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

The Back Door is Always Open

During this time, I did have my two visitors shake things up. The first time I was interrupted out of my blessedly dreamless sleep was by Dolores. She had walked into my room and quietly shook me awake.

"Sorry to wake you." She whispered as I looked at her groggily.

"Don't worry about it." I responded quietly. Quickly I got dressed and she watched as I quietly worked with my beads. She sat as she would every night as Bruno told stories, her head upon my arm, just focusing on the beads.

"It's too loud outside today." She whispered.

"That's alright, I already told you that if it is too overwhelming, that you could come here."

"Abuela may get upset at me."

"Dolores, if she does then tell her it was my fault." My face fell. "You are a kid, and sometimes all of the work you do doesn't help you, it hurts you. It may help other people, but sometimes it's okay to do something for yourself."

"Like when you made tio his hair pin?"

"Exactly, I was still doing my work, but I was making something that in a way was just for me."

"Mami is glad you showed him how to put his hair up, although it is always messy."

I chuckled softly, and looked down at Dolores. "Your Tio Bruno has the coordination of a plank of wood, it was to be expected."

She made her little high pitched noise and then focused on my beadwork again. Time passed quickly, and that night we went to Casita together.

Dolores' visits became pretty normal for me after that. Sometimes she would wake me up if she was having a difficult time processing sound, others I would hear the back door click and her quiet footsteps as she walked to my workroom. I had no idea when I had become such a light sleeper, but I did know that people who were around kids they cared about often would wake up to certain sounds.

Now, that deviates from the day I awoke to my back door being slammed open. I sat up in bed, my back straight and my heart hammering as I placed the noise. Creeping down to the first floor of my house I came upon Bruno. His hood was up and he sat on the floor, his knees against his chest.

"Bruno?" I asked softly, kneeling down and putting my hand on his back. I could feel his shoulders heave as he cried soundless sobs."Bruno." I sighed and drew him into my chest. "Shhhh. It's ok, you're safe now. Shhh."

His breathing was jagged and I drew down his hood and moved his hair out of his eyes. "Can you take some deep breaths with me?"

He nodded, eyes swimming with tears. "Ok, breathe in." Breathed in with him for four seconds, and held the breath with him for five seconds. "Now out." I said and released the breath with him.

"Again?" I asked and he nodded, both of us doing the breathing exercise together. As his breathing evened out I looked at his tear stained face. Placing my hand on his cheek, my thumb rubbing small circles in his stubble. "Talk to me, what happened?"

"The forms didn't work." His voice cracked and my heart fell.

"How so?"

"One of the people that came for a vision has a sick father. The doctor signed off with a note saying that the person was aware that their father wouldn't make it. Yet they still tried to get a vision..." He choked out a sob and continued, "But Mama made them sign the waiver stating it's not my fault, and do a vision. It wasn't good, their father passes away, just like the doctor said."

"Did they get mad, did they hurt you?" I suddenly had a cold chill go down my spine, and I began to frantically look him over.

"I'm fine. Just hurt emotionally." He laughed bitterly. "Bad Luck Bruno strikes again."