La Luna - His Future || Bruno Madrigal Fanfic || Book One

The River

Yep, I knew it but this was turning out to be a bigger suckfest than I had anticipated. We've only been traveling for four days, FOUR DAYS, and already three of the kids refused to walk another step. I can't blame them. We've decided to stay an extra day after setting up camp last night cause most nights our camp situation, if you can even call it that, only included food and face planting the dirt. Everyone needed a break, a proper meal and well, quite frankly, we smelled like a pack of donkeys. At least we're keeping the other animals at bay with our stench, I chuckled.

We found the perfect spot to settle down for the day. Well hidden within the dense Encenillo's, with a slow-moving river barely knee deep. Mateo was entertaining a group of kids with a small water show. Forming tiny whirlpools around them, giggling as they tried to escape the pull of it.

The soft steps of Benji's puma paws joining me, sitting to look out at the group. I sighed, throwing my head back to bask in the warmth of the midday sun.

"Remember the time you took me out to the river back home to teach me to swim? I told you I could only swim as a puma.", Benji's voice broke the silence. You could never hear him shift so it often startled us in the beginning. His voice was beautiful and soft. A stark contrast to his booming puma roar. Every word Benji spoke was like a song.

I smiled at him, taking in just how youthful he looked. You tend to forget if you haven't seen him shift in a while. His dark, almost jet black hair hung loosely over part of his face, framing his handsome features. You could describe him as effortlessly edgy.
"You made me swear not to tell anyone and we had to sneak out to go to the river. Then we got lost coming back.", I laughed at the memory.

Laying his head down in my lap and crossing his outstretched legs he chuckled. Even when Benji wasn't a puma, Benji was a puma.

"Are you going to tell him? When you see him?", he asked in a carefree tone with his eyes closed, still resting in my lap.
"What part? That I'm some freak that has had a crush on him for a decade, not even knowing him.. That I've looked at our future probably ten thousand times, just to see his face..", I gestured like some crazy person towards the sky. "Oh yeah, real smooth. Totally not creepy" I snorted.

Benji's laughter shaking me, "No bonita, the OTHER part..." his voice more serious as he emphasized "other".

Ugh. This. The one thing I feel completely helpless about and unsure of. I can handle looking like an infatuated weirdo but not THIS.

"No. I've already talked to Mateo about it. He's not to say a word. I told him to give Bruno space and time and that we won't speak "his" name while there. Not until it's time.", I said, feeling hurt saying the words out loud.
"Mateo is going to have a hard time with that. He's just a kid Luna.", Benji's tone was soft.
"Yeah well... I promised him that he'd get to see him one more time before we reach them. So for now it's the only plan I got. Besides, YOU'RE just a kid, you shouldn't be giving me such sound advice all the time.", I said as I booped his nose.

We both smiled as I stroked his hair out of his face. "Just five more minutes...?", he whispered the question as if announcing it. Something I'd always say to him and Mateo while snuggling them. "Sueño, mi amor." I said taking his hand in mine. The sounds of giggling from the river seeming so far away now.

I hope I don't mess this up.