Bruno Madrigal x Reader: Para el Futuro

VII: Río

Another 8 years gone by in a flash.
You're 20 now and spend most of your time finding odd jobs around town since your mother decided it would be best if you were more involved.  You travel with Pepa and Julieta to different sections of town everyday to help those that need it.  Bruno shows up once in a while but in all honesty he doesn't really like the town's people, so he stays at home as often as Alma allows him.  They yell at him for ruining their lives and blame him for anything bad that happens.

"I fell down the stairs. I bet Bruno knew this would happen."
"I gained weight. It's all Bruno's fault."
"I lost all my hair, and it's all because of Bruno."

It makes you so mad to hear them talk about him in such a negative way. Your heart aches when you remember each time, seeing the happiness in his eyes fade.  You notice that the dark spots under his eyes have been getting darker and larger. Not good.  It's funny because it's never even his fault that these things happen.  The man who gained weight? Bruno told him he would "grow a gut" after watching him eat like 20 empanadas in one sitting.  The minister? He was stressing out over some ceremony he had to supervise and Bruno told him that if he kept on worrying so much, he'd lose his hair.  The lady who fell? She's just clumsy as heck.  Bruno never even talked to her.

You deliver a few more blankets to a couple more houses on the road when you see him and a lady in a white skirt.  He looks down at his feet while the woman sobs and screams with emphatic hand gestures.  As you run over, you hear,
"You monster!!! How could you do this to my little fish! You're a murder A COLD. BLOODED. MURDER!!!"
Oh those townspeople!! Don't they know fish don't live that long! How dare she accuse Bruno of such a thing!
And besides, a sour, no good woman like that couldn't keep anything alive if it had immortality.
Bounding like a predator that has spotted its prey, you dash to Bruno and grab his wrist.
Before the woman or even he knows what just happens, you've dragged him halfway up the road and behind a small alleyway between two houses. You lean on the wall and try to catch your breath.  As you look over, you see Bruno standing and staring, in awe of what may or may not have just happened.
"Y/n? What did you... Why did you... where..what..."
"I... couldn't just... let that... that tonta, incompetente, no buena, vergüenza de una mujer ... hurt you," you wheeze out while still trying to recuperate.
He laughs.
He laughs.
You haven't heard his laugh in months. You look up at his face. His smile gleams in the sunlight and his dark messy curls bounce as his head bobs back and forth.  His eyes are shut tight but you just know that they've regained their life, their spirit, their color.
Their...Bruno.
He finally collapses on the ground next to you and let's out a sigh as he wipes the tears from his eyes.
"You... really didn't have to do that, y/n. I was doing fine. But... but thank you.

Do you want to go on a picnic with me?"
"Yeah! Of course!" you practically yell.
"R-really? Okay, great! Meet me at the Casita in 15 minutes."
"Okay! See you there!"
As you turn to leave the alley, you wink at him playfully with a flirtatious smile hanging on your lips.  He quickly averts his gaze and briskly walks in the opposite direction.  As he walks away you take the time to etch his being into your memory: his sandals, his slender legs,  his thin but firm torso, his cute noodle-y arms, his soft curly back hair floating in little wisps around his head, his tough but boney hands resting in his pockets as he turns the corner... and out of your sight.
...
Oh right! You have somewhere to be!
You come back down to earth and hurry home to get a change of clothes since the ones you currently wear are not good for a picnic. Especially not after wearing them all day while helping around town.

(time skip to 15 min later)

You picked your favorite sundress to wear. You love how flowy it is, and the edges are covered with sewn on flowers. And its your favorite color too!
You walk (well more like sprint but its fine) up to the Casita and see Bruno leaning against the far wall of the building with a picnic basket on the ground, fiddling with the edge of his poncho.

"Hola, Bruno! I'm here and ready to go."

"O-oh hey, okay lets..go..." he stops. And stares.
"Why is he staring?" you wonder to yourself and start to get a little self-conscious.
"Sorry, did I get something on my dress already? I'm so clumsy."
"NO! I-I mean no you didn't. It j-just looks really nice on you," he looks down, "come on."

"Where are we going?"
"To the river."

Through tall palms and wild grass and bushes of every height and size, vines hanging from branches and stray cacti every so often, Bruno holds a branch up for you as you enter paradise: a small little jut-out of land into a rainbow river. Colors of pink and purple and yellow and blue radiate from the shallow river that ripples from the near-by waterfalls. All of nature bends towards its beauty.

"I come here sometimes to clear my head and feel...normal. I named it 'Peninsula de Mariposa' 'cuz of all the gold butterflies that show up every-so-often."
"I...I love it...," you say in awe, still trying to soak in everything at once.
"Yeah, the first time I came here, it reminded me of you," Bruno chuckles.
That snaps you right back into reality.
"Huh? Why?"
"Because the first time I ever saw you, you were wearing a bright pink dress that changed to purple and orange and blue and when you moved, I could hear the sound of water flowing...," he says looking wistfully down at his suddenly incredibly interesting fingernails.
"How do you...remember that?" You sit down next to him on the blanket he set up.
"O-oh um," he comes out of his memories, "cuz I ran into you and you cried when I pretended to play dead."
"Oh yeah. Speaking of which, how is that acting going?"
"Absolutely nowhere."
You both laugh.
"You know Má. Acting isn't very useful to the town, so I have no business doing it."
"You should go for it anyway, Arenito."
"Still with' Arenito'? You know I never liked that."
"But I think it's cuteeee. And don't lie, you love it when I call you Arenito," you lay down onto his outstretched legs.

As you look up you can only see two things: the clear blue sky overhead and Bruno looking down at you.

"Do you want to eat?" he offers.

You sit up and he hands you an arepa.
The next hour or so goes by with you two enjoying each others company and eating quietly together. Sometimes you feel aware of his eyes on you, but you don't dare look in that direction. After finishing the food, you get up to wander around a bit. Bruno is laying on the ground with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed.
You carefully step into the river and splash
"H-Hey!" he gets up and unsuccessfully tries to wipe the water off.
You giggle a spray him a tiny bit more.
"HEY no fair!" he says as he comes to the edge of the water to splash you back.

Your little battle goes on for a few minutes and you both end up getting mildly soaked.
As you both laugh, you turn around and see the wooded area past the river.
"Hey Bruno, let's go explore that side," you tell him as you stick your hand out and gesture "come."
"U-umm I d-don't...no I don't think that that's safe, y/n," he says.
"Please?," you ask, making an exaggerated pouty face and batting your eyes," where's your sense of adventure!"

To your confusion, he pulls his poncho hood over his head until you can only see his nose and the tiny little stubble on his chin.

"I am Hernando, and I am scared of nothing!" he says, in an accented voice and puffing his chest out.

You laugh at his funny impression.

"Okay then, 'Hernando', come on! let's go!"

"A-alright," he says as he pulls his hood off and takes hold of your outstretched hand.

Together, you carefully cross the river and go into the jungle beyond.