They need a night out.
Dolores and Isabella, both still under six months of age, have been screaming almost non-stop since they were born, and the only person who can apparently get them to stop for a reasonable amount of time is Bruno.
The man has, much to his cuñados surprise, been more than willing to help, after getting over his initial shock at walking down the stairs one day only to have his sisters drop a baby in each arm.
It's a pleasant surprise. Bruno's nieces seem to smooth out a lot of the tension the man always seems to carry with him. And of course, somehow, something about him soothes the girls, because it usually takes about three seconds with him to get them to stop crying.
Bruno has actually spent most of the last three months holding his nieces, usually while sitting on the couch, because while he clearly adores his sobrinas, his sisters do not entirely trust him not to drop one of them if someone startles him.
It hasn't happened yet, but neither hermana is convinced it won't.
Bruno doesn't argue, though, and Félix has seen him spend an entire day sitting on the couch with his sobrinas, just so their mothers-and everyone else, really-can get some rest. Actually, he's seen it happen more than once, and Félix is not entirely unconvinced that the man would willingly spend the rest of his life on that couch, taking care of nieces, if the world would only allow it.
But like his sisters, Bruno has a gift. And inevitably his gift calls to him, forcing him to hand the girls off to someone else before retreating to the privacy of his room.
Sometimes, if they're lucky, the girls are asleep at the time. Then they continue to sleep peacefully, and it is only once they are awake and find themselves in someone else's arms that they start screaming again.
Bruno's most recent vision has kept him in his room for the last two days, long enough that both babies, after crying almost non-stop since he disappeared, have finally worn themselves out and cried themselves to sleep.
Julieta and Pepa are currently curled up with them in the nursery, nearly asleep themselves. They've banished their husbands from the house, claiming that it's an entirely selfish maneuver, because as soon as Bruno comes back they're handing the kids off to him again and then they insist they're going to sleep for days, and the husbands are responsible for anything the girls-or their uncle-might need in the meantime.
It sounds like a fair enough deal to Félix, who has been thinking that Pepa certainly could use a break, and that maybe he could use one as well, but is determined to be every bit as involved in taking care of their children as his wife is, and up until now Pepa has not been very welcoming of the idea of taking a break from her own daughter.
Augustín also approves of the idea, though he also suggests that maybe they should see about scheduling some sort of spa day for their wives, to give them a chance to truly breathe and relax. And honestly, it's a great idea.
It's been a long six months.
So they're going out to the local bar, because neither of them have gone out since before the girls were born, and they're right at the front door when Casita herself clatters at them, floorboards shifting anxiously.
Neither man has gotten entirely used to living in a magic house, not yet, but they stop anyway.
"What is it, Casita?" Félix asks, keeping his voice low.
The house does not answer.
There's a creak at the bottom of the stairs behind them, and both men wheel around to see Bruno, frozen mid-step, his face twisted into a grimace at the sound, his eyes still slightly green.
Caught, he turns to face them, and Félix wonders how the man manages to look like an intruder in his own home. Not always. But certainly right now.
"We were going down to the bar." Augustín explains. He sounds just the tiniest bit defensive. "The girls finally cried themselves to sleep, and I think Julieta and Pepa just want some quiet time alone with them."
Bruno tilts his head slightly to the right, as if studying the man, and Augustín shifts.
"You could come with us." Félix says. "Pepa says the girls will sleep for a while yet." He's not sure why he says it. He really doesn't know the man that well, for all that Bruno is his brother-in-law. Maybe it's because Bruno currently looks a little bit lonely, watching them from the bottom of the stairs. Maybe because for the last three months he's basically done nothing but help baby-sit or retreat to his room to use his gift, and it suddenly occurs to him that Bruno could also probably use a break.
His brother-in-law hesitates, looking toward the kitchen for a moment, then nods.
"Thank you," he says.
By the time the three of them reach the bar Bruno's eyes have, for the most part, stopped glowing. They find a corner table in the back, where they're less likely to be disturbed, and where Bruno is less likely to be noticed.
People in town tend to avoid the man as much as possible, these days. And Bruno, for his part, seems to avoid them in turn.
They box him in as well, Augustín on one side and Félix on the other, leaving Bruno sitting in the corner. He doesn't seem to mind.
Félix looks around. It's not too busy, but there still a good number of people in the bar. He stands back up, and offers to get the first round.
He knows what to order for Augustín, but it occurs to him that he has never seen Bruno drink, ever, and he wonders if the man even does, or if he just came along to get out of the house-or because they asked him along, and they've never really done that before.
He feels a little guilty, when he realizes that. They should make more of an effort to include him, from now on.
"What do you want, Bruno?" Félix asks, and for a moment Bruno stares at him. Maybe he doesn't drink, Félix thinks, but then Bruno shrugs.
"It doesn't matter," he says, which only seems to reinforce the notion. "Cerveza."
It doesn't take Félix long to return. A lovely young woman (though certainly nowhere near as pretty as Pepa) is following him with a tray. She sets their drinks down as he returns to his seat, placing two in front of each of them, and with a wink at Bruno promises to keep the drinks coming.
Bruno drops his head and stares at the table until she's gone. Augustín and Félix exchange a glance and try to decide whether to mention it or not, because it's always difficult to tell what it's okay to talk to the man about and what isn't, and if it isn't okay to ask him if he knows-or likes-the woman, and they do, the evening will go very rapidly downhill from there.
In the end they say nothing, opting instead to focus on their drinks.
Bruno drains his first beer almost in one go, surprising both of his cuñados, and now Félix is trying to figure out whether this means Bruno actually drinks a lot and they just don't know it, or he doesn't drink at all and has no awareness of the idea of pacing himself.
Augustín chuckles. "Mamá always said that while parenting was the most rewarding thing she ever did in her life, it was also the most grueling," he says. He raises his glass in a toast, and then he, too, drains it in one attempt.
Félix wasn't planning on getting drunk tonight, but that may just be the way it goes. He raises his own glass in salute to Augustín's mother and her wisdom, and follows suit.
He clears his throat, just a little, as he sets his glass down.
It takes Bruno a moment to decide whether it's better manners to wait for his companions before starting on his next round, or to toast his brother-in-law's mother as well. After a brief internal debate, he quirks his lip in acknowledgment of the truth of the statement, and finishes off his second beer.
Félix now wonders if they're going to be carrying the man back to Casita at the end of the night.
The serving woman brings them each two more rounds, and Felix makes a mental note to try to slow things down when Bruno proceeds to finish off half of his next bottle almost immediately.
The problem is, he has absolutely no idea how to engage in small talk with his cuñado. He doesn't know Bruno that well, which in itself is actually pretty embarrassing given they live in the same house and he's married to the man's sister, but from what he's seen, Bruno isn't really a fan of small talk.
He tries anyway.
"So, uh, Bruno. How are things?"
Bruno turns his head so he can properly look at the man, and there's something disbelieving in his eyes, as if he's having trouble accepting that Félix has just asked him that. Félix resists the urge to look away, because, really, the man is studying him as if he were some sort of side-show curiosity never before revealed under the light of day.
Bruno can be intense, sometimes, when he's actually looking at you.
"I like helping with the girls," he finally says, and it just feels wrong. The answer Bruno has given does not in any way match the question Félix asked, but for some reason Félix feels like maybe it's a little bit his fault. Like maybe he also asked the wrong question, so they're both not quite on track.
Augustín smiles. "It's nice, seeing you with them," he says. "It's sweet."
Bruno considers this, briefly, then goes back to watching Felix. It's more than a little unnerving.
Félix takes a drink, just to have something to do.
"I know Julieta appreciates your help." Augustín continues. "So do I, for that matter."
Bruno looks back over at him. "I wish I knew why they cry so much," he says, and something still seems slightly off about his reply.
Augustín shrugs. "Babies cry. Some more than others. I'm glad you're able to comfort them."
Bruno picks up his third cerveza and finishes what's left in the bottle. He eyes the other one briefly, tilting his head and squinting slightly, but leaves it where it is.
He turns back to Félix. "Which things did you want to know about?" he asks, and Félix is not entirely certain what the man is asking. Bruno purses his lips slightly in imitation of Pepa. "You asked how things are-which things?"
"Oh," Félix isn't sure how to answer. "Just, you know, in general. How are you, what have you been doing, that kind of thing?"
"Huh," Bruno says, but doesn't say anything else.
Augustín doesn't seem bothered by the awkward conversation. He's content to sip at his drink, and watch the people around them, and enjoy being out with his brothers-in-law. Félix is a bit envious. Bruno is wearing on him, just a little bit, and the more trouble he has talking to the man, the more he feels like he has to figure out how to do it.
Just talking to someone shouldn't be this hard.
"I guess I'm fine," Bruno says eventually, as if several minutes haven't gone by in silence. "And as far as what I've been doing, you already know that. Visions. Helping with the kids." He reaches for the fourth bottle, but doesn't start on it yet.
"Hopefully you're getting some sleep in somewhere," Augustín puts in. "Eating now and again."
Bruno rolls his shoulders. Everyone in Casita knows he has terrible eating habits. He takes a large swallow of his beer.
"I'm managing." There's an edge to his tone, but Augustín fails to react to it, and so nothing happens other than that Bruno proceeds to finish his fourth bottle of cerveza in less than thirty minutes.
He leans back in his seat, his body suddenly a little looser.
"Oh," he says. Then he looks at Félix again. "It's the visions. Sometimes I come out of them a little weird. Well, weirder." He studies the empty glass bottle in front of him. "Sometimes they don't want to let go."
And that really doesn't help at all, unless Bruno's offering it as an explanation for why it feels like he and Félix are currently having trouble getting the right words out in the right order.
"Do you know what day it is?" Augustín asks, gently, but Bruno still turns his head sharply at the question.
"Miercoles," he says, and the other man snorts. Bruno sighs and rubs his forehead. "Sorry," he says to Félix, "I'm not trying to be mysterious and aloof. I'm just still a bit-muddled."
"From your vision." Félix honestly doesn't know much at all about his cuñado's gift, other than he can see the future, and what he sees is usually bad.
Bruno nods. "Sometimes it takes me a bit, to come back all the way. Especially if I didn't call it."
"Call?" Félix asks. Bruno, as a rule, doesn't talk about his visions, and other than wanting to know what he sees in them, nobody else asks.
"Call. Summon. The ones I make happen, up in my tower, they're easier to control. Easier to keep a sense of self. The ones that just sort of show up on their own, sometimes they leave me a bit confused." He chuckles. It's not a sound Félix is used to hearing. "We used to call them accidental visions, because I didn't mean to have them."
He's looking into to man's eyes as he talks, trying to gauge how drunk Bruno currently is, because he's far more relaxed than Félix has ever seen him, slouched in his seat, his feet swinging slightly because they don't quite reach the floor.
Because he's looking into Bruno's eyes, he sees the exact second they start to glow, his eyes going from their normal hazel to bright green in an instant like the flipping of a switch.
Augustín blinks. "Bruno?"
"Hmm?" Bruno tilts his head slightly.
"You okay?"
Bruno frowns. "Fine," he says. "Why?"
"Your eyes are glowing." Augustín looks as if he is bracing himself, and Félix wonders if he's dealt with Bruno's visions before. It looks like he might have, and that it was not a pleasant experience.
"Oh, that." Bruno waves a hand dismissively. "It's fine."
"But you're having a vision, aren't you? Do we need to leave? What do you need?"
Bruno waves him off again. "I'm fine."
"Bruno-"
"It's just something that happens when I drink." Bruno cuts him off, but he doesn't look annoyed. "Yes, I'm having a vision. I'll probably have more, because I can't really control them when I drink, but it's okay, because it doesn't really hurt, and they don't really-they don't-" Bruno frowns again, looking for the right words. "I can still see enough of what's going on right now. It's like background noise, I can tune it out, except with sight instead of sound." He winces. "Did that make any kind of sense?"
"Enough," Augustín concedes. "As long as you're sure you're okay to stay."
Bruno hesitates. "I mean, if it's bothering you guys, I can leave. I wasn't trying to ruin your evening."
Augustín shakes his head. "Absolutely not."
Félix agrees. "We invited you, cuñado. We wanted you to come. The night is still young. You're not getting out of here that easily.
It's weird, certainly. Unexpected. But it's not hurting anyone, and Félix has already learned more about Bruno in the short time he's been here than during the rest of the time he's known the man.
The woman is back, bringing two more bottles for Bruno, even though Félix and Augustín have barely started on their third drinks. She winks at him again as she sets his drinks down, and this time he flushes from his hairline to his collar and looks away.
She grins, and leaves without another word.
This time Augustín decides to ask.
"So, Bruno," he says, pausing for a moment to see if the man will meet his gaze (he does not) before continuing. "Who is that lovely young woman, and how do you know her, and why does she keep winking at you, and why are you so flustered because of it?"
It's absolutely fascinating, because most people outside of Casita don't actually like being around Bruno anymore. They'll tolerate his presence, certainly. But they stopped asking for his visions a while ago.
Only the truly desperate come to him now.
"I don't want to talk about it," Bruno says, staring at the table. For a moment Félix is afraid he's going to make short work of a fifth beer. "She wanted to know if her new boyfriend was going to cheat on her with another woman."
"And?" Félix dares to ask, because apparently none of the normal rules apply when Bruno's been drinking.
"And she kept asking. And I didn't want to, but sometimes, if someone's insistent enough, I get a vision anyway." Fingers wrap around glass and he takes a sip from the bottle in front of him. "But since I'm not doing it on purpose, I don't get to choose what I see. It's not always the answer to the question they ask."
"So?" Augustín asks, taking another drink from his own glass.
"I told her he was going to cheat on her. And she broke up with him. And she's happier now." His left hand starts tapping out a staccato rhythm on the table. "And now I can never talk to her again."
Félix eyes his brother-in-law skeptically. "Why, if you helped her get away from some guy before he cheated on her? I mean, she seems happy enough, and she seems to really like you. So why not?"
Bruno looks up at him, absolutely miserable. "Because I lied to her about it."
For a second, it all makes perfect sense, because while Bruno Madrigal may be capable of many things, lying is not one of them. He's a terrible liar, partially because he absolutely hates the thought of being dishonest, partially because he has no actual talent for obscuring the truth, but primarily because he has absolutely no poker face when it comes down to the actual attempt.
Even Félix knows this.
The moment passes, however, and Félix is left with only questions. Why did he lie? What did he actually see? Was he worried about her thinking he had ulterior motives for them breaking up? Did he have ulterior motives for breaking them up?
Bruno sighs. "I didn't see him cheating on her," he admits reluctantly, eyeing his still mostly full bottle belligerently for a moment before draining its contents as if he hasn't already had four beers in a fairly short amount of time.
"Is that going to make you sick?" Augustín asks, and somehow manages to sound more curious than confrontational.
"Oh, I'm going to be in agony when all this wears off," Bruno assures him. "It's fine." For a moment it seems as if the rest of his explanation has been forgotten, and they'll have to make do with what little information they have, but then Bruno looks up, and there is something dark in his gaze. Something haunted.
"They aren't supposed to happen just because I see them," he says. "the visions. The future is so vast, and it's always changing, so there's a lot of stuff I see that's more possibility and less absolutely certainty. Except here in the Encanto, whenever I tell someone what might happen, ninety-nine times out of a hundred, it happens anyway. It's like no one believes it could go any different, so it doesn't. Hell, at this point I could probably make up a vision and still have it come true, as long as it was something bad."
He looks at the sixth bottle sitting in front for a moment before reaching out and gently sliding it back, away from him.
"Anyway, you want to know about the girl. She kept asking, and eventually a vision of her-of them-just sort of came knocking even though it wasn't invited. I had a vision of her-of them. Her and her boyfriend, except they were married. And she was pregnant."
Félix wonders if maybe Bruno had lied about what he saw to get them to break up. Apparently, though, he couldn't actually do anything anyway, out of fear of her finding out about the lie.
"Most people would consider that good news." Augustín points out carefully, as if he thinks there might be more coming.
Bruno disagrees with one tiny, minute shake of his head. "I watched him push her down the stairs," he whispers, looking more than a little ill. "He left her there all night. Went to get Juli the next morning, but by then it was too late-they couldn't save the baby."
Félix is pretty sure his eyebrows have disappeared into his hairline. "Whew," he says, because he's not sure what else to say.
"I thought-" Bruno hesitates. "I was afraid if I told her what I actually saw it would come true anyway. So I told her he was going to cheat on her, and that he wasn't going to stop. So she broke up with him. And he's married to someone else now, and the first time he tried shoving her around she broke his nose."
"You put a lot of effort into this." Augustín notes. Bruno shrugs.
"It usually doesn't work. Trying to change what I see. Usually once I see something, it's as good as done, whether I tell anyone or not. I've been able to change what happens maybe a couple of times, and it's always been incredibly difficult every time."
They sit for a while in silence, and Félix gets the sense that the quiet doesn't really bother Bruno, though he's not certain whether or not it's because he's gotten to know the man a little better now, or if it's because Bruno's not nearly as closed off-verbally or physically-since he's downed five beers.
"I think it's very noble." Augustín decides. Bruno rolls his eyes. They're glowing again. "I mean it. You're a good man."
Their brother-in-law laughs outright at that, as if it's the funniest thing he's heard all day, and both Félix and Augustín can tell that he doesn't believe it, not in the least. It's both unsettling and worrying, that the man apparently thinks so little of himself.
Bruno's mood turns darker, after that. He doesn't turn mean, or angry, or even surly. He's quiet but polite, even inebriated, and though he's withdrawn from them a bit, he's still trying not to ruin their night out.
"I'm sorry," he says at one point, trying to rouse himself. "I know I can't be very good company right now. I don't have to stick around. I don't want to ruin your night."
Félix shakes his head. "You know I wake up to storm clouds on a regular basis, right?" He chuckles. "Pepa is most definitely not a morning person." He loves it, though. Loves her. So much that it hurts, sometimes.
That almost gets a smile from him. "She actually hit me, once," Bruno admits. "With lightning? I fell asleep in her room. Woke up screaming from a vision or a nightmare, I'm not sure which. She panicked, and the next thing I know there was a bright light, and I couldn't move. Luckily this happened in the early morning, so Juli was already up and cooking. I still don't remember how I managed to swallow anything."
The smile fades. "We were six years old at the time. Mamí was not happy when she found out."
The drinking gets worse as the evening goes on. It's not affecting his mood, or his motor skills, or his manners, but the bottles keep piling up, and Bruno doesn't seem to care.
The cerveza overall doesn't seem to have much effect on Bruno, really, and Félix briefly wonders if they were lucky he decided on beer. It's possible they dodged a bullet, but he also wonders whether something stronger would have had more of an effect on him or not, because his eyes are really the only indicator that he's been drinking.
By the time they decide to leave they're flickering, hazel to green and back again, on and off, on and off, so rapidly it makes Félix almost queasy to watch.
His steps are sure in the darkness as they make their way back to Casita, and the truth is, Bruno is currently steadier on his feet than either of his cuñados, and when Augustín stumbles, trying to fall and crack his skull open on the pavement, it is Bruno who catches him and hauls him upright.
For whatever reason, probably because he's been drinking, Bruno doesn't let go of Augustín after he hauls him back up, instead leaving his arm stretched across the man's back, and he could be simply trying to make sure his brother-in-law doesn't fall again, but at the same time it looks to Félix like he's almost leaning into Augustín's side as they walk.
He catches Félix watching them and shrugs. His free hand darts out, catching Félix's, and he continues walking, Félix's hand in his.
And now Félix has to figure out what to do, because suddenly the situation is a little weird. Or maybe it's just that Bruno is.
Because normally Bruno isn't really a touchy-feely kind of person. Usually he keeps his distance from people, the exception being that Félix has, on a few rare occasions, come across Bruno cuddled (for lack of a better word) up against one of his sisters, his face buried in a shoulder, or side, or lap while they hugged him as if both their lives depended on it.
Augustín doesn't seem to care that Bruno has his arm around him, in fact, he's brought his own arm up to rest across Bruno's shoulders. It makes walking a little awkward, but neither of them seem to notice.
Félix has never been ashamed of his emotions, or been afraid to display them freely. He's also never had an issue with physical displays of affection, either romantic or platonic. He's not afraid, as a grown man, of holding the hand of another grown man.
It's just weird that it's Bruno initiating the contact.
But some of the former darkness in the man has already started to lift, so Félix decides to roll with it.
"Pepa's gonna be jealous, if she finds out I've been holding someone else's hand," he teases, and is rewarded when Bruno snorts, even more gloom dispersing.
"Just tell her you were afraid I'd wander off otherwise," Bruno quips. After a moment, he adds, his voice softer, more contemplative. "I really do like you. Both of you."
"I'm married." Augustín informs him, his tone dry. Bruno chortles.
"Damn," he says, then sobers. "I'm not really into guys. Sorry. Or girls."
They almost don't hear that last bit. It comes out as an afterthought, but Bruno's voice is so small, so timid, so-vulnerable, that Félix wonders if he's ever uttered such a confession before.
Augustín takes it in stride, as he does most things. "Or rats, I hope." There's that dry wit again, and again Bruno responds to it, bursting into laughter that sounds just a little too loud, a little too free, and borderline hysterical.
The girls are somehow still asleep when they return. Unfortunately Julieta's awake, and does look happy at the realization that Bruno not only went out with them, but came back drunk.
"You're going to miserable tomorrow." Julieta tells him, and Félix wonders why it feels like she's scolding him.
"Doesn't have to be tomorrow. There's still leftovers in the kitchen, aren't there?"
Juliete's frown deepens. "You still won't be in any condition to do anything."
"I can sit on the couch even if I feel like shit, Juli." There's an edge to Bruno's tone. "You don't have to change your plans on my account."
Julieta's lips press into a thin line. "Well, we'll see how you feel tomorrow."
Bruno rolls his eyes and goes to leave the nursery.
"I can't sit with you," she reminds her, the words just a little softer.
"I'll figure something out."
Five minutes later the men are in the kitchen. Bruno's pilfering leftovers, slipping cold food onto an equally cold plate. "I need to ask a favor," he says quietly.
"Does this have anything to do with you claiming you'll be in agony when the alcohol wears off?" Augustín asks, and again his tone has more of a curious flavor to it than a judgmental one. Bruno hunches in on himself anyway.
"Yeah."
Interestingly enough, in addition to healing powers, Julieta's food also carries with it an immediate sobering effect. It generally does a pretty good job of handling a hangover too, not that Félix has taken advantage of that trait often, but he's noticed that his sister-in-law's food doesn't always help when Bruno isn't feeling well.
He's never asked why. Now he wonders if it might have something to do with the magic, if sometimes their gifts clash with each other or cancel each other out. He has no idea how that might work, but it seems as likely an explanation as anything else.
"What do you need?" Félix asks. Bruno hesitates, fidgeting for a moment with his sleeve, before reaching for the salt and throwing a pinch over his shoulder.
"There's going to be a bit of backlash." Bruno says, refusing to look at either of them. "I think it's because even though vision have been coming and going all evening, I haven't really seen them, so they aren't actually finished. Something like that. It's not exactly-fun."
"So where do we come in?" Augustín asks.
"I figured most of this out, about the drinking and the visions, when I was seventeen. I stayed more or less drunk for about a week before Mamí caught me. When I finally sobered up, even Juli thought I was dying. I wasn't, even if it felt like it, but ever since they don't like for me to drink, and when I do, I'm not allowed to be alone afterwards. Juli's afraid of what will happen if no one's there."
Augustín considers this for a long moment. "So, just to be clear, we're just supposed to sit there and watch you suffer."
"Yeah."
"And get Julieta if it looks like you're dying."
"Yeah." Bruno closes his eyes briefly, humiliated. "It might, uh, it might take a while. Like a few hours."
"I'll sit with you." Augustín says. "I've seen you have visions before. Félix can keep an eye on Julieta and Pepa, in case they need anything."
Bruno looks marginally relieved at the thought of having only one of them there, so of course Félix goes along with it, because he knows Bruno doesn't like having other people around for his visions, and this-this sounds even worse.
Bruno looks like he's preparing for a funeral as they head upstairs, toward his room. Félix wishes there were something he could do to help, because by now his cuñado is far less enigmatic stranger and much more troubled family member who can also see the future, but still doesn't know the man well enough to know how to go about it.
He settles for something simple. Something mundane.
"I'm glad you came out with us tonight," he says, catching Bruno off guard. "I enjoyed getting to know you a little better."
Bruno offers him a small, shy smile. "Thanks for inviting me."
He watches his brothers-in-law disappear into Bruno's room, and hopes for both their sake's that the night is not too difficult.
Author's note: Just for fun, I guess. And because I wanted to do something with Bruno and his brothers-in-law.