Chapter Text
This is a post-Encanto-movie fic: it's sometime around 3-4 weeks after Casita Madrigal falls and is rebuilt. Spoilers if you haven't seen the movie! I hope you enjoy!
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Chapter 1
Bruno POV:
After Casita fell and was rebuilt, there was a powerful imbalance that he couldn't quite place in the village. Like there was another "gift" among the people.. his entire family, including his mamá and Mirabel, seemed to vibrate at a different rate to everyone else. Like they truly were different. The people didn't seem to mind, so that was good.
As Bruno walked through the forest behind his home, there was a magical pull, like a fishing line reeling him in, leading him through the crack in the mountains that surrounded his family's Encanto.
He was amazed at the beauty of the sun glittering over the river, making the area that once held so much violence, hold so much peace and light. The place he's always wanted to go, the place that felt safe and familiar. Like a memory from a dream, or maybe a childhood story? He couldn't tell, but dios mio it was beautiful!
He walked closer to the shoreline, truly taking in the new environment. After watching his mamá and his niece, Mirabel, have an emotional, healing moment that changed his familia forever, this quickly became his favorite place to be alone.
As Bruno walked around in the water, bare feet on the rocks below, he saw movement by the green plant from his vision about Mirabel.
Knowing now that his father died in this river, maybe where the plant itself sits, he felt off… no, tense? Like something was coming? No… maybe it's been here all this time? Just waiting for one of the triplets to release it… maybe it was waiting for Bruno specifically?
That doesn't sound right. Nothing and nobody likes him. Only his familia.
Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, he began to think of his mother. Everything Mirabel told him, the memory Abuela shared with her -and then Bruno after Casita was brought back to life by the Madrigal family miracle herself, his sweet niece Mirabel- made him see his mother in a whole new light. It didn't excuse Abuela's actions and the family's reactive personalities towards Mirabel after her failed ceremony -nothing would ever make up for the way they all treated Mirabel differently- but he's happy that his nieces and nephews are finally getting along.
He's trying not to imagine the pain his mamá went through -raising three babies all on her own. Building an entire village from the ground up. Having anywhere from 50 to 250 people now looking up to her, when just moments before Pedro's sacrifice, Alma Madrigal was one of them. The people.
Now she's in charge of protecting an entire village, as well as her 3 newborn babies to care for and raise all on her own... it must have been heartbreaking- it was painful to think about, let alone the fact that his mother did everything alone.
His sisters barely let him out of their sight after he came back into their lives, which was welcome at first, having missed his sisters so much, but it's now quickly becoming overwhelming. Mirabel and Dolores had to convince them to go to the market and help pick out new supplies for some crafts in order for Bruno to escape, with Casita's help of course.
Félix and Agustin tried to keep his sisters occupied to help with their overprotective tendencies, but sometimes the only thing he could do was to tell them that he's overwhelmed and they immediately step back so he can breathe. Which is nice. They're older than him, yes, but he's still a grown man, used to solitude after 10 years of living in the walls.
Bruno shook himself free of his thoughts once again.
There was a glint in his eye. Like the sun shining through a piece of glass. Looking to his right, there was a soft glow -a yellow butterfly- like the one from his vision about Mirabel. As he looked closer it started to get brighter and brighter, nearly blinding him from how intense it was, he looked away and hid his face behind his ruana.
There was a loud crack -thunder?- and then an object loudly collided with the water. The light that was blinding him eventually faded back into nothing as he rubbed the light out of his eyes.
Bruno looked over to what he could now identify as a person, instead of just being a giant blob (imagine staring into the sun or a bright light right after waking up).
The figure was laying face first into the water. Not breathing… there's no blood on the person but it doesn't explain how a bright light combined with a loud crack can pull a human being out from thin air…
And then they moved. There was a person in the water.
They rolled over and started coughing, damn near choking on the water. Bruno ran over to them and slammed his hand (gently!) into their back to ease their breathing. It took a few moments but the person in his arms slowly got everything out and took Bruno's hand in theirs, turning to face him.
"How… what?" Bruno asked softly. "Papá?"
Bruno was terrified… his Papá? He… he was dead? For the past 50 years. His entire life he'd grown up asking his mamá about his father, the man who gave his life to protect them. The one who gave his mother the Encanto, a safe place that their invaders couldn't get to… was here? ALIVE?
His father(?) reached out a hand to him, while talking gently. Bruno wasn't responding, not listening to a single word his father was saying… simply staring at his father's face, so much like his own, but also so very different.
He'd always imagined what it would be like to meet his father one day, thinking that it would only ever be in a dream.
Yet there he was, patiently waiting for his son to take his hand, verbally respond or even blink at his father… but he didn't. Bruno couldn't even move, frozen in place… his eyes began to glow green.
He was afraid.
'What would he say? That his children and grandchildren were freaks? That we were abominations? That he was disgusted? I don't know if I can handle my own father hating me.' Bruno was lost in his thoughts. His mind becoming his worst enemy.
Okay, maybe he wasn't just afraid. He was TERRIFIED.
Terrified that his father would hate him. The townspeople hated him. Dios, that goldfish lady STILL hated him! She constantly says that he killed her dumb fish. It's been 12 years but it's all she ever talks about! Then there's that preacher that stressed himself out the the point of losing his hair. The "gut" guy is a whole 'nother story.
'Bruno focus!' A voice in his head yells at him. Shaking his head he comes back to the present. He apologized to his father and…
Well, he ran..
Just turned and ran.
He didn't see his father reach out to him or hear him asking Bruno if he was alright, asking him to come back and help explain why his wife and babies as well as the townspeople were gone…
But he didn't hear. If only he heard. Except Bruno was lost in his own thoughts.
He ran back to the village asking everyone he saw, "Have you seen my mother? It's incredibly important!"
After getting no reactions from anyone in town, all of them shying away from him or simply pointing in the direction of the newly rebuilt Casita, he gave up.
He kept running. Which turned into a light jog… which led him to Felix, Luisa and Agustin who were walking back to Casita after their walk post-dinner.
He explained what he saw to his brothers-in-law and niece about what happened at the river, near tears by the end of the story. Arms flailing through the air at lightning speed as the story progressed. The three looked at each other for a moment but before they could reply someone started yelling Bruno's name.
The group turned towards the voice in question, they see Dolores loudly calling out -Bruno realized that he'd never heard his niece raise her voice more than a whisper, let alone to a yell before- to them while waving rapidly at them, with Abuela and the rest of their family (+Mariano) close behind, quickly asking her tio if he could repeat what he said…
After they were all in the loop, Mirabel ran to her tio and hugged him, telling him that she believed him. Dolores and Mariano also stated their belief in him until the entire family spoke up in unison.
"Brunito?" Abuela asked, "Sí, mamá?" Bruno replied, turning to his mother. "Take us to the river, please." Alma spoke softly, "I believe you, mijo." Holding her son's hands in hers, Alma let him lead their family down to the river.