Fly High, Butterfly

Chapter Five

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"Tio Bruno?" Camilo called into the aforementioned man's room, "You in here?"

"Bruno's not here." A small voice came from the room, and Camilo couldn't keep the slight smile from creeping onto his lips. Closing the door behind him, he walked further into the room. Unlike before, the sandy cave now had a bed, as well as a few other assorted items tucked away in a corner that the sand couldn't touch.

"Oh, well then who is here?" Camilo asked, glancing around the bedroom area with a slight confusion. He couldn't see Bruno, so how did he hear him?

After a long pause, the voice spoke up again, "Jorge."

Realization hit Camilo, and he lowered himself to the floor, peering under the bed. Sure enough, Bruno had tucked himself away in the small space beneath the bed, laying on his stomach with his arms in front of him to rest his head on. His head which currently was adorned in a familiar bucket.

Laying on the floor beside the bed to see Bruno, Camilo gave a patient smile, "Well hello then, Jorge. Surprised to see you. Usually I end up either seeing Tio Bruno or Hernando."

Jorge-Bruno shifted awkwardly, pointedly avoiding eye contact, "Hernando is scared of nothing." His voice held a slight air of pride, before he continued and it dropped to a whisper, "But I'm not."

"I get it." Camilo nodded understandingly, "It's good to be someone fitting for the moment. What's in this one that's got you here, Jorge."

Jorge-Bruno glanced at him, uneasy. After a moment, he whispered, "We... Bruno..." he sighed, "Gonna mess up."

"Mess up how?" Camilo asked, "I mess things up all the time, and I'm doing alright."

Jorge-Bruno shook his head, "Visions. Or—or rituals, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock on wood." He suddenly interjected, performing the short knocking ritual, final knock on his bucket. Jorge-Bruno flinched at this, the sound of the knock vibrating the metal bucket as it resonated. He turned shakily back to Camilo, "It's not normal and what if Bruno's familia get sick of it."

Camilo fought to keep his pity down, not to let it show, "Jorge, you know this family isn't normal in the slightest." He smiled, "We've all got gifts. And we've all got quirks to manage them. No matter what you—I mean, what Bruno does, we'll all understand."

He seemed unsure, adjusting his bucket. Camilo let out a sigh.

"And if you, or Bruno—hell, even Hernando—get worried about it, just come talk to one of us. Come talk to me. I know being scared isn't fun. I can help."

Jorge-Bruno gave a small giggle, no longer avoiding Camilo's gaze, "Hernando isn't scared of anything, remember?"

Camilo gave an overexaggerated face palm, "Oh, duh! Forgetting all sorts of things."

After another giggle, Jorge-Bruno looked at Camilo in a different sort of way. A moment passed, and he finally spoke in a quieter tone than moments earlier, "I'm sorry, Cam. My—our nerves aren't your responsibility..."

Camilo shook his head, grinning, "Nah, man. I get it. I have the same kind of worries sometimes, okay? The ones where you worry if the familia likes you."

Jorge-Bruno looked very interested, perking up in an anxious sort of way, "Do you have somebody to be when things get... scary?" he spoke in a low and urgent tone. Camilo nodded seriously.

"Yep. I shift into the bravest person I know." He gave his traditional grin, "He's even braver than Hernando."

Jorge-Bruno lit up in a curious sort of excitement. Camilo could practically hear his eyes sparkling with that sort of childlike wonder only his Tio—and by extension, Jorge and Hernando—managed to have. "Braver than Hernando? Oh, who?"

Camilo smiled as he quickly shapeshifted. He looked at Jorge-Bruno through his new eyes, and watched as his face fell into a quiet confusion.

"You... You accidentally did the wrong person, Cam." He whispered carefully, "You look like Bruno."

Cam—now Bruno—only nodded. "Yeah. He's the bravest person I know. Tio Bruno sees all sorts of crazy things, and he went through a hell of a lot of stuff. But he's still the best Tio in the world. That's pretty damn brave, if you ask me."

He shifted back, and watched as Jorge-Bruno smiled slightly to himself. After a minute or two of silent contentedness, Jorge-Bruno raised his hands, slowly slipping the bucket off his head.

"Oh, hey Tio Bruno." Camilo said, "We were just talking about you."

Bruno gave a shy smile, a light blush dusting his cheeks, "I, uh, I overheard."

Camilo let his smile fall slightly as he took on his seldom used serious face, "Then you overheard what I told Jorge, right? About coming to talk to someone when you feel scared?"

He nodded, breaking eye contact as he wrung his hands, "I—yes, I, uh, heard that part too."

Cam let his bright smile come back full force, "Good. And I mean it. I don't care what time it is, Tio, I'm an insomniac anyway."

Bruno snorted, crawling out from under the bed as he and Camilo both stood, "Jee, kid, at this rate all you need is some rats and you're a mini-me."

Camilo couldn't help but laugh as he shifted into his Tio, "Way ahead of you, man."

He also couldn't help but beam as his Tio laughed right alongside him.