#‘is this why we don’t talk about bruno’ STOP

[jacarandaaaas]

a collection of book mirabel being the most judgemental mf there is:

[berylcups]

Could you do a LA Squadra x reader (separate or together) hcs or short fiction where reader is friends with Bruno's squad and actively hang out with them on their days off? I wanna know their reactions 😭 Thank you, I love your writing!!!

Thank you so much! That means so much to me! 🥹 I got your request coming right up!

La Squadra x Reader who’s friends with team Bucciarati:

CW: suggestive content, possessive behavior

Notes: this is placed in an everyone lives!AU because if I placed it in canon you just know they would be trying to kill each other 😭 So in this ask they will begrudgingly coexist with each other 😅 some of it will be kinda OOC and crackish since I went a little too far with this ask. I had a little too much fun with their reactions. I hope this meets your expectations nonetheless! Enjoy!💜 Beryl

All of La Squadra: Unacceptable! *drags your ass back home*

Risotto

It was dark in the base when you came back. “…hello? Anyone home?” You asked with unease.

You heard the click of a lamp being switched on and seeing a brooding Risotto looking quite displeased.

“Where were you all day?” He interrogated.

“Sigh…Ris I TOLD you this morning I was going to hang out with my friends.” You rubbed your forehead at his dramatics.

“You never mentioned it was Bucciarati and his underlings…”he grumbled.

“Why do I have to? YOU KNOW I don’t have any other friends! …in Italy that is.” You sighed.

“No more. I forbid it.” He folded his arms.

“You “forbid it”??? Are you serious right now?” You put your hands on your hips challenging him.

“You have plenty of friends here in La Squadra. You don’t need any others.” He said stubbornly.

“Too bad! It’s my day off—I do what I want. On my day off, you’re not my boss! So there!” You huffed.

“If you keep going there I will stop making you arancini and I KNOW you don’t know how to make it…and I won’t make-“

“Don’t you dare-“you threaten him knowing exactly what hes going to say.

“…lasagne. You’ll be doomed to eat frozen lasagne for all of eternity.” He smirked knowing he has the upper hand.

“Oh yeah??? Well if you do that and won’t let me see my friends, I won’t lay on top of you during bedtime anymore! You’ll have to sleep without any weight on you! And I KNOW you refuse to buy an expensive weighted blanket!”

“….please don’t. I seriously need sleep.”

“Let me see my friends and give me the Sicilian goods and you’ll get that good sleep.” You negotiated.

“…sigh. Ok. Fine. But you speak of this to NOBODY. I have a reputation to uphold.”

Formaggio

“I know. I was there.” He said while lounging on the couch.

“You WHAT???”

“I wanted to make sure none of them were gonna hit on you so I hitched a ride on ya and hung around for a while.” He explained like it was a normal thing to do.

“Why didn’t you just ask to come with me???” You asked dumbfounded.

“They aren’t my kind of crowd. That Mista guy is kinda cool though. I also wanted to see if you were going to cheat on me-good job by the way! I knew I could trust you!” He said giving you a thumbs up.

“That is a extreme invasion of privacy Maggio! What the hell!”

“ Hey I’m just being a concerned boyfriend. I care about your safety, you know.” He said defensively. “ it’s not like I stayed the whole time… the minute you and that Fugo started talking about sciency stuff I dipped out. That shit was BORING. He needs to get a hobby like collecting stamps, playing football…or SOMETHING. Good god.”

That made you snort. “He has plenty of hobbies. Probably too many which is why he has anger issues and hates his parents.” You snickered.

“Ah~ tiger parents… good thing my parents had such low expectations with me, yet I somehow managed to still disappoint them!” He joked.

“Now that you’re done hanging out with zeros come hang with a hero!” He said patting the couch cushion next to him. “We got football to watch!”

Illuso

“Welcome back traitor!” Everytime you come back from hanging out with Bucciaratis gang.

He teases the shit outta you for hanging out with a bunch of nobodies. 😭 He’s totally not jealous that you didn’t hang out with him today.

“So spill- tell me what embarrassing things they tell you today? Did Giorno drink more piss? Did that drunkard abbacchio do anything stupid?” He snickered.

“Pfft no.. nothing weird happened today. Sorry to disappoint!” You said talking your shoes off.

“So… I planned on having dinner just the 2 of us tonight?”

Oh…shit. Bucciarati insisted on feeding you with the rest of the boys and you are really full. You had 2 orders of bruschetta and caprese salad.

“Oooh yeah… about that lulu…” you said awkwardly.

“Don’t tell me you ate HIS Food. How could you?” Illuso growled.

“He offered and it was rude to say no! I’m sorry!” You tried to de-Escalate the situation.

“But it’s not rude to not eat your boyfriend’s food???” He asked angrily with his voice cracking at the end.

“No lulu— that’s not what I mean. I will—“ you try to explain yourself until he emotionally cuts you off.

“If you’re not going to eat my Gorgonzola dippers…then I’m not eating your ass!” He stormed off to the bedroom crying.

Oh dear… what people don’t see that you see is that Illuso is actually a very sensitive man. 😢 you gotta a lot of emotional damage to patch up… even though none of this is your fault 🙄 oh well, this is to be expected when you’re dating a drama queen

Pesci

“But…why..? How could you? 🥺” you hanging out with them broke this poor boys heart.

“Pesci Pesci Pesci baby please—it’s not what you think.” You were quick to do damage control.

“Is it because I’m not as attractive as Bucciarati and his goons???” He sniffled.

“Noooooooo Pesci they’re just my friends! You’re my one and only baby boy!” You said squeezing him hard. “I get to see you every day! I just hang out with them and get drunk like you do with the boys!”

“So it’s like your guy time?” He asked.

“Yeah!” You said excitedly. “That’s exactly what it is! Instead of drinking beer and watching football we just drink wine and gossip, do each others nails… fix each other hair… you know, feminine stuff!” You explained.

“Oh so you just need some friends for feminine time? Well I guess that’s ok… I really wish it wasn’t Bucciarati and his crew but it’s not like you can find some non mafiosos to hang out with.” He said feeling a little hesitant.

“Don’t worry, I’ll always have time for you Pesci! They’re my friends but the squad is my family! …my very fucked up dysfunctional family!”you said hugging him.

This helps him calm down. Everyone needs guy/girl time regardless of gender. Just make sure you go fishing with him every Sunday!

Prosciutto

“What kind of mafioso associates with a team they don’t belong to?” He sneered. “You have no dignity Y/N. You should be ashamed of yourself. What would Risotto think knowing you're enjoying the company of troglodytes???” He scolded.

“Pros please. You’re taking this way outta hand. We all work for the boss, I don’t see the proble-“ you explained before you were rudely cut off.

“Don’t speak. The next time I’m talking to you is on Dr. Phil.” He put his hand near your face as he turned his back to you and walked off. He needed a smoke break after dealing with the fact you were hanging around Bucciarati.

He’s so disappointed in you. 😔 how dare you hang out with Bucciarati and his bootlickers. He’s giving you the silent treatment but it’s not going to last long.

He can’t go 10 minutes without you sitting in his lap while you 2 Netflix and chill. 😭

“Do you forgive me???” You asked nuzzling into the crook of his neck.

“Fine. I forgive you. I suppose I was acting out of hand… I will allow you to hang out with your poor choice of friends but in exchange you must…*whisper whisper* for me, and no complaining.”

“Oh…” your face turned red. Well… he allows you to hang out with the gang but you better be ready to do whatever he asked! 😳

Melone

“…do you think you can get some of their blood samples?” He asks suspiciously.

“NO MEL. You’re not gonna sic BabyFace on my buddies.” You smacked him on the head.

“But—How do I know they have honorable intentions??? What if they want to see your feet???”

“Melone! Only you would be the one be thinking about fucking feet!” You slapped him again. “Half of the guys are UNDER AGE and don’t even know where babies come from!” You hissed.

“Wait—really?” He asked dumbfounded.

“Fugo definitely knows but Narancia…he still thinks they come from the stork.” You sigh.

“That’s just…sad. The education system has failed him. Ok I’ll let you see your friends even though I don’t like them.”he said as he pulled out a camera. “But can I get pictures of your feet in exchange?”

“….”

“Please?”

Ghiaccio

“Unacceptable! You’re hanging out with THEM?! What about me?!” He hisses. Oh boy is he jealous.

“I don’t know how you can hang around Mista and his horrendous body odor! And don’t get me started on that Giorno! I swear to fuck I—“ he just won’t stop ranting… but as his S/O this is like white noise to you. You’re good at tuning him out 😅

“Are you listening to me?!” He barked.

“Huh?” You turned your head to be face to face with him staring at you angrily with intense eyes.

“Sniff sniff… you smell like cologne... You didn’t let any of them TOUCH you did you???” He interrogated you.

“Geez… calm down Ghia. No, Giorno just let me borrow his jacket because it was chilly outsi—“you said before you were cut off by Ghiaccio angrily ripping his jacket off and forcing it on you and rolling you around on the floor in it.

“Ghiaccio what the fuck are you doing??!” You whined getting dizzy.

“I’m rescenting you! I’m reclaiming what is MINE.” He said, trying to rub his scent into you.

“I’m dizzy! You’re gonna make me sick!” You whined. “Quit acting like a territorial feral cat!”

“ it’s either I do this or I hose the scent off you out in the backyard!” He growled possessively.

Ghiaccio is very territorial. 😬 he has his weird ways of expressing it too. Note to self-always bring your own jacket when visiting your friends.

[spidermans-l-o-v-e-r]

Orange Blossoms

Pairing: Buck x Reader

Word Count: 4.2k

Notes: It's 5/12/24 at 12:57am. Lmao I wonder if I'm actually going to post this series

Chapter 3: Just Keep Driving

Buck slept over at Eddie’s that night, he was just too excited to be by himself. All he could do was talk about you and Eddie didn’t mind it, he hadn’t seen Buck this obsessed with a girl before 

“Okay, so what’s the plan exactly?” Eddie asks as he dumps a pile of eggs on Bucks' plate 

“You and I are gonna pick Y/N up at Athena’s house around one” He gestures with his bacon before taking a bite 

“Why isn’t she driving herself” Eddie asks as he sits down with his plate 

“Because she’s only got a bike, she can’t borrow May’s car today, and because I might have told her it was gonna rain so she probably shouldn’t take her bike and that we would pick her up.” 

“Is it actually going to rain” Eddie takes a bite of his breakfast and Buck shrugs 

“That’s what the forecast said” 

“Okay, which seat do you want me in?” He butters his toast and Buck sighs, taking a bite of his eggs 

“I’ve been thinking about that all morning, I think I’m just gonna say I had no signal, so you go get her and offer her the front seat” 

Eddie chuckles, he’s thought of everything and all of the different paths to get what he wants 

“And open the door too!! So she can’t say no!!” 

“What if she walks ahead of me and gets in the back first” 

“Hold her hand, she’ll think it’s cute” 

“You want her to think I’m cute” 

“Yeah, like Big Brother, cute! 

“Okay what if I drive and you escort her to the car and buckle her in” Eddie offers while sipping his coffee 

“Because you can’t drive for shit and this is a new car, plus I’d be in the back”

Eddie scoffs indignantly and narrows his eyes over his cup 

“No-no, this plan is the best one, trust me. And if she insists on sitting in the back. You keep your body turned so she feels a part of the conversation. But like try to get her to sit up front anyway because I really really want to see her in my front seat” 

“I should trash your entire plan for that jab about the driving but I won’t.” 

After finishing breakfast and Buck changing his outfit at least four times, they head out. He even spent the night perfectly curating a playlist that he just felt you’d be super into. He plays it on the way there for Eddie, who goes through it, specifically taking out all his “baby-making” songs

“Oh come on!! I bet she loves that song! Everyone loves Bruno Mars”

“I’m so sorry I’m not listening to you sing Please Me knowing you mean her! I have to draw the line somewhere”

“Okay, well can you draw it at Seven? I can deal with that being off, even if I love Jungkook. And you don’t have a problem with W.A.P. but you have one with Please Me?!” 

“Well, you gotta have that one. And If you think for one second I’m not about to unleash my sweet rapping skills with W.A.P you are wrong” 

“Yeah okay I’ll give it to you”

“Call me by your name?!” Eddie looks at Buck and Buck whirls on him, putting the car in park at a stop sign and turning to him in order to fully sass his ass

“Eddie. Ed-dee. You tell me right now that you’re gonna delete that”

“….Yeah okay”

“That’s what I thought”

“Wait this is a good one” 

Eddie hits play and “Case 143” by Stray Kids starts playing through the speakers. Buck turns the stereo up and looks over at Eddie 

“Exactly!!! That’s what I’m saying! Hey, you know I learned the dance for this?”

“Oh my god really?” Eddie is incredibly impressed, as he should be because those dances are not easy. 

It’s raining before they even get there and Buck is starting to panic a little, Eddie can tell by the way he’s silent now. 

“Buck? Buddy?” He smirks when Buck doesn’t answer. He pokes at his thigh 

“Whatcha thinkin'?” 

“What if she runs out ahead of you and just dives into the backseat? That's logical, right? Like it’s raining and she told me yesterday she hates water”

Eddie leans back in his seat, watching the cars pass as Buck goes over every tiny detail in his head. He turns back to him and smiles a little 

“You trust me right?” 

“Course’ I do, why?”

Buck pulls up into the driveway, and unlocks the doors, Eddie reaches in back and grabs an umbrella 

“One Eddie Diaz special, comin' up” 

Buck watches Eddie as far as he can until he’s left alone. He taps on the steering wheel, everything has to be perfect today, or at least as perfect as he can get it. He knows he needs to be prepared for it to not be perfect but he can’t help himself. Not with a girl like you… he doesn’t want to say anything dumb again, all he ever does is say dumb things around you. 

The sound of the passenger door opening breaks him from his internal misery, you hop in and shake the umbrella out, tossing it in the back seat 

“Hiya Buck!” You say excitedly, leaning over to hug him. His eyes are huge as he hugs you back 

“Eddie said he had to grab something from the kitchen he left last time he came over. He said I could have shotgun since I was a lady” You giggle as you buckle up and sit back 

“You okay?” You ask, putting your hand on his cheek “You look a little flushed”

He’s not okay. Because one, you’re sitting in his front seat. And two, this outfit is a real banger. A yellow plaid skirt, fishnets (which drive him crazy), and a cute distressed Nirvana t-shirt tucked into the skirt. Your mini backpack is black and matches your black boots perfectly. He especially likes the belt you’ve got with little metal hearts in it 

“Buck?” You ask again and he blinks rapidly before clearing his throat awkwardly

“Oh! Yeah! No, I'm fine I swear I’m good, I’m cool, I am a- you know thing… that is cool”

You smirk and pull your hand away and he lets out the tiniest whimper at the loss of contact. You blush and pretend not to hear it. A deep blush creeps up his ears and he stalls a little. 

“So um… did you ever clear things up? With May?” He asks, turning to face you in his seat. You smile softly and fold your hands in your lap 

“Yeah, we talked for a long time that night. It’s the first time we’ve really talked at all that wasn’t just you know normal pleasantries” You smile fondly and he leans against the window, listening 

“That’s nice, I’m glad you guys can kind of start to build a relationship. The ax offer still stands though, just so you know” He winks at you and you whack his thigh, blushing.

 “Oh! I didn’t get to thank you for saving me!” You say suddenly, reaching for your bag at your feet and digging through it 

“Oh come on, it’s my job!” He scoffs, putting his hands up “Besides, I’m pretty sure that kiss was thanks enough” His cheeks flush and so do yours as you pull out a little envelope and a small box 

“Here!! I made you something”

Buck eagerly takes it from you “Can I- can I open the present first” He smiles sweetly, holding the little box to his face and you laugh 

“Of course!” 

He takes his time carefully unwrapping it even though you know he wants to destroy it. He folds it nicely and sticks it in his glove box and then opens the box. There’s a rainbow friendship bracelet made of little glass heart beads 

“I wanted to make a solid one but I didn’t know what color you wear most so I just made it rainbow” You blush and shrug your shoulders 

“I know it’s kinda stupid-“ 

He leans forward and kisses you, he seems to like to surprise kiss you. You squeak but kiss him back immediately, nipping at his lip a little, he laughs against yours and pulls away just a bit

“I love it and I’m gonna wear it every single day for the rest of my life” 

The back door opens and Eddie climbs in, dripping water, he shakes out his hair and looks up 

“Uhhh… did I interrupt something?” He grabs a towel from the back seat and wipes his face off 

“Look!!!” He takes it from the box and holds it out to Eddie 

Eddie takes it carefully and smiles at it, shaking his head “That’s disgustingly adorable” 

“Oh my god isn’t it?!” Buck takes it back, slipping it on his wrist. It’s a perfect fit and he slides down in his chair putting his hands over his face 

“Oh my god it's perfect Y/N I can’t handle this” 

“I’m really glad you like it… cause-“You pull another one from your bag, it matches his perfectly and put it on your wrist 

“I made us both one so we could match” 

Buck groans loudly and slumps in his chair even more and both you and Eddie laugh at him 

“Oh god I’m in love,” he says deliriously and Eddie shakes his head 

“He doesn’t mean that. Though that is really cute Y/N” 

“You know that’s also good” You reach into your bag and pull out yet another and hand it to him. “This one’s yours” 

Eddie’s is a solid navy blue with all three of your initials on it, he puts it on his wrist and smiles “Thank you” 

“Yeah, I kinda started going crazy after making me and Bucks” You look at Buck “I made one for everyone! But only you and I match, I put my initials on yours and yours on mine. I wanted ours to be special” 

He stares at his bracelet, your initials are on it. He hugs his wrist to his chest and turns to look at you 

“Thank you, honestly from the bottom of my heart. These are so cute”

You giggle and close your bag, holding it in your lap “Anytime, maybe I’ll make you a matching necklace” you joke and he sits up properly in his chair now 

“If you think for one second I wouldn’t also wear that every day of my life you’re wrong.” 

When you and Eddie get out of the car to head into the bowling alley Buck stops, saying he’ll be in soon. He waits until you’re out of sight and opens the card from you. It’s a bad drawing of a little dog in a firefighter helmet and he hugs the card to his chest, he’s gonna get that tattooed he swears. The card is sweet, just thanking him for being there for you and being someone you could confide in…. And there’s a deep, red, kiss mark on it. He kisses the card back and sighs happily 

He was so in love

You set your bag down on the chair next to Eddie and then sit down, Buck gets on one knee as he ties your bowling shoes for you 

“Are you sure you don’t wanna play?” You ask him, watching Buck concentrate on your shoes for a second before looking at Eddie 

“Oh yeah totally, my back is pretty tired today”

“Hey, I’m pretty good at massages if you want one later!” You offer and Buck’s head snaps up so fast Eddie is 90% he just broke his neck 

“Uh no! Nooo… no that’s- no that’s okay. It’ll go away! Just gotta rest it!” His excuse is flimsy but believable and you shrug it off. Buck sets your foot down and takes the other 

“You know I could have done this myself” you tease him and he looks up at you with a smirk on his face 

“Princesses don’t tie their shoes, I don’t make the rules I just follow them” 

You blush and get up from your seat, you’re up first. You pick up the purple ball and walk over to the lanes as Buck hands Eddie your bag and plops down in the chair next to him 

“Once we’re together, you can have all the massages you want,” Buck says, his arms crossed as he watches you. Eddie snorts laughing and watches the scoreboard, a 6. 

“You know it does hurt a little… maybe I should take her up on her offer” 

Buck’s mouth drops open and he turns to Eddie, punching him in the shoulder as you turn around 

“Did you see that!! I got three!!” You fist pump and do a little dance and Buck melts into a little puddle at how cute you are 

“Awww look at you, my lil bowling expert” He coos and you blush, rolling your eyes 

“Can you just go?” you say as you switch places and take his seat. Eddie puts his arm on the back of your chair 

“Don’t be mad” He says and you frown, confused 

“About what?”

He points to the lanes and you turn your head just in time to see Buck roll a strike. Your mouth drops open, it was completely effortless too and you know it. He gives you a little wink when he turns around to get his ball again and you narrow your eyes 

He gets a second one and you stand up 

“He’s… good at this isn’t he?” You ask Eddie and he chuckles 

“Only one better is Bobby” 

“You know I could teach you” Buck taunts you as he walks back and you purposely bump into him 

“No thanks!” 

He wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you into him and you squeak while trying to pull away. He squeezes you tighter as you try to drag yourself to the lanes 

“Buck! You’re totally cheating!”

Buck gasps loudly “Me?? Cheating?! How!” He spins you around to face him and you pout 

“You’re trying to tire me out” You stick your tongue out and he lets go of you, booping your nose 

“Oh honey, if I wanted to tire you out, This?” He gestures between the two of you “Is not how I would do it”

Your cheeks flush as he turns you back towards the lanes, giving your butt a little pat 

“Now go on. Make Daddy Buck proud” 

“Daddy Buck??” You turn back towards him, snorting 

“You’re right! Just drop the Buck part! Sounds better that way” 

Eddie “boos” from his seat and you laugh as you go to take your turn, Buck sits back down next to Eddie and bats his eyelashes at him

“Hi bestie”

“Did you just tell her to call you daddy”

“I don’t think we need to discuss that, the past is the past!!” 

“What?! What past! it’s been ten seconds!” 

Buck spends the rest of the game taunting you harassing you and heavily flirting. 

He can’t keep his hands off you either, always on your hips or taking your hand and spinning you away so he can take his turn. He kisses you in a different place each time you finish and you always scrunch your nose up in that cute little way he adores. He enjoys the way your cheeks flush and your heart flutters for him… he doesn’t even mind purposely losing. 

Eddie just sits back and watches the whole thing like the third wheel he knew he was gonna be, you both still talk to him and include him, but the tension rising is clear, and he’s wondering when that’s going to explode. It’s only when you finally get a strike and Buck picks you up and spins you around that he finally speaks up 

“You guys are gonna make me throw up” He groans when Buck sets you down. You’re giggling as he wraps his arms around you and walks you over to Eddie 

“I'm not supposed to celebrate my gorgeous girl getting her first strike? Are you jealous Eddie? Do you want me to pick you up too?” 

“Yes, that’s totally what I want,” He says, plainly. 

“I dare you” you grin, looking up at Buck, he leans down and kisses your forehead before letting you go, he backs up a few paces and opens his arms 

“Alright bet, come on, come to “ 

“Don’t you dare-“ Eddie gets up from his chair, stretching. 

“Daddy Buck,” He says in a sickly sweet high pitched voice. Eddie rolls his eyes but goes over anyway and Buck picks him up spinning him around too 

“Lane five, stop spinning people around and finish your game” The man calls over the intercom system. Buck cups his hands around his mouth and shouts back

“Hey! I’ll spin you too if you want” 

“Wait, really?” you hear over the system and Buck goes running over to the shoe counter 

“He’s ridiculous” you giggle as you sit down next to Eddie, he slouches down in his seat and crosses his arms over his chest, letting his head fall back.

“Yeah but you learn to love him for it” He looks over at you as you twiddle your thumbs and swing your legs 

Huh… you are really sweet 

“He’s uh…he’s not overwhelming you, is he? I can get him to cool it” he asks, watching you and you smile, shaking your head 

“No, no he’s not. He’s so affectionate and open. I almost feel like I’m not giving enough to him” You chuckle a little and he smiles slightly 

“Hey, you just met him. And Buck… he’s just that kind of guy you know? He’s very open and helpful. He just wants to be loved by everyone, especially you” 

“I just wish I was less shy” You sigh and Eddie scoffs 

“Shy my ass, you’ve been making out with him all afternoon”

Your mouth gapes and he laughs, watching you splutter for an answer 

“We?! No. No! We have not been making out all afternoon!! It’s just… a friendly kiss between friends!!” 

“First of all, you wouldn’t kiss me that much, and I’d like to think we’re friends. Second of all… I think you guys would be pretty cute together if that’s something you want” 

“I think I could for sure go on a couple of dates with him” you blush “It’s just if he can put up with me being so… standoffish. It’s fine when it’s the three of us! But I just… I get so nervous when I’m alone with him”

“He literally introduced himself as Bevan and said you had pretty teeth. I don’t think you have to worry about embarrassing yourself; he's done it plenty enough for the two of you already. Just give it a chance…he has a way of bringing out the best in people”

You giggle at Eddie and lean your head on his shoulder, he kisses your head and smiles 

“You guys are gonna be perfectly fine” 

Buck is acting a little weird as he drives you all to lunch, you and Eddie are singing together and jamming out to whatever random playlist he puts on, but he’s a bit quieter than normal. You pull up to a good burger joint and he shuts off the car 

“Hey, why don’t you go get us a table? We’ll be in, in a second okay?” Eddie gets out and opens the door for you and then takes your seat 

“Will do!” You salute them and head into the diner and even if he is moping, Buck still turns his head to watch you walk in because he appreciates your ass. 

“What happened” Eddie asks and Buck looks at him now, then down at his lap 

“Do you like her? Eddie?” 

“Of course I like her, she’s adorable”

“That’s… that’s not what I mean and you know it” Buck sighs and toys with the bracelet on his wrist 

“Why would you think I like her?” 

Buck sighs and lets his head fall against the headrest 

“I saw you guys talking…she looked so relaxed around you. And… and then I saw you kiss her head and-“ he tears up the littlest bit and Eddie whacks his thigh 

“Evan Buckley do you think for one second I’m trying to steal her from you” 

“Of course not! But you’re just so suave and sexy” He sniffles “I wanna be sexy” 

“Buck you are sexy you know that! And I was gonna tell you what she was telling me later, but I guess I can tell you now”

“Is it that she never wants to see me again and wants to have your babies?” 

“Yes, that’s exactly it” he flicks his forehead, and Buck whines, rubbing the spot  

“You make her nervous, like really nervous. She’s shy around you and thinks you won’t like how shy she is. And that’s the simplified we need to hurry up and get in their version” 

“She said that?!” Buck unbuckles his seatbelt and gets out 

“Yeah, so just you know reassure her that it’s okay she’s that shy you know? I told her it was stupid because you guys were making out all afternoon but she wouldn’t believe me. I was just trying to reassure her I promise”

Buck hugs Eddie, squishing him tightly “Thanks Eddie, and thanks for putting up with my insecurities” 

“Anything for my best friend and his girl”

Buck being Buck turns everything up about 10 notches. He slides into the booth next to you and sits way too close, putting his arm over the back of it. Your cheeks flush and he just tells you how cute you look. You look at Eddie helplessly and he just shrugs like he has no idea what’s gotten into him. 

“So do you know what you want?” He asks, leaning into you, his chest pressed against your arm and you sink further into the booth 

He toys with the ends of your hair and stays in your personal space, the sweet perfume you’re wearing just wafts off of you, surrounding him in a delirious haze. He can smell that expensive conditioner you buy, he can see the glitter on your body from your lotion that he didn’t notice before. Is it bad he just wants to kiss it all off?

“Uhhh probably just a burger I guess,” You say and he looks at the menu in your hands instead of his own 

“Okay, but just a plain one? Do you want anything on it?” He’s trying his best to coax the answers out of you, Running a finger over your arm. You gulp and turn to look up at him, and he’s just so close to you, his cologne soaks deep into your senses and you melt under his soft gaze 

“Do you, pretty girl?” He asks again, softer now and you bite your lip, your eyes flicking down to his 

“How in the hell, are you turning ordering a damn burger into a flirting moment?!”

You and Buck snap out of your little haze to see Eddie sitting with his arms crossed and the waiter standing there awkwardly 

“Uhhhh can we have a couple more minutes” Buck blushes sheepishly and you hide in his chest, squeaking in embarrassment 

Your burgers are brought out, Eddie made Buck sit on his side of the booth and asked you what you wanted. He ordered for the both of you and Buck put his arms around his neck 

“What a gentleman,” He says dramatically, giving Eddie a big kiss on the cheek, you laugh as Eddie pushes him off and wipes at his cheek 

“Buck!! Gross!” 

You giggle and watch, shaking your head as you bite into your burger. You moan softly and swallow it, wriggling excitedly in your seat 

“Oh this is a good one,” you say, but Buck isn’t paying attention to his food anymore he’s paying attention to all of the sounds you’re making. His cheeks are pink as he watches you pop a fry in your mouth and you and Eddie are talking. He can feel his heart pounding in his chest, as you make another whimpering noise and he has to hold onto Eddie’s thigh for a second. Eddie blinks and looks down for a second before continuing his conversation with you and kicking Buck’s foot to get him to settle down 

“Do you like yours? You’re not eating very much” You ask Buck and his head snaps up to look at you 

“Oh yeah! No, it’s delicious!” He picks at his fries and you take one flying it like a little airplane 

“Open wide,” You say, your voice sweet like honey, and Buck's eyes go wide as he opens his mouth and you put the fry in his mouth. Eddie closes his mouth for him and pats his cheek

“I think you broke him,” Eddie says, munching on his burger and you giggle 

“Oops” 

You feed him another fry and he puts his hands on his cheeks, chewing slowly while staring at you, or rather through you. He looks like he’s on cloud nine as you continue to slowly feed him 

“We should go on a date,” He says dreamily and you nod along with him, Eddie pauses with his burger in mid-air 

“Are you asking me on a date?” 

“Hundred percent,” he says and Eddie nearly has a heart attack. 

“Are we ignoring she’s Bobby’s niece” 

“Yes,” you both say together and he nods his head 

“Yeah okay, I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page. Carry on” 

“So…will you go on a date with me??“ 

“Of course I will!”

[miracles-and-butterflies]

Isabela: *picks Mariano up, puts him on a different chair*

Dolores: What are you doing?

Isabela: I need to bitch about things to you, Lola, so I need to sit beside you. *sitting in Mariano’s chair* You will not believe what Luisa fucking said to me. I swear, she’s fucking insane.

Luisa: I CAN HEAR YOU, YOU IDIOT! I AM LITERALLY SITTING ACROSS FROM YOU! YOU WERE JUST SAT BESIDE ME!

Isabela: FUCK YOU

Luisa: FUCK YOU

Camilo: FUCK ALL OF YOU

Dolores: Why are you yelling!?

Camilo: I FELT LEFT OUT

Agustín: SAME

Antonio: CAN I SHOUT TOO!?

Pepa: NO EVERYONE STOP

Bruno: WAIT WHY ARE WE ALL SHOUTING

Pepa: I’M ONLY SHOUTING BECAUSE YOU’RE SHOUTING

Bruno: YOU WERE THE ONE WHO SHOUTED FIRST

Pepa: LIAR

Camilo: YEAH DON’T TALK ABOUT MY MAMÍ LIKE THAT YOU CREEPY RAT MAN

Mariano: Um… Should I come back another time?

Julieta: We are very glad you’re here, Mariano.

Alma: I agree, it’s very nice to have a family dinner together, where everyone is free to be themselves—

Félix: DOLORES STOP TRYING TO SMASH YOUR PLATE OVER CAMILO’S HEAD

Mirabel, crying: Why can’t we have a normal family dinner?

[strniohoeee]

Poignant Pt. 2

Pairing: Matt Sturniolo X Female Reader

Synopsis: After not seeing Matt for 4 months he finally reaches out, and wants to talk to Y/N…..he expresses certain feelings, but will Y/N feel the same?🫀

Warnings⚠️: None just cute or whatever I guess angst? This one’s short but still hope you enjoy it🫶🏽

Song for imagine: It Will Rain- Bruno Mars

Read Poignant Pt. 1 here

And pick up these broken pieces

Til I’m bleeding

If that’ll make you mine

Matt Stromboli����

-How about in this lifetime?🪻

I smiled down at his text, and went to answer him.

-Hey Matt

-Hey Y/N. How you been?

-I’ve been good. Just been working on myself for these past few months

-I’ve been thinking about you, do you think about me still?

-Of course I do Matt….

-We should see each other again

-I don’t know…that might open some wounds

-Wounds?

-Yeah, I’m not sure I’m ready to see you again

-Why not?

-I’m scared

-lmao scared of what??

-scared that when I see you my feelings will still be there

-that’s not a scary thing

-yeah it is….especially if the feelings aren’t mutual

-but what if they are?

-you don’t know that Matt. You might think you like me, but that’s not always the case

-Come see me please?

-where? And what time?

-tonight, the burger spot on the pier…6:30??

-yeah sure I’ll be there, see ya Matt

-see you later

Later on that day I had gotten ready to see Matt. I wasn’t sure how to feel. I felt like I still had feelings, but I also felt like I just missed him as a whole, as my friend. I wasn’t sure how seeing his face was going to affect me.

I had Ubered to the pier, and I got there at about 6:25, so I walked to the restaurant. My nerves making me nauseous and anxious.

I got to the restaurant, and told them I was meeting someone so I walked until I spotted Matt. My stomach instantly churning. I walked to the booth and sat down

“Hi” I said looking at him

“Hey Y/N” he said smiling at me, that goddamn smile

“It’s been so long,” I said looking at his face. How can someone change so much in four months

“It has. You look great” he said looking at me

“Thank you. You look great too” I said smiling at him

“Thank you..nothings change” he said laughing a little bit

“You just look so different” I said looking at him

“Could be the hair, or the tattoos” he said looking down at his hair

“Yeah it could be” I said nodding at him

We had gotten dinner and barely spoke…this weird tension always in between us….I just didn’t know how to feel at all. Did I like him or did I not?

We walked on the pier and sat down watching the sunset

“I um I’m not sure what to say” Matt said quietly

“I mean you don’t have to say anything” I told him

“No I do. I just don’t like how that day went” he said looking out to the waves

“It’s okay Matt. We’ve grown from it, and I’m okay. It was needed” I said looking over at him

“I just…man I don’t know. As soon as you left I felt this pain in my chest” he said blinking

“Well I left all you guys” I said looking at the water too

“I feel like I made the wrong decision” he said

“I don’t think you did. I think some part of you feels bad for rejecting me, and you’re making yourself like me, but I just think you miss your friend” I said to him

“Do you still like me?” He asked still not looking at me

“I’m not sure Matt. I came here wondering how I’d feel and if all those feelings would come back, but I uh I feel at peace” I said still looking at the waves

“I really like you” he blurted out

“I don’t think you do. You like the idea of me, but you don’t actually like me” I told him

“Stop hurting yourself by denying it. I fucking like you” he said shaking his head

“Matt, we haven't seen each other for four months. How can you just now say you like me” I said defeated

“Because I've always liked you, and I was so dumb to see that….it has always been you” he said

“Matt….” I said looking over at him

“It really has, and I’m such an idiot for taking so long to realize. I checked everyday if you’d be active on social media, if you’d comment on anything, my finger hovered over your contact. I so badly wanted to call you everyday, but I just couldn’t” he said shaking his head

“I’m glad you didn’t call.” I said to him

“What?” He said looking at me

“I feel like if you called me you would’ve kept me on this string of false hope. I needed to be away from you” I told him truthfully

“I was so stupid” he said

“It’s okay.” I said to him

“I want you, and only you” he said looking at me

“Don’t say things you don’t mean” I said looking at him

“I mean it okay! Stop pushing me away” he said getting a little upset

“I don’t want to get hurt again” I said looking down

“I would never do that to you….again” he said

“I don’t know” I said shaking my head

“Please Y/N” he said pleading

“Matt I don’t know that I see myself with you” I told him

“Kiss me, and tell me you don’t feel the same” he said

I looked up at him, looking into his eyes searching for an answer, but I didn’t find one.

I reluctantly leaned in and connected our lips. It was a kiss that made the whole world stop, it made all my problems float away….Its Matt it’s always been him, and I never wanted to pull away. With him I felt safe and loved

We pulled away, and looked at each other

“Tell me you don’t feel the same, and I will walk out of your life for good, and never bother you again” he said looking into my eyes

“Matt it’s you….it will always be you” I said smiling before pulling him in again, crashing our lips together

Kissing Matt felt like stepping outside into an empty field on a warm evening while watching a beautiful sunset overhead. This kid was my sunset….hes mine, he’s my safety net

“I’m never leaving you” he said rubbing my cheek

“I’d hope not” I said leaning into his touch

“Come home with me” he said

“Of course Matt” I whispered before we got up, and headed out to Matt’s car. Getting in and heading to the triplets house.

I guess Matt’s mine in this lifetime, and in another🪻

The End

I want to write another sad imagine, but nothing pertaining to death of the triplets….Im thinking like an actual….yk what let me not explain my ideas I wanna make yall cry 🤞🏽🤭 anywhooo hope you liked this one💋

-J💅🏽

[escapingrealtiylovinginsanity]

Joe Velasco: (Untitled for now) Part 1 

Part 2

  

Warnings: Sexual assault (not to reader), talk about sex and sexual situations.  

Time didn’t slow down when it happened. It felt more like flashes of a camera lens. You walk into the room. Flash. You see that you weren’t alone. Flash. The man that was on top of the woman noticed you. Flash. Her clothes ripped. his fly unzipped. Flash. She is not moving. Him lunging at you. Flash. Pain searing white hot through you, glass shattering. Flash. Him on top of you. Eyes cold and hard. Flash. You struggle underneath him as he tries to restrain you. Flash. Your hand hits a cold plastic in your purse. Flash. The weight of him falls on top of you as you press the taser trigger down holding it against him. Flash. The sound of voices outside the door. Flash. He's getting up and running. Flash. A yell for someone to call 911. 

You don’t remember exactly how you got to the precinct, but you're now sitting on an exam table. You had been asked if you wanted to go to the hospital, but you refused saying that you were okay and the EMTs had reluctantly cleared you. You knew that you would have to give a statement to the police. It shouldn’t have, but it surprised you when instead of setting you down in front of a detective to take your statement you were ushered down to the medical examiners to have evidence taken.  

The door opened but instead of someone in a lab coat, there were two detectives. A woman that you didn’t know and a man you did, Terry Bruno. His bright blue eyes were worried. Your brain felt fuzzy as they entered. Time was becoming a fickle thing and it felt like there were short but disorientating time jumps. You felt slightly woozy. You're jolted by Bruno saying your name to the woman telling her that you are a forensic tech for the department. He eyes you again clicking at his phone. Your mind blanks, trying to shield you from the memory. 

“Can you tell me what happened?” You look up at the woman realizing that she is now talking to you. She repeats herself the words echo in your mind a few times before you can understand them. 

“I was- I was at a convention for training. I-I,” You swallow hard not recognizing your own shaky voice. You try again, “I was late and was just trying to cut through that room when I saw... I saw that guy over that woman-is she okay?” 

“We aren’t sure yet. She got hit in the head pretty hard. We will know more when she wakes up.” The door opens again. Melinda walks in with another young pretty tech a few paces behind her. Melinda walked up to the table greeting you and setting her clipboard to the side. She looks you over and you shift on the table awkwardly. Your eyes bounce between the four people in the room. 

“I think you know the drill. I’m going to have to take your clothes for evidence.” You nod. “I want to do a full workup to look for fibers, hairs, blood, and other body fluids. This guy might have left something behind in the struggle.” You sat up a little straighter at that. 

“Melinda, I-” You don’t know why but you feel embarrassed. It has to be the stress of the day or strangers staring at you. You take a deep breath, and you suddenly feel the pain in your ribs. The adrenaline is starting to fade. You steal yourself, “I’m going to have DNA. I had sex this morning. I didn’t have time to shower, so.” Melinda smiles reassuringly at you.  

“That’s okay, we will just match those samples-” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know how it works. I was just...” You trail off self-consciously. Everyone was still staring at you like they were waiting for something. You wished you knew what it was so you could get them to stop. 

“I feel the need to remind you that you don’t have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.” Melinda’s voice was as soothing as it was definitive. It was motherly, in a no-nonsense way, and like balm to your wrecked nerves. You knew the woman well. There was a lot of information sharing between your two departments. You had a coworker friendship but it didn't go to a more personal level. You supposed it would now.  

“I know,” You state simply, you can feel the tension in the room as everyone waits on your next move, “It’s okay, it’s just-it's a lot.” You are saved from having to continue explaining yourself when the door swings back open. Joe is on you in seconds, his gait eating up the distance between you. The woman calls his last name and asks him what he is doing here. Bruno takes another step back making more room for him to stand next to you. There is fear and anger in his eyes as he halts beside you. His eyes are scanning you, taking in your appearance. “I’m okay.” You assure him, or maybe yourself. It’s not a complete lie- you're okayish-Alive, breathing, most unscathed. He scoffs at the statement, obviously not liking your minimization tactics.

“So, we are lying to each other now? Have you seen your face?” His hand reaches out to touch you before stopping a couple inches away.  

“Actually, I haven’t.” You honestly didn’t know what you looked like post-attack. You weren’t sure if you really wanted to. You still mostly felt numbness in your body, but it was slowly fading leaving a deep ache on your face and right side. “I look that bad?” He pauses clearly unsure how to answer that without offending you. He chooses instead to ignore the question and start whispering soothingly to you in Spanish. He pulls you into a light but encompassing embrace stroking your hair. It sends rivulets of warmth through your chilled body. You soak in the loving contact while pressing a soft kiss to his jaw. “Wait, how did you even know I was here?” 

“I called him.” Bruno cut in, “He is your emergency contact, isn’t he?” 

“You should have called me, mi amor.” He pulled back to look over your now throbbing face again. You apologize grabbing his forearm, and he slides his hand down to intertwine with your fingers instead.  

“Hold on,” The woman who was interviewing you earlier called out. Everyone turned to face her, and it was clear that she was in charge. “You know her, on a personal level? Velasco, you can’t be anywhere near this. Matter of fact, everyone out, this needs to do this by the book. We collect the evidence. Then a statement.” 

“You kidding me, Captain? I’m not leaving,” Joe's grip on your hand tightens. You then realize the woman is Joe’s higher-up, Captain Olivia Benson. You had heard a lot about the women but had never met her yourself. She had put Joe through a hell of a time because of his past. Joe respected her but you were still a little angry with her for the pain and heartache that she had caused him. The lack of understanding or compassion. You were petty like that.

You begrudgingly agreed with her on this one. You know the strict rules of collecting evidence and keeping it from cross-contamination. it would be better for you to be alone while you did this anyway. You doubted Melinda would be able to do her job with him in here. Your normally calm and collected detective boyfriend was not okay in the sight of you getting hurt. You squeeze Joe’s hand, and he looks back at you. You tell him it’s okay. “No te dejaré cariño (I’m not leaving you sweetheart).” 

“Really, it’s okay,” You run your hand across his clean-shaven jaw. “It’s not like anything is going to happen to me in here. Melinda needs to do her job. Besides I’m going to have to leave my clothes here. I was hoping that maybe you had some spares I could wear? Maybe get me something cold to drink? Por favor Corazón.” The reluctance is written all over his face. He doesn’t want to leave. If it was up to him, he wouldn’t. His hand is still tight on yours. His green eyes are searching yours trying to find even a hint that you don’t want him to leave. You seem to reassure him because he presses a quick kiss on your forehead. 

“Okay, but if you need me-” You kiss his hand and tell him you know. The three detectives file out. Joe gives you one last glance as Bruno puts a hand on his shoulder to keep him moving forward. When the door clicked closed you felt a sigh escape you. The detectives' eyes had been analyzing and seeing Joe that upset and worried had been hard.  

“You have quite a guard dog with that one.” You turn to Melinda and smile a genuine smile. Throughout your relationship with Joe, he has proved that he showed love through actions first, and words second. You knew had you asked him to stay or told him that you wanted to leave, it wouldn’t have been a conversation, it would have simply been done.  

“You have no idea.”  

“Just make sure you lean on him throughout this. It’s clear he doesn’t want you to have to do it alone.” Melinda turns to the young tech, who walks closer with her camera. “You ready to start?”  

You try to sit still as the camera flashes in your face taking pictures. You remove your top and put it in the evidence bag that is held out to you. The tech asks you to lift your right arm. You go to do so, and a zap of pain flares up your side making you wince and drop it back down. You look down to see the entire length of your ribs is an awful shade of black and blue. That small dose of pain opens the floodgates as you start feeling just how sore and rough you really are. You pull your arm across your chest instead which hurts significantly less. Pictures are snapped. 

Next to go into a bag is your pants. Your thigh and knee are photographed. More big ugly bruises on your right side. The tech catches sight of bruising on your inner thighs and asks you to spread your legs. Embarrassment floods through you. You had never felt awkward talking about your sex life, but this was far more intimate than bragging about having hot sex on the kitchen table. “Oh, no. Those are...old. Consensual.” It feels strange to say that about bruises, but you recalled in vivid detail the night Joe had held you hard enough to leave fingertip-shaped bruises. Telling him to stop had been the last thing on your mind. 

They had run a black light over you when you were in just your underwear. You lit up like a Christmas tree on your inner thighs, stomach, neck, and chest. You blushed bright crimson, even though neither woman made any comment. You had sex that morning and a few times the night before. That was why you had been running late to your conference meeting. Even so, Melinda took samples of everything regardless reminding you that it would be better than accidentally missing something. She prodded at your injuries with more swabs hoping for touch evidence. It hurt like a bitch but you tried not to fidget. You didn’t think they would find much. You had been pushed into a coffee table and you were pretty sure that was what had caused most of your injuries.      

You are asked for your bra and underwear as well, even after your weak protest that he hadn’t made his way under any of your clothes, Melinda persisted. They too went in evidence bags. Along with your necklace and ring. You were given a loose gown to wear as she finished with scrapping under your fingernails taking clippings and combing through your hair looking for anything that may have been caught in the strands. 

The process was invasive and tiring. By the end of it, your whole right side was throbbing, and your face hurt. You just wanted to go home and lay in bed and never move again. The tech left and Joe was standing in the doorway. It was clear that he had been waiting outside for some time. It was also very apparent that he wasn't happy about not being allowed to stay. “You can come in Detective Velasco. We are all done.”  

He doesn’t waste any time in closing the distance between the two of you. He gently sets a pair of sweats on your lap before pressing a cold bottle of water in your hand. He untwists the top for you like he thinks you might not be capable, but you don’t take offense. Any unnecessary movement is something you want to avoid. You take a sip, and it feels good in your mouth and throat but doesn’t settle well in your stomach.

“While you're here,” Joe turns to see Melinda holding up another swab. Joe’s eyebrows furrow uncertainly. You know he doesn’t like having his DNA in evidence. “Just need a sample to exclude any of your DNA that is found. Open up.” He obliges and she swabs the inside of his cheek before closing it into a bottle and writing his name on the side.  

When he turns back to you, you have already shrugged on his oversized NYPD sweatshirt and were pulling up the pants. You are swimming in them and have to roll them multiple times to get them to stay. The loose fit is a relief because it doesn’t rub up against your injuries. They smell good too, comforting even if there is a slight lingering tinge of his sweat under the smell of his deodorant and cologne. You're done with the first step, now you steal yourself to face SVU and give your statement.   

[anemptypuddingcup]

Don’t hide it.

Bruno Bucciarati x Female Reader.

Smut short.

Contains: Bear w me I’m only on episode 14 of part 5. Self-insert but still referred as Reader. Confessing feelings trope somewhat. Bruno & Reader speaking Italian. (From google translate ofc- not the most accurate but…yeah) Oral (Reader receiving). Doggy style. There’s a bit of groping and body praise in this. Really just focusing on Reader’s pleasure. I’m having Bruno brain rot okay?-, this may be the only time i’m pulling out of one piece-

You liked Bruno.

Well- not necessarily liked him…but that’s the best way to put it. You couldn’t help it but to feel this way about him, he was just so beautiful to you. Even if he was a mafioso, that didn’t bother you and it didn’t stop you from holding these feelings deep inside.

Though there wasn’t anything you could do about it, you had to keep them hidden from him as to not disrupt him and his work. It may have sounded stupid…but that was the best excuse to not confess your feelings to him.

Though Bruno began to catch on to you and your feelings. The way you acted every time he was around your body gave him a good idea on how you’ve felt about him. Even if he was a busy man, you were a reason for him to stop and take a nice break from all the bullshit and such.

A simple walk and talk didn’t bother anyone. You were surprised when he finally came up to you and spoke.

With his hands reaching out to your rosy cheeks, you couldn’t help but to freeze at the sudden gesture. His fingers traced your jawline and you couldn’t help but tremble at his touch. You nearly reached your hand up to grab his but you held yourself back.

“Ah, mio caro. my dear Is everything alright? You look like as if you’re catching a fever…” His soft hands cup your face while he stares down into your eyes. His sapphire eyes sparkled like no other, brighter than any diamond or gem in the world. You couldn’t help but to fold at his touch, his soft and large hands cradles your cheeks with care. “Bruno…” You whisper out his name softly, your face beet red and burning hot against his hands.

Bruno chuckles as he pulls away, walking away from you and making your face droop into a pout. A hand grasping yours catches your attention and you look up at Bruno who was urging you to follow him. “Follow me mio caro. There’s obviously something you’re hiding and I’m going to pry it out of you.” He says firmly, pulling you along while you both walked over to a wall.

Summoning his stand Sticky Fingers, he unzips a zipper that was plastered onto the wall and pulls you though the portal.

Stepping through the portal, your feet land onto floorboards. Looking around, you realize that you’re in Bruno’s home, not too fancy yet not too plain. He pulls your arm and you continue to follow, walking through the kitchen and down the hallway into his bedroom.

“Bruno- Where’re we going?” You asked him, quirking a brow as you looked around his home. “To my room of course, tesoro amore. darling love” He hummed, stopping at his bedroom door and twisting the knob. He opens the door and your both met with a beautiful queen-sized bed that was neatly made. “Come mio caro.” Bruno says sweetly, guiding you over to his bed.

You were close to being frozen like a statue, why did he bring you into his home or his room for that matter? Apart from that, it’s smelled so wonderful. His strong scent made the sticky arousal pool between your legs, making you shudder while a few heavy breaths left your lips. “Proprio qui, tesoro. right here honey Lay back on my bed.” He says to you softly, looking into your pretty eyes. You obey and slowly set yourself onto the soft bedding and Bruno releases your hand. Crouching on his knees, he places his hands to your inner thighs and pushes you back, making you yelp out in nervousness.

“B-Bruno!” You yelled, a bit startled as you pressed your hand to his temple. He smirks to you and lifts your skirt, his eyes peering down at your cute panties. “Rilassati mio caro, relax my dear didn’t I say I was going to pry the feelings out of you?” Bruno chuckles, tracing a finger along your soaking heat. You mewl out as you felt him run his fingers along your slit, occasionally teasing your clit in the process. You mewl out softly, trying to close your thighs to prevent him from going any further.

Though you couldn’t deny that you loved getting this type of attention.

Pressing his hands against your thighs, he keeps them spread open while he moves his face in between your thighs. He presses a smooch against your clothed clit before suckling, moaning at your sweet flavor. “Oh god amore mio~ my love You taste so divine, let me pull these off for you~” He mewls out, releasing his grip on your thighs before pulling your pretty panties off.

He moans out as he sees a string of slick disconnecting from your sticky cunt, admiring how soaking you were for him. “Mio mio, my my such a beautiful pussy you have amore mio~ Per favore fatemelo assaggiare~ Please let me taste it” He mewls out, pressing a smooch to your clit before sliding his tongue along your folds. You gasp out as he held on to your thighs, slurping and lapping up your juices while your toes began to curl within your loafers.

“S-So good~ That feels nice Bruno~” You moan out, shaking as you pressed your hand to his pretty yet soft strands. Bruno gasps out from your flavor, his thumb moving up to rub and circle your clit while he slowly slid his tongue past your entrance. Your thighs squeeze softly around his head and he huffs out, his tongue massaging your walls yet hitting the sweetest spots deep inside of you,

You gasp out as you felt his tongue graze your g-spot and Bruno chuckles lightly before pinching your clit. You gasp out out and look down at Bruno, his indigo eyes staring up into yours. “Well amore mio? How does this feel?~” He asks, pulling back and pressing smooches against your pussy. “I-It feels so good Bruno~ Cosí bueno~ so good” You mewl out to him, your face hot and dusted with blush. Bruno’s brows raise and he hums out before continuing, playing with your pretty pussy.

You begin to wiggle your hips, mewling out as he pleasured your pussy with his tongue. You grew more vocal as you watched Bruno slurp and suckle at your pussy, his groans growing louder as he grew addicted to your taste. You feel him pull your hips closer into his lips, his fingers scratching against your hips as he slurped up your juices.

“Ah!~ Ah Bruno!~ I-I’m close Bruno!~” You gasp out, throwing your head back as he practically fucked you with his tongue. He groans out and pulls back from your push once more, looking up into your eyes full of lust. “Mmh cum for me baby, vieni per me, tesoro!~ come for me, darling!” Bruno hums out, pressing his lips back against your pussy. “I-I’m going to!~ Oh god I’m going to!~” You gasp out, your loafers slipping off of your feet as you lift your legs a bit higher.

Bruno keeps your legs up, keeping them bent back while he begin to slurp at your pussy aggressively. “Ah! M-M’gonna cum!~ Oh god Bruno!~” You gasp out and arch your back as you cream around his tongue, your body shaking heavily as you came. Bruno hums out as he tasted your sweet essence, his chin and such already covered in your slick while your cum coated his tongue.

Bruno pulls back and breathes heavily, a string of slick tearing from your pussy and his lips. “Così gustoso, so tasty your taste is so divine sweetheart.” He gasps out, getting up off of his knees and trailing his tongue along his lips. He wipes your slick from his chin onto his sleeve, staring down at your precious yet weakened body. He presses his hands to either side of you, looking down into your eyes with a sweet smile.

“Bontà tesoro~ goodness darling Look at how hard you’ve made me…My cock yearns for you and your wonderful pussy~” Bruno hums out, staring down at the bulge prodding within his pants. You slowly sit up and Bruno helps you by pulling your body farther into the bed and flipping you over. “Sit up my dear, on all fours please.” Bruno says, placing his hands to your hips. You obey and lift your ass up into the air, arching your back while you started into his eyes.

Bruno unbuttons his pants and pulls them down halfway, his cock slowly popping out and hitting up against his jacket. You hum out as you stared at his length, a little blush dusting your cheeks as you gave him a lustful stare. He unbuttons his jacket shortly afterward, revealing his pretty chest and his tummy to you.

Bruno grabs your hand and placed it softly against his chest, sliding it along his skin. “Ti piace quello che vedi? Do you like what you see?” He asks, tilting his head while his strands followed. “Si, si lo faccio~ yes, yes I do.” You mewl out, feeling along his skin while your body trembles from how hot his skin was. Bruno moves in closer to you, pressing his lips against the skin of your shoulder while he began to touch and feel along your skin.

“Ahh~ B-Bruno~”

“Così bello~ so beautiful Your body is so soft…so wonderful~”

You feel Bruno move his hands along your skin, tracing your body and running against your curves. You gasp out and jolt as you feel his hands slide under your sweater and reach to your breasts, grasping and massaging them softly and admiring how beautiful they were. You moan out softly and wiggle your hips against his, pressing your ass up against his length.

“Bruno…” You call out to him, giving him a little pout as you stared into his eyes. Bruno smirks and and moves in close to your face, staring into your eyes. “Cosa c'è, mio ​​caro?~ what is it my dear? Are you ready for me?~” He asks you, chuckling as he moves his hands from your breasts and runs them along your ass. You mewl out and nod your head, laying your head up against his soft pillow and inhaling his scent.

“Alright amore mio, I’ll take it slow for you my love~” He whispers to you, standing up onto his knees. He drools out a glob of spit out onto your ass, the feeling of it running down your slit and along your pussy making you shiver. He slides his tip along your slit, sighing out before he presses it against your entrance. “Please tell me if it hurts, okay mio caro? I want you to feel wonderful pleasure…not pain.” He tells you, his hair swishing as he moves his head towards yours.

“I will Bruno…” You whisper to him, hugging his pillow tight against your face.

He slowly pushes in past your entrance, a little gasp leaving his lips as his brows begin to furl. Your cunt sucks him in hungrily, and he groans out shakily while you moan out from the slightly painful stretch. “B-Bruno~” You whine out, your body trembling as he took it slow. “Relax honey, you’re almost at the base of my cock~” Bruno huffs out, holding on to your hips as he slowly thrusts into you. You feel his cock kissing your cervix as he stuffs the rest of his length deep inside of your pussy.

A heavy gasp leaves your lips as you felt so full from his length. “Mmh~ La tua figa è così divina. your pussy is so divine. It’s so warm and tight around my cock~” He hums out to you, pressing smooches against your upper back. You gasp out shakily as he waited for you to adjust to his length. You could feel him pulsating deep within your walls, his warmth inside of yours already making you melt.

He finally begins to move his hips, thrusting into your pussy slowly yet deep. You moan out as you listened to the sound of his gasps and the sound of his hips slapping against your ass. His cock felt so good, thrusting and hitting the sweetest spots deep inside of your pussy. It was starting to get more challenging to contain your moans.

“Hah~ Mmgh!~ B-Bruno!~” You moan out Bruno’s as he pumps his cock into you a bit faster. Heavy breaths leaves his lips as he pulled your hips farther back onto his, fucking into you a bit deeper as he huffs out.

“Dimmi che ti piace, mia cara~ tell me you like it my dear I want to hear you moan out about how good my cock feels inside of you~” Bruno whispers to you, heavy breaths falling onto your ear while your pussy massages his cock so wonderfully. “Lo adoro, lo adoro così tanto~ I love it, I love it so much I-It feels so good!~” You mewl shakily and hug your pillow a bit tighter, moaning your lungs out while his cock repeatedly kisses your cervix.

Bruno chuckles and lies you down against the mattress, wanting you to relax your legs while he fucked you. He fucks you into the mattress, biting his bottom lip tight as your pussy tightens around his length. You gasp out as your eyes begin to roll up, a whine leaving you as you felt him wrap his strong arms around your body. “B-Bruno!~ H-Harder Bruno!~” You moan out, your toes curling while you held in tight to his pillow.

Bruno smiles and obeys, fucking your pussy like a wild animal while sloppy sounds begins to echo throughout his bedroom. His bed begins rock from the harshness of his thrusts, with the headboard repeatedly hitting the wall. “Ah~ Mio caro~ I-I’m close~ Can you feel me twitching inside of your pussy?” Bruno moans out, burying his face between the soft skin of your neck. Your brows furrowed as you gasp out, gripping the pillowcase tight as you felt yourself yearning to cum on on his cock.

“B-Bruno!~ I-I’m gonna cum! M’so close!~” You whine out, looking back to him with a pleasureful face. Bruno presses a smooch to your cheek and gasps out, his hands groping your breasts once again while he continues to fuck you. “Cum on my cock amore mio~” He whispers to you, chuckling before letting out a sharp gasp.

You huff out as you felt Bruno fuck you just a tad bit harder, your moans growing louder as you felt yourself so close on the edge. Bruno pinches your nipples a bit, throwing you over the edge and making you gasp out. “Cum mio caro, cum for me~” Bruno growls, making you shudder a bit. You whimper out before nodding, your toes curling while your legs begin to shudder.

“Yes! Y-Yes Bruno!~ Oh god! M-M’cumming!~” You moan out loudly as you clench tight around Bruno’s length, creaming around his cock before breathing out heavily. Bruno gives your push a few more thrusts before he begins to huff heavily, humping into your cunt and chasing after his high.

“Fuck F-Fuck! I’m coming my dear!~” Bruno gasps out, pulling out of your pussy before he shoots cum out onto your back. His hot seed burns your skin a bit and you moan out shakily beneath him. He moves his hands from your breasts and rubs your back softly, soothing you while you recovered from your from your orgasm.

Soft meals leaves your lips as he rubs your back, pressing soft smooches against your skin and down your back. “So pretty~ Così bello mio cara~ so beautiful my dear.” Bruno hums, continuously pressing smooches against your skin.

“Bruno…Ti amo I love you Bruno…” You hun out to him, looking back at him with soft eyes. Bruno smiles and presses a smooch to your lips followed by your cheek and jawline. “Ti amo anch'io mia cara. I love you too my dear.” He whisper to you before going back to pressing kisses against your skin.

[lliminall]

excerpts from the group chat | pannacotta fugo x reader

tags: fem reader, implied sexual activity, copious amounts of swearing, borderline crack but I know in my heart they would be this annoying irl

Fuck Heads

Group Chat with Pannacotta Fugo, Narancia Ghirga & Guido Mista

iMessage

Tuesday 4:34 PM

Guido Mista they didn’t have salsa I got u ketchup

Narancia Ghirga ok fuck u

Guido Mista they’re both tomatoes idk why ur bitching

Narancia Ghirga Im not brining ur beer now ur fucking on ur own

Guido Mista please daddy? 🥺

Narancia Ghirga jk princess I got it

Guido Mista fugo I am headed over now be there in 10

Narancia Ghirga be there in 20 running late

4:47 PM

Guido Mista bro I’m here let me in

Guido Mista are u shitting?? open up I’m here

Narancia Ghirga its cus u brought us fucking ketchup instead of salsa

Narancia Ghirga jusy call him hes probably getting his dick wet again

Guido Mista we talked about this he does not have a girlfriend. he is a fucking incel narancia

Narancia Ghirga i was there last week I heard moaning. I told u

Guido Mista then it was porn u dumb fuck

Guido Mista open the FUCKING door

Narancia Ghirga bro literally what are u doing let us IN

Pannacotta Fugo I will fucking kill both of you

Pannacotta Fugo Stop banging on the fucking door.

Guido Mista LET US INNNNN

Narancia Ghirga wtf let us in???

Pannacotta Fugo I’ll let you in but do not speak to her. She’s studying in my room just mind your business

Guido Mista SHE????

Narancia Ghirga BRO ACTUALLY WAS GETTIN IT WET LMAOOO

Guido Mista and why can’t we meet her??

Pannacotta Fugo You fucking organisms. You are not pestering my girlfriend.

Narancia Ghirga BRO

Guido Mista BROOOO

Guido Mista also ok rude

Narancia Ghirga he cant bring her out cus he wiped her out with his 10 inch schlong

Guido Mista u don’t even have a girlfriend ur just embarrassed we caught u jacking off

Pannacotta Fugo I’m coming outside and I’m bringing a fucking weapon

Narancia Ghirga is that why u had us bring some much food I thought u we’re trying to bulk up wasnt gonn a judge tho

Guido Mista my man 💯💯💯

Guido Mista proud of u now let us the fuck in

Guido Mista the food is getting cold bro open the fucking door

7:28 PM

Guido Mista night bro would have gave u ur goodnight kiss but ur girlfriend was right there

Narancia Ghirga wheres my goodnight kiss

Guido Mista come here bby girl i got it for u right here

Pannacotta Fugo You will be two brown stains on the floor by the time I'm done with you

Narancia Ghirga pee ur pannts

--

iMessage

7:45 PM

Narancia Ghirga fugo got his dick sucked today. by a real girl

Bruno Bucciarati Why are you telling me this

Narancia Ghirga just thougth u might like to know

message read at 7:47 PM

--

iMessage

7:50 PM

Narancia Ghirga abbachio guess who i saw layin pipe tonight

This user has blocked your number. You are unable to call or text this number at this time.

Narancia Ghirga fugo

Narancia Ghirga dammit

[zafirosreverie]

No cure (Julieta x Reader)

for nonie, hope you like it

_________________________

“Mom? Please answer me…I’m sorry. I didn’t want this to happen”

“Julieta, please…we need you, you can’t leave Bruno and I alone”

“Mija, your family misses you, your daughters need you, don’t leave us”

She could hear the voices in her room, she could feel her sister’s rain on her, her daughters hugging her, she could see the blurry form of her mother in front of her and her niece crying some steps behind. But that didn’t matter to her. They all knew why she was in that state. They knew it was their fault.

"I can't go on like this anymore" you had written "I love you, but I can't keep living in fear of not waking up again. I'm sorry"

And the rest of your letter had been erased due to her tears. The edges of it were torn and wrinkled, from the strength with which she clung to that piece of paper every night, as if her life depended on it, as if she could pull you out of the ink. It was painful, but it was the last thing that was left of you.

There were too many things she would regret for the rest of her life, no matter how short or how long that was, but allowing her daughters to cross so many lines with you, letting things get out of hand and not protecting you when she had to, was by far what weighed the most on her.

It came as no surprise to anyone that Isabela was cold and sharp with you, of her three daughters, she was the one who had been most mad at her when she divorced Agustín and the first to yell at her when she announced that she was dating someone else.

Julieta had tried to be understanding and patient with her, waiting for her daughter to have time to process everything, something you did too, which is why you hadn't introduced yourself to the family until much later. You wanted to respect her daughters, something that none of the three wanted to do with you.

Surprisingly, Luisa was always the nicest to you. She wasn't really close to you, but she would at least smile at you a bit and talk to you politely, though she never really let you get close to her. Mirabel wasn't rude either, but it was terribly obvious that she didn't want you there either.

She was always cold with you, she didn't answer you when you spoke to her, she left the room as soon as you entered and her characteristic friendly smile was never directed towards you. She never said it out loud, but both you and her mother knew that she shared the same thought as her older sister: get out of here.

And then there was Isabela.

From the first moment you set foot in Casita, the young woman made it her mission to make your life a hell. She was always making comments about your appearance, your body, your usefulness (which was none in her opinion), something that Julieta knew were your worst insecurities. She was always rude when she talked to you, she took every opportunity she got to remind you that you didn't belong in the family, that you would never be worthy of her mother.

Your girlfriend was always trying to calm things down, to reassure you that it was just a phase, that she loved you, that she wanted you by her side, and that her daughters would soon accept you, but she knew that every time you left the dining room without even touching your food, a part of you withered away. There came a time when she could no longer lie to herself.

The rest of the family wasn't helping either. Camilo played cruel pranks on you just to make Mirabel smile and even sweet Antonio looked down on you, if only to imitate his favorite cousin, and you also lost your voice. Dolores was always listening to you, of everything you did or said, so that Isabela could have more ammunition against you, there was no secret of yours that the two girls did not know, which left you vulnerable, paranoid and unable to really express anything for fear that it would be used against you. Little by little you stopped talking, even with her. The only times the healer would hear your voice was in the safety of night, in her room, where her niece couldn't hear you.

Julieta had tried to talk to the six children, but none had quit on their mission to torture you. She tried with Pepa and Felix, but her sister just shrugged and told her that she knew what she was getting into when she separated from her husband. Her brother-in-law had simply agreed with her sister, as always.

Mom didn't do anything either. She hadn't even wanted to accept you into the family, so she didn't care what her grandchildren did with you, the sooner you left and let her daughter "fix things" with Agustín, the better (no, she didn't care that said daughter had told her that there was nothing to fix, that everything was over between her and her ex-husband).

The only person who tried to make you feel welcome besides her was Bruno, and that didn't even count because the only reason he had to be nice to you was a vision he had. Julieta didn't want to know what was on the green tablet, the only thing that mattered to her was that before that, her brother hadn't wanted anything to do with you either. She was really alone in this. She started to be afraid you’d leave her because all her “family” was doing, but you always put a smile on your precious face and said you could hold yourself together for a little more.

And then the stupid Belladonna thing happened. 

You already knew that you would never receive a beautiful flower from Isabela, and it was not uncommon for the occasional thorn to appear in your shoes (you had gotten used to checking them before putting them on for that very reason), but she never thought that the cruelty of her daughter could go so far.

She must have been suspicious when her eldest daughter had smiled sweetly at you, when she had spoken to you tenderly and offered a cup of tea she had never made. She could see in your eyes that you were just as confused and a little scared, but it was the first time that Isabela didn't insult you when talking to you, and you didn't want to ruin a possible peace agreement by rejecting it.

So you took it and thanked her with a soft smile that had warmed even her heart. For a moment, the older woman allowed herself to let down her guard and hope that things would get better. Silly of her, she forgot that she was the only daughter who could poison you.

You took a small sip, your mind torn between hoping that things would really get better, and fearing that it was just another joke. Perhaps you were expecting a spicy or salty touch, or some other alteration, but in reality it was sweet... too sweet.

Alerts went off in you, but as the girl looked at you with hopeful eyes, you just smiled and finished your cup. Juliet saw everything a few steps behind you, her heart softened and beating with love and hope. It seemed the beginning of something new, of a better relationship with her daughters... then the nightmare began.

A few minutes later you clung to the kitchen counter as if your life depended on it, you were dizzy and disoriented, your hands were sweaty and she could see that your pupils were dilated. Your face turned red, you couldn't seem to breathe, and he barely had time to catch you before you collapsed.

Camilo and Mirabel leaned out and gave Isabela a high five, which she told the healer that you had been the victim of another prank, but for some reason, this seemed too serious. Dolores confirmed this when she ran in a few seconds later, her eyes wide and her face full of guilt.

Her niece was terrified and her voice cracked as she screamed that your heart rate was too fast, and that this was not part of the plan. Juliet barely had to hear the word "belladonna" before she gasped and raced against the clock.

She had picked you up and carried you to the bathroom, Casita seemed to be on her side for once and helped her up the stairs quickly, while she blocked out the screams of the family behind her. She managed to make you vomit and as soon as you breathed well again, she put an arepa in your mouth to prevent the poisoning from advancing. She acted fast and managed to get you completely to safety, but fear and mistrust were firmly imprinted on you.

You heard your girlfriend fighting with her eldest daughter, who didn't seem even the least bit sorry for what she had done to you, despite the seriousness of the situation, and the banter didn't stop after that. It was then that, despite how much you loved Juliet, you had to make a decision, and barely a week after that, you disappeared in the middle of the night, leaving only a note behind you.

Julieta had cried even before she finished reading it, and her screams had woken everyone in the house, not just Dolores. At first her mother tried to get closer to her, but was greeted with a shoving and the most angry look she had ever seen in her life. Her anger was directed especially at her eldest granddaughter.

"It's not that bad, mom" Isabela said rolling her eyes.

"YOU COULD KILL HER!"

"You were there, weren't you? And I didn't even give him much belladonna, just a little-"

"ENOUGH!" Julieta had yelled, taking everyone by surprise "I'm sick of all this, I'm tired of all of you. She didn't do anything, she was never rude, she never raised her voice to anyone and you treated her like dirt"

"Juli-"

"Why?” she asked with a voice so broken that Alma wanted to cry “I have never done anything against this family. I was always your perfect golden doll, I never said no, I even married a man I didn’t want to because YOU thought it was the best for me. Was I a bad daughter?”

“No, mija, that’s-”

“Then why? Why couldn’t I be happy? Why couldn’t you all support me the only time I choose myself?” 

The Madrigals didn’t know what to say, and Julieta’s daughters were divided between the shock of knowing their mother didn't want to marry their father in the first place and seeing the woman the three of them looked up to breaking in front of them like a scared little girl.

“Julieta-”

“I know you never liked Y/N” she interrupted her sister “but I do, Pepa, I really do”

“Mom, I didn’t-”

“You don’t talk to me, Isabela” she growled “not tonight. You’re the one who treated her the worst, you tried to kill her for god’s sake! What if I hadn’t been there? Have you thought about it?”

The girl tried not to cry but her mother’s words were cutting her like sharp knives. Maybe because Julieta had never spoken to her like that before, maybe it was the deep disappointment in her eyes…or maybe, it was because she knew she was right. You could have died for what she did.

“But that doesn’t matter” the healer whispered “you got what you wanted. What ALL of you wanted. She’s gone…congratulations”

“Juli-”

“You didn’t want her to be part of the family” she cut her sister “now I wish I wasn’t either”

And with that, she had closed her room’s door on everyone’s faces, leaving all the family shocked, scared and feeling terribly guilty. They knew they couldn’t do anything at the moment, and Isabela and Dolores were crying, they just hoped things would get better the next day.

_______________

But the next day had turned into a week, and then a month. Julieta never spoke to any of them again, she didn’t smile, didn’t laugh, she didn’t even look at them. She just did her shores and locked herself in her room. Her eyes were red, her skin lost the healthy glow it once had, her hair was a mess, she lost weight and didn’t have that friendly and motherly shape anymore. She became a ghost.

And what scared them the most was that, by the third month after you left, the glow on her door faded. It reminded them of Bruno’s door before he came back. Pepa had cried and begged for her sister to forgive them all, Alma regretted every single choice she made about her daughter’s life without her consent, Dolores and Isabela were about to lose their sanity. Everyone missed Julieta, but none could do anything to bring her back. She was dying in front of them”

“Julieta, please…please” Pepa begged again

“Mija”

“Mami”

“There’s no use” Bruno sighed, making everyone look at him “we did this”

“Tío Bruno?” Mirabel asked as he showed them the vision he had 

“She’s not coming back” he whispered “there’s no cure for a broken heart”

[pensat-i-fet]

Something I’ll regret (Rúben Dias x Reader)

**A little angsty request. I hope you all like it ❤️❤️ **

Word count: 2583

Masterlist

Wattpad

“Do you have any plans for today?”

“Yeah, I have to go to Bruno’s for an interview”, I tell my boyfriend Rúben while we have some breakfast. I’m not really looking forward to today but I can’t escape it either.

“Why do you have to be there for his interview?”

“It’s what the tv channel asked for”, I shrug.

I often have to be around for these types of interviews. People love it when famous people are related and I happen to be the cousin of one of Portugal’s biggest football stars. And I’m also dating another one of their stars…but we haven’t made that public yet.

“At least I get to just be there with the kids and hang out for a bit while they ask him things and I say two words. Could be worse”.

“Poor you”, he laughs.

“Well, it’s time I could spend with you instead of doing that”.

“Poor me, then”.

“I don’t have to leave just yet”, I say, giving him a wink.

                                    **

When I get to my cousin’s house, it’s his wife Ana who opens the door.

“Hi! You’re early. Come in”.

“Thanks. Are the kids back from school?”

“No, they’ll be here soon. They wanted to go play with some friends and their mum will bring them back here in a bit. I love your dress, by the way! You look stunning”.

“Thank you”, I say, blushing slightly. “Rúben bought it for me the other day, actually”.

“Take notes, Bruno!”

I can’t help but laugh when I see my cousin’s face.

“Thanks for that, Dias”, he mutters. “Ready for the interview? I told them not to ask about your personal life but you know how they are”.

“Yes, I’m ready. I guess”.

Being part of a small ballet company in Portugal doesn’t turn one famous. Having a famous boyfriend does. And when the press found out that the dancer who was dating a famous actor happened to be the cousin of a famous footballer, they just didn’t leave me alone. I went from having the most normal life to being followed by the paparazzi everywhere I went. I hated every second of it.

That relationship, thankfully, it’s over. And I promised to myself to never date someone famous again. My life was a lot simpler when no one knew who I was. But then I met Rúben when I visited Bruno after a Portugal match and…well, he made keeping that promise really hard.

At least he understands I want us to be private. 

“There they are”, says Ana.

“The kids?”

“No, the journalists”.

Time to do this then.

                                       **

“And where is your beautiful cousin?”, I hear one of the reporters ask.

“She’s over there, playing with my kids. She’s their favourite cousin”.

When I see the cameras pointing at us, I move so the kids aren’t shown too much on camera.

“Hi!”

“Hello. How is life in England?”

“It’s alright. I love being here with some of my family”.

I expect the next question to be about work. I have moved on to other projects ever since I quit dancing, but no. Of course, the next question is about the same old topic.

“Anyone you met here that makes you want to stay? You know…as in a new love?”

“She doesn’t like talking about that”, interrupts Bruno. 

“Yeah, I rather keep those things private. Sorry”.

“Of course, after what happened the last time…”.

By that, he means when my ex cheated on me and the whole country found out. Yes, that makes me want to be more private. But these people don’t get it.

“We’ll go play in the garden. Have a good rest of the interview”.

                                   **

Days later, I get to Rúben’s and find him watching Bruno’s interview.

“Why are you watching that?”

“I wanted to see you”.

“I’m right in front of you now, you can’t stop watching it”, I laugh.

“And…I also wanted to see what you were asked. You were in a bad mood after it and I was a bit worried when you didn’t want to talk about it”.

“Just the same thing they always ask”.

My mood isn’t the only one that changes after my words. I can see Rúben looking uncomfortable.

“What is it?”

“Nothing”, he says.

“Rúben, come on”.

“It’s just…I get why you want us to be private but if you said you have a boyfriend, they’ll leave you alone”.

“Are you really that naive?”

“Whatever. Whenever we talk about this, you just get all defensive”.

“Because you don’t get it, Rúben. And this wouldn’t just affect us. It could affect my cousin too”.

I know Rúben wants to say more. It’s written all over his face. But once again, he’s the one who stops before we say something we regret and just changes the topic.

A couple of hours later, while we are watching a movie, my mind goes back to our argument. I don’t think he’s right but maybe it’s worth a try. Maybe if I just say that I’m seeing someone, they’ll leave me alone. Ugh! I hate how complicated all of this has to be.

                                     **

One of the reasons why I’m staying in Manchester, apart from Rúben and my family, is that Bruno got me a small job at United. Every couple of weeks, I help the players with their recovery. They are a great bunch of guys, and there are a lot of Portuguese speakers in the team too. So overall, it’s a lot of fun and I get to earn a bit of extra cash, which is always nice. 

Their social media team likes to film little bits of the sessions to put on youtube. And for the last few, it’s become a bit of a tradition for the players to annoy me after the sessions. Those little clips are shared by all the fans. They love them. And I know it's just banter so I don’t mind. 

“Fans! Say thank you to our favourite teacher. We wouldn’t have won the Carabao Cup without her help”, says Dalot to the camera.

I just shake my head before my cousin takes Dalot’s arm off my shoulders. “Leave some space between your favourite teacher and yourself, Diogo”.

But his teammate just laughs at that comment and looks at the camera again. “Guys. He’s doing that so you all stop making up rumours about which one of us she’s dating. Captain Fernandes wouldn’t allow any of us to do it so there you go”.

I’m trying to leave when Antony joins the conversation.

“Ok, no one from United but what about the national team? Would you allow that, Bruno?”

That comment stops us from walking to look at Antony. What does he know?

Dalot, who knows about Rúben and I being together, is the first one to react. “What do you care, mate? You play for Brazil”.

“Just wondering”, he shrugs.

“He wouldn’t allow that either”, I say, leaving the room.

My reason for saying that is to avoid people looking at the Portugal team when I finally say that I have a boyfriend. But not everyone understands it that way.

                                     **

“Hello? Rúben?”

The apartment looks really dark despite not being that late, but I can hear some noise, so Rúben has to be home.

When I get closer, I realised that what I hear isn’t the tv, but the conversation I had with the boys only hours ago when I was in Carrington.

“He wouldn’t allow that either”, I hear coming out of Rúben’s phone. Of course, they added that clip to the video.

“Hey!”

“I’m trying to understand you, but I might give up”.

“What are you talking about?”

He sits up on the sofa and points at his phone.

“Are you embarrassed by me? By our relationship? Is that it?”

“What? No, Rúben. Why would I be?”

“I don’t get it. Why did you have to add that? You could have ignored that question but no, you couldn’t help it”.

“Yes, you don’t get it”, I say, tired of his accusations. “I just said it so when I say I have a boyfriend, they don’t go look at everyone my cousin knows first. That way we can stay private for longer”.

“We’ll never talk about our relationship if it was up to you. It’s one thing to be private but this is too much. I’m afraid of saying anything just so you don’t freak out. And it’s getting really boring, you know?”

“Well, it’s not as if you’re talking about your love for me every day, is it?”, I hate the bitterness of my words so much, but can’t control it.

“You don’t allow me to talk about us!”

“Is that really the reason? Or do you just don’t mention me because it’s better for you if people think you’re still single?”

I know I’ve gone too far the moment the words leave my mouth. I’m such an idiot.

“Get out”.

“Rúben, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”.

“Get out now. Before I also say something I regret”.

And knowing he’s right, I leave. Head down, ashamed and worried about having messed up what Rúben and I have.

                                     **

The only place I can go is my cousin’s. And when he opens the door and sees my face, he understands something is wrong and lets me in without asking why I’m there.

“Do you want to talk about it?”, he says when he brings me a cup of tea.

“I messed up”.

“How? And I’m assuming we talk about Rúben, right?”

“Yes”, I sigh. “He watched the video United uploaded today and didn’t like that I said you wouldn’t let me date a teammate from the national team either”.

“I’ll talk to the boys so they stop pestering you with those questions”.

“Bruno, it’s not about them. I’m the problem. I keep hurting my boyfriend because I refuse to talk about our relationship. It’s me that needs to change. No one else. I can’t hide behind other people’s actions any longer”.

“Why do you do that? Refusing to talk about it. I respect your decision but you guys have been together for a while now. I expected you to have gone public months ago. And you know I’ve supported you since the beginning, so that can’t be it”.

Why am I doing this? Fear, simple as that.

“I don’t want a repeat of last time. And if people don’t know about us, then it can’t happen”.

“I get it, but it’s not really fair to Rúben, is it?”

But before I have time to say something, little Gonçalo runs towards his dad, asking for a hug. And so my cousin has to take him back to bed and do their little routine again.

I take my phone and end up on Rúben’s Instagram profile. When I see he’s uploaded a story, I can’t help but click on it. It’s actually a link to a post in the City profile and I go see what it is about.

It turns out he did some sort of Q&A for the team. He was asked about his fitness routine, and his favourite food, …and then I realise I’m a bigger idiot than I already thought.

To the question of what he likes doing in his free time, he answered “spending time with my girlfriend”. And as if that wasn’t painful enough to hear, I go to the last one. My cousin enters the room just as I’m listening to Rúben say “who inspires me the most? My girlfriend”. 

I throw the phone away and put my hands on my face. 

“I’m an asshole”.

                                    **

Despite wanting to run to Rúben’s the moment I watched those stories, I don’t. I know he needs time to be angry at me. He has every right to be. I just hope he can forgive me. 

“When are you talking to him?”, asks Ana.

“Later. After his training. I want to give him some time to be alone”.

“Probably a good idea. He’ll be hurt after what happened”.

I volunteer to take the kids to school. I could use the distraction and they know how to cheer me up, making me sing songs on the way to school or playing games that have to be cut short because the drive there isn’t that long. But I promise them we’ll continue playing later.

When I finally go to see Rúben, I fear he might not be there. But after a second knock on the door, he opens it.

“I’m sorry”.

He doesn’t respond but leaves the door open so I can go inside.

“Rúben, I shouldn’t have said that”.

“No, you shouldn’t have”.

I sit next to him and try to hold his hand, expecting him to take it away. But he doesn’t. He lets me hold it and that small gesture gives me so much hope.

“You know what happened with my ex. The worst part wasn’t the cheating, but the fact that everyone knew. Because all the headlines and covers were about me. Me looking sad, me going out with friends despite people expecting me to be sad, …me me me. Everyone wanted to humiliate me. And I couldn’t stand it. I didn’t want to date anyone famous ever again”.

“I understand that”.

“I know you do. And I took advantage of you because of it. I forced you to do as I said because I knew you didn’t want to hurt me. And I was really unfair”.

“I wish I could say I disagree”.

“I get it, Rúben. And I’m sorry. So sorry. Can you try to forgive me?”

He looks up at me and I squeeze his hand harder without noticing I’m doing it. I’m really that scared of him saying he can’t forgive me. I can’t lose him.

“Only if you change. I’m happy having a private relationship but I can’t live constantly worried about saying something that uncovers the secret. I want to be able to mention you, even if I don’t say your name. This whole thing is exhausting. And…I know a part of you didn’t want us to go public because you are afraid I could do what your ex did. And while I get it, it hurts to know you think that of me”.

I try to avoid his eyes but he doesn’t allow me, holding my chin so I look at him.

“Tell me I got it wrong”.

“You didn’t”, I confess. “I would feel the same with anyone. I guess that’s what happens when you’re cheated on once. But I trust you. Really. I wouldn’t be with you if I didn’t. And I also wanted to protect you”.

“From what?”

“People creating drama between my cousin and you”.

“Let us worry about that, ok? We can protect ourselves well”.

I hesitantly move closer to Rúben, and when he allows me to do that, I put my arms around his waist. I missed being this close to him.

“I’ll change. I’ll stop being so worried and afraid about people knowing about us”, I tell him, meaning every single word. “And I trust you. Honestly. I won’t make you feel again like I don’t. Because you don't deserve it”.

“That’s all I needed to hear”.

“Am I forgiven?”, I ask, looking up at him and when I see him moving closer to kiss me, I can’t help but smile.

“You know I can’t stay mad at you long. And yes, you’re forgiven”.

[cornerfortherats]

What do you think Bruno’s relationship with his mother is like? Do you think he’s in this limbo that he hates her for how she left them but also doesn’t because he’s glad that she found someone she could be happy with? And when she asked him who he wanted to stay with, she did have his best interests at heart because she said the city had good education and many kids his age for him to hang out with. She was described as a kind and loving woman who read bedtime stories to him every night so she was obviously a good mother and person.

Do you have any headcanons on his mother? What do you think she’s like? What is her second husband like? Do they have kids together? Has Bruno met his second family? If so, what does he think of them? Why do you think she and Paolo divorced? Sorry if this is a lot, I just want your thoughts on his family dynamics because we don’t hear a lot about him and his mother hahaha

No it’s okay! You’re giving me free rein to ramble about things I want to talk about. No need for apologies.

Though, I want to be frank and say that the headcanons for the mother’s side of Bruno’s family, and his family generally will be in another post, sheerly because of the length of this one.

⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✧ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅

What do you think Bruno's relationship with his mother is like?

I believe Bruno’s relationship with his mother is complicated. Bearing in mind who he is, he’s a perceptive and understanding individual. If he was able to conceptualize and grasp the pros and cons of remaining with his father, he must’ve also considered the pros and cons of leaving to be with his mother (as suggested by these snippets of text):

Though, rationalizing something doesn’t stop you from feeling a particular way, so I do believe you’re right with the mixed sentiments, but in a slightly different context — however I need to mention something important before we touch upon that.

A major aspect of Bruno’s past and character is that he had a conventional beginning. He wouldn’t have responded to Trish this way if he was raised differently:

So it’s important to remember that when we think of Bruno and his parents; Neither of them are innately bad people, and are prone to mistakes just like anyone else.

With that in mind, I believe Bruno still holds his mother in a high regard, taking into account the fact that she did love him and cared for him when she was around. To him, he’d think he’s being ungrateful for feeling that way, prompting him to not address any resentment or hurt he feels. And if he did address those feelings, he’d disregard them, since he knew what he was giving up by staying with his father, so he has no right to complain about a self-inflicted issue.

Conversely, since he does still love his mother and would want the best for her, Bruno’s happy that she got to have a family, he just doesn’t want anything to do with it (for reasons I’ll explain further in this post).

⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✧ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅

Has Bruno met his second family? If so, what does he think of them?

Bruno makes a point to remain unassociated with the rest of his family, for a variety of reasons.

The predominant reason for this is his worry that he’d endanger his mother and her family with his presence. Bearing in mind how fiercely he fought against the drug trade in Napoli (and how ruthless he can be on the job), you can only assume there’s plenty of people who’ve got beef with him. If anyone who had a vendetta against him knew he (hypothetically) kept in contact with his family, they’d be roasting on spits, so to speak.

One of the other reasons for his distance involves this snippet of information again:

This, from Bruno’s perspective, would indicate that she doesn’t factor him into his life anymore (most likely because of her new family taking precedence). So, with Bruno being so adept at grasping the implications within a situation, I wouldn’t be surprised if he surmised that his mother distancing herself from him was her committing to her new family and leaving her past behind (as this snippet kind of states):

And even if his intuition was wrong, he wouldn’t want to stir up conflict in her new family by trying to reenter her life again (since that’s an unfortunately common occurrence in situations like his).

Lastly, I feel like it would hurt him too much to see his half sibling — which I say definitively because you can infer his mother being a family woman with how she treated Bruno (and the fact that he even exists), so I wouldn’t be surprised if when married her new husband, she had the notion of children on her mind.

In situations like these, it almost always ends with the overlooked child feeling jealous or inadequate of their sibling. I would presume Bruno would feel that way with his own half-sibling, but would understand that it’s not their fault they exist. They should be raised with the love his mother is providing them with, but that doesn’t mean he can make himself like it. Therefore, keeping himself detached from her life would also avoid any unnecessary strife.

⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✧ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅

[red-airhead]

𝓙𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓦𝓪𝔂 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓐𝓻𝓮 | 𝓢𝓮𝓸 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓫𝓲𝓷 |

Masterlist

word count - 2,348

genre - fluff, romance

warnings - idol!changbin, he goes all out, afab! reader, feminine terms, changbin is emotional, reader is emotional, mf sings a song for you, use of pet names (baby, darling, love, muse), lmk if i missed anything.

the ring

the dress he picked out

“There’s a very pretty girl in the crowd! Can we get her up here?”

It made your heart pound for a second. You were so surprised by Changbin’s words as he stared at you, pointing you out.

You were at a fan meet for your boyfriend of 4 years, and while it was hard to be in a relationship with him as an idol and it being public, you never let it stop you from loving him unconditionally.

Everyone in the crowd already seemed to know who they were talking about as they all squealed, and the two fans beside you shook your shoulders and squealed about it. 

Your ears felt like they were ringing from it, but you couldn’t help but smile shyly from all the attention. It makes you nervous to know what he had planned, but not even most of the members knew what he was doing so it surprised them as well.

-flashback-

“Darling, you’re coming to the fan meet right?” Changbin had asked you from the kitchen. You were sitting on the couch, setting up the snacks on the table that was set out for movie night.

“Yeah! Why are you asking?”

“I just wanted to make sure.” He replied, walking out with the freshly made hot chocolate you loved so dearly.

“Well, it’s good that you were confirming, because if you left without me I would’ve been more than concerned.” You teased, watching him set down the cups of hot chocolate, just before pressing a gentle kiss on your lips.

He sat down next to you and got bundled up in the blankets with you, starting whatever action movie you had put in. You had a little jar with popsicle sticks that had different genres of movies, and it was his turn to pick so he got lucky and got action.

You rested against Changbin’s chest as you watched the movie, occasionally shifting to take a sip of your hot chocolate or to get some of the snacks that were set out, Changbin would also ask you to feed him or hand him his cup of hot chocolate.

Hearing his phone go off, Changbin sat up as he checked his messages. You saw the contact name but not what it had said. It was from Felix, which isn’t out of the ordinary, but he seemed to be smiling at his phone excitedly before shooting a text back and setting his phone face down.

“What was that about?”

“Oh! He just had something to confirm with me.”

“And you smiled because..?”

“He worded it weirdly, it was hard to understand it for a second.” 

He then pulled you into his arms, squeezing you lightly as you got comfortable again.

“Are you gonna dress all pretty for me for the fan meet?” He asked after 20 minutes of silence, he usually never asked what you were wearing so it made you a little confused.

“I’m not sure yet.. You wanna forget this movie and figure something out?” You suggested, looking up at Changbin with an excited expression. He quickly smiled at you and nodded, sitting up and pausing the movie, taking another sip of his hot chocolate as he stood up and stretched.

“C’mon, muse, we don’t got all night!” He hummed excitedly, quickly helping you up. You were amused with his excitement, and you certainly didn’t mind how happy he was acting too.

“You’re more excited than ever, aren’t you baby?”

“Well yeah! I get to pick your outfit this time!” He responded so quickly that it almost gave you whiplash as you walked to your shared bedroom.

The next 15 minutes were him going through an abundance of your dresses. He’d have you try them on and then he’d say no to almost every single one, until you got to a specific floral print light pink dress. The moment he saw it on you he fawned and quickly said yes to it.

“Yes to the dress?”

“Yes to the fucking dress!”

-end of flashback-

You sat at your chair in the room as he began walking towards you. You stared at him with the biggest smile on your face. 

This wasn’t the first time he’s done this, but it felt different this time, like there was a bigger meaning behind this. 

“Will you take my hand and follow me please?” He said into the mic, holding out his free hand, in which you gently nodded and took that hand, standing up carefully as you fixed your dress after sitting for so long.

So many fans squealed and started taking pictures of the two of you. You knew that it would be all over the internet by the end of the fan meet but you didn’t mind. The fans seemed to love you.

With his mic down, you looked at him as he walked back to the mini stage where the long table was, “Binnie what are you doing?”

“It’s a surprise, love. You’ll see.” He whispered to you, standing off to the side with an arm now around your waist, holding you close. 

While it was a strange thing for Changbin to ask you to come up, it wasn’t unusual, so the other members just went about goofing off. He often walked away to join the others just before going back to press a kiss on your cheek or forehead. 

You watched the others in amusement, seeing how they seemed so energetic and happy. 

Deciding to check your phone for a little while, you were now distracted, so that meant it was almost time. Changbin had left your side to whisper to Felix, in which Felix nodded and whispered to Jeongin, who the smiled and nodded excitedly and told Minho, Chan, and Hyunjin, who all three then turned to Han, whispering to him to get the staff to change the music in a few minutes. 

Han then ran off to the back to go inform staff about the plan, who seemed to be in it as well.

You really must’ve been drowned into your phone because you didn’t even notice Felix coming up to you to talk to you.

“Y/N! It's so nice to finally see you again. I was gonna come over earlier but I got distracted.” He explained, in which you put your phone away and nodded quickly.

“Oh no, it’s okay! I get that you’re probably having fun so I don’t mind. How have you been?” You had asked, your attention now turned to Felix.

Changbin was with the others, basically huddled. Felix was your distraction now, because Changbin was getting the ring ready along with humming the words to the song he was getting ready to sing. 

Originally he asked Han and Jeongin, but he felt like this was something that he needed to sing. 

Han showed up after 10 minutes and quickly went to Changbin.

“It’s all set up, so whenever you’re ready.” He whispered, in which Changbin nodded and cleared his throat.

While you were so immersed in the conversation you were having with Felix, You couldn’t help but turn your attention to Changbin who seemed to have a giddy and nervous smile on his face.

You slowly stopped in the middle of your sentence as you smiled at him. He looked so cute to you that you couldn’t help but smile, and especially when he was getting ready to speak.

“So as you all know, Y/N has been my muse for about 4 years now, and you all have been nothing but supportive to the two of us.” He started, him signaling Felix to start nudging you towards the center, and while you complied, you were still so confused. Changbin met you there, pressing a kiss to your nose.

“You also all know how happy I am with her, and with how much I talk about her on bubble I think that's pretty noticeable.” He stood facing you, watching you smile at him and look at him with those eyes he loved so much. He watched as you looked at him with such love and admiration that he was so excited now.

“I have a little song to sing to the love of my life, and I hope that you’ll enjoy it. I hope that she will enjoy it too.” He added, and it caused you to giggle. Is this what felt different?

He then looked over to a staff member who then changed the song… Just The Way You Are, your guys’ song.

He began to sing the song with the confidence you loved so much. You watched as he moved around and sang. He watched you giggle and watch with excitement.

Your cheeks had started to get red as he performed. Fans were recording and watching in awe. Of course none of them knew what was going on, so they all thought you two were just being your usual couple self.

Through the whole song, you didn’t even notice the guys all watching with admiration, seeing how healthy and adorable you both looked together.

It was so hard not to look away from Changbin, and he knew you enjoyed every bit of what was happening, but one thing he was nervous about was the official proposal. 

How would you react? He knew you’d be happy but how happy would you be?

After a few seconds, he had finished the song. He let the fans cheer as he held your hand gently, staring back at you with just as much admiration and love. 

He tilted the mic to you a little after the fans finished.

“Thank you Binnie, it was such a beautiful performance.” You said gently into the mic, in which all the fans awed at you.

He turned the mic back to him, Felix then speaking up, “While it was a beautiful performance, there’s just one more thing that he has for you.” He smiled at you, in which you were now confused. It wasn’t just a performance.

And with a shaky sigh, Changbin began his little speech. 

“Y/N-” He paused for a moment, thinking about the words he had just looked over, “I’ve been,, nothing but happy these past 4 years with you.” He smiled as he spoke, and you smiled in return.

You squeezed his hand with reassurance, and that helped him relax.

“The members can vouch for it, the fans can too. They all see how happy I’ve been ever since I decided to ask you to be my girlfriend. Every moment with you has been such a memorable moment.” He took a deep breath, shifting his grip on the mic he held in his hand.

“I tell you every morning that you look beautiful, even if you haven’t gotten out of bed. I tell you every evening that you look just as beautiful as you did that morning, and I want to keep reminding you that you’re everything to me. I’ve seen you, the real you, and you’re perfect.” 

You mouthed a little thank you to his sweet compliment, heart fluttering at the words falling from his lips.

“You showed me what it’s like to love so hard you forget everything, You’ve given me everything I could’ve ever asked for from a person, and you’ve done so much for me that it’s so hard not to give back.” He let go of your hand to reach for the velvet box in his back pocket.

“I’ve been thinking about these,, moments in our lives. The moment when we grow old and look back, or when we get married, have kids, and tell our kids all about the life we had together.” He was stalling, he was so nervous and you could tell.

He cleared his throat as he held the velvet box in his hand, “But that’s not what I want to think about.. What I want to think about is.. What will you say.” He shifted, carefully getting on one knee and looking up at you.

Oh how badly did you want to start crying. Your heart raced, tears threatening from your eyes. 

Was this really happening?

Changbin kept quiet for a moment, letting the fans squealing die down. The fans were so excited for this, and it was shown from the amount of squealing and cheers for Changbin to go on.

“I love you, Just the way you are.. You’re amazing and I want you to remember that when you look at this ring.. Darling you have been nothing but good to me, and I want to be just as good to you..” He could feel tears brimming at his eyes as he sniffled, a couple of tears falling. That made you start crying as your hands covered your mouth.

“Y/N, I really want to be just as happy as I am with us being boyfriend and girlfriend.. I want to be even happier as Husband and Wife,, if you’d let me?” He swallowed thickly, opening the box to reveal such a beautiful ring.

“Will you marry me, my muse?” He said shakily, setting down the mic on the floor just after turning it off.

You cried for a little while longer as everyone got ready for your answer. 

You couldn’t even form words, and when you tried to speak you stammered and hiccuped.

“Ch-Chang— Changbin..”

He waited anxiously, but patiently.

You sobbed gently, and while you wanted to say it in words, you just couldn’t. 

So you nodded. You nodded frantically and quickly. 

Fans screamed and cheered at this, in which he quickly took the ring out of the box and slipped it on your left ring finger. He was about to stand up but your knees had given out and you came crashing down. He sat on the floor as he pulled you into a warm embrace for a short moment before pulling you into a loving kiss. The first one you’d share in front of fans.

His touch was so gentle, and you had practically drowned out all the cheering.

This was definitely going to be all over the internet.

[canirove]

Best friends… forever? | Chapter 9

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

"So... Aren't you two forgetting something?" Bruno asks Rúben and Mila.

He’s managed to get the whole “Portuguese gang”, as he likes calling themselves, at Bernardo’s house to have dinner one last time before everyone goes their own way for the holidays.

"I don't know what you are talking about" Mila says, her hopes of getting away without Bruno mentioning his favourite topic of conversation, gone.

“What about you, Rúben?” he asks him.

"Nothing" he shrugs.

"Oh, c'mon" Bruno complains, rolling his eyes. "The kiss!"

"Oh, that" Mila whispers, suddenly finding a loose strand on the sofa very entertaining.

"Do we have a video?" Diogo asks.

"Nope" Rúben says.

"You haven't kissed then?"

"We have not."

"Then you must do it. Now."

"Bruno..." his wife warns him. "Let them be."

"Why? We made a deal!" he says.

"But can't you see that something has happened?" she whispers.

"They've been acting very weird since they arrived, that's true" Bernardo adds.

"Did you argue?" Diogo asks them.

"We didn't argue" Rúben replies.

"Then what happened?"

"Oh, nothing, Diogo. Just that before we left the house, Rúben couldn't resist it and he ate me out on the dining table because I apparently looked too beautiful, making the fact that now you all want us to kiss, even more awkward" Mila says to herself.

She knows they won't be happy with just a peck, they'll ask for a proper kiss. And she also knows that, if that happens, she won't be able to hold herself and they'll kiss like they always do, like they need the other to breathe.

And their friends aren’t stupid, they will definitely know something is going on. Something that, besides the fact that she isn’t able to say no to having sex with Rúben, will only put more pressure on her and on trying to figure out what the hell does she feel for him. On what she wants.

"Seriously, guys. Let it be" Bruno's wife says. "You've clearly made them uncomfortable."

"But it is just a kiss!" Bruno protests.

"Ok, fine" Mila says, grabbing Ruben's chin, making him face her and kissing him. It isn't a proper kiss, but it isn't a peck either, so hopefully that'll be enough for them. "Happy?"

"In the slightest" Bruno says, crossing his arms over his chest. "What do you think, guys?"

"I think they could do more" Diogo shrugs. "Girls?"

"I think you all are annoying as hell" his girlfriend says.

"Thank you" Mila replies.

"If we give you a proper kiss, will you finally leave us alone? Do you promise that you will stop?" Rúben asks.

"Promise" Bruno says, moving his hand to his heart.

"Promise" Diogo says, doing the same.

"Alright then" Rúben says, getting up from the sofa and offering Mila his hand.

"This is a mistake" she whispers as she gets up.

"Are you ready?" Rúben asks.

"Ready!" Bruno says, his phone on his hand.

"Then let's get this over with" he says, grabbing Mila’s face with both hands and kissing her.

At first it feels like a normal kiss, nothing different. But then his thumb brushes against her cheek, and the control Mila had, is gone. She kisses him back with more passion, with more need. And so does he. When her hands move to his chest, grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer to her, his do the same, moving from her face to her waist, pulling her even closer to him.

"Holy shit" Mila hears Bruno say when they finally break apart. Her hands are now around Rúben's neck, their eyes fixed on the other, both of them panting a bit. "You've definitely kissed like that before. Definitely."

"I'm pretty sure they've done more than kissing" Diogo chuckles. "These two are already fucking!"

"What?" Rúben and Mila say at the same time, looking at him.

"Don't look at me like that, you know it is the truth" he shrugs. "That's why you were being so awkward around each other today, because you were afraid we would notice."

"That's stupid" Mila says with a nervous laugh.

"Is it?" Diogo insists.

"Are you... Are you guys..." Bruno's wife asks. "I mean, it did look like that wasn't your first kiss."

"But it was" Mila says.

"Ha!" Diogo laughs.

"It was" she repeats.

"That's what you say. What about you, Rúben? Is it true that this is your first kiss?" Diogo asks him.

"It is, yes."

"Liars! Bruno, say something. I'm sure you don't believe them either."

"I don't know if I believe them or not, but that was the hottest kiss I have ever seen" he replies.

"Bruno!" his wife says, hitting him in the arm.

"What? Aren't you turned on? Like, not even a little bit?"

"Oh, God" Mila says, rolling her eyes. "I'm going home."

"Running away because we discovered your secret?" Diogo asks with a teasing smile.

"Fuck you, Dalot" she says, grabbing her bag and leaving.

“Mila… Mila, wait” Rúben says, following her.

“I want to be alone.”

“Let me drive you home.”

“I said I want to be alone, Rúben.”

“But…”

“Alone” she says again without looking at him, his heart shrinking a bit. “I need to be alone.”

“Will you at least text me when you make it home? Tell me that you are ok?” Rúben asks her, moving his hand to grab hers. But she avoids his touch, making the feeling on his chest almost painful.

“I will” she says, opening the door of Bernardo’s house and leaving.

[miracles-and-butterflies]

For Papa Bruno au: How adults react to a childbirth document that Dolores has?

Well…

~~~~~~

Casita trembles as Dolores marches down the stairs, birth certificate in hand. She’s following the sound of Abuela’s voice.

Her Abuela is stood at the bottom of the courtyard, shouting at Mirabel for ruining Isabela’s proposal last night. While her parents, Tía and Tío, and Antonio watch on, without saying a word.

Isabela has chosen this exact moment to reappear, as perfect as always.

“What is going on?” She whispers. “What has the jinx done now?”

As she’s leant over to Dolores, waiting on an answer, she seemingly notices the thing in her hand. And it doesn’t take her long to put two and two together.

She pulls away. “What the hell did you do?” She asks under her breath, sounding betrayed.

Dolores doesn’t answer. She merely continues down the stairs without her cousin.

Camilo has just managed to sprint out of Abuela’s room, still in Isabela’s form. He would have been told off, but the adults aren’t paying any attention and Isabela hasn’t managed to pick her jaw up off the floor yet to say anything herself.

“The cracks started with you,” Abuela was saying, voice full of disdain. Dolores doesn’t want to imagine how Mirabel is taking this. “Bruno left because of you. Luisa’s losing her powers, Isabela’s proposal was ruined, because of you. I don’t know why you weren’t given a gift, but it is not an excuse to hurt this family.”

“Then does Bruno have an excuse?” Dolores pipes up. “Leaving a child would hurt a family.”

The matriarch looks shellshocked.

“Dolores, come here, mija,” her mother instructs, gently. She beckons Camilo, now back to himself over as well, and he gladly takes the chance to slip by Isabela.

Isabela passes Dolores on the stairs, giving her and then Mirabel a cold, hard glare before joining her parents.

Dolores lifts the piece of paper and the pin drops simultaneously for all the adults.

Luisa walks in. She glances around in confusion, having no doubt came back for a quick snack or drink before going back to whatever job she was doing. She also finds herself stopping by her parents.

“…Isabela?” Abuela questions.

“It wasn’t me. I had no part in this.” She scoffs, a little snobbish.

Eyes fell on Camilo.

He shrugged, “What? I’m not the one to blame. It was Dolores’ idea. It’s her fault. And Mirabel was the one who started talking about Tío Bruno in the first place.”

That seems to shift Abuela’s focus, as she returns her gaze onto Mirabel. Maybe her plan is to just continue lecturing Mirabel and Dolores might drop this whole thing before it can go any further.

“No, we are having this conversation. How could you all lie to us? This isn’t some minor issue, this is serious. Life-changing.” Dolores insisted. “Mirabel and her imaginary cracks can wait.”

“T-they were real—”

Abuela cuts over Mirabel. “Dolores Madrigal, you are too old for… you know better than this.”

“Why? Why did you lie to us?” Dolores continued.

“Enough of this nonsense.”

“Is it guilt? Regret? Too painful a memory?”

“Dolores Victoria Estrada Madrigal—”

“By lying to us, aren’t you then also hurting this family—”

“Don’t you dare say—”

“How does that make anyone here better than Bruno—”

“I said enough, Dolores! I will not hear another word about this!”

Dolores takes a breath, calming herself.

“No, no, no!” Her mother cries, suddenly.

But before she can say anything more, a crack makes its way through the centre of the tiles. Spiking all the way up the wall and along to the candle, knocking it clean off its perch.

Of all moments, why the fuck did it have to be now?

The flame flickers, the doors fritz and the whole building shakes.

Her parents balance each other. Camilo grabs ahold of Antonio. Julieta and Agustín only just manage to catch each other. Isabela all but hugs a pillar. Luisa barely flinches at all. A few tiles steady Abuela. Mirabel and Dolores collide into each other, the latter dropping the certificate in the process.

But she doesn’t notice. Too busy staring at Mirabel in shock, while cracks spread around them.

Mirabel sighs, “I told you.”

[rebouks]

Previous | Next

Transcript:

Norma: Why would he promote a lowly pusher such as yourself-.. your words. Ivan: [shrugs] I was good at it? Eugene: Were you pleased at the time?

Ivan: It felt good t’be praised, I s’pose; it’s all smoke n’ mirrors though, ain’t it? I guess he was bankin’ on me being a nutcase. Eugene: Are you? Ivan: Uh, not in the way he wanted.

Norma: So, Kate.. you said she started it all? Ivan: I mean, I told Oscar we were fucked-.. n’ him stumblin’ into that just proved the point. He couldn’t sit on it. Norma: You weren’t privy to that information beforehand?

Ivan: Nah, we were too new for ‘em t’trust us with that. Eugene: What about Mr Clarke? Ivan: Oi, I said I ain’t here t’talk about him.

Eugene: What was Mr Flanagan’s reaction once Oscar found out? Ivan: He threatened him. The whole thing fucked him up t’be honest, I didn’t get the full story until way later. Norma: Fucked him up enough to end up overdosing?

Ivan: How d’you know that? Eugene: We’re good at guessing, but medical records are also a thing-.. speaking of, did you actually shoot yourself? Ivan: No…

Norma: What happened? Ivan: Artie shot me, by accident. Norma: How by accident?

Ivan: He was aimin’ for Bruno. Norma: Because? Ivan: Don’t ask me how that dudes mind worked.

Eugene: Mr Finch and yourself weren’t the only ones who betrayed him, what’s the difference? Ivan: [shrugs] Beats me. Norma: How long had Mr Clarke worked with Mr Flanagan?

Ivan: For him, not with-.. n’ I said what I said. Norma: Alright, alright. Eugene: He’s outside, right?

Ivan: He won’t talk t’you. Eugene: We’ll see. Joslyn: You’re wasting your time.

…

Eugene: Mr Clarke, we’d really-… [Bruno rolls the window up in Eugene’s face, folding his arms and refusing to acknowledge him] Eugene: You’re not in any trouble, we’re just after your side of the story.

Eugene: I understand that you’re dubious, but I think you could tell us a great deal more than Mr Harper, or Mr Finch. … Eugene: I’m not sure why you’re so against helping us put a stop to the trafficking of innocent people.

[Bruno frowns, rolling the window down a smidge] Bruno: Don’t paint me as the villain to further your own agenda, Mr Abrams. Eugene: Aha, you’ve done your research! Come on, can’t I tempt you to humour my nosiness?

Eugene: [sighs] A name, a place-.. anything. Bruno: Wyatt Shaw, Del Sol Valley. Eugene: Ah.. hardly more than we have, but I commend the reluctant cooperation nonetheless.

[immabethehero]

A Starry Night in the Encanto

I DID IT. CROSSOVER WEEK FINALLY COMPLETE. @wdtajn​ IT’S FINALLY DONE

So context: there’s a lovely musical called Starry, based on the life of Vincent Van Gogh. It’s written by Kelly Lynne D’Angelo and Matt Dahan, both very talented. Dahan also did a bit of Starkid. The soundtrack is on Spotify, go listen to it now!!!

🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠

“His hair is red like Mamá’s. Fiery red,” Dolores reports.

“He’s only got art equipment on him,” Isabela says.

“The hummingbirds say a door appeared from a hill and he emerged from it,” Antonio translates, the little birds fluttering around his head.

“He hasn’t said much to anyone, just kind of wandered towards the fields where the donkeys were,” Luisa recalls.

“He’s a lot like you, Tío, weird and artsy,” Camilo admits. This earns him a smack from Dolores.

“So… you think you could try talking to him?” Mirabel asks.

Bruno blinks rapidly, struggling to keep up with all the sudden information. He had just been dreaming of watching sheep and rats dance in a field when a tremor that made his bones rattle and his teeth chatter startled him awake. When he opened his eyes, he quickly surmised the tremor had been all six kids shaking him awake.

“And you want me to talk to him because…” he begins.

“Because like Camilo said in a non-helpful way, he reminds the town of you,” Mirabel answers.

An artist who avoids socializing? Fair enough. Bruno sighs and swings his feet out of the hammock. “Alright, just don’t expect any fascinating conversations to happen.”

“We won’t,” Camilo responds.

*

True to what Luisa said, Bruno finds the man sitting on a rock, painting the donkeys grazing in the field. The stranger wears blue overalls over a yellow shirt, both covered in dried paint splotches. He chews on a spare paint brush as he contemplates his next move. Red hair pokes out from under his straw hat.

Bruno slowly walks over to him, whistling absentmindedly to get his attention. The stranger’s head perks up, but he refuses to tear his eyes away from his masterpiece.

Bruno takes a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “Um, hi!”

No response. The man keeps painting.

Maybe he doesn’t speak English. “Hola!” Still no response.

“Uh… bonjour! Ciao! Habari! Konnichiwa! Guten morgen!” Please say something!

The stranger finally (finally!) turns around. His blue eyes have a sad, faraway look, yet twinkle with determination. They’re also very judgemental, at least to Bruno. “Didn’t know you spoke so many languages.”

Bruno feels his face turn red. “Not really, I just know how to say ‘hello’ and ‘where’s the bathroom’ in many languages.”

The stranger nods and turns back to his painting. Bruno peers over his shoulder to see the work.

“Woah…”

The colours pop out of the canvas, the sky dancing and twirling in a polychromatic tornado. The field boasts just as many hues, every shade of green far more eye-catching than Bruno’s ruana.

The man stops his painting and glares at Bruno. “Can I help you with something?”

“Teach me to paint.”

“What?”

“Can you teach me to paint like you, please?”

The man glances back and forth between Bruno and his painting, confused. “You actually like this?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I’ve never seen the sky and fields painted like that before!” Bruno admits. “It’s… maravilloso!”

The man blushes. “You’d be the first non-family member to say that. My other friends would say it’s too… what’s the word…”

“Messy?” Bruno guesses.

“No… tacky. Something like that.”

Bruno scoffs. “You need new friends.”

The painter laughs. “You flatter me, sir. What’s your name?”

“Bruno Madrigal.”

“Vincent Van Vogh.”

As Bruno shakes Vincent’s hand, his heart begins to beat faster in excitement. There’s something very fascinating about this man.

“Do you need a place to stay?”

“Given my way here has suddenly disappeared, yes. Do you have a motel where I could spend the night?”

“I was thinking perhaps my place? My family's house is big enough to house a guest wandering the Encanto,” Bruno says.

“Encanto?”

“It’s where you are. Encanto, Colombia.”

Vincent’s pale face turns ghostly. “Colombia?! That’s so far from France! How did I get here? How do I get back?!”

Bruno waves his hands nervously. “Don’t worry! This town does all sorts of magical stuff. I’m sure once you’ve settled down and explained how you got here, a way for you to go home will arrive. For now, let’s just settle on finding you a place to stay. I promise my family doesn’t bite. But the pets might.”

Vincent squeaks in response.

*

As they near the brilliant “Casita”, as Bruno calls it, the man suddenly stops Vincent in his tracks.

“Before we get any closer, I need to warn you of some things. This town is known for… its eccentricities, to say the least. For one thing, my house moves independently.”

Vincent nods warily. “Like… it’s haunted?”

Bruno laughs nervously. “No, it just has a mind of its own.”

The two continue on their way, and Bruno motions to Casita. “As you see…”

The window shutters on the top window suddenly swing and the tiles of the roof roll in a wave. Vincent yelps in surprise.

The window shutters shake back and forth slowly, as if waving. Vincent meekly waves back. The door opens (on its own!) to welcome the men inside. Vincent marvels at the building’s beautiful colours. He’ll have to paint it once he’s made sure he’s awake and not just hallucinating. Or dreaming. Or completely losing his mind. Maybe he should have taken up Segatori’s suggestion to see that doctor from wherever-the-heck.

“My family has magic as well. Some are a bit more noticeable than others,” Bruno explains. “For example-”

A roar of thunder echoes through the courtyard, startling Vincent. He looks up. There’s not a single cloud in the sky, how-?

He is soon answered by a tall woman wearing a bright orange dress. Her red hair is pulled back into a pretty braid. She eyes Vincent suspiciously.

“Who’s this, Bruno?” she asks.

“He’s Vincent, he’s… new here,” Bruno explains. He turns to Vincent. “This is Pepa, my sister. She can control the weather.”

Pepa scoffs. “It’s not so much control as it is just summoning clouds when I get emotional.”

“It’s still a very cool gift,” Bruno says. Pepa smiles and shoves him playfully.

“Whatever you say, hermano.”

Vincent hears loud footsteps above and looks up to see six, well, five young adults and one child curiously watching him from the mezzanine.

“Oh boy, there’s two of them now,” the teenaged boy mumbles. The girl with the red headband elbows him hard.

“These are my nieces and nephews!” Bruno says, grinning. “Come on down!”

Once they’re all standing in front of Vincent, Bruno introduces them. Isabela, Dolores, Luisa, Camilo, Mirabel and Antonio.

“Pleased to meet you at last, Señor. What’s your name?” Mirabel asks, pushing her bright green glasses up. Vincent marvels at her beautiful skirt.

“I’m Vincent. Vincent Van Gogh,” the artist says. “Your skirt is very pretty.” So many colours…

“Thank you! I just added some new designs.” Mirabel twirls, allowing Vincent to see the skirt in full.

“Where are you from?” Luisa asks. She towers over all of the kids. Her muscular build would be something Johanna would fawn over.

“Arles. It’s in the south of France.”

“That’s over 8000 kilometers away!” she gasps.

A heavenly scent fills the room. Vincent follows it to another woman approaching, holding a pot. Her curly black hair is swept up in a bun.

“This is Julieta, my other sister. Her cooking can heal any injuries,” Bruno says. “Julieta, this is Vincent Van Gogh.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Julieta says, holding out a gloved hand. Vincent shakes it, startled by all the people. He’s never met a group with such colourful clothing before!

“Where did you come from?” Julieta asks.

“Arles, France.”

“That’s quite far. How did you get here?”

“I was just getting back from a long day of painting when I saw a door glowing in an alleyway. When I went to investigate it, I could hear people and animals inside. So I opened it and walked through and came here. 

“That must have been the door in the hill where the animals saw you come out!” Antonio cries.

“What happened to the door?” Mirabel asks.

“When I turned around, the door was gone.”

The Madrigals glance at each other nervously.

Mirabel holds up her hand. “Family meeting!”

While the Madrigals huddle in Dolores’ sound proof room, Vincent stays in the courtyard, entertained by Casita. The painter has never seen a house juggle before.

“So… what do you guys think? Should we let him stay?”

“Well, now that you’ve invited him, it’s not like we can just throw him out into the streets.”

“Besides, he came from a magic portal. We can’t send him back either. We’ll have to wait for the Miracle to find him another way home.”

“All in favour of letting Vincent stay, say I.”

“I!” twelve voices echo.

*

Casita conjures up a guest room with a reasonably sized window for Vincent to look out. As soon as he sees the view, Vincent requests another canvas and immediately begins painting. Bruno can’t wait to see the result.

He also can’t wait to get to his vision cave. He can’t put his finger on it, but there’s something important, significant, influential about Vincent. His artwork feels familiar, and Bruno knows his Gift can help him solve the mystery. The seer flies through his room and into his vision cave, taking the steps (which have thankfully lessened dramatically) two at a time.

Surrounded by sand, salt tossed and match lit, Bruno begins to search for Vincent Van Gogh’s future.

*

Bruno is the first person Vincent sees in the morning. Grinning, he holds up the finished artwork of his view of the Encanto. The clouds and sunset have never looked so vibrant before, the colourful houses below compliment the beautiful sky.

“You like it? You can keep it if you do! I have so much art in my flat, it’s kind of a problem. I really need to find new homes for them…”

Vincent looks up from his work to see his host’s eyes red and puffy. Without saying a single word, Bruno throws his arms around the shocked painter.

“Bruno? Are you okay?”

Bruno simply hugs him tighter.

*

Unsettled, Vincent decides to paint in the courtyard of the lovely house. Just before he begins pouring his paint, he notices the kids approach him, all holding painting gear. His stomach drops. They’re not going to- 

“Is it ok if we join your painting session?” the girl with the colourful dress asks. “We saw you sitting alone and well, we just thought a good way to get to know our guest is through his favorite activity!”

Vincent freezes. He prefers painting alone, when no one can judge him or tell him how to paint or-

“We’ll be as quiet as possible! We just thought it would be fun,” the tallest girl says. The rest nod, smiles nervous but… honest.

Vincent nods and gestures to the floor, hoping it doesn’t come off as curt. He jumps when the tiles on the floor suddenly move, rolling chairs, easels, and a large table their way. He’s never going to get used to that.

“Alright guys, let’s do it!” the first girl says, setting her painting supplies down. Vincent fakes a smile as the rest of the kids file in.

“Mirabel and Antonio are coming soon,” a girl with a red headband says to Vincent. “Tío Bruno as well, but first he needs to see Julieta because of a headache.” Vincent nods, puzzled. How does she know that? Wait, what’s her name again?

Vincent studies the people around him, trying to remember Bruno’s rapid fire introductions from yesterday. Isabela has the colourful dress, Louise(?) is really tall and muscular, Dora(?) has the red headband. There's also a teenaged boy wearing an orange poncho, or ruana, as Vincent has been informed. He’s already forgotten that kid’s name.

The painter relaxes a little when he sees Mirabel and Antonio (frankly the more approachable kids of the youth) show up. He stops relaxing when he sees what Antonio is riding on. Christ, he’s never seen a cat that big!

“What- what’s that?” he stammers, pointing a shaking finger at the giant cat with razor teeth.

Antonio looks down at his ride. “This is Parce! He’s a jaguar, and he’s one of my best friends!”

“And your parents are okay with this?” Vincent squeaks. Antonio nods happily.

“I can talk to animals! They all love me!” That checks out. Vincent keeps forgetting about the magic part.

“So… I’m guessing you all have magic too?” Vincent asks. 

“Yeah! Luisa has super strength!” the teenaged boy says, pointing to the tall girl. To demonstrate, Luisa lifts up the table with one hand. One. Vincent’s jaw drops. That’s why she’s so muscular! Johanna would love this girl.

“Dolores can hear anything from miles away!” Isabela says, pointing to the girl with the red headband. The girl in question suddenly perks her head up and smiles.

“It seems Tía Julieta is baking a treat for us.” Right on queue, Vincent begins to smell something delectable wafting from the kitchen. Incroyable!

“Isabela can grow any plant at will,” Mirabel says. Isabela waves her hand and a bouquet of sunflowers appears in her hand. She hands them to a stunned Vincent.

“And Camilo can shapeshift into anyone!” Mirabel exclaims, pointing to the teenaged boy. So that’s his name!

Camilo gets up and twirls. In seconds, he transforms into Vincent. The painter gawks at his own clone smiling back at him, though he thinks the smile would suit Gauguin more. Paul always has a smug smile.

“Tía Pepa can control the weather with her mood,” Luisa continues. “And our mamá, Julieta, can heal people with her cooking!”

Vincent realizes one kid hasn’t shown off yet. “What about you? What’s your power?” he asks Mirabel.

Mirabel shrugs. “I don’t have a Gift.”

“She’s our Miracle holder,” Dolores says.

“She keeps us sane,” Camilo adds.

“She’s the heart of this family,” Isabela concludes. Mirabel blushes with pride.

“And what about Bruno? You haven’t mentioned him.”

“Tío Bruno can see the future!” Mirabel says.

The future? As in, what’s to come? Or what could be? Could this explain why Bruno was crying when he saw Vincent this morning?

“Is that why he looked sad to see me? He was so happy when I came to stay, but when I saw him last, he was crying,” Vincent explains. The children exchange worried glances.

“I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about!” Mirabel hastily says. “Why don’t you show us your talent?”

The Madrigal begin pulling out their art supplies, waiting eagerly for the painter to begin. Eyeing them all suspiciously, Vincent resumes pouring paint onto his pallette. 

Vincent decides to do a portrait of Parce, the jaguar lying by Antonio’s side. He begins sketching the outline.

“How long have you been in painting, Señor Van Gogh?” Dolores asks. 

“Almost seven years,” Vincent answers.

“What do you usually paint?”

“Whatever I feel like. Which right now is the giant cat and his fascinating pattern.”

“He’s a jaguar. They’re great swimmers and they can kill with just one bite!” Antonio says.

Vincent dares a peek at Parce, who winks at him. The Dutchman gulps and ducks behind his painting.

Bruno suddenly runs in, carrying his painting equipment and a tray of something that smells devine. “Sorry! Sorry! Got held up with Julieta. Anyone care for some carimiñola?”

Half the snacks are gone in seconds. Vincent quickly grabs one before they disappear entirely. He takes a bite.

All of his senses ignite at once. His skin has cleared, his crops are thriving- He’s found Heaven in this little treat! It’s as if the chef has made it specifically for him. They aren’t kidding when they say Julieta’s cooking is magical!

Bruno chuckles as Vincent begins snatching more for himself. “Julieta has some more left over if needed. Quite the chef, isn’t she?”

“This is magique! Remind me to get the recipe before I go home,” Vincent exclaims between bites. “Also, send my compliments to her.”

“Will do.”

After eating at least three more of the carimiñolas, Vincent continues painting. The rest of the Madrigals contentedly paint beside him, most of them humming or whistling to themselves as they work. Another thing Vincent has learned about the Madrigals: they’re very musical.

Theo and Johanna would love Encanto. Theo would be amazed by all the artwork here. The weather would do wonders for his health. And  the Madrigals! Johanna would consider the Madrigal women her sisters. Theo could chat with the husbands for hours… probably about how much they love their wives. The thought makes Vincent chuckle to himself.

Hours pass. As Vincent finishes his work, the Madrigals begin showing off their paintings. Isabela has painted a cactus with a large orange flower on it. Dolores painted a guitar with little swirly designs on them. Luisa shyly presents the lovely unicorn she drew, mumbling how art isn’t her strong suit. Vincent has to admit, he’s envious of the way she paints equidae. Mirabel shows off a giant butterfly with rainbow wings, while Antonio shares an adorable picture of Bruno’s pet rats. There’s at least fifty rats on that paper, just how many does Bruno own?!

“Camilo, you haven’t shared your artwork yet,” Mirabel points out. The teenager ducks his head, canvas facing his chest.

“It’s… uh… still ongoing,” he mumbles.

“I’m sure it’s fine, just show us already!” Isabela urges.

Camilo reluctantly turns his canvas around. The group stares at the photo, stunned by the results.

Mirabel finds her voice first. “How lovely! It’s a… is it El Mohán?”

“It’s a chicken. Screaming,” Camilo admits. “It’s from the chicken incident, remember?”

The Madrigals begin nodding and smiling. Apprently that’s a story.

Vincent ducks behind his own canvas to keep Camilo from seeing his amused smile. He really hopes the kid doesn’t want to make a career out of art. Oh god, the other painters would be appalled if they saw that. Gaugin would never let the poor boy hear the end of it.

“It’s bad isn’t it?” Camilo wails. “I can’t draw at all!”

“No kidding…” Bruno mutters a little too loudly. Mirabel shoots him a glare while Vincent giggles behind his artwork.

Camilo scowls and stands to face the snickering painter. “My art is very amusing, isn’t it? Why don’t you show us what you made, Señor Van Gogh?!”

Vincent, still chuckling a little, shoots the teen a smug smile and turns his painting around. Camilo immediately sits back down, gawking and stuttering. Vincent’s smile widens.

“I’ve never seen Parce so colourful before!” Antonio squeals. Parce roars in agreement.

“Look at all those colours!” Isabela and Mirabel gush.

“It’s so pretty!” Dolores sighs.

“You’re such a gifted painter!” Luisa exclaims.

Vincent blushes from all the compliments. He’s surprised it made such a hit with this crowd. The other artists would be whining about the bright colours, the Madrigals adore it. Maybe it’s a cultural thing?

Vincent hands the painting to Antonio. “Consider this a little gift.” The child gasps with excitement, warming the painter’s heart.

“Thank you, señor!”

At last, Bruno presents his artwork. It’s of two anthropomorphic rats in masks, one black with a red spider on its shirt, the other wearing a similar outfit, only white with hints of pink and black.

“What is that?” Vincent asks.

“It’s a scene from a movie about people who share magical spider powers! We’re gonna watch it tonight!” Bruno explains.

None of those words are in any religious writings. As far as Vincent knows. “What’s a movie?”

“It’s a thing in the future, it’s where… art moves on futuristic… canvases?” Bruno trails off, words failing him. Vincent looks even more lost.

“Could you show me these ‘movies’ with your Gift? Maybe I’ll understand then,” Vincent finally says.

Bruno’s smile disappears. “You… want to see my Gift?”

“You’re the only one whose Gift I haven’t seen yet, of course I want to!”

Bruno glances at the kids, who nod and motion to Vincent. The prophet turns back to the artist, forcing a smile. “Sure. Let’s do it.”

*

But first, Antonio wants Vincent to help him hang up the “Portrait of Parce”. Bruno silently thanks his sobrino for the extra minutes as he paces back and forth in his room, fidgeting with his ruana. The rats watch their master warily, some crawling to him for comfort. Bruno smiles and picks one up, stroking her back.

The door suddenly opens and Bruno nearly drops the poor rat in surprise. He sets the rat down and turns to see Mirabel.

“Tío? Is everything ok?”

Bruno whines wordlessly and flops face first into the sand. Mirabel crouches beside him and puts her hand on his shoulder.

“You don’t need to worry! Vincent has seen so much weird stuff by now, I’m sure your Gift will look normal compared to everything else!”

Bruno lifts his head up. “It’s not that I’m worried about. I… I saw his future. And I don’t want him to see it.”

Mirabel frowns. “Right… he did ask about that before you showed up.”

Bruno squeaks. “He did?”

“Yeah. He said you were crying. What did you see?”

Bruno hesitates, choosing his words carefully. “He’s been through a lot. Everyone thinks he’s odd, and his paintings aren’t selling. He barely has any friends.”

Mirabel hums to herself in thought. She finally says, “He kind of reminds me of you.”

Bruno scoffs lightly and gently elbows her. “How dare you? I have tons of friends. Human friends, that is!” That’s actually not true, but he hopes Mirabel will humour him.

“You and the town didn’t always see eye to eye, but look at you now! You’re loved and respected in the Encanto! I’m sure it will be the same for him!”

Bruno chuckles sadly. “It’s… it’s not the same where he’s from. It can’t be solved that easily.”

Mirabel huffs. “Well, there has to be something good coming his way! You need to look for the butterfly! Like you did with my future! Surely one nice thing appeared when you looked into his future!”

Bruno ponders this silently, picking at his ruana. He suddenly lights up.

“Actually… there is. It’s the reason I looked into his future in the first place! Gracias, Mirabel!”

*

“So how will this work? Will there be smoke? I’ve got some matches! Do I need to close my eyes? Are there cards involved?” Vincent’s questions are endless as he takes a seat in Bruno’s vision cave. Bruno sits across from him, slightly unnerved by how talkative the painter has become. And to think he didn’t even want to talk to Bruno when they first met!

“You just need to stay inside the circle I made,” Bruno says. “Also be careful of the flying sand. It lets you see my visions, but it also can get into your hair and clothes.”

Vincent shrugs. “I’ll be fine.”

“It’s also going to get very windy.”

“Again, not an issue. I’ve painted in the rain plenty of times, the wind is nothing.”

“How strong is your immune system?”

“Very, now can we please begin?”

Bruno strikes a match and lights up the four leaf piles. He takes a deep breath. Look for the butterfly. Vincent watches with wide eyes.

The wind begins to pick up the sand. The room gently shakes as Bruno’s Gift awakens. Bruno feels his eyes glow and opens them.

“You might want to hang on,” he says, holding out his hands. An amazed Vincent takes them, his own hands trembling.

“Are you okay?” Bruno asks.

“Just shaking with excitement, I think,” Vincent says, gripping Bruno’s hands tightly. “Keep going.”

The sand swirls around them, creating a large bubble that envelops the gentlemen. Vincent gasps as bright green grains of sand begin forming images.

“This is what a movie looks like!” Bruno yells. Vincent watches with anticipation as the outline of a rectangle appears, the images inside moving as people below the screen watch.

“First they show them in these giant theatres before putting the movies on smaller vinyls for people to see whenever they want!” Bruno explains.

“That’s wonderful! Thank you for showing me!” Vincent says.

“While we’re here, there’s something else I wanted to show you!” Bruno exclaims.

“There is?”

“Your future!” Bruno closes his eyes in concentration, willing the good images to come to him. When he opens them, he feels a sense of relief rush through him.

Vincent watches as multiple versions of him appear, each one deeply engrossed in painting. Man, he really needs to fix his posture. When he looks closer, he recognizes a few paintings, but the rest are new to him.

The paintings then float together, each one receiving a fancy frame before lining up side by side. A ribbon holds back what seems to be crowds of people staring at the art. Vincent’s art.

“Thousands of people will come each day to see your art!” Bruno explains. “I’ve always wondered why your art looked so familiar, now I know. I’ve seen it before. These are revolutionary!”

Vincent stares at Bruno incredulously. “Are you sure it isn’t someone else’s art?”

“That was you painting all of them, right? I promise your paintings are going to change lives! People will come from far and wide to see them, inspired by your determination and passion. You’re quite the artist, Vincent Van Gogh.”

A slab of green glass materializes in front of the two men. Bruno takes it and uses it to shield them from the falling sand. He brushes off the last few grains and shows it to Vincent. The picture depicts a lovely view of Vincent’s art, hung up for people to see. The painting in the middle catches Vincent’s eye, one of a starry night over a town.

Bruno rubs his temples, blinking away any red spots in his view. When his vision finally clears, he’s surprised to see the artist wiping away a few tears, still gazing at the piece. Bruno gulps. Did he overwhelm the poor man?

“Did you get sand in your eye? Was it too much?!”

Without saying a single word, Vincent throws his arms around the shocked prophet.

“Vincent? Are you okay?”

Vincent simply hugs him tighter.

*

Mirabel is jolted awake when the door to Bruno’s room opens, tipping her over. She falls flat on her face. She feels a hand pull up her by the arm.

“Sorry, I didn't realize you were here.” It’s Vincent. When she pushes her glasses back up to see him, she’s surprised to see them glistening with tears. Her stomach plummets.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

Bruno appears behind Vincent, his smile bright, but his eyes rather red. “It’s fine, Mirabel. I think Vincent just needs some time alone.”

Mirabel nods and lets the artist pass. She watches him slowly walk to his room, clutching the emerald tablet in his arms.

Bruno gives Mirabel a hug. “Thanks for the advice, kid. I think he really needed to see that.” 

He pulls away from the hug, stumbling. Mirabel grabs his arms to help steady him.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m getting too old for double visions. I’m going to take a nap.” Bruno hobbles back into his room, the door shutting behind him.

“I will never understand artists.” Mirabel turns around to see Camilo leaning on the rail of the mezzanine.

“Camilo, you’re an actor. Isn’t that technically an art?”

“There’s a difference, prima.”

“No there isn’t.”

*

Bruno sees the door first, shimmering and glowing. The doorknob has an encrusted “V” written on. He calls for Vincent.

The prophet and the painter work together to get Vincent’s stuff packed up for him, while Mirabel wraps the vision tablet up in a spare blanket so it doesn’t get destroyed. Included is the recipe for her mother’s carimiñolas.

Vincent holds his painting of the Encanto. “Before I leave, I want you to have this. I don’t have any currency on me, so I hope you’ll take a painting as payment for letting me in.”

Mirabel excitedly takes the artwork. “Gracias! We’ll definitely have to find a nice place for this!” She throws her arms around Vincent. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Señor Van Gogh.”

“It was a pleasure staying here,” Vincent says. Mirabel runs off to hang up the art. She turns back and winks to Bruno.

Vincent turns back to Bruno, smiling. “I’ll miss seeing you every day. It’s not everyday I meet someone as kind as you.”

The compliment makes Bruno flush. “I’ll miss you as well. I’m… so honoured we got to meet. I don’t think I’ll ever meet a friend like you again.”

The painter pulls his friend in for a hug one last time. He feels Bruno’s arms wrap around him. He’s quite certain he’ll never feel the warm embrace of a friendship like this again. He’s never felt so seen before.

Bruno has never felt so seen, so connected before. He almost doesn’t want to let go, feeling a bit colder as Vincent pulls away. He never knew friends like Vincent could do that to him.

Vincent glances at the door. “So… do I just… touch the doorknob?”

“That usually does the trick,” Bruno advises.

Vincent apprehensively touches the doorknob. The glow of the door brightens, brightens, forcing Vincent to shut his eyes. When he opens them, an image of him has been carved onto the door, the outline sparkling with magic. The figure holds a paintbrush and a pallette, reaching up to touch the dancing stars. He gasps.

“Looks like you’re part of this family now,” Bruno says. “Goodbye, Vincent Van Gogh. I hope we cross paths again!”

“We’ll meet again! I promise! ” Vincent says. He opens the door and walks through.

*

Vincent lugs his gear through the door and right into his brother’s house. How convenient. The door closes behind him and the beautiful glow disappears. Vincent smiles sadly. He’ll miss Bruno. 

His thoughts are interrupted by someone running downstairs and into the front hallway. It’s Theo! Immediately Vincent is tackled by his younger brother in a hug. He’s been hugged a lot recently. Vincent happily returns it.

“Hello, brother!”

“You’re here! Oh thank God, I was so worried!” Theo exclaims.

“What?”

Theo pulls out of the hug and begins checking Vincent for injuries. “Where were you, Vincent? Paul wrote to us and said he hasn’t seen you for four days! You couldn’t be found! What happened to you? Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine. I feel great, actually!” Vincent responds. “A family looked after me.”

“I’ll be sure to send them my thanks,” Theo says. “Where was this family? In a different country?!”

That’s not far from the truth. “They live…” Vincent trails off. There’s no logical way to explain where he’s been, or even how he got there. Even if he did try, what if someone heard him? Arles would have even more to say against the artist. He shakes his head.

“It’s a long story… But I did get a new recipe I want you and Jo to try-”

Right on cue, Johanna appears from around the corner and runs to hug Vincent.

“There you are! I’m so glad you’re back, Vincent!” she cries. “Where were you?”

“Like I told your husband, it’s really complicated-”

“Why don’t you stay at our place for the night, then you can head back to Arles!” Jo immediately begins dragging her brother-in-law to the couch.

“Can I unpack first? I need to find a place for my stuff-.”

“No worries, there’s a free bedroom at the end of the hall!”

As they organize the free room, Vincent unwraps the vision tablet on his bed. Where could he keep this?

“Oh my goodness! That’s a gorgeous piece of art!” Theo exclaims. “Who made that?”

“My friend Bruno,” Vincent says. “It’s a… talent of his.”

“Then we’ll definitely have to find somewhere to hang it up,” Theo says. “He’s very talented.”

“He’s Gifted,” Vincent agrees. “And a great friend.”

*

“How come you never told us Vincent was a famous artist?!” Camilo whines. “It would have been nice to know that before I showed him a drawing of a screaming chicken!”

“You never asked, kid,” Bruno says with a chuckle. “Besides, he’s not famous yet, I don’t think. You still have time to right your wrongs.”

Camilo faints onto the couch, howling dramatically.

“This is amazing! I knew he had a Gift for painting, but this is exquisite!” Mirabel says, studying the painting. After much deliberation, the Madrigal family decided to hang it up in the mezzanine, where anyone passing by could be reminded of their friend. “And he really drew this from a view in his window?” Bruno nods.

“I can’t believe we got to meet an internationally celebrated painter!” Isabela gushes. “I the Miracle will let us meet him again.”

“I’m sure we’ll see each other again,” Bruno says. “He promised we would.”

Camilo sits up. “Oh yeah? What gives you the idea he’ll somehow magically appear again?”

Bruno winks. “20-20 vision.”