The Madrigal Fox

It's Okay

Bruno simply stared at his son for a moment, allowing his mind to process the fact that the boy was in fact still alive and well, physically anyway. He briefly wondered if his mind was playing a trick on him as some kind of punishment, but when he blinked Oliver was still there.

Oliver looked concerned and confused. When he had gone into his room Casita had been falling apart and he recalled his door vanishing before he left to go to his mini house inside the large room. The only reason he came back was because the door had let off a bright light and he was able to see it from far away.

Oliver reached out slowly, hesitant to grab his father's hand. Bruno met him halfway, though he was not hesitant, quickly dragging the fox boy towards him and hugging him tightly, silently questioning where the boy got his height before assuming it was from his mother.

The fox boy didn't hug back right away, silently contemplating on moving, or he was until his father began to sob. With a sigh, he hugged him back, his side of the hug was loose, not wanting to tighten it more than it already was.

Neither spoke, the rest of the family simply watching them a few feet away. Oliver found it to be awkward, not quite yet used to the family being around him.

Bruno pulled away first, though he kept a hand on his son, afraid he'd vanish if he wasn't holding him in some way. His sobs had settled, crying silently now.

"What happened?" Oliver asked, directing the question towards the rest of the family.

They all shared a look. It was hard to say what they should tell the boy, especially those who knew how his relationship with their grandmother truly was.

"The house collapsed, we had to rebuild it, the magic was gone and no one had their gift so it was difficult." Oliver stiffened at Mirabel's words, glaring at the wall.

He asked himself why he didn't lose his gift, why he was the only one that had to keep his when he wanted to get rid of it so badly. It made him feel like a monster compared to his family, a demon even.

Sure at one point he loved his gift, it made his father apply and in turn, made him happy. He used to love making light shows for his cousins who all seemed to adore the illusions he could produce. As time went on, he unwillingly began to listen to the negative comments of not only the village but his grandmother as well, especially after his father had left and was no longer around to tell him that their words were lies.

"When we finished building, the magic came back and so did your door. We were really worried, Oliver." Mirabel scolded him lightly, earning a pout from the boy. "You can't do that again, no matter what."

Oliver nodded slowly, the family however didn't seem to believe him.

"Promise me. Promise us." Oliver finally looked his younger cousin in the eye, sighing softly.

He smiled at her, ignoring the rumbling sound behind him and Bruno despite everyone else turning to look at it.

"I promise." Mirabel seemed satisfied by his words, though a moment later her jaw dropped open and the rumbling stopped.

Turning to see what was wrong with his room he also seemed shocked by the sudden change. The pathway had rebuilt itself, it looked brand-new and even had some lanterns on either side of it. The plants seemed healthier now, greener even. It looked as it did when he first had received the door.

"Oliver..." The boy brought his attention back to his father, silently waiting for him to continue speaking. "Alma won't be around anymore... She..." He paused trying to find the words.

"She wasn't a good person." Julieta supplied, a forced smile on her face.

Oliver snorted, turning away from his family that seemed confused before looking guilty.