Someone died. Someone had died and it wasn't Bruno's fault. It wasn't! It wasn't his fault! All he'd done was hand over that prophecy. He hadn't wanted to. He really hadn't but mamá had insisted. It wasn't scarred. It was just a normal prophecy. It could have been changed and it wasn't Bruno's fault that no one had changed it. That's what he told himself anyway because other people didn't see it that way. Not that that reaction was anything unordinary for Bruno but that didn't change the fact that he needed to hide. He needed to hide now and he needed to hide very very well. At least he was good at running. There wasn't a single soul in the Encanto that could outrun Bruno. He rather prided himself on the fact that he could run all day but he wasn't fond of the reason why he was so accomplished at it.

He thought he was doing better. He thought that everyone else was doing better. He hadn't been so afraid anymore. He'd even started feeling good about himself. His little hideaway in the walls of Casita was gone because he just hadn't needed it anymore. He couldn't make it back to Casita anyway because everyone was mad at him and he did mean everyone. He was pretty sure the townspeople would tear him limb from limb. That was no surprise. In fact, he wondered what had taken them so long to really make a go at it.

His family? That was the question. They were just as angry as everyone else and he didn't know what they might do to him. The scarred prophecies were different. There was no stopping those but this hadn't been one of those. He never wished for anyone's death but in those moments, those panic filled moments, he wished so desperately that it had been scarred because maybe then he wouldn't have to run. Maybe then he wouldn't have to hide. They were so angry but it wasn't his fault. Of course, the more he said that the angrier they got. He'd been doing so good and now he'd gone right back to bringing shame to his family. He'd gone right back to being the curse of the Encanto.

That really is all that he was wasn't it? A curse, a villain, and something to be rid of. Something that the world was better off without. His death would be a blessing wouldn't it? Why wouldn't it be? There would be no funeral for Bruno. No trimmed suits, no black dresses and veils, no tears, and no good words to say over his grave. He won't even have a grave will he? Just some unmarked hole in the dirt that everyone will forget about. No, his death won't be mourned, it'll be celebrated won't it? He was going to die. He was certain that today was going to be his last day. His time had run out. No more sand left in his hourglass to fall and keep his heart beating with its' steady flow. He'd fallen through it, outside of it, and there was nothing more in the world left for Bruno.

He wouldn't escape it this time. He knew that. He didn't need to see the future to know that all he was doing was trying to delay the inevitable. Perhaps if he hadn't been so afraid to look into his own future he could have seen this. Maybe he could have seen it and refused to have the vision no matter what his mamá said to him. Maybe he wouldn't have handed it over no matter what anyone said or did to try and make him. There was nothing to be done now. It was too late to hope for anything else and yet still he ran. He couldn't blame himself for running though and neither could he blame himself for hoping that he could somehow come out of this but everywhere he turned he could hear angry voices yelling and cursing his name.

He'd long ago chased his rats away and he could take solace in the fact that at least they would be okay.

He hoped.

Hope was poison.

If he only hadn't chosen to hope. Hope was what led him here. Trust and hope were nothing but peril and poison. He'd let his guard down. He'd thought to himself that he was going to be fine and that at least he had his family if no one else. He'd forgotten how quickly they had turned on him before and how quickly they had decided that they didn't want him around. Of course, it would do no good for the Madrigals to throw their own flesh and blood to the streets so they put up with him. He had no reprieve. If he stayed in his tower and away from people then he was a recluse and rude and selfish but if he didn't then he was a curse. There was no winning for Bruno. There was never any chance of a good life.

It was hard to run when his eyes were blinded by tears.

He ran for the jungle. It was all he could think of. He could hide easier in there and maybe he could find a way out of the Encanto. He could run away, never look back, and find a place where he could be alone for the rest of his cursed life. That was the only way he'd ever be safe. He had to stay far away from people and that didn't sound so bad. It could be just him and his rats forever. Someplace where no one could find him. It didn't matter when and it didn't matter how. He just wanted to be safe. He never should have come out of those walls because at least in there he had been safe. Why can't he just be safe? It's all he'd ever wanted in his life.

He didn't know how it had happened. Maybe he wasn't paying attention to where he was running or maybe it had all been a well put together plan. In the end it really didn't matter because suddenly there were people on all sides. He had nowhere to go. He had no way of escape this time. He was trapped, and cornered and caught in a net of his own making. Because in the end that's exactly what it all was. He'd done this to himself. Perhaps his fate had been sealed long ago and he just didn't know because he hadn't looked. It was more likely that this was something he brought on himself for being the kind of person he was. The future was shaped by choices and all of his choices had been bad so of course they would lead him here to die at the hands of these people. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that this was going to happen. That didn't change how he felt. That didn't change how his heart raced and his stomach turned. It didn't change the betrayal that blackened his heart when, of all people, Pepa stepped forward and she was far angrier than he had ever remembered her being.

She wasn't here to save him.

She started yelling. She screamed about how they had trusted him and thought he'd changed. The crowd yelled their assent and he knew, in those moments, in he knew that no one was going to help him. They were going to kill him and his family wasn't going to do anything about it. He should have known. He should have seen this coming. He was a prophet for god's sake! How could he not have seen this?

Because you're a coward. He swore he could feel the breath of something cold and wicked drifting across his ear and again he realized there was nowhere to go. He was trapped.

The most dangerous thing in the world is a cornered animal and when people are afraid, well and truly terrified, there is nothing to separate them from the savageness of the beasts.

In the blink of an eye Bruno became one of those beasts. Fear was no longer what he felt. Fear had fallen back and given way to anger that had birthed a deep hatred within his soul. That great blackened thing rose to the surface and, worse yet, he let it. He grit his teeth and looked at his sister and just the thought of sharing the same blood as her brought a foul taste to his mouth. They all did. They were foul and wicked and cruel and now they had made exactly what they had feared.

He was a monster and it was time he accepted it.

"Then do something about it." He snarled at her as she screamed about what a horrid person he was and how he was an embarrassment to the Madrigal name. "But that's all you ever been. All talk, no bite. So, come on you fucking bitch! Do it! Take your shot you goddamn cunt or shut your fucking mouth! What's the matter?! Too much of a coward to get a little blood on your hands?!"

He couldn't really see her reaction but he didn't care. He wasn't paying attention to them. He grinned as his eyes became emerald flames showing the furnace they had lit in his soul.

"Because I'm not."

He reached out with that new power he had found. It thrummed in his heart, flooded his veins, and ghosted across his skin. He brought that power to the surface and pulled. He didn't pull in a vision. No. Not this time. This time he pulled power from outside himself. The grass withered beneath his feet and he gasped at the feeling. He smiled wider and it was a manic smile filled with the madness of a man whose mind had finally broken.

"You first."

He tilted his head and watched her age. She screamed as her skin wrinkled and sagged and she began to wither away. Her hair grew grey and almost brittle. She reached a hand up and it sloughed off in her hands taking her scalp with it. He watched her teeth rot and her eyes dry and shrivel until they were little more than raisins sunk into her skull. Her aged skin grew dry and stretched taught over her body becoming little more than thick leather that cracked and spilled red dust instead of blood when she moved. He did it slow. He wanted to watch. He wanted to hear her scream for all of the times she had hurt him. He wanted everyone to watch and realize what it was they had brought on themselves. He wanted them to see their fate and know they were helpless to stop it and it felt so good.

The pleasure of it was greater than any other in his life and he was certain that there was nothing else that could stand against it. His eyes rolled back in his head and he moaned his pleasure. It tasted sweet and rich on his tongue like his favorite food but a thousand times better. It was a calming warmth filling his gut and spreading through his limbs.

More. He needed more.

He didn't stop at her. He reached out to all of the life he felt around him and took it. He took it all and there was only one way to describe the feeling or even describe what he could feel that he'd become.

A god.

He gasped deep and loud. His heart pounded in his breast and his hands shook. His wide eyes darted around the darkness and he tried to calm himself as he felt the sheets beneath him. He must have kicked them off at some point. He sat up and pressed a hand to his chest. He couldn't breathe. Dear god he couldn't breathe. He grabbed his hair and curled in on himself. He let out a scream and he kept screaming until his throat hurt.

That wasn't the kind of man he was! It didn't matter the circumstances he wasn't a killer!

Not yet. That cold and dark voice from his nightmare whispered to him and he shot to his feet to escape it.

His feet tangled in the sheets with his frantic movements and his chin hit the floor of his bedroom with a loud crack. He rolled onto his back and screamed again. He screamed at the thoughts, the memories, the sights, the smells, and the tastes that still lingered in his mind. He screamed and cried and pulled at his hair and clawed at his skin. Anything to make it all go away. He lifted his head and cracked it against the floor beneath him. The world spun from the impact and he did it again and again and again while he screamed. He cried and cried and cried until he had no tears left and no voice with which to wail his torment.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed. It could have been hours. It could have been minutes. Not that it really mattered much to him. He rolled onto his hands and knees and the world spun around him. He brought a hand to his mouth and prayed that he wouldn't throw up. He grabbed hold of the nearby shelf and pulled himself to his feet. His head hurt so much more than any time before and he groaned. His throat hurt and his arms stung from where his nails had bitten through skin. He let out one more broken sob before slowly making his way to his door. He knew he wouldn't be sleeping for days after this. His hands shook as he gripped the doorknob and walked out into the darkness of the night.

Thank god. It was night. The family wouldn't see him and he knew he looked a frightful mess. He could feel the warm trickle of blood running down his arms. Food. He needed food. All he needed was one bite. He didn't have to eat all of it. He didn't think he could. Food and then he could curl up in his walls safe and warm and away from people. He needed to be safe right now. His walls were safe. There were more places to hide in the walls than his room. He could pick anywhere and no one would be able to find him. Maybe he'd stay there this time. Maybe he wouldn't come out this time. Safe. He needed safe.

He counted the steps as he went down the stairs and made his way to the kitchen. There was always something there that he could find. He knew all of Julieta's hiding places for snacks and knew exactly how much he could take without her noticing. He'd spent ten years learning that and he figured he was pretty good by this point. He couldn't take too much but neither could he take too little. Not that they really seemed to have a problem with snackscapades. By this point in time it was just reflex. It was routine and Bruno needed routine. He knocked on the door frame for luck and walked through before backing out, knocking again and doing it once more for a total of three times. He tossed salt and sugar over his shoulder before pulling his tiger's eye from his pocket and lifting it to his lips much like one would for a rosary. He kept a tight grip on it as he started opening cupboards in search of a bit of food.

"You too?" Came a sleepy mumble from behind him and Bruno shrieked, accidentally launching his tiger's eye across the room.

He panicked instantly. Forgetting all about what was certainly a massive lump on the back of his head and his scratched arms, he darted across the room in pursuit of it.

"¡Dios mío, no, no! ¡No ahora!" He yelled as he threw himself onto his hands and knees to search along the floor. "Oh por favor, oh por favor, oh por favor. ¡Esto no puede pasar!"

"Whoa!" Félix gave a startled yell, completely awake. "Lo siento Bruno. Cálmate y respira por un momento."

Bruno didn't hear the words over the rising panic and memories of how he'd smiled at his own sister's horrified and pained screams. Neither did he notice a wide eyed Félix kneel down next to him and make an attempt to get his attention. He laid a gentle hand on Bruno's shoulder to try and pull the man's focus to his cuñado but Bruno pushed him, rather violently, away.

"Don't fucking touch me!" He screamed.

Bruno was a lot stronger than he looked and his shove had knocked Félix on his back hard enough to knock the wind out of him.

"No me toques No puedes tocarme ahora. te voy a contagiar."

For a moment Félix really didn't know what to do. He'd never seen Bruno in such a state before.

"Bruno please try and listen to me."

Bruno already seemed to have forgotten that he was there. He looked around frantically as he tried to put a plan together in his head. He took a breath. If he panicked then this situation was going to turn into a nightmare very quickly. He wracked his brain before talking again.

"Bruno, where's Frida?" Go for the rat. The rat was a near guarantee. "Do you know where she is? Maybe she can help."

He was looking for something and, by god, Félix had no idea what it was.

"Casita?" Félix called out. "Casita we need the light."

In an instant every candle in the kitchen lit up and Félix gasped. Bruno, indeed, looked a frightful mess although frightful didn't exactly cover it. Light streaks of blood followed the movement of Bruno's hands and there were strands of his own hair tangled in his fingers. There was a bright purple bruise blossoming on his chin and now Félix really didn't know what to do. He didn't want to call anyone else down here but Bruno didn't even seem to know he existed let alone hear Félix's attempts to calm him down. Should he grab the man anyway and hold onto him until he calmed down? Félix didn't know if he'd done all that to himself or not but the potential was there and with how he was behaving it seemed likely that he might hurt himself whether intentional or not.

Something caught the light on the far end of the room and Bruno leaped over to grab it and hold it to his chest as he curled in on himself and pulled in deep and ragged breaths.

"Bruno?" Félix said as he crept closer and held his hand out.

"Don't." Bruno's voice shook. "Don-don't t-touch me. Don't. Please? Por favor, no me toques." He whimpered and Félix pulled his hand back.

"Bruno, I promise nothing is going to happen if I touch you."

"N-no, no, no, you're wrong." He shook his head. "What-what i-if I-" He sobbed.

"What if you what?"

Bruno shook his head. No, he didn't dare say it aloud.

"Bruno." Félix sat down on the floor opposite him. "You're okay. You're okay. Try and breathe. Nothing is going to happen. You're safe."

Safe. Safe. He needed his walls. He needed his walls now. He lifted his head to glance at the cupboard that Agustín had fallen into. He'd have to get passed Félix to get to it. He wasn't sure if he could manage that.

"Don't." Félix pointed a finger at him as he followed Bruno's gaze. "Just talk to me. You know you can talk to me."

Bruno just backed into the corner behind him and cried. He felt the wall at his back and his mind, his memories, the dream, flooded his mind.

Cornered. Afraid. Panicking.

No! No, that wasn't the kind of man he was.

But it could be. Is this really what you want your life to be like?

"Bruno?" Félix's voice brought him back. "I swear you're okay. You're home. You're safe. Can you say that for me? You're home. You're safe."

He wanted his walls. His walls were safe.

"Say it with me? Bruno?" Félix called out again. "You're home. You're safe. Okay? Say it?"

"I-I-" He sucked in a deep and shaky breath.

"You're home."

"I-I'm-'m-h-home."

"You're safe."

Bruno's gaze drifted back to the cabinet.

"You're. Safe." Félix nudged himself between Bruno and his sight of the cabinet. "You're home." He gestured for Bruno to speak.

"'M-I'm h-ho-home." His lip wobbled and he tried to stop crying.

"You're safe." He gestured again.

"'M s-safe."

"Good." Félix gave a relieved sigh. "Again. Take a breath and say it again."

"'M h-home. I-I'm s-sa-a-safe." He held tight to the stone in his hands.

"That's great." Félix gave a soft smile. "Again."

"I'm h-ome." His voice still shook but he was feeling a bit better. "'M s-safe."

"One more time."

"I'm home." He sucked in a breath. "I'm safe." Oh he felt like a proper fool right now.

He pulled the hood of his ruana over his head, still clutching the tiger's eye to his chest.

"Bruno, what happened?" His fear must have bled into his voice because Bruno ducked his head down to look at his knees. "Please talk to me."

"N-nightmare." His words were barely audible. "I-...m-my tiger's eye I-"

Ah, that must be what he'd accidentally tossed, Félix realized.

"T-tell me about it?" He asked quietly as he caught sight of Bruno's arms and the bloodied fingernail marks and tried not to wince.

There was a pause as Bruno considered the question.

"I-" His voice was quiet and he kept his gaze turned to the floor. "Th- All of them th-they t-tried to kill me. They were going to kill me."

Oh.

"The prophecy was bad. Someone died. They said it was my fault." Bruno sobbed.

"Bruno, I promise I-we won't let anyone hurt you."

Bruno's head snapped up to look at him and Félix almost moved back at the intensity of his gaze.

"That's not what I'm scared of." He said, hysteria glimmering behind his eyes.

"What are you-" Félix didn't get to finish.

"Me. What I did." Fresh tears rolled down his cheeks as he struggled to get the words out. "I took their time. All of it."

"Took time?"

"All of it. Every single second of their lives and I took it all." He hugged his knees. "I killed them all."

"C-can you do that?"

Bruno nodded and looked to one of the plants on the counter. Félix followed his gaze and watched as Bruno reached up and, with a single touch, the plant withered and died. Bruno's mouth gaped open and closed like a dying fish as he tried to force the next words out.

"And it feels good Félix. Better than anything I can describe, than anything I've ever felt and I'm scared." He whimpered and tucked his head between his knees again.

"Bruno." He flinched away from Félix's touch. "Nothing is going to happen if I touch you okay? You're okay. I know you wouldn't do that. You know you wouldn't do that. It was just a dream. I mean t-there's not even a guarantee that you can do that to a person. A houseplant is a far cry from that."

"B-but what if I can?"

"Then I know you won't." He was finally allowed to lay a hand on Bruno's shoulder. "See? Nothing." He smiled.

Bruno didn't move. He was more embarrassed than anything else right now.

"It would've scared me too." Félix said quietly, as if reading Bruno's thoughts. "I-….god Bruno I can't even imagine."

As the adrenaline faded Bruno was reminded of how much pain he was in. His head was pounding, his arms stung, and his chin ached with every movement.

"Hey, you know where Julieta hides leftovers right?" Félix suddenly sounded very mischievous and Bruno wasn't sure how that was going to go. "If I'm being entirely honest I came down here to try and find the rest of those guava chicharrones. I know there were more left from dinner."

Bruno nodded shyly.

"Spill it. I'm hungry."

"Aren't you supposed to be on some kind of diet?"

"That's why I'm sneaking." Félix smiled.

Bruno ducked his head back down and there was a moment of silence before Félix spoke.

"Hey. I know it's not really worth much, but it's okay. Really. It was just a dream and I meant it when I said that would've freaked me out too. I-" He sighed. "I don't have magic so I-I can't really understand that. Or really help much with it but I can be here for you. I am here for you and I also know you aren't the kind of man who would do something like that."

"What if you're wrong?" Bruno looked back up at him.

"Then I'm sure it would be for a good reason." He stood and offered a hand to Bruno who took it and let Félix pull him to his feet. "Now." He clapped. "Where are those chicharrones?"

Bruno heard Casita squeak and he wasn't sure if it was a warning or an encouragement but he needed a bit of food too.

"That drawer has a false bottom." He pointed at the drawer in question.

"You have got to be kidding me." Félix laughed and Bruno shrugged.

Sure enough the bottom popped open and Félix let out another laugh at the absurdity of it.

"If you get caught with those, I don't exist." Bruno shook his head.

He wasn't about to risk getting trouble with both of his sisters.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Félix waved him off before tossing one of the chicharrones to him. "Eat."

Bruno did and instantly felt better but it was his hermana's cooking so of course he would.

"You have to take between two and four otherwise she'll notice."

"Bruno, you are a regular kitchen bandit." He laughed.

"W-well yeah." Bruno said, rubbing the back of his neck. "No, I'm not teaching you anything. I don't have a death wish."

"Selfish." Félix pouted and Bruno chuckled.

There was a pause as Félix slid the plate back into its' hiding space and settled the false bottom back into place.

"Can I stay up with you?"

"What?"

"Well," Félix rolled his eyes. "I'm assuming you're not going back to bed. Would you mind if I stayed up with you? Everything is better with company." He grinned as he slid another one of the chicharrones into Bruno's hands. "Or would you rather be alone?"

"Well….you don't have to."

"Bruno I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to." Félix said flatly.

"Uhm….o-okay I guess."

Félix was right. Everything is a lot better with company and he was also right in a much more important way.

That is not the kind of man that Bruno is.

A great deal of this might maybe possibly be me writing about my own PTSD. I've decided that he has PTSD. It's my story I can do that. Also the word snackscapade made me laugh far too much for me to not use it