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im-just-a-br0adway-baby · 9 months ago

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To say that being a single mother of triplets was tough would be an understatement, especially for Alma Madrigal. Not only that her children would run circles around her whenever they could, but their development was visibly different, despite being the same age. It has become more apparent now that the triplets have recently turned three years old. Julieta and Pepa were saying so many words and even Pepa started reading the signs they saw on their walks in the village. Bruno, on the other hand, was not saying anything. Every time sound came out of his mouth, it was still completely incomprehensible.

While Julieta and Pepa both understand what Bruno was trying to communicate, mainly because he smiles or nods most of the time they are together, Alma still thought about what would happen when they started school the coming fall. She did not want to hold Bruno back, she wanted him to go to school with his sisters. At the same time, she was concerned about the fact that none of the preschools in the Encanto was going to enroll him unless his language improved.

It was not until one day when Alma’s fears would begin to shrink. She picked the triplets up from daycare one Friday afternoon and the mother and children walked through the village together. One of her friends, Rosa, saw her and she stopped to talk to her.

“Hola, Alma! I know you told me about how concerned you were about Bruno’s language, but I found someone that I think would help!” Rosa said.

“You did?” Alma responded.

“Si; there’s a speech and occupational therapist that just transferred to the Encanto, Dr. Valeria Martinez.”

Rosa then handed Alma a small business card with Dr. Martinez’s name and address handwritten on it. She looked at the business card and smiled before putting it in her dress pocket.

“Gracias, Rosa! I hope to get to see her on Monday with Bruno and talk to her about what’s been going on.”

“De nada, Alma; and good luck!”

Alma hugged her friend with a smile and continued walking with the triplets. They continued walking in the village square until they got back to Casita and the triplets dropped their backpacks on the couch. The three went into the living room to play with their toys and Alma sat on the couch in the courtyard and took Dr. Martinez’s business card out of her dress pocket. She stared at the card and smiled.

“I hope my prayers will be answered with you.”

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Once Monday rolled around, Alma took the triplets to Dr. Martinez’s office after picking them up from daycare. They walked into the office to see Dr. Martinez sitting at her desk and sat in front of her.

“Hola! You’re here for a consultation?” Dr. Martinez asked.

“Si; my friend gave me your business card and I wanted to talk to you about doing a session with my son, Bruno. I have triplets and I’ve been noticing he’s not meeting the same language milestones as his sisters and now that they all turned three, it’s beginning to concern me. I don’t want to hold him back when they start preschool next year, but I know none of the preschools in the Encanto are going to enroll him unless he can at least acquire some language skills,” Alma explained to the therapist.

Dr. Martinez took the notes in her pad. “How long has this been going on?”

“Since Julieta started talking. Pepa started talking super early and even started saying three and four-syllable words before their second birthday. I originally figured Bruno was just going to be a little bit delayed since Pepa and Julieta started talking at different times. But now that they’re three and he’s still not talking, it’s worrying me.”

Dr. Martinez continued writing what Alma was saying in her notes. “Would it be okay if I took Bruno into my office so I can get to know him a little bit more?”

Alma nodded and Dr. Martinez and Bruno made their way to her office as Alma waited in the front with Julieta and Pepa. They sat at a little table together and faced each other. Bruno looked at Dr. Martinez and studied her as she smiled at him.

“Hi, Bruno! I’m Dr. Martinez. Would you like a toy?”

Bruno stared at Dr. Martinez and reached out for her arm. He squealed in excitement and began feeling her arm until he started to hold her hands. He smiled and Dr. Martinez gently removed his hands and got up from the table. She came back with a shape sorting cube and gave it to Bruno. She took out the star toy and showed it to him.

“Star,” Dr. Martinez said as she showed the toy to him.

She then put the star inside the star hole. Bruno smiled and tried to repeat her, and sound was coming out, but he could not get the syllables. Instead, he grabbed the circle toy and put it in the circle hole.

“Circle,” Dr. Martinez emphasized.

Bruno made another noise that was incomprehensible. He tried as hard as he could to say “circle”, but all he could do was make the same incomprehensible noises he’s been making this entire time. Dr. Martinez continued writing notes in her pad as Bruno continued playing with the shape sorter and making noises.

For the rest of the session, Dr. Martinez brought out more toys and said more words associated with the toys as Bruno attempted to say them. He continued playing with the toys until the hour they had together was finished.

Bruno and Dr. Martinez came back to the front after their session to see Alma, Julieta, and Pepa waiting for them. Bruno ran to Julieta and Pepa and they hugged him as tightly as they could. Dr. Martinez took out her notes to review the session to Alma.

“During our session, it seems to be clear that he’s trying his hardest to repeat what is being said to him. The sound is coming out, but he’s having trouble with the syllables. My best suggestion would be to focus on very specific syllables before having him speak full words. I have a couple of exercises that could help him in this folder,” Dr. Martinez explained as she gave Alma the folder she mentioned.

Alma went through the folder and found several sheets with specific syllables for Bruno to work on at home. “Gracias, Dr. Martinez; this should help Bruno with the first step in speaking.”

Dr. Martinez smiled and shook Alma’s hand. “I hope this will help him. I’ll see you next week.”

Alma and the triplets left the office and walked back to Casita. Julieta and Pepa asked Bruno lots of questions about Dr. Martinez and if she was nice. While Bruno could not answer with words, the girl still knew that he liked her.

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Several weeks have passed, and Bruno has made progress with pronouncing one syllable at a time. While he has not said a word just yet, Alma was feeling optimistic about his speech because of the progress he was making. It was not until one early spring day when the triplets were drawing together in Casita’s courtyard when Alma’s prayers would be answered.

“Look what I drew!” Pepa exclaimed as she held up her drawing of herself, Julieta, and Bruno together outside on a sunny day under a rainbow.

“I love that picture!” Julieta replied.

The girls expected Bruno to make another noise to show how much he liked the picture, but instead, he pointed to where Pepa drew herself. He did not remove his finger from the paper and opened his mouth to try and say what he wanted to say.

“Pepa!” Bruno said in a way that was still a little bit slurred, but still pretty easy to understand.

Julieta and Pepa looked at Bruno simultaneously in shock as their mouths dropped open. Before they could run to their mother, Bruno pointed at the picture again, but this time, to where Pepa drew Julieta.

“Juli!” Bruno said as he smiled.

Julieta’s and Pepa’s smiles grew wider as they screamed in excitement. Alma overheard her daughters’ screaming and ran into the courtyard from the kitchen, originally assuming somebody got hurt.

“¿Qué está sucediendo? Is everyone alright?” Alma asked as she saw her triplets still on the floor together.

“Did you hear Bruno?” Pepa asked, still smiling.

“He said our names!” Julieta added.

“I… I showed him my drawing and he pointed to me in the drawing and said my name! Then he pointed to Julieta and said her name!”

Alma looked at Bruno and he pointed at Pepa’s drawing of herself again! “Pepa!” he said again and smiled. Alma put her hand on her mouth and cried tears of joy. Bruno pointed at Julieta on Pepa’s drawing and said “Julieta!”

Alma continued crying and picked Bruno up and hugged him. She cried more in his ruana and Bruno hugged her back. Julieta and Pepa ran up to Alma and hugged her and reached for Bruno to give him a hug.

“Mama!” Bruno said as he went back to hug his mother.

Alma’s eyes widened and she looked at Bruno when she heard him say “mama.” She held him closer and tighter as she cried more. “Asi es! Mama! I’m Mama, Brunito! Mama!”

Alma put Bruno down and Julieta and Pepa gave him the tightest hug they possibly could. Bruno hugged his sisters back and they sat back on Casita’s couch together. Alma went back into the kitchen, still crying tears of joy, as the triplets continued drawing their pictures together while waiting for dinner to be ready.

“Bruno talks!” Pepa pointed out as she and Julieta hugged again.

“Bruno talks!” Julieta repeated.

“Bruno!” Bruno repeated when he heard his sisters say his name.

Julieta and Pepa looked at each other, and then at Bruno. They screamed again and looked at Bruno in excitement and hugged him once more. “You’re saying more words, Bruno!” Pepa yelled.

Bruno smiled and hugged his sisters back until Alma came back to the courtyard from the kitchen. She saw her triplets still celebrating Bruno’s milestone and sat on the couch until her children were finished screaming.

“Dinner’s ready, mijos.”

The triplets ran into the kitchen for dinner and to tell Alma about how Bruno just said his own name.

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The months following the triplets’ first official day of preschool saw much more progress in Bruno’s language. Ever since he said his sisters’ names for the first time, he was pointing to more objects and saying more words. Dr. Martinez has noticed this progress during every one of Bruno’s speech sessions since. At his first session after the triplets’ fourth birthday, Dr. Martinez noticed he was much closer to being on par with the rest of his peers in his language development.

Bruno was talking more to his classmates and Julieta and Pepa could even have more conversations with him. This also helped Bruno build his confidence over time. In their toddler class, his teachers did not think he was going to meet the same milestones as his sisters because of his language delay and he was not verbally telling his teachers anything. Now that he is speaking more, his teachers have noticed he understood what they were saying the entire time, he was just having trouble verbally expressing himself.

Bruno left his session with Dr. Martinez, feeling more confident than he ever was before. He not only was saying more words, but was also saying short phrases.

“How was your session?” Alma asked as she and the triplets started walking into the village and back to Casita.

“I liked it!” Bruno responded with a smile.

“Was it fun?” Julieta asked.

“It was!”

The Madrigals continued walking and talking about Bruno’s session. The fact that Alma could have a conversation with Bruno now made all of her fears disappear. She could finally understand him and she felt like she could have a stronger relationship with him; and Bruno loved having a better relationship with his mother and sisters.

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jartita-me-teneis · 2 months ago

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Visión nocturna, profundidad de campo precisa, retráctil en batalla, con un tercer párpado y además adaptado para ver diferentes objetivos a la vez, el ojo del cocodrilo es una obra de arte.

Aunque la mayoría de los animales tienen la fóvea (la ‘pepa’ del ojo) esférica, los cocodrilos la tienen en forma de raya vertical, esto les permite tener un mayor rango de visión general, en lugar de tener una visión enfocada en un solo objetivo, como nosotros los humanos. Gracias a esto pueden quedarse en superficie, pudiendo observar todo el terreno sin necesidad de mover los ojos ni la cabeza.

Tener los ojos al frente de su cabeza les da una profundidad de campo más precisa, a diferencia de la mayoría de reptiles que tienen los ojos a los lados. El tercer párpado es transparente, lo que protege sus ojos bajo el agua.

Tienen una capa reflectora detrás de la retina llamada “tapetum lucidum” que les permite ver en la oscuridad. Esta es la misma capa reflectora que tienen los félidos para ver de noche.

Como si no fuera suficiente, tienen una placa llamada “anillo esclerótico”, que les permite retraer sus ojos en batalla, lo que les ayuda a cazar presas sin recibir daño en los ojos.

No por nada los cocodrilos son uno de los depredadores más efectivos y longevos del reino animal, con un aspecto primitivo pero con tecnología de punta.

Reino animal

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sokkas-first-fangirl · 1 year ago

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As usual I'm bad at specifics but: in the mood for something cute and fluffy with Isa and her dad.

Dear Disney: let them bond, you cowards 👏👏

It had been a week since Isabela's Gift Ceremony and her delight still radiated from her, warming everyone around her like Pepa's sunshine. She was utterly giddy with glee, practicing frequently throughout the day, eager to see what flowers she could grow. She'd told Agustín, quite solemnly, that she wanted to make the perfect flower crowns for everyone.

"They need to be right," she said stoutly, showing him a pretty daisy chain. "I want them to be pretty."

"Anything you make will be wonderful, Isa," Agustín said, ruffling her hair. She huffed and adjusted her braids, tutting like she was the adult and he was the child. Still, she smiled, her eyes sparkling.

Practically every time he saw her, Isabela was focusing on her flowers. Bouquets, flower crowns and necklaces, handfuls of flowers and scatterings of petals. Her little face was scrunched up in concentration and her grin was infectious whenever she got the results she wanted.

"Papí, look!" she'd cry, or "Mamí, come see!" and she'd run to them, proudly showing them the flowers. Julieta proudly displayed them in the kitchen, in their room and put Isa's prettiest bouquet in the living room.

After another week of practice, Isabela came running to Agustín as he played piano. Without a word, giggling to herself, she plopped a flower crown on his head.

"There!" she said, clapping her hands. "It's pretty!"

When Agustín gently took the crown off to look, his already beaming smile widened even more. Isabela had given him a crown of carnations and peonies, all in delicate shades of pink and white.

Agustín proudly put the flower crown back on his head and pulled Isa onto the piano bench next to him. She squirmed in his hug, grinning up at him.

"It's beautiful, mija," he said gently. "Muchas gracias, I love it."

#answers #asks #isabela madrigal #agustin madrigal #prompts #my writing #encanto #encanto fanfic #snippets

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egoycrimen · 8 months ago

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Ego,crimen e historias.

Hoy presentamos a “Pepa WEK”

Antes que nada voy a dar las gracias a Don Pepa por tomarse el tiempo de compartir sus opiniones y experiencias en esta serie de preguntas hechas a modo de entrevista , también le doy las gracias a todos los que están bancando la toma con la pagina ya sea dando like o compartiendo publicaciones o comentando la verdad que sin ustedes la pagina no seria nada , desde ya muchas gracias a ustedes y sin nada mas que agregar le damos pie a la entrevista.

¿Como empezaste a pintar graffitie?

Y en realidad a bocetear y dibujar eso del 2017/2018 porque un amigo de secundaria lo hacia y me empeso a llamar la atencion, despues para eso del 2019 arranque a pintar todo lo que veia sea pared, chapa, vidrio lo primero que se me crusaba era spot y nada mas.

¿Por que seguís pintando graffitie?

Sigo pintando porque ya basicamente es algo de mi, es como que me digas ¿y porque respiras? es algo que necesito como algo que quiero, tampoco la exagero en decir "si no pinto me muero" porque eh estado semanas y meses sin pintar pero siempre con una manija de encontrar algo en la calle o tener algo a mano y dejar una marca, mas la idea de viajar conocer otros escritores compartir tu experiencia que ellos teden la suya es algo inrremplazable, dejar algo que quisas dura años y cuando vuelvas sigue ahi, el decir bueno me voy a la concha del mono pero en la concha del mono ay alguien que te juna y podes conectar algo.

¿Que es lo que te queda por hacer?

Lo que me queda por hacer de apoco lo voy logrando, tratar de vivir de esto, tanto sea haciendo murales o vendiendo pintura, sobrevivir con lo que uno ya sabe.

¿Como haces para mantenerte activo a pesar de la fuerte crisis económica que se esta pasando por Argentina en este momento?

Por suerte me mantengo con una rotisería familiar,mas que también vender cosas de skate,así que a pesar de la crisis trato de pasarla lo mejor posible,mas que todo aumenta esta mas complicado comprarse algún tubo(lata), las brochas de hace un mes ya están en las ultimas pero por suerte la calle siempre avala.

¿Cual fue tu peor experiencia pintando?

La peor que recuerde fue en un evento de graffitie que realizaba un ex-miembro de mi crew , tubo un conflicto con una persona del lugar y habia llevado un fierro(arma)..una rre secuencia se armo , me meti a separarlos mientras el loco tenia el fierro(arma) en la mano , toda la gente que habia venido de zona sur ,norte y otros lados hasta acá zona oeste a pintar,se hicieron un viaje de mas de 3 horas para pintar y un boludo cago todo el ambiente por llevar un fierro y discutir. Por suerte no paso a mayores , solo piñas y puterio pero la cuento por mala experiencia porque fue un bajón que muchas personas de diferentes lugares tengan que presenciar eso.

¿Cual fue tu mejor experiencia pintando?

La mejor experiencia es la de viajar , conocer es algo que vale mucho la pena decir…bueno me voy a tal lado y en ese lugar hay alguien esperándote para pintar , conocer lugares que si no fuera por el graffitie no hubiera conocido , estar pintando y que alguien se acerque y te regale plata o algo para tomar , que solo por estar haciendo lo que te gusta te paren y te digan

¿cuanto cobras por eso? tengo una pared para que me pintes…experiencias únicas que solo por hacer graffitie se encuentran

¿Que es lo que se necesita para empezar a hacer graffitie ilegal en buenos aires?

Y…yo diría que nunca dudarla,ya que cuando dudas en hacer algo y la pensas en el tiempo que la pensaste perdiste,siempre ir con las ideas claras y pensar que si te atrapan o terminas en la comisaria son los gajes del oficio y nada mas.

¿Tenes proyectos a futuro?

Mi proyecto a futuro ya lo ando materializando , crear mi propio graffshop de escritores para escritores.

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panfluidme · 2 months ago

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Part Ten

Master Post, Part Nine

Félix and Dolores walked around, calling Mirabel's name, looking for any sign of their missing relative. Dolores sighed heavily and looked at the ground.

"We'll find her. I just know it."

"What if she's hurt?" Dolores questioned. She was worried about her cousin.

"Then we'll get her some help."

"W-what if it's really bad and we're too late?" Dolores said, her mind racing at the thought of her cousin possibly being hurt.

"Mija. We'll find her and give her help if she needs it."

"But what if she's-"

"Dolores. Don't think like that."

"It's hard not too!" Dolores paused. "I'm just... worried about her."

"I know, but we'll find her and she'll be okay." Félix and Pepa had said the same thing when they were looking for Camilo as well as Mirabel.

Dolores nodded and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "You're right, Papá. I'm sure she's okay. Mirabel strong, independent, and resourceful. I'm sure she can handle herself."

"She is. I know she wouldn't leave without bringing some of Tía Julieta's food with her."

Dolores nodded, taking another deep breath, "sí, sí."

"She's also smart."

"Sí. She can probably handle herself until we find her." Dolores noted.

"And we will find her."

"I hope so..." Dolores said, still worried about her cousin.

Félix gently kissed her forehead. "It'll be okay."

"Gracias, Papá. I needed that." Dolores smiled softly at her father.

He nodded and smiled back. "Of course, mija."

Dolores kept walking, occasionally calling out Mirabel's name. Félix did the same, trying not to let his own worry and doubts show.

Both of them hoped Mirabel was okay. They didn't want her to be hurt.

Little did they know, she didn't even know who she was anymore. She was freaking out internally as she tried to piece things together.

She didn't know who she was, where she was, how she got there, why she's alone, where her family was, if she even had a family, she didn't know anything. She hoped that her family, if she had one, wasn't too worried about her.

There had to be some reason she was out there alone. A good reason why she was alone and not with anyone.

If she did have a family, what happened to them? She was starting to think that maybe her family abandoned her, but she didn't know.

She hoped that everything was okay.

She continued walking. She walked in the same direction for awhile before she heard voices calling out.

"Mirabel?!"

She looked back at the bag she was wearing, noting the word stitched on there yet again and repeated it to herself quietly, "Mirabel..."

"Mirabel?!" A different voice called out.

She looked up from the bag and looked around her. She wasn't sure who Mirabel was, but she felt like these people looking for Mirabel could help her as well, not knowing that her and Mirabel are the same person.

"Hello?" She called out cautiously. "Who's there?!"

"Mirabel? It's Tío Félix and prima Dolores."

She didn't recognize any of those names. She walked in the direction she heard the voices from. She walked through some bushes to see two people standing in a clearing. She made eye contact with each of them. She was clearly terrified, having no idea who these people were.

The man walked up to her. "See?"

Mirabel took a tiny step back. "Uhhh, do I know you?" She asked nervously.

Dolores then noticed the dried blood on the side of Mirabel's forehead.

Félix frowned. "I'm Tío Félix."

"Sorry..." Mirabel started. "The name doesn't ring any bells..."

Dolores approached Mirabel cautiously. "What's your name?"

Mirabel paused. "That, I also do not know." She rubbed the side of her forehead where she the dried blood was.

Félix spotted the blood. "What's the first thing you can remember?"

"Uhm." Mirabel thought hard for a moment. "I don't... know..."

Félix slowly nodded. "Let's get you home, your mamá will be able to help."

Mirabel wasn't sure if she should trust the two. Neither of them felt familiar.

Dolores sensed that Mirabel didn't know if she could trust them. "You can trust us. I know you don't remember us or anything, but we're your family." She gave an assuring smile to her cousin.

Mirabel suddenly felt like she could trust them. She gave a small smile back at Dolores. "Okay..."

"Let's get back to Camilo and Pepa."

Part Eleven

#outside world #encanto #mirabel madrigal #camilo madrigal #dolores madrigal #disney #disney au

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arandomperson5647 · 1 year ago

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Encantober 2023 - Day 13: Fear

When the cracks in Casita had worsened, a sense of dread had filled the house. Julieta Madrigal stared in shock as Casita rumbled and the cracks grew more and more. The previous day had been so joyful, it was crazy to realize how much can change. She couldn't believe the stuff she heard her mother say to Mirabel. She'd have to have a stern talking to later, but now was definitely not the time. A strong shudder caught everyone off guard; Julieta and Agustín held onto each other to keep balance. Julieta heard a snapping sound that was particularly close, but she couldn't tell were it came from- "GUYS LOOK OUT!" Luisa shouted as she picked her parents up and ran just before a pile of debris could land on them. Despite loosing her gift, years of working out had still made her stronger than the average person. Julieta and Agustín glanced at her in thanks, there was no time for a verbal one. As they were let down, a yelp was heard from the other side of the courtyard. Julieta turned to see Isabela and Camilo fall from the second floor. "Are you guys okay? Are you hurt?" she quickly asked as she helped them up and led them to the front door. They could only nod before being interrupted by a loud thud. The trio almost screamed in horror at the sight of Antonio almost being crushed by his own door. Julieta quickly pushed her hija and sobrino in the direction of the front door before quickly scanning the scene. 'Alright, I just got Isa, Luisa is helping mamá, and…wait. Where's Mirabel?!' With her heart suddenly dropping to the pit of her stomach, Julieta desperately looked around to find her youngest daughter. It didn't take long to find her….ON THE ROOF?! Was her daughter trying to grab the candle?! "Mirabel!" Julieta cried, fighting Castia's urges to get her out. "MIRABEL!!" Either Mirabel didn't hear or she simply ignored Julieta. Casita's tiles finally caught a grip on Julieta, sending her, and anyone else trying to resist, backwards. The Madrigals were flung outside, away from the danger. Julieta quickly got up to see her daughter still going for the candle. "MIRABEL! Mirabel, LEAVE IT!" she desperately shouted, hoping her daughter would just listen. She watched in horror as more cracks surrounded Mirabel, debris threatening to topple down. Mirabel wasn't going to back down. There were distressed cries from the others, but none convinced the girl to get to safety. Julieta couldn't believe she's willing to risk her own life for the miracle. She couldn't believe everyone thought the miracle was worth more than their own lives… Julieta shrieked as Bruno's tower came toppling down and Mirabel slid off the roof, out of Julieta's sight. The sound as the bricks and tiles came crashing down was deafening. Julieta prayed that her daughter was alright. If something happened to her baby girl, she'll never forgive herself.

Not even a second after the dust cleared, Julieta raced through the rubble to find Mirabel, fearing the worst. "Mirabel!" The lack of response worried her, but didn't last long as she quickly found Mirabel. Oh, gracias a Dios, she was alive! Julieta wanted to hug her, but didn't want to risk worsening any potential injuries. It was already a miracle she survived. "Mirabel, are you hurt?" Julieta asked, cupping her daughter's face. Mirabel only shook her head. She seemed devastated about something but Julieta couldn't tell what. It didn't take long for her to notice the burnt out candle. "Mirabel…" Before Julieta could comfort Mirabel, she heard her sister calling for her. "Julieta, come quick!" Julieta hesitated before Pepa called again; it sounded urgent. "Don't move," she told Mirabel, "I'll be right back." Reluctantly, Julieta went to see the matter. Luisa had went in shock from the whole ordeal and Pepa called Julieta and Agustín to help. After calming Luisa down and deciding she'd be okay with only Agustín, Julieta turned to see Mirabel again….only to find she wasn't there. "Mirabel…?" Julieta's heart rate accelerated as she looked around. Where did she go?! "Mirabel!!" Julieta rushed around the debris, hoping to find her again. "Where's Mirabel? Where is she?!" Everyone could hear the panic in her voice as she called. "MIRABEL?!" Mirabel wasn't anywhere in sight. The entire family searched to find her, but there was no trace. It was already dark, something could happen and no one would know or could help her. If she got hurt, she couldn't heal with her mother's food and she could be suffering by herself. These thoughts only made Julieta panic even more. "No, nonononono, this can't be happening," she muttered to herself. She wished this was all just a nightmare and that she'd wake up to everything back to normal. It was a "nightmare", just not the type you dream. "She has to be here somewhere."

It was the middle of the night, and no one had found or heard Mirabel yet; not even the villagers. Pepa, Félix, Isabela, Dolores, Luisa, and Camilo agreed to take shifts searching for Mirabel. Pepa, Isabela, and Camilo took the first half of the night, then Félix, Dolores, and Luisa would take the second half into the morning, assuming she isn't found yet. Alma would stay with Antonio, who was too young to go searching and needed his sleep. Understandably, Julieta and Agustín persisted that they'd search the whole night. It took some convincing, as everyone knew they'd eventually need rest, but this was their daughter at stake and nothing was going to stop them. Julieta and Pepa both searched in the nearby field in different sections. They agreed to meet back at Casita's debris in a few hours. Even then, there was no sign of Mirabel. Pepa was on her way back, disappointed she couldn't find anything. She was very worried for her sobrina, but there was no time for panic. Julieta was already worried enough as it is. For once, Pepa had to be strong for her. Besides, she felt a little guilty taking Juileta away for a moment, letting Mirabel run off. As Pepa got closer to Casita, she could hear light whimpers, causing her to quicken her pace. She found Julieta sitting on a flat surface, tears flowing and lightly sobbing. Pepa's heart broke at the sight. "Juli?" she quietly asked, slowly approaching her sister. She did not know what to do; she was never the comforting type. Eventually, she spoke again, "…Would you like me to sit with you?" Julieta nodded, slightly moving over to make room. After sitting down, Pepa offered a hug, to which Julieta immediately accepted. While she didn't know what happened, Pepa could probably guess. Julieta had reached her breaking point. The stress and fear built up so much to the point where she broke down. Pepa knew what that felt like. "What if we don't find her?" Julieta suddenly asked. It was so quiet, Pepa had almost missed it. "What if something happened to her and we never know?" Oh no. Pepa was not gonna let her sister go down a spiral of "what ifs". It only led to even more stress. "Juli, look at me," she said, holding onto Julieta by her shoulders. "Trust me when I say this, she will be okay. We'll find her and she'll be safe. She's a smart girl and she'll know what to do if something happens. Everyone's looking for her, so we should be able to find her soon. She couldn't have gotten too far." She wiped a tear from Julieta's eye. "Don't stress yourself out too much. When we find her, she will be okay." Julieta seemed to have calmed down a bit, but she was still tearing up. "Come on," Pepa said, "Breath with me." Pepa started taking a deep breath in, and slowly exhaled. Soon, Julieta followed suit. Julieta would usually have Pepa breath with her if the latter needed comforting. Pepa was glad to realize it was just as effective on her sister. After a few moments, Julieta's eyes stopped watering and she began to breath normally. It was silent for a while before she spoke, "Thank you for doing this. It means a lot." Pepa smiled. "It's no problem, I'll do anything for you. It's about time I return the favor anyways." It wasn't long until Agustín came back, and Pepa briefly explained what happened. It was decided that the couple should rest before starting their search again.

The search finally ended the next morning. Julieta and Agustín were making their way back to Casita when they heard some kids shouting. "She's back! She's back!" They perked up at this, before sprinting to Castia as fast as they could. The church bells were ringing, increasing their hope. Agustín had tripped on the way but told his wife to keep going. "Mirabel?!" she called. She rounded a corner to find her baby girl, safe and sound. Neither Julieta or Mirabel wasted time running to each other. "Mamá…" Mirabel said as they warmly embraced. Julieta could feel the tears of joy in her eyes. That moment was the biggest wave of relief she has ever felt, and hopefully it stays that way.

#encanto #encantober #encantober 2023 #julieta madrigal #pepa madrigal #mirabel madrigal #encanto fic #there we go my first encantober entry #also my first time writing smth original for encanto

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foreveranevilregal · 2 years ago

Note

Basic trope I really want to see😌:

Pepa and Felix just started dating or aren't dating yet, and there's a situation where they have no choice but share the same bed

If you can make it rather super fluff or suggestive but not smut

I'm back! Sorry this took so long, I just really wanted to get the idea right. Enjoy!

“Thank you so much for taking us in, doña Alma,” Félix’s mother gushed as the other woman opened the door to let them in.

“Claro, I am always happy to help, Antonia.” Alma stepped aside to allow the family to enter. “As long as we’re here, no one in our encanto will go unhelped.”

Antonia gave a grateful nod before fixing her youngest with a stern glare. “Of course, we wouldn’t need the help if someone hadn’t used the stove by himself when he knows he’s not supposed to.”

Her pronouncement was met with murmurs from the Madrigal triplets. Julieta let out a soft “Oh, Felipe…”

Felipe turned around guiltily; the edges of his mouth crusted over with crumbs. “Lo siento, mamá,” he mumbled around a mouthful of food. “I was just hungry and thought I could do it myself.”

“You know you shouldn’t touch the stove, it’s dangerous,” his mamá reminded him, though she didn’t sound angry. “I don’t care how hungry you are.”

His tummy grumbled. “Mamá, I’m hungry again.”

Julieta observed the exchange with a sympathetic smile. “Come on, Felipe, I’ll get you some food.” She put a hand on his shoulder and ushered him towards the kitchen.

“Muchas gracias, Julieta.” Antonia offered her a grateful smile. She turned to Alma. “It’ll take at least a week to rebuild the parts that burned down. Are you sure you can have us stay with you for that long?”

“Absolutely.” Alma waved the question aside as if it were the most ridiculous thing in the world. “There is plenty of room in our home. And none of us mind. Right?” She faced her children.

“We’re always happy to see the Castillos,” Julieta said, having returned from the kitchen with a content Felipe, who was munching on some arepas.

Pepa and Bruno fervently nodded their agreement, the former giving Félix’s hand an affectionate squeeze.

“I think Pepa is happier to see one of them more than the rest,” Bruno whispered out of the corner of his mouth to Julieta, just loud enough for Pepa to hear.

Julieta flashed him a warning look through the fog that had suddenly enveloped them. “Don’t, Bruno.”

He offered an apologetic shrug to Pepa and Félix, both of whose cheeks heated with embarrassment.

Alma watched the situation unfold in front of her. “Which brings me to sleeping arrangements.” She clasped her hands in front of herself. “Félix, you can sleep in Bruno’s room,” she decided, preempting any argument. “Bruno will, of course, be happy to share with you.”

Bruno appeared doubtful at the pronouncement. “Of course, mamá.” He clapped a hand on Félix’s back. “Guess we’re bunking together. Come on, let’s get your stuff put away.”

Pepa also seemed less than thrilled at the prospect of having Félix whisked away but made no attempt to argue. Reluctantly, she dropped his hand from her own and allowed him to walk away with Bruno.

“Now the rest of the children…” Alma pursed her lips in thought. “Unfortunately, Bruno doesn’t do too well with lots of people around, so you’ll have to sleep elsewhere. Julieta will provide you with some cots. There is plenty of room for everyone in this house.” She swept her hand around the empty space to illustrate her point.

“We’ll figure something out,” Julieta promised, frowning slightly as she surveyed the remaining members of the Castillo family still standing in the hallway. “Casita hasn’t let us down yet.” She helped the family gather their belongings and led them upstairs.

Only Alma and Pepa were left in the hallway now. Pepa played with the edges of her hair anxiously. Leave it to Bruno to embarrass her in front of both their mother and Félix’s entire family. Their relationship was still so new, and they didn’t need unnecessary attention drawn to it.

They stood together, the awkward silence permeating the air around them. Alma studied Pepa, tilting her head to one side gently. Meanwhile, Pepa wondered what to say. Should she even say anything? Sure, it was nice of her mamá to offer to house the displaced Castillos for the time being, but was it her place to say something? Would it come off weird? Her fingers snagged on errant tangles in her unruly hair as she pondered what to do.

Finally, Alma rendered her dilemma a moot point, declaring that she should get back to work and leaving the implication that Pepa should do the same unstated. On her way out, she placed a hand on Pepa’s shoulder, facing her. “The Castillos are a good family.” She cleared her throat. “Félix, he’s a good boy, from a good family.” A slight smile curled the corners of her lips. “You chose well.”

Before Pepa could even process her words, Alma was gone. Did her mother finally approve of one of her decisions? She’d heard an earful about her previous romantic partners (though she’d presented most of them as good friends…). But she had nothing but good things to say about Félix.

What was that comment about him being from a good family though? Was that her roundabout way of warning Pepa not to sneak in to see him during the night? Well, Pepa wasn’t going to do that anyway. She valued her life, and she didn’t put it past Casita (or her siblings, for that matter) to rat her out.

No, Pepa would be good. There you go, mamá, she thought. A good girl from a good family. Of course, she’d rather fall asleep in Félix’s arms. He was so comforting and warm, driving all her worries away instantly and lulling her to sleep. Not that it happened a lot. There was that one night when they’d accidentally fallen asleep together in the meadow, but it was only once. Julieta had covered for her, but it wasn’t like they’d even done anything. Okay, she wouldn’t exactly want to tell her mother everything that happened, but she could honestly say that they didn’t do anything bad (according to her mother’s definition, anyway. She didn’t think it was bad, but she wasn’t about to provoke her mother’s wrath).

Sighing, she swatted at the fog that had collected around her and went to distract herself by keeping busy. The less she thought about Félix sleeping under the same roof as her, the easier this would be to bear.

~ ~ ~

“Are you sure about this?” Félix sounded uncharacteristically nervous.

“Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind.” Bruno arched an eyebrow skeptically.

“No, no, I haven’t!” Félix reassured him. “But what if it doesn’t work? Your mamá can be…scary.” He shuddered.

“It’ll work. Trust me.” Bruno fiddled with the door, turning a variety of knobs shaped like hourglasses. “Just gotta…” His tongue wedged between his teeth in concentration as he finally positioned the last one and the heavy door swung open. “Tada!” He proclaimed, stepping aside to allow Félix in.

Félix stepped inside, taking it all in. “It’s gotten bigger since the last time I was here,” he observed. Frowning, he tapped the side of his sandal against a nearby rock to knock off the sand.

“Yeah, people are asking for bigger visions, so I need more space,” Bruno explained, mirroring his action. “You get used to it.” He tilted his head towards the now sandy rock.

“Ah.” Félix sounded unconvinced. “So…do I just wait for your signal or?”

Bruno smacked his forehead. “Lo siento, hombre, thought I explained the plan to you already. We’re just going to wait a while until it’s time for bed and then,” he took a dramatic breath, “the show begins.”

Félix must have still appeared hesitant because Bruno clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s all going to be good,” he promised, sounding uncharacteristically confident. “I think you need a distraction.”

“A distraction would be good,” Félix agreed, dropping his bag on the ground.

“Wonderful.” Bruno clapped his hands then started scrounging around in a small dresser, pulling out a notebook with a triumphant flourish. “Because I just finished writing my play and I’ve been looking for an audience.”

“Audience?” Félix looked around the cavernous space, perplexed, before realizing Bruno must have meant him. “Oh…” He recovered quickly. “But if I’m in the audience, who’s going to act it out with you?”

Bruno laughed. “I won’t be acting, hermano. I am the director.” He panned his hands in front of his face dreamily. “No, no. I’ve been training my rats and I think they finally got their parts down.”

“Your…” Félix shook his head in disbelief then shrugged. Looking around for a place to sit, he settled down on a relatively sand-free patch of ground. “I have to see this.”

“Okay.” Bruno pulled the curtain away from a flat rock masquerading as a makeshift stage. “We start off in a small village, deep in the Colombian jungle…”

Sooner than Félix expected, he found himself clapping enthusiastically as the curtain fell. Bruno’s play had certainly been engrossing: dramatic and suspenseful and twisty, winding around like the river that surrounded their town. His eyes were wide as saucers as he’d watched the story unfold; decades of love and betrayal and a family that could never learn from its mistakes. “Bruno, that was amazing.”

“You really think so?” Bruno scooped up the rats scurrying around the stage and deposited them on the ground off to the side. “I’ve been working on it a while.”

“Kept my attention, and I don’t even like stories like that.” Félix snorted. “Still can’t believe almost everyone died. Where do you come up with this stuff?”

Bruno shrugged. “A little from here, a little from there.” He mimed plucking fruit out of the air. “Inspiration is everywhere.”

Félix just laughed in response.

Suddenly, Bruno shushed him, ear tilting towards the door.

“Did you just shush-“

“Shh!” Bruno waved his hands around emphatically. “I’m trying to listen.”

Félix concentrated his attention on the door. “I don’t hear anything.”

“Exactly!” Bruno exclaimed. He walked to the door, pressing his ear to the crack just to be sure. “Now’s our chance!”

He led Félix to the door, tossing his bag at him as an afterthought. “All you gotta do is go down these steps, down the hall, take a right, and- well, you know what Pepa’s door looks like.”

Félix chuckled. “That I do. But what if I run into someone?”

Bruno screwed up his features in thought. “Just say I kicked you out because,” he tapped his chin, “I freaked out or something.” He nodded in approval of his own improvisation.

“Say that you kicked me out?” Félix repeated doubtfully.

Bruno tilted his head self-effacingly. “I do weird things all the time.” At the sight of Félix opening his mouth, he held his hand to quell his protests. “Nah, it’s okay, I know I do. Trust me, no one will question it. People have learned better. Just say it had something to do with my visions and no one will dare say anything.”

Félix considered this. “Wait, so do you lie about visions to get out of doing stuff all the time or?”

The rest of his question was cut off by Bruno shoving him out of the room roughly. “I’ve said too much. Now go.” He sent Félix off with a small smile and waggle of his fingers, then swiftly disappeared back into his room.

“Thanks for the help, hombre.” Félix sighed. “Okay. Just gotta make it down to Pepa’s room…”

He got halfway down the hall before running into Alma. “Doña Alma!” He exclaimed, voice squeaking at the end.

“Félix?” She frowned. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with Bruno?”

“Ah, yeah, he, uh, had some kind of vision and said he needed the full space to himself?” Even to Félix, the excuse sounded ridiculous, but Alma merely nodded.

“Claro. Mi pobrecito, he always gets visions at the most inconvenient times, and it’s not like he can just turn them off. But maybe it’s over now. Let’s go check and see.” Alma took him by the arm and began walking him back the way he came.

“¿Qué?” Félix’s eyes widened in horror. “We don’t want to interrupt him if it’s still going on,” he said pleadingly, hoping it was enough to deter the older woman’s quest.

“His visions don’t usually last very long. It should be over by now.” They’d reached his door. Alma rapped on the door sharply. “Bruno!” She called out.

There was no response. Instead, they heard scattered noises from inside.

Alma knocked on the door again, more urgently this time. “Brunito! ¿Estás bien?”

Finally, the door opened to reveal a somewhat winded Bruno. His ruana was disheveled and dusty, like he’d been rolling around in the sand. “Mamá!” He turned from one to the other. “Félix! What are you two doing here?”

Alma placed a hand on his shoulder lovingly. “Félix here told me you were having a vision and we wanted to check on you.”

Bruno rubbed his arm nervously. “Sorry for putting you out there, Félix. Ironically, you can’t predict when you have a vision, huh?” He let out an anxious chuckle. “I’m okay, just need my privacy. For some reason, I can’t see the visions as clearly when there are people around, and I did not want to interrupt this one.”

“Was it something bad? Bruno, you have to tell me…” She stared at him concernedly.

Suddenly, his body went rigid. His eyes were wide open, fixed on something in the distance, gaze unfocused. “It’s coming back.”

Alma and Félix took a step back. “What?”

“The vision! It’s coming back!” Bruno yelled. He began gesticulating wildly with his hands and muttering to himself.

Félix almost bought it, but he heard snippets of the play he’d just seen interspersed with the other ravings. He had to admit, Bruno’s commitment was phenomenal. Trying to act scared, he shuffled behind Alma. “Perhaps we should go, doña Alma,” he suggested timidly.

“I can’t hold it off! You have to leave!” Bruno almost knocked the lamp out of Alma’s hand with a particularly erratic wave.

Frightened, Alma ushered Félix away from the room. “Ay, he suffers so much. I hope he is okay.” Her eyebrows knitted together with worry. “I’ll check on him in the morning. But for now, we need to find you a new place to sleep.”

Not trusting himself to speak, Félix merely nodded.

Alma led him back down the hallway, stopping in front of Julieta’s room. “Her room is filled with extra beds and cots, because of her gift,” she explained, giving the door a couple taps. “She’ll be able to find one for you.”

Julieta opened the door, staring at the pair in shock. “Mamá! Félix! What’s going on?”

“Bruno had a vision, so Félix couldn’t stay with him.”

“Ah.” Julieta pursed her lips. “Is that what all that yelling was?”

Alma nodded. “I ran into Félix in the hallway. I suppose he was on his way down to ask you for a cot, but I figured I’d accompany him.” Her grip on his arm tightened ever so slightly.

“I see.” Julieta gulped. “Well, why don’t you come in, Félix? I’m sure we’ll find you a place to sleep.”

“Gracias, Julieta.” Félix stepped inside. Cots were strewn throughout the room, most of them occupied by his sleeping siblings. “I appreciate you doing this for me.”

Julieta busied herself looking through the supplies piled around. “I’m sure there’s an extra cot here somewhere.” She directed her words more towards the door than Félix standing next to her. “We’ll get you set up in no time.”

“Oh, Félix can take it with him,” Alma said unconcernedly. “The house is big; he’ll find a place to sleep. Besides, it wouldn’t be proper for him to be in here with you.”

Swallowing hard, Julieta nodded. “Of course, mamá. I’ll just give him what he needs and he’ll be on his way.” She struggled with an empty cot that was stuck between two other cots.

“Félix, you’re a strong young man; help Julieta with that cot.” Alma directed them.

“Lo siento.” Félix hefted the cot, smiling uneasily at Alma.

“Bueno.” Alma clapped her hands in satisfaction. “Sleep well. Buenas noches.”

“Buenas noches,” they wished, watching her silhouetted form shrink as she walked down the dark hallway.

As soon as they heard her door close, Félix dropped the cot with a thud. “That was close.”

“I’ll say.” Julieta chewed her lower lip. “This wasn’t the plan. What happened?”

“I was walking towards Pepa’s room when she intercepted me. She took me to check on Bruno and his ‘vision’,” Félix put up air quotes, “then dragged me here.”

“Ay, Bruno.” Julieta shook her head. “He could never pass up the chance to perform.”

“His performance was amazing.” Félix whistled. “I would’ve bought it if I didn’t know about the plan.”

“But you do and we’ve already deviated from it enough,” Julieta fretted. “The more time we spend talking about it, the more likely something else can go wrong. Leave the cot to me; get changed, wash up, and get over to Pepa’s room!” She thrust his rucksack into his arms.

“Thanks for helping me out, Juli,” he said as Julieta walked him to her door.

“Anytime, you guys are adorable, now go!”

For the second time that night, Félix found himself pushed out of a Madrigal triplet’s bedroom.

~ ~ ~

Pepa couldn’t fall asleep. Which wasn’t unusual; her racing thoughts often kept her awake late into the night. But she felt restless tonight. Félix was here, sleeping in the same house, and she hadn’t even gotten the chance to say goodnight to him. He was probably fast asleep now, in Bruno’s cave room, while she tossed and turned all by herself.

A tiny noise came from the direction of the door. Pepa bolted right up. Was someone knocking on her door? Dragging herself out of bed, she went to check.

“Is someone out there?” She whispered, slowly turning the doorknob before anyone could answer. The door creaked open to reveal…

“Félix!” Pepa squealed giddily.

Indeed, he was standing in the hallway before her door, in his nightclothes. “Hola, Pepi.” He waved shyly.

Pepa glanced around from side to side, making sure no one was watching, before yanking him inside and crushing him in a hug. She shut the door behind herself. “It’s the middle of the night. What are you doing here? Not that I’m complaining, of course.” She let out a flirty laugh, tucking in a stand of hair behind her ear. “But weren’t you supposed to be sleeping in Bruno’s room? Or cave or whatever,” she added disgustedly.

“Hey, his room isn’t so bad,” Félix defended, sitting down on the bed. “But unfortunately, he had a vision and I couldn’t stay.”

“Tonight?” Pepa asked doubtfully, joining him on the bed and interlacing their fingers.

“Yeah, he said something about the visions being unpredictable.” Félix shrugged. “But he needed complete privacy, so he kicked me out.

“Okay…” Pepa’s eyes narrowed. “So how’d you end up here? Again, not complaining.” She squeezed his hand. “There’s no way mama would allow it!”

“Funny you should mention her.” Félix scooted closer to Pepa. “I ran into her on the way out of Bruno’s room. She took me to Julieta to get a cot.”

“And?”

“Well, obviously, Julieta searched very hard for a cot, but she just couldn’t find one.” Félix wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into himself.

“What? That’s ridiculous. She has like twenty extra cots in there.” Pepa scoffed, leaning her head on his shoulder with a sigh.

“They must have all disappeared, because the only place I could sleep tonight was in your room.” Félix kissed her forehead. “Hope you’re still not complaining.”

The truth finally dawned on her. “Never,” she promised him, making a mental note to thank her siblings when they were out of earshot of their mother. “Come on.” She got into her bed, leaving the covers open and making room for him to lie down. “Sorry the bed’s so small. I wasn’t expecting company.” She turned to face him, beaming.

“It’s perfect, because it has you in it.” Félix kissed her lips.

“Coqueto.” Pepa smacked his arm playfully. “Keep talking like that you’ll get us both in trouble.”

Félix seemed to be considering her point, but then decided, “I’d rather live to old age.”

“Are you sure?” Pepa quirked an eyebrow. “Doesn’t seem like all of you agrees.”

“Stupid small bed,” Félix grumbled, shifting his body away from her. “I’m sorry, Pepa.”

“You don’t have to apologize.” Pepa silenced him with a kiss. “I just wish we didn’t have to be so ‘proper’.” She put up air quotes mockingly.

“We’re in the same bed and we’re not married; doesn’t seem very proper to me,” Félix noted, pulling Pepa back into himself.

“You know what I mean,” she huffed. “But we can still do other things…” She hooked her leg over his enticingly. “Fun things...” She swung herself on top of him, straddling his hips.

“Oh?” Félix sounded intrigued. “Care to show me?”

Dawn came too soon for Pepa’s liking. It seemed like she had just fallen asleep when the sun was already out, shining its annoying light into her bedroom when she was trying to sleep. She yawned softly. They’d been up late, talking and kissing, and cuddling and kissing, and kissing, and kissing…

She touched her lips, awestruck. She couldn’t believe that this had actually happened. Félix had slept in her room, held her, kissed her, wrapped himself around her protectively as they finally drifted off to sleep late into the night. For once, Pepa slept through the entire night. No nightmares. No racing thoughts. Just her and the man that she loved, holding her in his arms.

She could get used to this, she mused, snuggling deeper into his embrace. He was still fast asleep. Yet even in his slumber, he held onto Pepa so tightly, like he wouldn’t let anything come between them.

Soon, he’d have to wake up and leave, before her mother would catch them and burst their peaceful little bubble. But not yet. It could wait a bit longer.

Cocooning herself in his arms, she let out a contented sigh. She wouldn’t mind waking up like this for the rest of her life.

#pepa madrigal #felix madrigal #julieta madrigal #bruno madrigal #alma madrigal #pepa x felix #felix x pepa #lilrobinbird #asks #writing answered prompts #writing encanto #writing feliepa #foreveranevilregal writes #why yes bruno is ripping off the same colombian literary masterpiece as in the movie #anyway i'm back guys #i'll write more things

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enigmatist17 · 2 months ago

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Alma Madrigal was a woman who was rarely surprised these days, usually the first to know of what happened in Encanto and her family. As such, when she could smell what she assumed was Julieta starting the day early with her cooking, Alma got dressed and calmly headed for the kitchen as she always did.

"Buenos días Julie- oh." The woman standing in front of the flat top was not her daughter, and Imelda looked over with a slight wave of a spatula.

"I was up, and the least I can do for our saviors is cook breakfast." Alma couldn't help but chuckle at the slightly domineering tone in her voice, moving to start the coffee for those who would be waking soon.

"Did you sleep well?" Imelda gave a short nod before resuming her cooking, setting aside a set of fried eggs on the cooler part of the cooktop before starting another set. Some sort of salsa seemed to have been half-prepared, awaiting some peppers that were gaining a slight char on another part of the cooking spot, and some freshly made tortillas were awaiting their own turn once Imelda was ready.

"Your magic house is...incredible." Alma looked over after pouring the first batch of coffee into Julieta's mug, Imelda looking at her with a slightly intense expression. "The bed changed? Héctor is still healing from protecting us and can't lie on his side, and when I woke, the bed was holding him up."

"Casita can sense pain, but my eldest Julieta will help heal him when she awakes later." Alma smiled, pouring a second mug. "Would you like some?"

"Please." Despite the facade, Imelda was exhausted and accepted the caffeine gratefully, sipping it as she minded the eggs. "Heal? Mi esposo told me of his magic friend, but admittedly, I didn't believe him. Now I'm in a house that can change furniture and make Coco laugh for the first time in days, it's...a lot." She nearly jumped when a chair was brought over from the dining room table, Imelda feeling her legs go weak as reality seemed to just sink in that they were safe.

"Let me, por favor." Alma gently guided the newcomer onto the seat, taking the spatula and tending to the food. "Tell me of Coco, she's adorable." Imelda smiled at the thought of her daughter, speaking of happier times as the household slowly woke up to the smell of unfamiliar foods. Julieta was the first to peer into the kitchen, surprised to see her mother cooking, the newcomer Imelda looking relaxed as they spoke in whispers.

"Something smells good!" A man Imelda didn't see the day before crowed, gently pulling his wife into view with him as he raised his voice with a grin. "Buenos días Imelda! I know we didn't have a chance to meet, I am Agustín Madrigal!"

"Pleasure, lo siento, we eh all fell asleep quite quickly." Imelda got to her feet and shook his extended hand, his energy reminding her of her sleeping husband's.

"Mi familia did the same when we found Encanto, I understand." He grinned, eyeing the food plated behind her. "This smells incredible, what is it?"

"Just some huevos rancheros, as a thank you for yesterday."

"Gracias, that was very kind of you." Agustín moved to grab a plate, Julieta pulling Imelda out of the kitchen to continue resting as they set the table, brushing off her unimpressed stare with practiced ease. Pepa and her husband, Félix, were the next to appear, cradling her sleeping child as she greeted the newcomer and made general small talk that was interrupted by the pitter-patter of small feet running down a hallway.

"Mamá!" Imelda held her arms open as he daughter jumps up into them, tears staining her little face. "Mamá, Papá's back hurts so much, and he can't get up!"

"What's wrong?" Julieta stood as Coco rubbed her eyes, shyly eyeing the other woman as her mother gently rocked her back and forth. "I'll make sure your papá feels better."

"He fell pushing one of the carts out of a ditch, ever since his back has been bothering him." Imelda winced at the slight tremor in her voice and gave a weak smile when Agustín rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Ah, that should be an easy fix." Julieta went into the kitchen for a moment, returning with a glass of juice in one hand and what looked like an arepa in the other as she hurried to the guest room. The twins Julieta had seen the day before were by one of the guest beds when she arrived at their guest room. One held Héctor's hand as the man groaned in pain, the other murmuring to him as they dabbed sweat from Héctor's brow with his sleeve, looking up as one when Julieta knocked on the doorframe. "Hola, I'm here to help."

"You're a doctor?" The man holding Héctor's hand sagged a little in relief as she moved closer, eyeing her hands with a frown.

"In a way. Please, help me sit him up." Julieta watched as the other twin moved behind Héctor, propping the musician up enough so she could hold the glass to his lips, the juice drained as fast as he could drink. With each sip some color returned to his face and the slight tremble that ran through his body eased, and Julieta nodded at the sight. "Good, do you feel up to an arepa?"

"If it makes me feel better, like this magic juice, I'll eat anything." Héctor giggled with a relieved sigh, the savory treat pressed into his hand as the other woman looked amused. While the juice had eased his pain, the food completely removed it with his first bite, and his eyes went wide as he stared at the food. "That actually works?!"

"My Gift helps heal almost every ailment." Julieta motioned for him to keep eating, something Héctor was only too happy to do. The twins watched as their brother-in-law went from barely able to move to perfect health with a snack, eyes wide as they stared at the magic woman. "Whenever you're ready, breakfast is ready but please take your time."

"Is Coco alright? I heard her crying." Héctor sat up, back cracking as he stretched for the first time in weeks.

"She ran to Imelda." One of the twins smiled. The musician seemed a little relieved by the news as he got to his feet, clearly pleased at having his movement back.

"To ask for help." His twin finished, shedding his button-up shirt to be washed later.

"I'll show you where they are." The Encanto native smiled as she headed for the door, leading the trio out and into hall, Héctor amused to see his trail to the kitchen from last night was still on the floor. That's momentarily forgotten when they turn a corner, Coco squealing happily at the sight of her papá no longer in pain.

"Oh mi pequeña no more crying eh?" Imelda scooted her chair away from the table so her husband could embrace them both, the toddler throwing her arms around his neck as she bounced up and down as her parents shared a quick kiss.

"You're okay Papá!" She beamed, giggling when her father moved to shower her with kisses. "Papá, you're so silly!"

"Only for you." He crooned, his wife chuckling and gently pushing him into the chair Casita had moved close by, allowing Héctor to cuddle Coco while she made a plate for him. The dining room table had been lengthened by Casita for the new additions to the home, Coco clapping her hands in delight when a chair just for her was formed out of a single piece of wood.

"This is," "So strange." Óscar and Felipe said after a moment, Héctor only laughing as he set his daughter down to eat.

"I think this is fantástico! I've already got an idea for a song about the Living Home." Héctor hummed, tapping out a beat against the table with his index finger only he could hear. "Sí sí..."

"You may write after you eat." Imelda raised an eyebrow, earning a sheepish grin from her partner. "Awake five seconds and already wanting to put your cabeza errante en las nubes."

"Whaaat? I haven't written in months." Héctor whined, tapping on the table for a moment before relaxing at the smell of his wife's cooking. "But sí, later."

"Good."

Pepa and Julieta had to suppress some laughter at the sight, memories of their mother chiding them the same way as children passing through their minds. Speaking of, the last Madrigal finally stumbled down the stairs halfway through the meal, Bruno completely missing the table full of people as he went straight for the tea Julieta had left out for him. Alma set to preparing him a small plate as Coco carefully climbed off her seat and scurried off for the stranger; her parents were preoccupied with talking about their journey to notice her leave for the kitchen. The man was almost as tall as her papá, muttering under his breath as he moved a hand from under his ruana, clicking his tongue as he poured some more tea, and the toddler watched as a rat appeared from under the cloth to crawl along his arm to his hand.

"Buena chica, you deserve a treat." The man cooed, plucking a grape from a fruit bowl in front of him and offering it to the small creature, the rat jumping onto the counter and accepting it with a squeak.

"Is that a rat?" Coco tilted her head when the man jumped, head whirling around to find the curious child right behind him. For a moment, they both stared at each other before the rat squeaked, jumping onto Bruno's shoulder to stare down at Coco from under some of his curly hair.

Coco giggled, and a soft smile crossed the man's face as he knelt down.

"Her name is Fernanda." With another click of his tongue the rat moved to his hand, and Coco walked closer as Bruno held out his hand. "You can pet her, right on top of her head."

"I'll be careful." Coco whispered, reaching out to carefully rest her index finger on Fernanda's head, smiling when she received a pleased noise. "Like this?"

"Sí, you're doing great." Bruno gently showed her how to carefully pet his pet with his other hand, telling her a story about Fernanda's attempt to steal from the kitchen one night while he slept.

"Casita is too fast for her." Bruno looked up at Pepa's amused voice, pointing at Bruno with a hand on her hip. "You need to eat, come on."

"I suppose I'll come to the table." Bruno sighed dramatically, earning a giggle from Coco as Fernanda hopped onto the toddler's head, nestling into her hair. "And betrayed! Ah, what is loyalty these days?"

"Who can resist someone this adorable?" Pepa grinned, Bruno getting to his feet as Coco slowly walked back towards the table.

"Look Mamá!"

"Is that a rat on your head?!" Bruno and Pepa peered out to see Imelda staring at her daughter in surprise, Héctor and the twins grinning as the toddler proudly showed off her new friend.

"Uh huh! Her name is Fernanda!" Coco beamed, trying to click her tongue like Buno as she held out her hand, but only succeeded in making a kissing noise. "Aw..." Fernanda didn't move at the noise but squeaked and moved to sit on her hand when Bruno clicked for her, waving when most of the eyes in the room focused on him.

"Is this?" "The seer?" "You mentioned?" Óscar and Felipe looked at Héctor, who nodded, Felipe squinting at Bruno for a moment before his twin grinned. "Nice to meet." "The guy who helped save us."

"Eh, don't mention it?" The clairvoyant clasped his hands with a flustered expression, allowing his sister to tug him towards his seat beside Alma. Aside from Coco, none of the newcomers to the small town failed to notice how surprised he'd been at the gratitude.

It was something they could think about later, right now they were going to enjoy the first meal not cooked over hasty campfires.

Casita helps clear the table before their guests could blink, absolutely delighting both Coco and her father at something the Encanto natives had long become accustomed to. A fresh round of coffee for the adults, and a glass of orange juice for Coco, was handed out before Alma took command with a simple tap on the table.

"I know yesterday was a lot for you all to handle, and rest assured, you can take as long as you need to recover from your long journey." They hadn't asked where the new family came from, but they had seen the tells from other refugees that had settled in their Encanto over the years. "Casita will adjust your room, as we don't have any new buildings ready for your familia just yet,

"How much will that cost us?" Imelda sat forward, a slight frown on her face. "We did not come with much money, but I'm sure we can make some if given enough time."

"Money is of no concern here, set those worries aside." The matriarch smiled softly. "We are remote enough that we run on barter and trade here, and the community helps each other when needed."

"What?" Imelda winced at barking out the word, but the concept was too much. "I-I don't understand we cannot just -"

"Melda." Héctor reached over to squeeze her arm, rewarded with her leaning towards his seat. "We, er I mean mi querida esposa, had started a shoemaking business, this would be helpful here no?"

"Really?" Agustín smiled, clapping his hands together. "We don't have anyone in town who can repair shoes, and we only trade every few months outside Encanto."

"Sounds like a perfect fit then no?" Héctor smiled, Imelda rolling her eyes. "We even brought most of the equipment needed, eh assuming it survived the storm last night."

"We will have your wagons brought here by the afternoon, you can take stock then." Alma nodded, glancing out the window towards the hills for a moment. "As my son-in-law said, we've been in need of a proper shoemaker, and will provide you with whatever space you need for both your shop and home."

"Just like that?" "Nothing in return?"

"Your services are all the payment Encanto could need." It was still so surreal, but Imelda and her family shared a look before nodding, the leader of what was to be their new town clasping her hands together with a soft smile. "For now, please rest, and if you would like a town tour, feel free to ask any of us to guide you."

"Gracias, that's very kind of you." Imelda nodded, gently scooping her daughter into her arms when Coco started to yawn, trying not to tense at the rat curled up in her little arms.

"Go and rest mamá, you've earned it." Héctor murmured in her ear, the Madrigal's getting up to start their day and whatever tasks lay ahead, leaving the Rivera family in the dining room.

"What, and let you run off?" Imelda gave him an amused look, Héctor only grinning as he ran a gentle hand through their sleeping daughter's hair.

"I can do more than hobble around, a run sounds fun!"

"Héctor."

"I'll stay in the magic house?"

"...fine." Standing as one, Héctor and his wife headed for their bedroom, quietly talking until they reached the door and opened it, only to freeze in place.

What had been a one-bedroom space had magically transformed into a mini-replica of their home back in Santa Cecilia, minus the kitchen and garden they had spent too many hours in. Imelda was the first to walk inside, the stone walls feeling the exact way their original home had felt, the smell of lavender and sandalwood nearly bringing her to tears. Their bedroom, minus the pictures and small mementos stuffed in a box, was the same, down to the rug Héctor had made that was lopsided and a little threadbare.

"I don't understand..." The bed creaked like it always had when she sat down, and the small vanity mirror in the corner wiggled back and forth as if in greeting.

"Magic house." It was all Héctor could manage as he knelt before his wife, taking hold of her free hand. "I'm so-"

"If you say those words again so help me." Héctor sighed, looking away from her gaze. "It was not your fault."

"Meld-"

"No." She was having none of that right now, Coco's little cooing in her sleep making both sets of eyes look down. "We will talk later."

"Sí, que duerman bien mis amores." Getting to his feet Héctor kissed her sweetly before heading out, gently closing the door to their bedroom.

Imelda bites her tongue when she hears a hitched sob, carefully removing her boots and lying down, cradling their daughter close. She was too exhausted to focus on the conversation they had all been avoiding since his return a few months back, of why they had to flee their home in the dead of night.

Of the way someone they had considered a friend and brother had tried to murder her husband when he protected them.

#personal #coco 2017 #coco #encanto #héctor rivera #hector rivera #imelda rivera #oscar rivera #felipe rivera #alma madrigal #pepa madrigal #julieta madrigal #felix madrigal #agustin madrigal #bruno madrigal #crossover

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coolunclebruno · 1 year ago

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Poor Timing [Tumblr Preview]

[Trying something new here! link to the rest of the fic at the end.]

“ Muy bien todas, dinner is ready!”

Dinner had always been the most important part of the day for the Madrigals, besides breakfast. It was the time of day when everyone came home from doing their chores and activities, and could just sit down and relax and eat as a family.

And now that Julieta no longer had to make everything by herself, it had become a sort of group activity, with the kids offering their help to her, even Alma offered her cooking wisdom!

They all trickled into the dining room, including Mariano, whom Dolores had invited to dinner. Everyone was here!

Everyone, except…

“Where’s Bruno and Miguel?” Mirabel looked at the two empty seats that would usually house the inseparable two. “They’re usually here by now…”

“I think I last saw them heading to their room,” Julieta said, placing down the last of the rice on the table.

“I can go up and get the-”

“No need, Mirabel, I can do it today,” Alma assured her, slowly getting out of her seat just as her granddaughter was getting out of her seat.

“Oh, are you sure, Abuela? I don’t really mind if-”

“No, I insist, you’ve done enough work today, and you deserve a bit of rest,” Abuela patted Mirabel on the shoulder, putting her back in her seat, and left the dining room.

“¡ Gracias, Abuela!”

“That was nice of her, don’t you think?” Julieta sat down next to Pepa, as she usually did.

“Yeah, it was, but what do you think they’re doing?” Pepa moved some corn onto her plate.

Julieta shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. Maybe they’re working on a project? I know Miguel helps out with Bruno’s ‘rat novelas’ sometimes.”

“Maybe! Or maybe they’re upstairs making dulce, dulce amor !” Pepa joked, holding her hands up to her cheek in mock whimsy.

Instead of a small chuckle or a scolding, as Pepa was expecting, she saw the color drain out of Julieta’s face.

“Y-you don’t think they’re actually-”

Just then, their conversation was abruptly cut by the sound of two voices yelling upstairs.

“ B-BRUNO ?”

“ MA, LOOK AWAY, LOOK AWAY, GET OUT !”

link to fic on a03; https://archiveofourown.org/works/48233344

#bruno madrigal #gay bruno madrigal #bruno madrigal x male oc #encanto oc #miguel herrera #alma madrigal #julieta madrigal #pepa madrigal #mirabel madrigal #madrigaydays2023 #madrigay days #encanto fanfic #encanto

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foggyfanfic · 1 year ago

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Love and Fury

Chapter Preview: A lot of hands went up, then out of the corner of her eye she saw Señor Gutierrez raise his hand, she turned to stare at him. The rest of the village followed her gaze, and slowly every other hand sank until Señor Gutierrez was the only person with their hand raised.

CH 1 Prev Next Master List

33. ...Tribulations

“Alright, we have heard from all witnesses and each of Cicero’s victims, it is time for us to make our decision,” Alma said, standing at the table now placed front and center of the church, “will we allow this man to remain in our village.”

The whole village began talking at once and Alma tapped her gavel a few times to cut through the noise. It wasn’t often the people of Encanto went through this, so she could forgive them for being a bit disorderly, but the fact remained they would get nothing done if they talked over eachother.

“One at a time, we will hear arguments both for and against banishing Cicero, I assure you, but we must do this in an orderly fashion.”

It was like the whole village took one collective breath, and released it as a communal sigh. She looked over the crowd, debating who to give the floor to first. After his outburst, Señor Gutierrez had made Cicero stay home. Similarly, Cicero’s victims had already cast their votes and, with the exception of Pepa, were avoiding the trial.

Pepa sat next to Félix, who had Felípe on his other side. Alma pursed her lips. Everybody already knew how Felípe felt, he wouldn’t bring up anything they hadn’t heard him say down at the cantina. Then again, it was hard to find an argument more convincing than “I don’t trust him not to hurt my future wife and baby.” It would be best to end with that.

Padré raised his finger, and she fought the urge to scowl, she couldn’t ignore people who wished to speak just because she thought they would argue on Cicero’s side, but if this self-righteous boy who had the nerve to call himself a priest said anything about forgiving Cicero, after the sermon he’d given damning Rosalie, Alma just might shove her gavel up his ass.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and reminded herself she was a community leader now. She no longer had the luxury of thinking such things.

“Yes Padré? You have the floor.”

“Gracias Señora,” Padré stood, he took a deep breath then looked around at his congregation, “when Señora Rosalie was first found, I gave a sermon on the dangers of alcohol and sex. A sermon I have come to deeply regret.”

He paused as people muttered quietly, apparently marshaling his thoughts.

“It was easier to assume that Rosalie had simply over-imbibed and was trying to save face by pretending to have been taken advantage of, it was less scary than believing her,” Padré continued, “None of us wanted to believe that somebody in our village could be capable of true cruelty. We still don’t, it is still quite tempting to hide behind the fiction that what Cicero has done to Rosalie wasn’t quite that bad. He barely bruised her, after all. And he couldn’t have predicted that her parents would abandon her, surely he didn’t mean to do as much harm as he did.”

A few people were nodding, and if she wasn’t currently acting as a village leader, Alma would have given each of them the stink eye. As it was, she did her best to ignore those who apparently held the opinion that Padré was describing. Instead, when Padré looked at her, she gave him one quiet nod in order to encourage him.

“I was only six when this village was founded, I don’t truly remember what it is like to live without the protection of the miracle. I don’t truly know what it is to fear that men may come and pillage our village, raze our crops, and savage our women,” he paused, “and I don’t want to. I am quite happy to live in a world where women need not fear walking home at night, where might doesn’t make right, where we each treat each other with the grace and compassion that God intended.”

Alma glanced at Señor Gutierrez, then did a double take, his face was crumpled with the effort to hold back tears. She gulped, feeling a split second of sympathy for the man. How must it feel to know your own son has desecrated paradise?

“Ignoring the horror, the cruelty, of what Cicero has done may feel safer, but it does nothing to protect you. We have received a blessing from God, a little pocket of peace and security, our very own Garden of Eden,” Padré held his hands out, palm up, as if begging the villagers to listen to him, “is it not our job to maintain this paradise? To tend to the garden? To keep it safe, protect it as it has protected us? I vote to banish Cicero, for the good of our community, and I implore each of you to do the same.”

Padré sat and Alma clenched her fists to keep from applauding. She took a deep breath to keep the smile off her face as she stood and straightened her skirt.

“Very well put Padré, thank you for those words, who wishes to speak next,” she asked, examining the hands that immediately went up, eventually she chose that of Juan, who worked in the coffee orchard, “what do you have to say, Señor?”

Juan stood, nodding his thanks at her before turning his gaze to the other villagers, “Padré is right, we do live in a paradise. I was also a child when we came to this place, and I neither know nor wish to know the depths of human cruelty. But that is exactly what it’ll be if we kick Cicero out of the only home he’s ever known, cruelty.”

Alma sighed through her nose but otherwise made no indication of her displeasure. She braced herself to hear a lot of stuff she didn’t agree with.

“I’m not arguing that what Cicero did was alright, by all means, I think he needs to face some sort of justice. But exile?! You want to rip the guy away from his friends, his home, his future? His son?”

A few people grumbled angrily at that last point, but nobody interrupted.

“What he did was bad, but it’s not like he killed somebody. And now that we know about it, we can protect the women from him. We don’t need to exile him in order to keep our village safe,” Juan scoffed at the idea, “Encanto hasn’t come as far as it has by turning our back on our own. We are a community of people who love and care about each other, and sometimes loving somebody means turning the other cheek. If we exile Cicero for this, what will be next? Will we exile everybody who has sex out of wedlock? That’s half the town!”

One of the women in the crowd started to say something, only to get shushed by her husband. She gave her husband a shocked look then her face twisted with rage, Alma strongly suspected she had just seen the end of a marriage.

“Again, I ain’t saying we let the guy off the hook, I just think exile is a bit too extreme of a punishment. He made one mistake, why would we ruin his entire life over it?” That said, Juan sat back down, a lot of people began talking at once. Alma banged her gavel until the village quieted back down.

“One at a time, remember, one at a time,” she insisted, then took a few deep breaths as the crowd fully settled, “who is next?”

“That’d be me,” the woman who had been shushed rocketed to her feet, swatting at her husband’s hands when he tried to pull her back down, “hola, in case we haven’t met, I am Lucia. Lovely to be here, truly, I can think of no better way to spend my evening than listening to the bullshit we just heard.”

Her husband groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“One mistake!? He made one mistake?” Lucia directed her argument at Juan, “So he mistakenly slipped a drug in Rosalie’s drink, then he mistakenly left the party and waited for her to do the same, then he mistakenly dragged her into her parent’s barn, and mistakenly took her clothes off. Then by complete accident he had sex with her while she was unconscious. Is that what you’re suggesting?”

Juan tried to say something, but she barreled over him.

“And then! And then he mistakenly slipped the same drug into three other women's drinks over the course of a year. Not to mention how he mistakenly slipped something in Leandra’s drink, dragged her into an alley and mistakenly pinned her against a wall while he undid his belt. That’s your argument?”

Juan glared mulishly up at her, face red. Hopefully he was now aware of how ridiculous he’d sounded.

“He did not make a mistake. Cicero got told ‘no’ one time and went on a rampage. That’s deranged, and dangerous, and not the sort of behavior I want in my community. Not only do I vote to kick him out, if we had a giant catapult we could use I’d load him into it myself,” she finished with a nod, then walked away from her husband, sitting in another pew and crossing her arms.

Whispering started up, as far as Alma could tell, it was mostly about the state of Lucia’s marriage.

“Indeed, thank you Lucia,” Alma reclaimed the village’s attention, “who would like to-, sí Señora? What do you think?”

An elderly woman stood, leaning her weight on her cane.

“I think we are glossing over the most important issue, Cicero’s son. While the way little Julio was brought into this world is most unfortunate, Señorita Rosalie herself has said that he is just an innocent babe. He doesn’t deserve to be punished for the sins of his father, and quite frankly, every child needs their parents. Both parents,” the elderly woman said, apparently not feeling the need to introduce herself, “Cicero must face justice, but more importantly, the child needs a father. I feel we should find a solution that fulfills both requirements.”

A few people nodded as the woman eased herself back onto the pew, Alma opened her mouth to ask for who was next, but didn’t get the chance as Felípe shot to his feet, looking for all the world like he might punch an old lady.

“Julio is not without a father, I am his father, and quite frankly I don’t want somebody as vindictive as Cicero around my son,” Felípe all but shouted, “Rosalie turned Cicero down and he took it as an excuse not just to hurt her, but multiple innocent bystanders. And you want that guy to raise a child? You want to let him raise my child? Absolutely not!”

“He’s not your chil-.” The woman tried to say.

“Like hell he ain’t,” Felípe scoffed, “who do you think bought his crib?! His first blanket and clothes? Rosalie has barely felt safe being alone with me but that didn’t stop me from caring about her or our kid. After her parents kicked her out she needed help, so I did whatever I could. I’ve changed his diapers, I’ve bought any medicine Rosalie couldn’t afford, I’ve read and sang him to sleep. You want to tell me he’s not my son?! You want to give credit to Cicero?”

Felípe paused but the woman didn’t fill the silence.

“Cicero hasn’t done a damn thing to help Rosalie with her pregnancy or care for that boy. Oh sure! He offered! But only if Rosalie agreed to marry him, because she refused, he wiped his hands of the kid. Cicero may have sired the boy, but he ain’t the boy’s Pá, I am. And it will be a cold day in hell before I allow somebody that dangerous around my son.”

With his piece said, Felípe sat. Alma waited a beat to see if anyone else would shoot to their feet, then cleared her throat, “Anyone else?”

Señor Matisse raised his hand, then stood when she nodded, “Just to be clear, I will be voting to exile Cicero, but only because we don’t have a system in place to handle something like this. Juan raises a valid point, what Cicero has done is wrong, but I’m not convinced that exiling him is the best answer. And while Julio is not without a loving father, what if this happens again and the babe does not have a trustworthy backup waiting in the wings?”

Alma pursed her lips, the baker was raising some good points.

“Cicero has proven he’ll commit the same crime again and again, no matter what sort of consequences his victims face, so exile may be our only option, but let’s not fool ourselves. By banishing Cicero from Encanto we are not stopping him from raping innocent women, we are just making sure he does it somewhere else,” Matisse paused sighing deeply, “maybe this isn’t the time to ask all these questions, but it bears thinking about, don’t it? Is banishing the guy really the best way to handle a violent crime?”

Out of the corner of her eye Alma saw a cloud form over Pepa’s head. Thankfully, Pepa stood and left the church before the cloud could turn into a full storm. Some people glanced at her, but the rain falling on her head was all the excuse she needed to leave.

“What? You think we should build a prison?” another man asked, scoffing a little, “Just for one guy?”

Matisse shrugged, “I don’t know. I don’t want that guy roaming free around my kids, but it just doesn’t sit right to kick him out, especially since he’ll likely do the same thing wherever he ends up.”

A few people mumbled, others nodded. Alma allowed the low hubbub to dominate the room for a few minutes, it was an important discussion and one she had been trying not to think about through this whole process.

She was very aware that banishing Cicero just meant sending him somewhere people didn’t know what danger he posed.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, there was nothing she could do about that, her duty was to Encanto. These people were trusting her and her familia to protect them, she had to put them first. When Alma opened her eyes, she lightly tapped the gavel on the table and the discussion died down. As usual, everybody turned to her with expectant eyes, so she steeled herself.

“You are right Señor, there is a very important conversation to be had about our justice system. However, for now we must work with what we’ve got. Is there anything else?”

A lot of hands went up, then out of the corner of her eye she saw Señor Gutierrez raise his hand, she turned to stare at him. The rest of the village followed her gaze, and slowly every other hand sank until Señor Gutierrez was the only person with their hand raised.

“Sí?” she asked.

He stood, and started with a deep sigh, “I-. I do not have a good argument to defend my son. I know what he’s done is… unforgivable.”

Gutierrez stopped talking, his head hanging low. The whole room held their breath, watching him, waiting.

The silence stretched uncomfortably long. If it weren’t for the fact that he were still standing, Alma would have tapped her gavel and asked who was next.

“Por favor, let mijo stay,” Gutierrez eventually breathed, “I know-. Let him stay, I will watch him, I won’t let him leave the winery, he’ll spend the rest of his life doing community service, just please. Don’t send my boy away.”

A tear, then another, escaped from his eyes. His voice creaked over every other word. His hands shook, his shoulders bowed, and he couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes.

He was begging.

Alma gulped, her voice came out gentler than she’d intended when she spoke, “You have known this entire time what he had done to Rosalie, you have known he tried again, and yet you didn’t stop him from drugging Señorita Lopez. Why should we trust you to keep him contained going forward?”

“Leandra baited him into-.”

“She handed him a drink while she went to the bathroom,” Alma cut him off, feeling so tired all of a sudden, “she didn’t make him drug her, she didn’t imply she would sleep with him then revoke the offer, she barely even flirted with him. She just handed him her drink, that was all it took. That was the entirety of the trap she set.”

Señor Gutierrez frowned, but she could see in his face that he knew she was right. Cicero didn’t need to be baited into attacking women, he just needed an opportunity.

In the back corner of the room, Agustín stood, “Disculpe, but… what guarantee can you give us that Cicero won’t sneak away and retaliate on Leandra, Félix, Rosalie, or even one of the Madrigals? Are you going to keep him locked inside?”

Señor Gutierrez’s mouth flapped for a second, he slowly shook his head, eyes wide and lifeless.

For a second, Alma wished she could show mercy if only for his sake. Señor Gutierrez had always been a good man, a loyal one. He was hardworking, kind, responsible, and most of all, a doting father and husband. He did not deserve any of this.

Sadly, however, he was choosing his son over the rest of the village. It was an understandable choice, one Alma might make herself if she couldn’t keep the village’s fear of Bruno from turning to resentment, but that changed nothing.

“Señor, Cicero is a danger to others. He has demonstrated a vindictiveness that almost ruined a young woman’s life, simply because she loved another,” Alma said, not without sympathy, “And now… well we have all seen how enraged he is by Leandra, and everybody else who helped to investigate him. If there were some other way to protect this village from him, I would be happy to discuss it, but… there isn’t.”

For a second the church was silent as they watched Señor Gutierrez crumble. Then, Julietta whispered to Agustín, quiet enough that you wouldn’t usually be able to hear it in the crowded church. But thanks to the silence, the whispered statement carried over the crowd, striking Señor Gutierrez across his face.

“If he really loves his son he’ll take him and run. From what Bruno said, Cicero will probably get murdered if he stays.”

Gutierrez turned and gaped at Julieta, who suddenly found herself to be the center of attention. For a split second she looked embarrassed, then she took a deep breath and stood.

“You heard Bruno’s prophecy, none of us are going to trust him after this. Those of you arguing on Cicero’s behalf? If your daughter or sister or wife comes to you and says she’s been raped and she doesn’t know who did it, who’s gonna be your number one suspect?”

Next to her, Félix started nodding, while others exchanged glances. Nobody disagreed with her.

“We’re sitting here debating whether or not we’ll be safe if he stays, but, well, maybe you should be asking yourself if he’ll be safe,” she continued, “I-I won’t heal him, not just because I hate him for what he tried to do to my sister, but because I don’t feel safe going anywhere near him.”

“We won’t sell to him, or you for that matter, we got cousins to worry about,” Félix said, after exchanging a glance with Felípe and their mother.

“Neither will I,” Señor Matisse admitted, “even if he stays, I won’t want him anywhere near my bakery. That’s where my kids are.”

“I won’t carry your wine if he stays,” Señora Moreno, the owner of Encanto’s finest restaurant said, almost apologetically, “I just-, I don’t think people will buy it after this. I’m already struggling to sell what we have.”

There were a few murmurs of agreement.

Señor Gutierrez sank to the pew, lips pursed and eyes a thousand yards away.

Alma sighed through her nose, she looked around at the rest of the room, waiting for somebody else to put up their hand. Nobody did, most sat there looking contemplative. Whatever arguments people had been about to make before Señor Gutierrez and Julieta spoke, they were silent now.

Just in case, she asked, “Anyone else?”

The silence rang loud and clear.

“Very well, you have until tomorrow evening when the market closes to cast your vote. The ballot box will remain here in the church, as well as the ballots and some pens. Would anyone like to volunteer to guard the box from tampering? There will be six shifts, lasting four hours. I want two guards each, three alternates just in case, for a total of-. Felipe, thank you, but I would prefer if the volunteers were people who are less biased.”

Felipe slowly put his hand down, frowning, and Felix gently patted his back. Meanwhile, Alma chose fifteen volunteers and asked them to stand with her at the front of the church.

“Everybody else, you may go. We will count the votes tomorrow evening, and should have the results by the next afternoon,” Alma turned to look at Señor Gutierrez, “I will tell you and your family first, señor, then I will announce it to the rest of the village.”

Señor Gutierrez nodded stiffly, standing back up and shuffling out of the church. The village waited long enough to watch him go and gossip about how far he’d fallen, then slowly trickled out onto the streets. Alma wished she could hate him the way she hated his son, it would make watching his world fall to pieces so much easier to bear.

She shook her head and turned to her fifteen volunteers. Alma no longer had the luxury of wallowing in sympathy and sentiment. She needed to focus on making sure this vote went smoothly.

#bruno madrigal #bruno madrigal x oc #bruno madrigal x female oc #bruno madrigal fanfic #bruno encanto #love and fury #encanto

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im-just-a-br0adway-baby · 1 year ago

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Encantober 2023 Day 27: Grave

The lake near the Encanto was considered a special memorial for Alma. She considered it to be Pedro’s grave, since that was where he died and the miracle was born. Alma would visit the lake often to remember Pedro and have taken the triplets there on several of their birthdays to remember him.

The day after the triplets’ fifty-first birthday, Alma decided to bring the entire family to the lake to have a memorial service together. She wanted to do one for a while, but when Bruno disappeared, she felt like she could not do so. Now that Bruno was back, she decided this year was the best time to take her sons-in-law and grandchildren to the lake where Pedro died and the miracle was born.

Once the Madrigal family got to the lake, Alma brought a big box with her filled with lots of things, but she did not tell the rest of the family what was in there. They were for each part of the memorial service, and she would reveal them during each part. The rest of the Madrigals set up some towels to sit on, since they were having lunch together there too.

Once the family got settled down, Alma stood at the center of the family’s towels so everyone could see her. “Family, after ten years of waiting and planning, we can finally commemorate the life of Pedro Madrigal with the entire family.” The rest of the family applauded during the break of silence. “We will start this memorial with a speech from Bruno Madrigal, since we waited for him to come back to do this.”

Bruno stood up and the rest of the family applauded again once he stood next to his mother. “Gracias, mami, first of all, I just want to address how happy I am to be back. When Mirabel found me in the walls, I didn’t want to say anything to her, but now that she promised to bring me back home when she saved the miracle, I can say that coming back was the best decision I ever made. When mami first took Julieta, Pepa, and me to this lake the day after our gift ceremony, I couldn’t comprehend what was happening. None of us did, but I was the least verbal at the time, so I couldn’t verbalize what I was feeling.”

The family applauded when Bruno paused. “When mami told me she wanted to do this for several years and waited for me to come back to do it, that was when I realized how important I really was to this family. Mirabel, you were the one who made me realize how important I was to this family and made me understand how my disappearance has affected this family negatively. Gracias, sobrina.”

The family applauded as Mirabel stood up and made her way to Alma and Bruno. “Gracias, Tio Bruno; while I do understand the feeling of being useless to the family, But when Abuela affirmed that Abuelo sent her me to help this family, that was when I also knew how important I was to this family, and wanted Bruno to know the same thing.”

The family applauded one more time before Mirabel and Bruno sat back on their towels. Alma brought out the box and stood back in the center. She took out a small candle from the box and held it up for the rest of the family to see. She walked closer to the lake and turned around for the family.

“As you know, the miracle is represented by the candle. The candle also represents the legacy that Pedro has left for us. I have one candle for each of us to say something we wish we could experience with Pedro.”

Alma turned around and kneeled down and put the candle near the water. “I wish I would have experienced the growth of our children and grandchildren together.” She then released the candle into the water. “I now want to do this in age order with my blood relatives. Married relatives will go after their spouses.”

Julieta stood up and grabbed a candle from the box. They all took one and kneeled down and said what they wished they could have experienced with Pedro. They each went in age order with the spouses going after their spouses, starting with Julieta and ending with Antonio.

“I wish I could have had you as a father figure to guide me through my life.”

“I wish I could have gotten to know you as a father-in-law.”

“I wish I could have had the father daughter relationship with you that I craved for so long and guide me through my feelings.”

“I wish I could have gotten to know you and guide me through the Madrigal family.”

“I wish I could have had you around to share the plays I wrote and been my support system throughout my life.”

“I wish I could have had you to share my flowers with.”

“I wish I could have had you to tell secrets with and share what was on my mind.”

“I wish I could have come to you for comfort when I was stressed.”

“I wish I could have had fun with you and joke around with you.”

“I wish I could have had you to look up to and guide me through my life.”

“I wish I could have played with you and shared fun memories with you.”

Once each family member shared their wish for Pedro, they each put their candle on the water and watched them float away. They backed away from the lake to watch the candles float away and put their arms around each other.

“Each of you had a wish for Pedro you wanted to give. Each of them were unique to your own experiences and wished to share memories with him.”

For the rest of the day, the family gave speeches about what they thought Pedro would have been like if he lived to see and raise them, and during lunch, Alma talked about all the best memories she had with Pedro when they were married and dating. It was the best remembrance Alma ever had for Pedro, now that she has her entire family remembering him together for the very first time.

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magicalmadrigals · 2 years ago

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Innocence of Intimacy, Ch 9 - A Proposal

I thought I would post this on here to see if it reaches more people because AO3 is being a pain for that recently for some reason.

Syn: Agustin finally asks Julieta to be his wife

“Oh my…”

“I, uh, I looked at other ones, but it was that one I kept going back to. Do you think she’ll like it?”

Looking up from the diamond ring in the little red box in her palm, Pepa just blinked at Agustín for a second. “Do I think she’ll like it?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “I think she’ll love it, honestamente, but then again you could have gone with that blade of grass idea from when we were small and she still would have said yes.”

He chuckled under his breath at her comment.

“Have you decided where you’re going to ask her yet?” She asked before giving him a look. “Not la cocina.”

“No, not la cocina, she spends enough time in there as it is,” He rolled his eyes, shaking his head in response. “I’m taking her out to dinner tomorrow night, we planned the date a couple weeks ago, and that part is going to be normal. When I walk her home, I’m going to ask her to come to the treehouse with me for a while and that’s where I’ll ask her. An old amigo of mine has agreed to set things up for us, so there…there’ll be candles and a basket of tortas waiting for us when we get there. I want it to be perfect for her. She means more to me than she could ever imagine, truly, and making her the happiest I can is the only thing I care about anymore.”

Pepa laid a hand over her heart and blinked back the tears in her eyes. “Can you marry me instead?”

“Hola, Pepí, I’m standing right here.” Félix reminded her, causing her to turn to look at him for a moment.

“Sí, lo siento.” She smiled at him, reaching out to take his hand in her own.

Holding his hand out to accept the ring box back from his – all being well – soon to be cuñada, Gus closed it and returned it to his pocket before straightening his jacket and taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. He wasn’t even proposing until tomorrow and he was already sweating through his shirt, so he dreaded to think what sort of state he was going to be in when the time actually came for him to do so. It was already a given that he was going to make a complete fool out of himself since that was all he ever did around Julieta, but that was luckily something she had grown to love about him over the years and he was relieved about that.

All he had to do was keep from setting himself alight on the candles and it should all go to plan.

“Could the two of you do me a favour? Could you just act normal around her until tomorrow? Only, I know what Juli is like and if anything is out of the ordinary then she’ll know something’s happening.” He told them.

“Of course.” Pepa and Félix nodded.

“Gracias, I appreciate it. I should speak to her before I go, do you know where she is?” He asked.

“You have known the girl un década and you still have to ask that question?” Pepa narrowed her eyes at him.

He rolled his eyes, mentally kicking himself. “Of course. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

“Adiós, Gus.”

“Adiós.”

He turned away from then then, walking out of the sitting room and through the courtyard to la cocina where he knew his girlfriend would be, and when he got there he smiled at seeing her at the kitchen island. She was making arepas again, her specialty and a constant hit with those in town, and as usual she had a little flour on her face and in her hair. Her days were long and hard and there was no doubt in his mind that she was dead on her feet when she climbed into bed at night, but there was also no doubt in his mind that she adored what she did. Her gift meant such a great deal to her and she found such happiness in getting to help those in need.

He tried his hardest to be quiet and discreet as he walked into the kitchen, wanting to surprise her, but he was never much good at being either of those things and so it came as very little surprise when she looked his way. “Oh, you’re still here? I thought you left a while ago now.” She said, following him with her eyes as he walked towards her before he moved to stand behind her and slipped his arms around her with a soft kiss to her neck.

“Félix wanted to speak with me about something, so we had a drink. I thought I’d say goodbye before I left.”

“You’re sweet.”

He smiled and let his chin rest on her shoulder as he tightened his hold of her. “Excited for tomorrow night?”

“Muy emocionada,” She beamed, glancing back at him. “I miss these little dates of ours.”

“Me too, but I promise that I am going to make tomorrow night perfect for you, mi amor.” He said gently.

“As long as I have you there with me, it will be,” She smiled. “I love you so much.”

“And I love you,” He leaned in to brush his lips against her own. “More than you will ever know.”

—————

Opening her mouth so Gus could feed her the last small piece of torta de manzana, sitting across from him at their little table outside the restaurant, she gave him a smile as she ate it slowly before leaning back in her seat and reaching for her wine again. “Oh, all of that was deliciosa, but I honestly don’t think I could eat anything else,” She chuckled as she set her glass back down after taking a sip, the love she had for him deepening when he laid his hand palm up on the table and gestured for her to take it which she did. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble for me, mi amor, though I love you for doing so. I would have been pleased with just a picnic.”

He shook his head in response, bringing her hand to his lips so he could leave a kiss to the back of her palm. “I know you would have, but I have taken you on hundreds of picnics and I felt like doing something special for you for once,” He explained. “I wouldn’t have gotten to see you in that dress if we went for a picnic either, so I count myself afortunado for more reasons than one tonight. You look muy preciosa, have I told you that?”

“Once or twice…” Her cheeks burned madly as she dropped his gaze for a second. “Or maybe four times.”

“Well, you do.”

“Gracias. Pepa spent three hours doing my hair and makeup for me, so I’m glad it was worth it.”

Dropping her hand, he reached over the table and gave her cheek the softest stroke with the back of his palm. “It probably isn’t appropriate for me to say, but…but if we were alone here then I’d be kissing you right now.”

“If you think I’m the sort of girl to let being kissed in front of people embarrass me, you really don’t know me as well as I thought you did,” She smirked, leaning over the table slightly and bringing her chin to rest in her palm. “So, Rojas, are you going to kiss me? Or did you really get my hopes up only to go and disappoint me?”

“Oh, the last thing I want to do is disappoint you.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

Rolling his eyes at her in a teasing manner that made her chuckle again, he brushed a lone curl behind her ear before taking her by the chin and leaning in to capture her lips with his. He made sure to keep it chaste, what with there being a number of other couples at the tables around them, but at the same time he poured all that he wanted to say to her into it. It was long and soft and tender and when he pulled back eventually, sucking at her bottom lip, her eyes delayed opening and her breathing was a little uneven and it delighted him to no end. “Is that what you wanted?” He asked gently before leaning back in his seat again when her eyes fluttered open.

She only managed a small nod, still trying to gain control over her breathing.

“I think I might go and see to the bill,” He told her. “I was thinking we might take the long way home?”

“Sounds perfecta to me.” She smiled.

Looking at her for a moment longer, he leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She replied before watching him get up from the table and head inside the restaurant.

It had been a wonderful night and she had loved spending some quality time with him, but she couldn’t shake the feeling there was something going on. It all started when Pepa insisted she let her do her hair and makeup. She did ask if she wanted her to whenever she and Gus had a date planned, that much was true, but normally she would back down when she politely declined. Not tonight though. She never even gave her that much of a choice, choosing instead to just grab her by the arm and drag her upstairs so she could start getting her sorted.

What truly convinced her that something was going on though was the way Agustín had been acting all night. He was always a bit of a nervous wreck around her, even now, and it was just one of the things she loved and found endearing about him, but it had seemed to be on another level this evening though. He’d stumbled over words, he’d played with and loosened his tie many times – a tell tale sign he was anxious – and she could tell by his eyes that something was going on with him. It was no secret that everybody knew something she didn’t.

Deep down, she felt she had quite a good feeling what it was.

Each time she thought about it she felt a surge of excitement, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up.

If it happened then it happened, she would just have to wait and see.

She was pulled from her thoughts by Gus resting his hands on her shoulders from behind a short while later, the two of them sharing a smile when she turned to look at him after he kissed the crown of her head. “Well, that’s dinner sorted,” He said as he pulled her chair out for her so that she could stand, his hand reaching for her own before she took it and the two of them began to walk away from the little restaurant. “Señor Alvarez said our meal was on him because you helped little Francesca when she got hurt the other day. He appreciated it and he wanted to do something to thank you. I like that. It’s about time someone acknowledged your work.”

“I don’t need any acknowledgement though,” She shook her head. “I don’t do it for that reason.”

“No, I know that corazón,” He gave her hand a squeeze. “I also know that there are some people in this town who like to take advantage though and don’t appreciate what you do for them enough. I know how much you have to do in order to care for people. I see you working in la cocina for hours on end and I see you worn out at the end of the day, but the people in town don’t see either of those things and so they don’t see how lucky they are. I like it when someone does something like this for you because it proves they appreciate all you do.”

She hummed in response. “Señor Alvarez is so kind. Remind me to thank him for this, would you?”

“Of course,” He nodded before dropping her hand so he could put an arm around her and pull her close while they walked. He felt her cuddle up to him after a couple of seconds and tightened his hold of her, running his hand along her spine through her cardigan when her head dropped against his chest. “Are you warm enough?”

“It has gone a little chilly now you mention it.” Her eyes sparkled when she looked up at him.

Knowing exactly what she was up to, he stopped walking for a second and shook his head at her as he started to unbutton his jacket. He then removed it and draped it around her shoulders, untucking her curls and seeing to it that she was covered before putting his arm around her again and continuing to walk. “Better?” He asked.

“Better…” She buried her nose in the fabric and breathed in his scent. “You are such a caballero.”

“Only for you.” He murmured in her ear.

“So I should hope.” She laughed.

A comfortable silence fell over them as they went on walking for a couple minutes, neither of them feeling the need to say much, but when they were only a short distance from the treehouse he looked her way once again. “I was thinking we might head to the treehouse for a little while,” He told her while playing with the ends of her curls. “I just don’t want to say goodnight to you yet and it isn’t that late, really. I’m sure your mamá won’t mind too much and Pepa can cover for you if we get there slightly later than we agreed on. What do you say?”

Pulling his jacket further around herself, she smiled sleepily at him. “I want to.”

He couldn’t keep himself from lowering his head to brush his lips against her own. “Mi querida…”

It was clear she was getting tired and it wasn’t surprising to him in the slightest given the long afternoon she’d had. He didn’t have to worry about that though. Once they were at the treehouse, he would ask her to marry him and then they could just sit and talk and relax together for a little while before he took her back to Casita.

It was all in hand.

When they eventually made it to the treehouse the two of them had spent many a peaceful afternoon in, he let her take his jacket from around her shoulders and hand it to him before he watched her start to make her way up the ladder. It was then that his heart began to pound. Once she made it to the top she would see the treats and the candles and it would become clear to her – if she hadn’t already managed to work it out – that there was something going on. He would have little time to prepare when he reached her and so he would just have to make something up on the spot. He would just say what he felt. It would probably make things a lot easier.

He began to climb the ladder once she was up there and, as he suspected, when he made it to the platform she was standing there with wide eyes. She was completely blown away, he could tell, but there was a smile on her face and he took that as a very good sign. “Gus…” The word came out as a whisper. “Wh…what is all of this?”

Rubbing his hands on his trousers to keep them from sweating too much, he was mindful of the candles as he walked towards her before taking her hands in his. A silent moment went by as they looked at each other, but soon he realised there was only one thing left to do and so he reached into his jacket pocket for the little ring box. He heard her breath hitch in her throat at the sight and chuckled gently, opening the lid with a trembling hand to reveal the beautiful ring he chose for her while making his way down onto one knee at the same time. “Oh my…” Her voice wavered as she fought back tears, lifting a hand to her mouth as she let out a quiet gasp.

“Funny,” He laughed nervously, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Your hermana said the exact same thing.”

She chuckled tearfully as he took her by the hand again and smoothed his thumb tenderly across her knuckles. “Gus, I…I’m not sure what to…” She shook her head in slight disbelief, quietening when he gently hushed her.

“I have been thinking about this moment for the past fourteen years and I have loved you for even longer than that,” He told her while attempting to keep his hand from trembling as he held hers in it. “You were the only friend I had for the longest time. You were the only person who didn’t think I was weird or estúpido and you always defended me as though your life depended on it. I can’t remember the exact moment I fell in love with you, but that means that being in love with you is all I’ve ever truly known and I think that’s a life well spent. You mean everything to me, you always have, and all I want to do is spend the rest of my life reminding you.”

Try as she might, she just couldn’t keep the tears in her eyes from falling at his words.

“I planned on writing out what I was going to say to you tonight and I sat down to do that a hundred times, but I kept throwing what I wrote away because it just didn’t sound right,” He admitted. “For the longest time, I couldn’t work out where I was going wrong and why it wasn’t working out, but then it came to me one day. I couldn’t do it because there is no one way to describe you. No one way to tell you just how much I love and want you. You are truly the most loving, unique, wonderful person I have ever known and why you chose me when you could have had any hombre in town will never make sense to me, but I’m so thankful that you did.”

“I chose you because you were – are – the only hombre for me,” She said through her tears. “I love you.”

“I love you too and that’s why I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” It was becoming something of a challenge to keep his own emotions under control at this point. “I want to go on adventures with you, I want to have children with you and – even though we haven’t a need to worry about that yet – I want to grow old with you. I can’t imagine my life without you a part of it and, honestly, I don’t want to because it would be so boring and pointless. I want to spend my life bringing as much happiness to yours as I can, mi amor, but you need to give me the answer I’m looking for before I can start to do that and I truly hope that you’re going to.”

Her heart was pounding hard against her ribs now and she could feel her impatience increasing.

“Julieta Madrigal,” He took the ring from the box. “Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”

“Yes…” She squeaked, smiling like a complete idiot with tears streaming down her face as he slid the ring onto her finger before standing and taking her waist in his hands, drawing her close to him. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.”

Reaching up to bury her hands in his hair, she pulled him down into the deepest kiss and felt him tighten his hold of her while they sank into it. It was long and soft and warm and completely full of passion, that simple action saying more in the moment than either of them could ever hope to. For so many years, they had to be so restrained and so careful and now all of that was slowly coming to an end and it was such a relief to them. Before long, they would be married and no longer have to worry about someone seeing them together like this.

She could have remained wrapped up in his embrace like this for the rest of time, truly, but the need to come up for air was growing stronger by the second and the last thing she wanted to do was faint. Deciding to bring the kiss to an end, she let her hands come to rest on his neck and brushed a number of soft kisses against his lips before pulling back a little and touching her forehead to his. “You certainly took your time,” She breathed, smirking and letting her nose brush against his. “I was beginning to worry you were never going to get around to asking me. I seriously thought Bruno was going to end up married before us, you kept me waiting so long!”

“Bruno isn’t even courting anyone.” He chuckled.

“Exactly, mi vida,” She tutted with a playful roll of her eyes. “I don’t have to worry about that now though.”

He hummed in response. “No, not now you’re my prometida.”

“Oh, I love the way that sounds,” She beamed. “Are you certain though? I mean, certain, certain?”

“I am certain, certain,” He promised her. “And you? After the boda, you’re going to be stuck with me forever.”

“You know,” She rose up to kiss him tenderly once more. “That is a life sentence I’m pleased to accept…”

—————

He brushed a curl from her face and tucked it behind her ear, sighing to himself as he pulled the blanket they were sharing a little further over her while she slept in his arms. She hadn’t been asleep long in all honesty, an hour at most, but he would have to wake her soon so he could take her home and he didn’t want to. What he wanted to do was spend the night here with her like they had done in the past, but he knew that wouldn’t be an option this time. Her mamá would be waiting up to make sure he brought her home safe and he’d worked long enough to get on her good side, so the last thing he wanted to do was wreck all that tonight of all nights.

No, he had to take her home at some point, but he felt he would be safe a little while longer.

Holding her a little tighter, he let her cuddle up to him in her sleep before feathering a kiss against her temple when she laid her head on his chest. It felt like the most natural thing in the world, holding her this way and just making sure she got the sleep she required. Should she have been home right now, there was no doubt in his mind that she would have been in la cocina making all manner of things ready for her busy day tomorrow. He knew she never went to bed until well past midnight. She saw the end of one day and the beginning of the next, but that was going to change when he went to live with her and the rest of the familia after the wedding.

He understood she was busy and had a lot to do and he would respect that, but he would also make sure she refrained from working herself to death. If she wasn’t in bed by a certain time, he would go to her and tell her to go and get some sleep. He would make her if the need to do so arose because he cared about those in town, yes, but just as her duty was to them his was to her and he was going to make sure he looked after her needs. It would no doubt be one of the things they bickered about on occasion, her ridiculous schedule, but there was also no doubt in his mind that they would end up reaching some mutual agreement regarding it at some point.

Her moving in his arms with an incoherent mumble pulled him from his thoughts after a time and he glanced her way, smiling and running the back of his palm down her cheek when her eyes blinked open and she tilted her head back on his chest. “Hola…” He whispered, feeling her tangle her leg with his underneath the blanket.

“Hola,” She echoed before giving him a guilty look. “Lo siento, you planned all this for us and I fell asleep.”

“You had a long day, cariño, no wonder you’re feeling so tired tonight,” He soothed with a shake of his head, running a hand over her untameable curls which caused her to smile. “I ought to start taking you home soon.”

She made a sound of displeasure at that before sitting up slightly and turning onto her front against his chest, the two of them sharing a smile as she played with his tie and he ran a hand up and down her back. “Maybe we could spend the night up here instead. Eat those treats and make the most of the start of our engagement?”

“Oh, I want to,” He sighed, stretching up to place a kiss on her lips. “You have no idea how much, but your mamá knows where you are and you know what she’s like. She won’t go to bed until you’re home safe and if I don’t get you home soon then she’ll not be pleased with me. It took me a long time to get her on my side and I…I just don’t want to do anything to ruin that. I want her to like me. I want her to think of me as a suitable esposo for you, but I need to prove myself to her in order for that to happen and so I have to take you home.”

“Is it wrong for me to wish you weren’t such a decent hombre all the time?” She pouted.

He couldn’t help but chuckle at that, winding his arms tight around her when she laid down again and tucked her head beneath his chin. “You and I can spend the night up here whenever we like once we’re married,” He pointed out. “No one is going to ask questions, we won’t have to sneak around anymore and Pepa and Bruno won’t have to come up with some stupid story to give your mamá. Everything is going to be so different then.”

“Can we get married tomorrow?” She mumbled into his chest.

“I would take you down to that church and marry you right this second if it were doable.” He smirked.

“Imagine what mamá would say if we went back there already married.”

“Honestly, I’m more concerned about what she would do to me if that happened.”

Looking up at him again, she curled a hand into his shirt. “You really do care about her opinion, don’t you?”

“I think your mother is a remarkable woman, even more so since I learned what she had to go through before all this came about,” He replied. “I have a lot of respect for her and I have a lot to be thankful to her for, you being the main thing. I want her to feel as though she can trust me to take care of you. She doesn’t think I’m worthy and I agree with her, but I also love you madly and I am going to prove to her that I can be worthy of you. It might take years and it might even be something I never achieve, but I need to try. Your familia is the most important thing in the world to you, I know, so I need to make sure all of them are as important to me.”

“Mi familia is important to me, Gus, but you are more important to me than anything.” She told him gently.

He frowned. “I am?”

“Considering I once told mamá I would leave Encanto just to be with you if it came to it, I would say so.”

“You really would have given all this up just to be with me?”

“I would give up everything to be with you should that be necessary,” Moving closer to him under the blanket, she draped an arm across his stomach to anchor herself to him and hummed contentedly when he brushed his nose against her own. “I am never going to stop being grateful to Papí for saving our lives and letting us have this, but…but none of it – my special gift, the miracle, Casita – means a thing to me if you’re not here for me to share it with. I hope it never comes down to it, of course, but should I ever have to choose between keeping all of this or staying with you then I know which choice I would make. It has and always will be you. Always.”

Resting a hand on her cheek beneath her curls, he looked into her eyes and sighed. “I feel the exact same.”

“You do?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“I do,” He hummed. “I feel the exact same way…”

—————

It was throwing it down with rain and the two of them were soaked to the bone, but neither of them cared in the slightest as they stood there caught up in their embrace. He wanted her to head inside the second they got back to the house, to go and get changed and make herself something warming to drink before she caught her death, but she had other ideas. Getting caught in the heavy downpour made her realise she’d never been kissed in the rain before and, oddly, it was something that had always sounded rather wonderful and romantic to her. In her mind, there was no time like the present to see what it was like and so she just grabbed and kissed him.

He was stunned for a time, something she was expecting since he had very little warning before she moved in, but he eventually sank into it and it was every bit as wonderful as she imagined it would be. His hands on her along with the gentle sound of the rain falling around them just brought her a happiness she couldn’t describe.

Letting a hand venture up his chest and come to rest on the side of his neck, she couldn’t help but smile into the kiss when he pulled her closer to him by the waist. She could feel his warmth through the layers they both had on and it made her shiver, but that only led him to think she was cold and so he pulled away only to give her a concerned look. “You’re cold,” He said while attempting to catch his breath. “Perhaps you should go in.”

“Gus, I’m not cold,” She laughed as a raindrop landed on her nose. “I am anything but right now, honestly.”

He chuckled at that before reaching up to brush her wet curls from her face. “I still think you should head in.”

“Oh, bored of me already? I thought you would have lasted longer than two hours.” She feigned hurt.

“No…”

“Ay, Agustín, I’m only teasing.”

He seemed genuinely relieved that he hadn’t upset her. “I just don’t want to be the reason you end up sick.”

“I know,” She soothed. “You’re right, I should be going in. Could…could you kiss me before I do?”

“I suppose I could manage that.” He tutted, drawing her close again and swallowing her chuckle with a kiss.

Unlike the time before, the two of them barely had any time at all to sink into this kiss because Casita’s front door swung open and they broke apart at the sound to see Pepa standing there in the doorway, arms crossed. “So, you both decided to start this long awaited engagement of yours off with the flu! Fabulous idea.” She said.

“Pepa…” Julieta whined, turning away from Agustín to look at her hermana. “You can’t give us un momento?”

“As your hermana, it is my job to make sure everything runs smoothly from now until the wedding and seeing to it that you stay healthy is part of that,” Pepa shook her head, reaching for the orange umbrella next to her and opening it before making her way outside and taking her sister by the wrist. “Now, say goodnight to Gus.”

Julieta glared at her for a second before turning back to Agustín and giving him a smile. “Buenos noches.”

“Gus, say goodnight to Juli.” Pepa instructed, causing him to chuckle under his breath as he looked her way.

“Buenos noches, mi vida.” He said gently when he looked at Julieta a second time.

Before either of them had time to fully process what was going on, Pepa started pulling her in the direction of the house and the two of them shared a knowing look when she glanced over her shoulder at him. Just before Casita closed its doors behind her and her hermana, Gus gave her a small wave which she returned before she turned to her hermana with a huff. “You would kill me if I interrupted you and Félix like that.” She grumbled.

“Oh, I would hit you with lightning for sure,” Pepa nodded. “But that’s not important. Hand.”

Julieta brought her hand up at her instruction, her initial irritation starting to die down little by little, and she smiled when she brought a hand to rest over her heart. “You should have heard his speech. He made me cry.”

“Bruno made you cry when he ate the last polvorosa last month. It doesn’t take much.” Pepa reminded her.

“Hey! In my defence, I had my cycle and I still say he knew what he was doing when he took it,” She argued. “Honestly though, Agustín said the most wonderful things to me tonight and it only made me love him more.”

Pepa smiled. “He really, really loves you. I just don’t know why it took him so long to ask!”

“I said the same thing!” She laughed. “It doesn’t matter now though. He asked me and that’s all I care about.”

Reaching out to rest a hand on her arm through her dress, Pepa gave it a light stroke before gesturing upstairs. “Mamá went up with a cup of tea not long ago and said I was to send you to her when you got home. If you want mi consejo, I would take a bath and change before you go and see her because we both know she won’t be pleased with Gus for failing to get you home before it rained. He doesn’t need her ruining all this for him.”

She nodded in agreement. “Gracias, Pep.”

“De nada, just remember this when I ask to be your dama de honor.” Pepa smirked.

Standing there for a moment longer, she gave her a smile and a playful roll of her eyes before moving around her and making her way over to the stairs so she could go up to the bathroom. She was silent as she crept past her mother’s room, not yet ready for her to know she was back, and when she made it to the bathroom at last she let out a sigh of relief and made her way inside before shutting the door behind her and leaning against it.

She brought her hand up again then to admire the stunning diamond ring Gus gave her, the love she had for him deepening when she thought about all it symbolised. It was more than just a representation of his love for her. It was a sign of dedication and a promise to stand by her through thick and thin, something he’d always done but something that was far more crucial now they were to be married. It was such a small thing, this tiny piece of metal, but it meant more to her than words could say and she really would treasure it all her life long.

It was beginning at long last, her life.

She had no idea what the future had in store for her and Agustín, but it would be an adventure for sure.

One she simply couldn’t wait to embark on.

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