I Would Have You In My Dreams Forevermore (Bruno Madrigal x female reader)

Creating Gifts

The next two days went by. They were filled with nighttime beadwork and dreamless daytime sleep. Bruno's reusable journal was a successful project, and so was the hair pin. I had decided to make Felix a matching, although more masculine, bracelet to match Pepa. I laughed a bit as I realized they were a very color coded family. My laugh did die out when I remembered my very green skirt choices.

Julieta would get a hair pin as well, since keeping her hair back for cooking was important. Hers had some herbs along it and a blue border to match her family's color choices. Agustin got a small lapel pin with the herbs I chose for Julieta's hair pin. Siñora Madrigal was the hardest. I had wanted to make her a brooch, but had no idea how to represent her.

During those couple of days, Julieta's food was gone. I had already washed and dried her dishes. They laid in the basket as I looked at them intently.

"Just take them up to the Madrigals tomorrow, wake up early, see your new amigo." Amor. My brain corrected, and I wanted to just scowl at myself. I'm not going to act first. I will not ruin this for him.

Waking up, on the third day since the Madrigal dinner, at 3 pm. I donned one of my new skirts and a sage green blouse. With my hair comfortably loose, and not too wild I grabbed the basket of plates and locked my door behind me. Taking a deep breath, I began my walk to Casita. I heard a few surprised whispers about my clothing, but I easily shrugged it off. Nothing would be as bad as what they would say if they really knew what I did, the nightmare I was.

I looked up at the door of Casita as I raised my hand to knock. Suddenly the tiles beneath my feet moved me into the house.

"Wooooah!" I shouted trying desperately to keep my balance with the plates in the basket on my arm. Julieta came out of the kitchen at the sound of my screeching, which I was attempting to make softer for Dolores' poor ears.

"Casita!" Julieta scolded the house and I felt my knees buckle. I happened to lift the basket in enough time to keep anything from happening to its contents. "(Y/n) are you alright? I have no idea why Casita was that rough with you."

I took her outstretched hand and stood up, my knees wobbly. "I think I'm fine, just weak in the knees." I internally laughed at my joke. Casita gave a few planks to the stairs a lift as if to remind me to visit Bruno. "Give me a minute, Casita."

"Stay here, and thank you for bringing the plates back." Julieta left the room with the basket of plates to get an arepa con queso.

While she was gone, I looked up at Dolores' room and whispered. "Lo siento, Dolores, Casita decided to scare me."

Her head popped out from the doorway to her room with a small smile. "Gracias, Siñorita."

"De nada." I smiled up at her.

Julieta brought an arepa out and Dolores closed her door quietly. I gratefully took the arepa.

"Thank you, Julieta. I'm going to need it if I'm going to climb Bruno's stairs."

Julieta seemed kind of surprised. "So you weren't lying to my brother when you called him your 'friend'?" She formed quotation marks around the last word.

"We're not like that, just friends! What did he tell you?"

"Everything, well, he had to, he looked feverish when he got back. Of course he was only blushing. A lot." Julieta smiled as I began to blush at the implications. "He thinks you're quite beautiful, and this is the part where I say as his older sister, if you hurt him I will send Pepa after you. She can kill you for me to bring you back to life, and we can do that over and over, and oover." Her sing-song voice was a tad bit menacing.

Julieta smiled and winked. "Go visit. I'll set a place for you at the dinner table." She turned back as I walked up the stairs. "Also, I like the outfit, very green."

I quickly made my way up the stairs, this time taking in the doorways. They each thrummed with a magic that seemed to come from... oh! A candle sat above Señora Madrigal's room, and it was the source of all of the magic.

"I see you discovered the candle." Señora Madrigal's voice came from behind me and I jumped.

"Señora!" I clutched my chest. "Don't scare me like that! I could faint!" Panicked a bit, I turned to face her. I was terrified mainly because of the sour note I knew I left on a few days prior.

"That is where our gifts come from." She said proudly, "When I lost my Pedro, I was blessed with that miracle. And each generation makes it stronger." She seemed to add importance to the word 'generation'. And I froze, yep, she did not like me.

"Oh, Señora, Bruno and I-" I tried to explain but she cut me off.

"Yes, he did say you were only friends. I am glad it is only that. I'd like to see him happy, but the Madrigals are here for the community." She gave me a look that made my stomach churn. Señora Madrigal had a stern, proud look upon her face, and she almost looked to be looking down on me.

"Can I be honest with you, Señora? I do not want to impede on your goodwill and hospitality if you don't want to hear what I have to say." I had decided that to win whatever war I needed to continue being able to see Bruno, killing with kindness and respect was in order.

"Please, speak your mind." She raised her eyebrow at me.

"The townspeople have done more harm than good, you should try and listen to Bruno, and to them. I chose green fabric at the seamstress' shop, and she acted like I chose a cursed color. I've been in his shoes more times than I would like to divulge. This is the beginning, sooner or later he will become the monster they warn children about." I sighed, looking at the candle that meant so much to Señora Madrigal. "I became a nightmare. They said I killed people in their sleep. Right now Bruno's biggest worry is being a goldfish killer, but things snowball."

Señora Madrigal swallowed dryly. "I appreciate your opinion on the matter. Perhaps I haven't been listening close enough to what the townspeople think of him."

"Just keep an ear out. You seem like you care about your family's place in the community, and have raised your kids well from what I see." My smile was faked, but I patted her arm. She seemed to accept it and thought for a second.

"(Y/n), please, call me Alma." She gave a nod, "Now, go see my Brunito."

"Gracias, Alma." I said, making my way to Bruno's door. My sigh of relief could only be heard by Dolores, of that I was sure. I knocked and entered the sandy landscape. Checking that none of his sobrinos followed me, and that Pepa and Julieta didn't magically show up, I quickly made my way to the elevator.