#Bruno madrigal needs a hug | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

acewithapaintbrush · 2 years

Note

For the writing starters, “I didn’t know where else to go” with Pepa and Bruno perhaps? :D

This is a long one. I threw in Felix as well, cause my man needs some love too. I imagine them all to be somewhere between 16-17 years old

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"Pepa. Your weird brother is here."

Pepa, young and impulsive and with a protective streak a mile wide, bites her tongue until she can taste blood. She wants to tell Alecia to shut her trap, wants to kick Rico's shin for snickering like a donkey, wants to turn her back on this small group of teenagers that have big mouths but nothing to show for it, and never look back.

But Felix is part of that group. They are his friends and cousins (twice removed, but still!) and she likes him. Oh, she likes him so much. Her heart does a summersault every time she sees him and it's all she can do to keep the rainbow suppressed when he smiles at her.

They have talked once or twice, but today is the first day that he's invited her to hang out with him and his friends in that little clearing in the woods. She still doesn't know if he likes her that way, but the hope is like a beast in her chest, wild and untamed. She wants to make a good impression. She wants his friends to like her and she wants to be everything he could ever want in a girl.

But all she is right now is the sister of the village weirdo.

Pepa doesn't want to think like that. Bruno knows how important today is (he'd begged her to shut up about this 'date but maybe not date oh my, do you think it's a date?' just this morning). He wouldn't come here if it wasn't important.

But all the same, when her eyes find him hiding behind a tree, watching her and the others, a surprising amount of frustration within her bubbles to the surface and a small cloud gathers above her head. It's not solely his fault. She has been stressed for days about this meeting and now that she's here her anxiety doesn't get better but worse. She is analysing every look, every word. Is there a double meaning behind any of it? Was Felix' cousin laughing at her joke or laughing at her? Is Felix really looking at her with affection or is it just condescension?

She's never felt so insecure before and seeing her brother cowering behind a tree, the hood of his oversized ruana pulled up and into his face, doesn't help any. He looks like a wraith. He looks like the brujo they all accuse him of being, watching them from the shadows of the treeline, all creepy and stuff.

"What a freak." Osvaldo mutters.

"Hey!" It's Felix who snaps at him and if Pepa wasn't so embarrassed, she might have appreciated it more than she does. "Shut it, Oz!" He turns to Pepa and tries to catch her gaze. "You wanna go and see what he needs?"

Pepa can't meet his eyes, just nods and hurries over to her brother with quick, agitated steps. Bruno must know that she is coming, but he is still half hiding behind that stupid tree. He has buried his nails into the bark and keeps his head down. She can't see his face at all.

"Bruno!" Pepa hisses as soon as she is close enough. She allows herself a small cloud, hoping that she is far enough away that Felix won't see. "What are you doing here?"

"M'sorry." he mumbles. "I just... Juli s'with Mama and..."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Pepa explodes. She can feel the stares of the others on her back like needles poking her, drawing blood, poisoning her mind and soul. "Dios Bruno. Can't you spend one afternoon without one of us holding your hand?"

Her little brother flinches back from her anger and Pepa immediately feels guilt clawing at her chest. She also can't help but notice that he is clinging to that tree with a kind of focus that almost seems desperate.

"M'sorry." he repeats and Pepa feels a pit form in her stomach. His voice is shaking, his arms too. He sounds like he is on the verge of crying. "I don't wan' Mama to know. I didn't know where else to go."

"Brunito." Her voice is soft now, soothing, her anger already nothing more than a fleeting memory. Something is wrong. Very wrong. "Look at me."

He doesn't. Pepa has to grab his shoulder and guide his face up with a careful hand under his chin.

She gasps when it comes into view and immediately brushes the hood away to get a better look. The black eye and split lip aren't even the worst.

The worst is the bruise at his temple and the dazed look in his eyes.

Panic seizes her heart. She's seen enough concussions while helping Julieta hand out food to know the signs.

The panic is quickly overshadowed by a cold, hard fury.

"Who did this?" she asks, eerily calm. Her hand is still cupping his chin, her thumb brushing over his cheek. Careful. So careful, as if she is handling cracked glass. Only the thundering, black cloud over her head betrays the turmoil wreaking havoc under her skin.

Bruno shakes his head. Of course he does. He never willingly tells her who his attackers are. Not that it matters. Pepa will find out. She always does and when she does? May God have mercy with them.

Cause Pepa won't.

"Everything alright here?"

Pepa whirls around and tries to shield her brother. She knows the voice and knows that he won't harm them, but her instincts are going haywire. Everything suddenly seems like a threat.

Even wonderful Felix, who is standing at her shoulder and winces in sympathy when he sees Bruno's face.

"Ay mierde, hombrecito! That looks bad. Who did this?"

Bruno just stares at the other boy and stays silent. Pepa really doesn't like the dazed look in his eyes. They need to find Juli and lure her away from Mama's side. As much as Pepa would like to trust their Mama to deal with this in a satisfactory manner, Pepa knows that she will only talk with the bullies and their parents. If she even bothers to find out who they are and doesn't just tell Bruno to make more of an effort to 'make nice' with the other kids.

No no. The time for talking has passed years ago. This needs Pepa's personal, physical touch and she can only do that if her mother isn't aware enough to stop her.

"Don't worry. I'll find out.", she promises darkly. "I have to get him home. I think he has a concussion."

"I'll come with you. Maybe whoever did this is still around."

"I can protect us!" Pepa can't help bristling. The cloud over her head thunders ominously.

Felix stares at the dark mass over their heads and Pepa feels like crying. He will never ask her out on a proper date now. Boys don't like violent girls. They don't want to be intimidated by a girl. They want to feel strong and in control. They want a pretty, vulnerable girl, who they can protect, who wants to be protected. They want everything Pepa is not. After today, Felix will never look at her and think-

"Beautiful." The whisper is more breath than actual sound and Pepa almost convinces herself that she has imagined it. Felix stares at her cloud for a second longer with wonder and adoration, before he grins at the pair. He helps her steady her brother who is leaning dangerously to the side. "I know you can, Pepa. But I want to help you. Both of you."

She just nods, too stunned to speak. Bruno leans heavily into her side, but doesn't shake Felix's hand off his shoulder. Which is either an amazing sign of trust or proof that he is even more out of it than she thought.

They turn to leave and the group they leave behind shouts after them. Something about abandoning them and to not bother coming back if they leave now. Pepa couldn't care less and Felix doesn't even turn around, just cheerfully tells her to ignore los cabrones. He has slung one of Bruno's arms over his shoulder and periodically pats his back.

Their progress is slow and Pepa grows more and more worried the longer Bruno stays silent. But when he opens his mouth, she kinda wishes that he hadn't, since he is apparently way too out of it to know what is going on.

Or rather, who is with them.

"Sorry Pepi. Din't wanna crash y'r date with Felix."

Pepa keeps her face straight ahead. She will not react. She will NOT react. Other than the bright hot flush on her cheeks and the mist suddenly surrounding her head, she will not react.

"Don't worry, amigo." Felix says. His voice sounds… it sounds actually pretty happy.

Pepa glances at him over Bruno's head and her heart skips a beat at the smile he regards her with. He winks at her and she thinks she might swoon. "We'll just have to continue this after your sister beat up whoever did this to you. Or maybe that actually could be our next date. I definitely want to see that."

Pepa grins. "Sure. It's a date."

(Bruno later tells her that, if the concussion hadn't made him throw up minutes later, it would have been their cheesy flirting. Pepa just ruffles his hair and keeps preparing for her date. Felix has just confirmed that the bully suspects nothing and has agreed to meet them in that clearing in an hour.

She cracks her knuckles.

It will be so romantic.)

#Pepa turned a little unhinged there in the end #Oops #bruno whump #bruno madrigal needs a hug #Pepa Madrigal needs a hug #Felix is best guy #Bruno Angst #Pepa Angst #Young Triplets Encanto #encanto #encanto fanfic #answered ask #pepa madrigal #bruno madrigal

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calswildflcwer · 2 years

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The Vision ! ~ Part Two

Now reading; The Vision

camilosunshxne

01:43 ━━━━●───── 03:50

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Pairing : Aged down!Bruno x fem!reader

Warnings : Foul language, doubtfulness. If there’s anything else lemme know.

Plot : You decide to go to Bruno for a vision and it goes surprisingly well despite the news therein being saddening for you. You keep going back for visions and to hang out with the Madrigal boy, urging Bruno to develop feelings for you. Will his vision shine a little light on the situation for the Madrigal boy.

Pronouns used : he/him for Bruno, she/her for reader.

Note : I am not a Spanish native and I don’t know any Spanish, all Spanish nicknames mentioned in this story are translated from google. If anything is wrong PLEASE let me know and I will correct it.

Info : Bruno will be aged down to like 24, reader will be 22ish for this story.

Bruno taglist : @nervoussubjectappreciator @soumya-13 @camilos-mivida @the-ice-frozen-ground-red-rose @moon-cakiie @n3r0-1417.

Bruno heard the laughter as he exited his room. There was Pepa’s and Julieta’s and then one he didn’t quite recognise, one that was vaguely familiar but he couldn’t pinpoint where he knew it.

“So your abuela rescued a leopard and the said leopard sleeps in your bed?” Julieta asked.

Bruno’s eyes widened, the girl with the pet leopard was here. He quickly smoothed his hair and ruana out before making his way down the stairs. “Hola.” He stood timidly in the doorframe.

You turned your head to him and grinned, “Hola, Bruno!” You smiled cheerfully.

“What, um, what are you doing here?” He mumbled, rubbing the nape of his neck.

“She came to see you, hermano. We told her you were with Señor Flores so we suggested she wait with us.” Pepa told him, sending him a smirk as she folded her arms.

“O-oh. W-well, if it’s about your cat, I’m afraid I don’t have a time frame.” He stuttered.

You shuffled on your feet nervously before feeling your cheeks heat up, “It’s not about the cat.” You mumbled.

“Oh?” He tilted his head to the side.

“I was wondering if you wanted to hang out.” You mumbled.

“H-hang out? Me?” He asked you.

“Sí. Uh, I’d like to get to know you more. And from what your sisters have been telling me-” You began.

“Wh- Uh, what have they been telling you?” He questioned.

“Just that the rumours aren’t true and that you’re actually a great guy.” You shrugged, a smile on your face.

“I… Um… I wish I could but I need to help Julieta prepare lunch.” He mumbled.

Your smile faltered slightly, “O-Oh, that’s okay.” You smiled sheepishly as you teetered on the balls of your feet.

“No, you don’t.” Pepa piped up, staring at her brother.

“What?!” He asked her, eyes wide.

“I can help Juli. You go and enjoy some time with this girl who clearly wants to get to know you.” She spoke through gritted teeth, emphasising the final part as she glared at her brother.

He sighed in defeat, “Okay. Okay.” He said, raising his hands in surrender. “Where would you like to go?” He asked.

You thought for a moment, “I know a quiet spot by the river. People don’t really hang out there.” You shrugged.

Bruno nodded, “Okay. Let’s go.” He sent a nervous smile your way.

A grin emanated from your features as you began heading past him, he took in your scent slightly as you walked past. He’d been watching you from afar for the past week, since your vision. “You’re welcome.” Pepa whispered as she sent a grin his way. He shook his head, hiding the smile on his features before turning on his heel and following you from casita.

He stopped at the front door and glanced out. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he did before following you down the path.

You eventually made it to the river. However, the walk there was not pleasant for him. People were giving him unpleasant looks as if he shouldn’t be seen around.

The pair of you sat down at the river, Bruno stared at you, watching you. He took in the sound of birds chirping in the sky above him, the scent of freshly baked arepas that seemed to be floating through the air from the stand on the other side of the river.

“Maybe we should get to know each other?” You suggested, causing his attention to drift back to you. You were staring down at the river and he couldn’t help but admire your side profile, you had such soft looking skin, your eyes were wide and gorgeous, your hair was tucked behind your ear and was flowing beautifully in the soft breeze.

You turned your head, your eyes meeting his as you sent a grin his way, “Want me to go first?” You asked, pulling the boy from his intense staring contest with your face.

“Uh, oh. Y-yeah, sure.” He nodded, playing with a loose thread on his ruana.

“Hi! I’m (name). I’m an only child. Jolene is the name of my pet leopard which mi abuela rescued when I was five.” You smiled, holding your hand out for the Madrigal to take.

A soft smile came on to his face, he placed his hand in yours and shook it, “Hola, (name). I’m Bruno Madrigal. I can see the future and I don’t have a pet leopard but I am quite good friends with the rats around casita.” He sent a smile your way.

A soft giggle left your mouth, “So, you’re friends with the rats?” You asked, as he let your hand go.

He nodded, “Sí. I named them all.” He grinned.

“Do tell.” You told him.

“O-okay. There’s, um, there’s Rosa, Diego, Juan, Fredericka, Freddie, María, Mario, Julio, Hernandez, oh, and Bert.” He shrugged.

“Bert?” You scoffed, trying your hardest not to let out the laugh you were currently holding back.

“Yeah, he didn’t like the other names I tried to give him.” He shrugged, letting his own chuckle seep through.

A soft smile emanated from your features as you stared at the boy, quickly getting caught up in some other conversation.

You made your way back to casita, you glanced around at the people staring and sending dirty and fearful looks Bruno’s way. You let out a soft sigh and turned to Bruno as the pair of you reached his home.

“We should do this again some time.” You told him.

A smile crossed the boys face, “I’d like that, (name).” He grinned.

A soft smile graced your features as you watched him walk in. You turned on your heel and began walking the opposite way,

“I- Uh… Would you like to come in and join us for lunch?” He asked you, turning around.

You stopped in your tracks before turning to him, “Really?” You asked.

He nodded slightly, “Y-yeah. I’d like you to join us for lunch.” He said.

You sent a warm smile his way, “I would love to.” You said as you headed towards him.

He stepped to the side, allowing you to enter the home before guiding you into the dining room, “Hola mami! I asked (name) to join us for lunch.” He told Alma.

Alma turned to you, a soft smile gracing her face, “Welcome (name). Join us.” She smiled at you, gesturing to an empty seat beside Bruno.

You took your seat as Julieta brought in the bowl of avocados before taking her seat across from you, beside Pepa.

It was around half way through the meal when señora Madrigal turned to you, “So, señorita, are you and mi hijo dating?” She asked.

You immediately began coughing, choking on your food slightly as Bruno’s cheeks flushed red beside you. You quickly took a sip of your wine before staring at his mamá, “Uhm…” You began, clearing your throat. “N-no. We’re just friends.” You told her.

“Do you plan to date him?” She asked, taking a bite of her food as if that question wasn’t a big deal.

“Mamá…” Bruno groaned, placing his head in his hands.

“What, mijo? You’re twenty four, it’s about time you started thinking of your future.” Alma stated, taking a short sip of her wine.

Bruno turned to you, giving you an apologetic look.

You sent a soft smile his way, “Uhm…” You rubbed the back of your neck as you turned your attention to the matriarch, “We’re just friends, señora.” You mumbled.

“Will it ever lead to more?” She was staring right at you now.

“U-um… I… I can’t see the future, Señora. I don’t know.” You mumbled.

“Mami, stop please.” Bruno groaned.

You swallowed your last bite of food before excusing yourself, “Uh-uhm, I have to go. I need to go.” You mumbled. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Bruno.” You rose to your feet before hurrying out of the house.

You felt your sandal covered feet sink into the grass outside of the casita as you took a deep breath, “Hey.” Someone spoke, making you jump.

You turned your head as your hand flew to cover your chest, “S-sorry.” The newcomer chuckled.

“It’s… Uh… It’s okay.” You smiled.

“I’m sorry about mami. I know she can be a bit… Er… A bit much at times.” They mumbled.

“Pepa, it’s fine. Really.” You smiled at the redhead.

“Look, about Bruno… Well, he needs friends. I’m sure you know that he’s not well liked around here. I appreciate you taking your time to actually get to know him.” She said as she stared at you.

“I don’t judge people because of other peoples perceptions of them. I prefer to make my own decisions. Also, I think Bruno is really nice and sweet.” You let her know, a soft smile gracing your lips.

“Let Bruno know that I’ll come by tomorrow, m’kay?” You asked her.

“Sí, I will.” She nodded, “I’m glad mami didn’t put you off or anything.” She told you.

“It’ll take a lot more than a few uncomfortable questions for me to be put off. Bruno’s a good guy and I really wanna get to know him more.” You smiled, you tapped the top of her arm before walking away, “See ya tomorrow, Pepa.” You sent a smile her way before beginning your walk back to your home.

You fed Jolene before laying across your couch, the large kitty laid her head on your stomach and you began to run your fingers through her fur as her paw rested on your legs. Soft, loud purrs occurred from her throat, causing them to vibrate through your stomach. Alma’s questions from before had been floating through your mind. You had been interested in Bruno for a while but never had the confidence to approach him before, however, since your vision a week ago, he’d been on your mind ever since. His shyness, his little chuckle, his smile.

You let out a soft sigh, “What am I gonna do, Jojo?” You asked.

“Mrrrooow!” Jolene replied.

“Yeah, I don’t know either, sweetie.” You sighed, letting your fingers get lost deep within her fur.

You stared at the ceiling, a wave of relief washing over you,

“At least we’re becoming friends now. We’ve got that, if nothing else.” Your eyes fluttered closed, letting your body fall into a deep sleep.

Bruno laid in his bed across town, a soft smile gracing his lips. The image of your smile flickering through his head as he tried to fall into a deep sleep.

“Maldita sea, estoy enganchado.” He sighed slightly before closing his eyes and falling into his first peaceful sleep in a while. There were no bad visions to haunt him this time.

(Translation: “Dammit, I’m hooked.”)

~ Hey. Want these breadcrumbs? You got em! My stories really aren’t working out for me recently 😭 Please lemme know what y’all think, angels! 😘 Stay hydrated, make sure you’ve eaten today, remember you’re loved more than you’ll ever know and stay safe, lovelies! Mwah! 💖

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justheweirdo · 2 years

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Since then, Bruno cut out himself again, but that time was different: he didn’t talk at all unless someone spoke to him; he didn’t meet anyone’s eyes, especially Alma’s; he skipped meals and locked himself in his room for days, weeks… he was out of control.

But with his nieces and nephew, he was a completely different person: he was always the storyteller, the magician, the artist and the best uncle ever, he was just a little bit more absent. Otherwise, even the children noticed that their tío Bruno wasn’t well and they always asked Julieta to give him an arepa to heal him, and every time her eyes became wet.

Pepa and Julieta had tried too many times to talk with him to fix up something that they didn’t realize to be that broken, but Bruno always knew a way to escape.

One night, Pepa had a nightmare and decided to go into the kitchen to make herself tea; there she found her brother with a mug of hot chocolate. She immediately run silently to Julieta waking her up because that was the perfect moment to talk with him: the kids were all sleeping, their husbands were snoring for quite a while and their mother… well, their mother never went out of her room during the night.

They talked, or at least they tried to.

⸻

How Bruno grew up distancing himself from the family and cutting his life down; a strange voice came to his "help"...

#Encanto #encanto fanfic #bruno madrigal #bruno my beloved #bruno madrigal needs a hug #we talk about bruno #alma madrigal #julieta madrigal #pepa madrigal

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sorryiwasasleep · 1 year

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Port in the Storm:

The world can be cruel, especially if your name is Bruno Madrigal.

(even if he doesn't use the Madrigal part anymore)

But sometimes, there are bright spots, and when he leaves the Encanto, he finds shining lights and comes into his own.

(New runaway Bruno fic- prequel to my ‘To Fall Apart’ one but not necessary to have read!)

#encanto #encanto fanfic #encanto ao3 #bruno madrigal #ao3 #archive of our own #encanto au #gay bruno madrigal #bruno madrigal x omc #bruno madrigal x oc #Bruno Madrigal gets a hug #bruno madrigal needs a hug #Runaway Bruno Madrigal #Bruno Madrigal leaves the Encanto #Bruno Madrigal Leaves the Encanto after Mirabel’s Ceremony #port in the storm #Diego Ruiz: OC

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hourglass-dreams · 2 years

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Encanto Character Studies

Chapter 1: Bruno the Black Sheep

The Madrigals were known as the perfect, untouchable caretakers of the Encanto, mainly the matriarch Abuela Alma. The magic and flawlessness of the family was something that nobody questioned or discounted, except for the only son of Alma. Deep down, everyone inside Casita knew their family wasn't as perfect as they made it out to be, though the triplets were convinced that their mother suffered some kind of delusion that made her truly believe it. The one that never failed to challenge that delusion was Bruno. His sister Pepa had her problems, but their mother always blamed someone else for it whether it was him or her current husband Felix. Her son was different to say the least. He often had a less positive outlook on life and had an eccentric personality which made him an outlier. The gift he was given challenged this as well, it would hurt and terrify him and somehow he was supposed to see it as a blessing. How could he not challenge the belief that the Encanto was fantastical and flawless. It came from a miracle, he knew that. But, why would the death of his father spring up something beautiful that would eventually cause so much pain? He didn't hate his gift at first, like any five year old, he saw it through a innocent lens. He thought his ability to see the future was incredible, even though the visions would sometimes come out of nowhere and showcase horrific things that his young mind couldn't understand. Alma was more than relieved to have a child who was a prophet, but it caused her growing pressure and expectations fall on Bruno first. She was always asking him to see what dangers lay ahead for the Encanto, what they needed to prepare for. Many people didn't see it that way though, they accused him of using his gift for evil, the burden of being the harbinger started to take a toll on his well-being. Soon enough, the town associated him with terrible fates and as Alma grew colder and more strict through the years, the less she paid attention to her son's stress and more to how the village benefited from the family.

This caused him to become more closed off than before. He was naturally more introverted than his siblings, only wanting to be around them or animals, mainly rats which his family did not understand whatsoever. Going into town, started getting harder and harder as the years went on. Bruno eventually grew hypervigilant towards the constant staring, muttering and the occasional riots that would break out, it became something to expect. Even though he was the "harbinger of doom" in the Encanto, people still requested prophecies from him. In the rare occasions where the prophecy was good, the receiver would often just focus on the negatives of what he showed them. Everything he would say would be taken as a fate set in stone, as if the townspeople had no control over their own future. Any tragedy that occurred had Bruno's name written all over it, even when 9 times out of ten he had nothing to do with it. Even the priest, the only human Bruno put all of his faith into turned against him, calling him a curse to the town. He would be blamed for the deaths, famines sickness and wreckage he never asked to see, he became a villan to the town and eventually to his own family. It even became violent at some points, resulting in him getting beaten ruthlessly and having to go to Julieta to get healed. Julieta was really the only person that knew this was happening until one night, Bruno staggered into Casita, barely clinging to life. Pepa's frantic lightning, Julieta's panic and Alma's emotional shock was something they could never forget. It pained their mother, though she didn't show it, instead she just told him to be careful and to not give out troublesome prophecies anymore. That of course didn't work out well, during many of the times he would go into town, his visions would come without warning and cause his eyes to glow bright green and make him the center of unwanted attention. It was around this time that he developed migraines that only worsened when this happened, the visions would flash rapidly before his eyes in disorganized sequences while the town crowded around him begging to know what he was seeing. It was like he was a walking fair attraction until the overload caused him to collapse and his sister would have to carry him back home.

Through the constant ridicule, scolding, physical and emotional pain that plagued him, he found some comfort. He would often play with the rats that were found in almost every crevasse of the Encanto, they served as his company when no human being wanted to be around him and he didn't want to be around them either. He made it a point to befriend as many as he could and so he did. Besides his gift and withdrawn demeanor, it was this that made him the family pariah. He could be seen wandering around with the rats following and jumping al over him and muttering softly as they did so, this gave the villagers another reason to degrade him, saying that he was a revolting monster who was not to be touched. His family just thought it was strange and gross, His sisters and mother hated when they would randomly appear in the cupboards, drawers and occasionally in their shoes. This led to him having to be extra careful, making sure they stayed in his tower unless his nieces and nephew wanted to see them.

Another thing that brought a smile to his face were his sobrinas, he had a wild imagination and would create stories in his head in order to escape his bitter reality. The rats often played as characters in these elaborate plots, and right when the first grandchild Isabela was born, he had someone to entertain with them. He would try to open up and play these stories for the kids in the village but it would end in an adult snatching the child away and glaring at him as though he was enticing the kid with some sort of wicked plan. With his nieces, he felt like his creativity was appreciated, he could laugh, make jokes and be himself. He wasn't "bad luck Bruno", "the harbinger of doom", or "the creepy Madrigal with rats", he was just Bruno, the eccentric and goofy tio Bruno. Occasionally he was Hernando, which came from him killing a spider that Dolores and Isabela were petrified of. Then, there was Jorge that came from him helping his brother in laws fix a wooden table. The bucket was a funny add-on to make Luisa laugh. Camilo wasn't too crazy about him, the kid was utterly terrified of him, maybe because of his eyes and the way he would mumble prayers to himself. Either way, it broke his heart a little knowing that some children felt that way towards him. The one that had his heart the first day she arrived and the one who he ran away for was Mirabel. He couldn't understand why she was special, all he knew that she was. Mirabel was also drawn to tio Bruno, always going to him for bedtime stories and giving him lots of hugs. He always joked around with Agustin, saying that he was taking over as her father, and Felix would claim to be her favorite uncle even though it was obvious who that title went to.

Something that started off as a comforting behavior that eventually turned into obsessive rituals were throwing salt, knocking on wood, crossing his fingers and holding his breath while going through passageways. These actions started as a way to ward off general bad luck with the intention of protecting his family and the encanto. When he would have a bad vision, he would perform these actions to either help prevent it or reduce stress. This went unnoticed for the most part, the encanto was no stranger to superstitious beliefs and practices, Around the time that he was in his mid 20s though, everyone started to notice because of the amount of times he would repeat these actions and when he started to knock on his head as a way to ground himself. What started as an innocent coping mechanism turned into something he had to do or else the town and his family would suffer immense pain. He knew whole-heartedly that he didn't make bad things happen and that he couldn't control the trials that naturally occur in life but that didn't stop the overwhelming dread that convinced him otherwise. Instead of him going out of his way to do the rituals, it was like the behaviors took on a life of their own. He would have intrusive thoughts about his family dying in the worst ways, Casita being destroyed, the invaders returning, among other things that would terrify him into doing these compulsions over and over again until they felt "right".

He would feel so guilty every time Casita vacuumed the small piles of salt he threw on the ground, he would knock until his knuckles were raw with bruises and feel light- headed after holding his breath so long for so many times, he would his head so hard sometimes that the sound would make Dolores physically ill and his headaches would worsen. Though it wasn't all consuming until he lived in the walls, he hated the idea of the behaviors impacting the family negatively especially the younger members, he hated the way they had to wait on him to sit down at meals and his mother's exhausted expression, he hated how much it seemed to freak little Camilo out, he hated what they were doing to him, but mostly he hated himself for not being able to stop.

He hated himself for many things, the rituals, his gift he gradually learned how to control unless the visions were involuntary, he hated how he would stutter and stumble over his words when he was feeling overwhelmed by a prophecy, he hated how no one would give him a place to speak, he took the blame for things he couldn't control. Over that long decade in Casita's walls, he realized that he shouldn't have to apologize as much as he did, it was his family that owed him apologies but he tried so hard not to become bitter even though he was angry and hurt. The seclusion and silence was a comfort in some regards because he was left to think, feel and act however he wanted to. The rats and drawings he made would be products of his creative escapism, he didn't have to worry about anyone asking for visions or being the target of hatred, he was alone with his animal friends and his thoughts. That was one of the problems however, he was alone with his thoughts. The isolation allowed the depressing languor to truly set in. All of the anguish that tortured him led him to this point. Yes, he left to protect his niece from the inevitable pain his mother may put her through. He also left because he was unwanted, unneeded and unloved; or at least he perceived it that way. He was worthless to the family he adored and a menace to the town. Then there he was, left to rot within the foundations of his home, only one of his niece's to carry the secret of his existence. No matter how hard he tried to feel like he was part of them once more, joining meals from a distance and creating his own space, he couldn't escape the harsh reality. His own family didn't even speak his name and he became a shadow to them.

Fast forward to after Casita was rebuilt, reuniting with the family felt surreal yet unwarranted. The Madrigals were trying to rekindle and strengthen the bonds between them but for Bruno, he was still a stranger. He appreciated his sisters and mother desperately trying to make him feel comfortable. Mirabel, being as kind and exuberant as she is, were one of the few that could get him out of his newly designed tower.

Trauma takes a while to heal, if it ever does. He knew that harsh truth along with the rest of them. Maybe he'll gain some peace of mind after these long, dreadful years but for now, he's stuck with the haunting past and horrors of the future. But, maybe he won't have to deal with it alone.

#encanto #character study #character studies #encanto headcanons #bruno madrigal #encanto angst #encanto analysis #encanto fic #bruno madrigal needs a hug #disney encanto

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