Fly High, Butterfly

Chapter Thirty

Bruno has always been quirky; his love for animals (rodents to be precise), his introvertedness, his superstitions, and his affinity for playing other characters had always set him apart from the rest of the Madrigal familia. It was awkwardly adorable to see, at least for Mirabel at the start since she was the first to find him after 10 years (besides Dolores).

And yet there was something else about Bruno's brain, some things he just couldn't describe. And the way he would move his body when he was excited or nervous; very flappy and jumpy. He would rock back and forth while chewing on the hem of his ruana as he fed his beloved rats with arepas con queso that Dolores would sneak him. Sometimes, when he was feeling extra nervous, he would turn into Hernando while sneaking out during the night to get leftovers from the kitchen. It gave him comfort to be this character; made him braver. And Jorge brought out another good side to him too, more willingness to work on the house in patching the cracks (with Hernando's help, of course). He used them so he wouldn't be lonely. Poor Dolores must have had steam coming out of her ears from hearing him non-stop muttering to himself and his rats in these characters, and he would apologize for that soon, but it helped him. His family, so close yet so far, believed he was gone. As in left the Encanto. For 10 years. Yet there he was, craving to be a part of the birthday celebrations, including his own with his twin sisters. Each year at some point in the festivities, or afterwards, Dolores would go to the crack by the table and quietly say to him: "Happy birthday, Tio Bruno." and he would whisper back a tearful "thank you". She felt like his last thread to some sort of sanity, and he was forever thankful.

Now he's back and gotten to know his familia more, but of course no doubt his favorite sobrina was Mirabel, right next to Dolores. She didn't take her family's bad spits of venom about Bruno to heart, for if she did she would be poisoned with hatred for him, continuing to make the whole family, Casita, and the whole Encanto suffer with this false knowledge. She saved the whole family, and once again he is forever grateful.

While the rest of the familia is out for a walk, Bruno and stayed behind. Bruno needs to bask in the quiet, for as much as he loves his family they can be too noisy and overloading, both from a general and sensory standpoint.
"Hola, tio," Mirabel smiles, walking up to him as he's sitting at the dining table. They share a grin and she sits down next to him. "Whatcha doin?"

Flapping his hands uncontrollably, Bruno's dark brown eyes lit up with joy.

"I'm playing Telenovela's with my rats! It's about a princess in a really tall tower and she has a big crush on a handsome prince and she runs away and marries him and-"

Realizing what he's doing he immediately stops. Bad Bruno...Weird Bruno...No one cares about your stupid Telenovelas Bruno...

Looking down at his feet, Bruno starts to apologize.

"I'm sorry..." Bruno said quietly, still not making eye contact with Mirabel. Bad Bruno...

A curious head tilt from the girl. "What do you mean?"

"For being weird..." Bruno awkwardly cranes and rubs at his neck, curling his body inward slightly. "And telling you things you don't care about."

Mirabel is slightly taken aback. She hadn't meant to seem like she was annoyed or angry with him.

"I care about your Telenovela's." Mirabel said in a calm voice.

"Are you sure?" Bruno asks with a hesitant voice, still curled in on himself and giving his niece big puppy dog eyes. "Because I don't want to waist your time..."

That sentence breaks Mirabel's heart. She can't see her tio feel unnoticed and hated again. He's aided her with her vision and defended her against Alma, taking huge risks that would make anyone's jaw drop, so now it's time for her to help him.

"You're not wasting my time." Mirabel places her hands over his as he meets her chocolate brown eyes. "I love your Telenovela's. I love your creativity. I love your smile." Mirabel said as she places her left hand on his cheek.

"You fully deserve to be noticed, and you most definitely are not hated." Mirabel promises. "You'll always be loved by me. No matter what."

Mirabel's heart melt, happy that their bond has grown just a bit stronger from this. But Mirabel isn't done yet.

"Okay, Tio," Mirabel sits back in her chair. "You've made me feel noticed and loved so many times, now I want you to feel the same. You need to break down those insecurities. So, if it's not too much to ask, can you show me your Telenovela's?"

Bruno almost recoils from the request. Not in disgust, no not at all, just out of fear and surprise. While he had been told to stop doing the things he did ( stimming, playing pretend, etc...) his family now accept that his quirks aren't bad. And although he trusts Mirabel, his wariness is naturally still stuck with him. Whose wouldn't after being banished from your family and hiding for a decade?

"Um..." Bruno starts fiddling with his ruana but immediately stops. That's one of his stims, and his natural response to suppress is continues to win.

"There's one about a princess born with a curse by an evil witch and she falls in love with a prince and falls into deep sleep and is waken by a prince."

"That's awesome!" Mirabel grins. "Can I see it one day?"

A beautiful shock waves over Bruno. Mirabel wants to see his Telenovela's? No one has ever asked that before!

"Uh, y-yeah," He grins, more open.

" I love you Tio."

" I love you too Mira..."