Encanto Short Stories [FanFiction]

Reunited

THIS IS SET DURING THE SONG 'ALL OF YOU'. IT'S CLEAR THE SONG IS A METHOD OF TIME SKIP BUILDING CASITA AGAIN. THIS IS A SCENE I IMAGINE HAPPENING AFTER DOLORES SINGS 'I knew he never left I heard him every day' AND BEFORE THE TOWN COMES TO HELP THEM.

~~

Bruno stood awkwardly between his sisters. They wouldn't stop hugging him. Touching him.

"We missed you so much, hermanito!" Julieta said.

"I just can't believe your back!" Pepa cheered.

Suddenly Bruno was ripped from the Madrigal Triplet Sandwich into the tightest hug he'd had in ten years. Luisa had even lifted him off the floor.

"You're back! Tío! You're back! I missed you!" Luisa said as she cried in her strange mixture of grief, shock, and happiness. "Please don't ever leave again."

"Can't... breathe..."

"Oh!"

Luisa dropped her Tío and straightened his ruana while he caught his breath.

"You still give the best bear hugs, Sobrina," Bruno said then hugged Luisa back. She cried into his hair, making sure to hug him softly.

"Tío!"

Bruno flinched as he dropped Luisa and turned to a rather terrifying, angry Isabela.

"H-Hola, S-Sobrina," Bruno muttered.

"How could you leave us! I was so scared, Tío! You left and everything went wrong and nothing... I... your vision..." Isabela tried to hold back her tears. Tried. She cried as she threw her arms around her Tío.

"I... I'm sorry, Isa," Bruno muttered.

"I thought you lied. I... I thought you lied. The life of my dreams? Was never going to be complete with you gone."

"Isa?"

"I needed you, Tío Bruno. And you weren't there."

"Yes, he was," Dolores said walking up to them. "But no one listens to Dolores!"

"Hola, Dolores," Bruno said.

"Hola, Tío."

"Wait..." Julieta gasped. "He was actually in the walls?" she asked.

"Yep," Mirabel answered. "I found him."

"Isa?" Bruno said and awkwardly pet Isabela's back. She still hadn't let go. "Well, you're powers grew. Didn't they? I saw what you did to Casita."

"Yo-yo-you did?" Isabela asked between sobs.

"Isa," Julieta said and giggled. She softly pulled her daughter away. "Let him breathe, Isa."

"I'm sorry you lost your gift, so soon after they grew," Bruno continued.

"I-it's okay," Isabela said. "A..." she took a steadying breath. "As long as I have my family. I'll be okay."

Camilo looked at his tío and no longer saw the terrifying uncle from his early childhood. Camilo's memories of the dark, gloomy, big smiled uncle faded. Crumbled like their house. As he looked at the small, timid, nervous man before him.

Bruno's eyes met Camilo. Bruno thought he was nervous to see his sobrinas again, but not, looking at the sobrino he saw grow up...

Camilo felt a weight lift off his shoulders and Bruno turned to face him. Camilo had felt a huge responsibility for being the firstborn boy of the Madrigal family since his tío left. In hindsight, it probably altered his memories of his tío. But as Bruno nervously smiled at Camilo, it disappeared. They were just a boy, looking into the nervous eyes of his tío that tried so hard to be a good uncle for him... to help him understand his gifts.

Before Bruno could raise his hand to wave, Camilo ran to hug his uncle.

Camilo said nothing as he held his tío as tight as he could. It was nowhere close to as tight as Luisa, but Bruno could feel everything Camilo wanted to say but couldn't in how his shoulders shook, how the young man buried his head, covering his face, and in the tightness of his hands on Bruno's back.

"I missed you too, Sobrino. I won't go away again," Bruno whispered.

"Hola, Tío Bruno!" Antonio said and waved, but he didn't smile.

"Hola, Antonio," Bruno answered.

Bruno looked from Antonio's expression of disappointment to Camilo, still holding on, still quietly crying into his tío's ruana.

"You didn't get Antonio a ruana?" Bruno asked, in a whisper.

Camilo shook his head, not wanting his family to hear him weak.

"It was your thing," Pepa said. She rested a hand on her son's head and on her brother's shoulder. "The thing that connected you two."

Bruno couldn't believe his ears. Mister feasts-on-your-screams himself...

"I didn't know you cared so much, Camilo," Bruno said. "I thought you were scared of me."

"He was," Dolores said and giggled at her brother's expense.

"Shut up!" Camilo yelled. Though, for his whole life, he's had to be mindful of his volume so he immediately felt bad.

"I guess, I'm not as tall as you remember?" Bruno asked.

Camilo looked up his tío in confusion. He was right, but why would he mention it?

"Seven foot?" Bruno continued. "I'm flattered but really?"

Ay, Dios Mio! Camilo jumped away from his uncle in sudden, huge embarrassment. He wanted to curl in a ball and hide. Run to his room... but he couldn't... There was nowhere to run... nowhere to go...

"He got the rats along your back part right!" Mirabel cheered.

"This isn't happening," Camilo muttered.

"I don't feast on anyone's screams, too," Bruno added.

Agustín and Félix laughed.

"I'm sorry, Tío! Lo siento! Lo siento!"

Bruno smiled and pulled Camilo back in for another hug.

"It's okay, Sobrino. I understand," he whispered.

Camilo hugged his uncle back. Bruno opened his eyes when he felt another set of arms go around them and saw Mirabel squeezing herself against them. Her cheek pressed against Camilo's shoulder.

Félix picked up an upset Antonio, mourning the loss of his gift. By the time Félix stood straight, Pepa and Julieta had joined the hug.

Bruno felt his own eyes begin to water as Isabela and Dolores joined the Madrigal mound.

"Hey! I can't breathe!" Camilo yelled from his spot near the middle.

Isabela and Dolores laughed. Agustín and Luisa joined the pile stretching their arms as far as they could reach.

Antonio pushed himself out of his father's arms and jumped into the pile of Madrigals, laughing with his sister and primas. Félix saw Pepa's crying, smiling, beautiful face, and decided that he'd join in, too. He had missed Bruno. He'd missed drinking with his brothers, though at their age, it wasn't likely to happen again anytime soon.

Abuela looked on over the mountain of Madrigals and her own happiness began to water her eyes.

If you could see us, mi amor. She smiled at her thoughts. As she went to join the Madrigal mountain of bodies, she was stopped by a strange humming. It sounded melodic... harmonising...

"What's that sound?" she asked.

The whole family could hear it over the laughter. They finally broke apart the hug and Antonio ran to where their door used to be to investigate.

"I think it's everyone in town!" he said.