "Guilty?"

"Yeah." Mariano nodded, "I feel guilty about what I thought about you."

"Well, you only just met me." he shrugged, "And you only had the r... The rumors to go on. I-I'm surprised you didn't bring holy water to... To ward me away."

"That doesn't make it right!" Mariano insisted, "Everyone treated you like mierda!"

"Language." Bruno chastised automatically.

"Lo siento." Mariano sighed, "Everyone treated you so terribly and you're just this timid little slip of a man who treats his rats like babies."

"Well, the runts aren't gonna feed themselves." Bruno pointed out while feeding three little runts cradled in a soft rag, "B-besides, that's all in the past, right?"

"And yet you still hole up in this attic like we're gonna burn you at the stake." Mariano mumbled.

Bruno blanched at that and touched his legs that were encased in cloth and three different kinds of lotion.

"Lo siento..." Mariano winced, "I... I forgot that y—"

"It's okay." Bruno answered quickly, "Just... D-don't mention that again... Please."

Mariano nodded with an abashed expression.

"It's..." Bruno explained haltingly, "I-It's just gonna... Take time... Y'know. Kinda hard to... To undo over... Thirty years of... Of Bad Luck Bruno."

Thirty years?!

The villagers treated him like this for over thirty years!

No wonder he hid in the walls!

"I... I see..." Mariano mumbled.

"And now... This..." He gestured to his injuries, "H-happened... It's... Just... Just give me time... Okay?"

"Alright." Mariano sighed.

Bruno took a breath and placed the three runts back with what Mariano assumed was the mother, "Okay, let's get back to my stories, eh?"

"Okay." Mariano nodded before asking, "Do you write any poems?"

"Occassionally." Bruno shrugged, "Y-you want to see them?"

"Sure!" Mariano smiled.

"Okay, but I have to warn you..." Bruno told him as he dug in one of his many trunks, "A lot of them are from when I was a teenager and they're... Pretty much what you'd expect."

Bruno hands Mariano a small book and the poet starts going through it. Many of the poems were cringingly awful and hard to read. One of them was even about donkeys and capybaras. But, they slowly started to become much better as the pages turned before turning dark just as they seemed at their best. Many speak of fire and betrayal along with rejection and fear. They soon became downright depressing. From the soil that feared to touch the beautiful rose to the lonely darkness that constantly gets chased away by the light. None of them ever seemed to have a good ending. Some of them were half-finished and stained with dried tears. Others were just downright erratic and made very little sense.

Just as Mariano was about to close the book due to all the depression and darkness, he saw a poem that took up an entire page and looked like it was written fairly recently. These poems seemed to speak of Bruno's mental state at that time and Mariano simply must know how Bruno has been doing lately. Especially after what happened a few days ago.

 

The Hole in My Soul

 

I have been in this hole for a very long time

In the dark, the damp, the cold, and slime

The shaft above I could see quite clear

But, there was no way for me to reach it from here

I could not even remember the way up there

So I lost all hope and gave in to despair

I knew nothing but darkness, the floor, and the wall

Then, up in the distance, I heard a voice call

"Get up! Get ready! There's nothing the matter!

Take the rocks and sticks and build up a fine ladder!"

This had never occurred to me nor even crossed my mind

But, I began to stack all the stones that I could find

When I ran out of stones, the sticks were my goal

For one way or another, I'd get out of this hole

Soon I had a ladder that was sturdy and tall

I thought that soon I'd leave this place once and for all

I climbed up the ladder, but it was no easy chore

For from lifting the boulders, my shoulders were sore

I climbed up my ladder but soon had to stop

For my ladder was short some ten feet from the top

I climbed down my ladder and started to cry

I've done all I could do. Gave my best try

And in spite of my work, In this hole I must die

All I could do was sit and think, "Why?"

Was my ladder too short or my hole much too deep?

Then from up high came a new voice, "Do not weep."

The hope and love entered my chest

As the voice said that I had done my best

He said, "You have worked hard, your labor has been rough.

But, the ladder you have built is at last tall enough.

Do not despair. You have reason to hope.

Just climb up your ladder and I'll throw down my rope."

I climbed up the ladder, then climbed up the cord

When I got to the top, there stood the Lord.

He was not alone in freeing me from my strife

For behind Him were the lights of my life

After many hugs and kisses were given

They each took up a shovel and filled the hole in

For I no longer have that hole in my soul

It has been filled with light and enough love to fill any hole

 

"Hanky?" Bruno offered which made Mariano jump a mile.

Had he been crying?

That explains why his face was so wet.

He took the proffered handkerchief and dried his eyes.

"I've never read anything so... So touching..." Mariano sniffed as he handed back the hanky.

"Yeah." Bruno nodded with a small smile, "I wrote that after Antonio got me talking again. That kid is a wonder."

Mariano could only nod in agreement.

"It wasn't just him though." Bruno continued, "The whole family worked to make sure I didn't let my... Injury get the best of me. Julieta took my food to me and kept talking to me long after I finished eating. Pepa read every one of her romance novels to me. Agustín and Félix always checked up on me and took me out when I had the energy. The kids always visited me. Even mamá read passages from the Bible to me. It... It all helped me out of that hole."

"You have a good family, Señor Bruno." Mariano smiled.

"Please, just call me Bruno."

Notes:

Spanish Translations:

Brujo Malvado - Evil Sorcerer
Familia - Family
Mierda - Shit
Lo siento - I'm sorry
Señor - Sir/Lord

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 14 of Madrigal Misadventures