Chapter Text
Since Tio Bruno came back to the family things have become better. Not only for him but all his family. Mirabel really did great work saving the miracle and with it all the Madrigals.
Abuela worked hard on herself to treat her children and grandchildren better and with less pressure on all of them the family dynamics changed for the better.
Isabella and Luisa were freer and more felt like they didn’t need to be perfect for Abuela to smile at them, this occurring to Isabella even more so than Luisa.
Dolores was happy with her soon to be husband and Camillo was the trickster good as always and trying to be Dolores for seconds.
Julietta and Pepa were happy to have their brother back and to include him into the family. For him things changed the most. After living in the walls for 10 years it was hard to be with people all the time even though it was family. So he found himself in the walls from time to time to find some quiet time for himself. That’s when he learned Mirabel did the same.
One day he came strolling in into the sort of living room he had and saw her sitting in the chair he asked Luisa to but back between the wall for him again.
Bruno stopped in his tracks when he spotted her and wanted to give her time but Mirabel noticed him before he could turn around and leave again.
She smiled at him and he waved nervously because he interrupted her and if not Bruno who would understand the need for some alone time.
“I’m sorry to disturb you Mirabel” he said still standing unsure if she wanted him to leave or not.
“You never disturb me Tio Bruno”, she smiled at him again and pointed at the chair in front of her, “come sit.”
At his hesitation she added another: “I really don’t mind your company.”
That and the honest smile she gave him made Bruno move to sit down with her. He knew what she meant. He liked his alone time. Very much. But he didn’t care if he would share it with his niece. From all the Madrigals she was the closest to him, even after the short time they really knew each other. Not counting the years before he left because really Mirabel was 5 and couldn’t even remember her Tio. Not to mention having actual adult conversation with him about almost everything.
A thing they now did almost daily. They talked about how it was for him to be away from his family even though he loved them. They talked about how hard it was for Mirabel to find her place in the Madrigal family without a gift. About how both felt very useless in Abuelas eyes and how hard it was to prove themselves even now that everything seemingly was fine.
Bruno smiled softly at Mirabel and relaxed a bit. This was normal, sitting with her and talking. He could do that. Often he was bad at conversations, he was just a little too quiet, a little too anxious and just in general a little too weird for most of the people.
But not for Mirabel. She took him the way he was and did not mention his anxious posture or the way he talked to his rats as if they could understand him. That’s what Bruno liked about Mirabel. After all the bad things she heard about him she was not afraid of him and just took him the way he was. Mirabel didn’t care about his gift and how afraid he was to use it again. She didn’t care, that sometimes after they talked, they would sit still and not talk for a while because even when she was a very energetic person, she enjoyed some time to recharge. So it was naturally for those two to bond with each other more than with any other family member.
That’s the reason why Mirabel and Bruno where the two to watch over casita when the rest of the family had some business to take care of a little outside of the town.
Some villagers wanted to move outside of the mountains now that the way was easier than ever. Not far away so the madrigals could still help whenever they could and were needed, but far enough for them to feel a little more independent. After the hole lost gift debacle a few realized they could not depend on thar for their whole life and needed to do things themselves.
It was not uncommon for some parts of the family to be away for a few days at the time and come back. It was not often all the family left but it happened and that was when Mirabel and Bruno stayed behind. For once because they needed to look after casita and the other people left in the village. The other reason was because Mirabel found herself useless with no power and it was not worth the tour just to feel like that. For Bruno it was mostly the same, since he wasn’t using his gift anymore, he wouldn’t help either and told the family he didn’t want to leave Mirabel back all by herself.
The truth was even if he wanted to leave her, he couldn’t. She brought him back to his sisters and rest of his family and he would never forget that. Bruno felt deeper connected with her than he probably should. He loved the talks they had. He loved the way she smiles at him every day when they saw each other and he loved the hugs they shared. He loved them more than he was able to admit to himself. Every day after he woke up the first thing he longed for was a hug from Mirabel. And when he left his room and saw her it took everything in him not to jump into her arms but to wait for her to initiate the hug, so he didn’t seem too desperate. Bruno told himself he only missed human contact in all the years he had to go without it and at the same time he pushed aside that Mirabel was the only one he really enjoyed hugging.
He was good at keeping secrets and he never would tell her he liked her a little more than the rest of their shared family. He would keep things for himself and would take everything Mirabel would give him but never get greedy and probably destroy the trust she had with him.
Bruno sighed and his smile at Mirabel took an almost no noticeable sad turn. But clever as she was, she saw it and knitted her eyebrows together.
“What’s going on Bruno?”
“Nothing it’s just…”, he began before he even was sure what he wanted to say. Then he remembered why he came here in the first places, “the rest of the family is making themselves ready to leave again. All of them are hurrying thru casita and searching for stuff they need to take with them into the new village…and- and I felt like I was in the way- somehow and-”, he stopped as he felt Mirabels hand on his.
“You’re fine. It’s all right. Just think of a few days without them. Just us and casita” she smiled at him and squeezed his hand a little.
“No more hiding in walls for a few days, eh?” at that Bruno smiled and nodded.
After what felt like hours when they could hear casita go quiet, they emerged from the walls again.
Mirabel climbed out of the hole in the wall first and looked at the empty house. It was still kind of new for her to see everything so empty. She loved it when everyone in the family was happy and living their best life. That’s why she understood they needed to go sometimes but that didn’t mean that she didn’t miss her family while they were gone.
Bruno climbed out of the hole behind her, but he slipped on a lose rock and fell head first on the ground in front of Mirabel. She first was startled but when Bruno didn’t move to get up himself, she was scared.
“Bruno?” she asked hushed thinking it was some of his quirks she didn’t want to interrupt.
When he didn’t react, she got panicked and slightly shacked him to get him to answer her. “Bruno!” but he still was laying headfirst on the floor.
“Casita! Help me! Please!” Mirabel begged the house.
Casita dragged the passed-out Bruno into Mirabels room and into the bed. Mirabel ran after them and looked at Bruno who was still unconscious. She ran down into the kitchen to make him a glass water and a cold cloth to help him.
When she came back into her room Bruno was awake and looked at her with tired but interested eyes.
“Who am I?” he asked her openly as if this was definitely not the most wrong thing he could say in that situation.
“You’re Bruno!” Mirabel answered stunned not able to say anything else.
“Okay then. And who are you?”
Mirabels eyes widened. She couldn’t believe what was going on.