A/N: Thanks for your support! In this chapter, Bruno and Lucía react to the council meeting, and Agustín and Félix try to give Bruno some love advice. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 33

Bruno took a deep breath and scowled at the doorknob in front of him.

All he had to do was turn the handle and step out the door.

A very simple action.

In theory.

Casita flapped some tiles beside him. Poor house was probably a little confused. Bruno was a little surprised that she hadn't just…opened the door for him and smacked him with it. Casita was not known for her patience and was known for her eagerness to help in whatever ways a sentient house could – which usually involved opening doors and shunting people through them. But maybe she was being a little gentle with him after last night.

Last night Mamá and Mirabel had come home from the council meeting and sat them all down around the table with some chocolate santafereño. Ma had to pry the notes from Mirabel's hands and replace them with a mug; the poor kid was still clutching them so hard. But then Camilo said something snarky, Julieta ruffled her hair and kissed her forehead, and Dolores had begun murmuring, quietly sharing her observations of the villagers during and after the meeting. Mirabel had finally relaxed, sipping her hot chocolate and locking eyes with him across the table. She'd seemed to melt right along with the cheese in her chocolate and gave him a wide, encouraging smile, and then it all came spilling out.

Bruno was pleasantly surprised at how well it all went down, all things considered.

Mamá and Mirabel shared what had happened at the meeting, and Dolores had reported on the slow spread of chisme as those present at the council meeting returned home to their families and neighbors. Several villagers were discontent with the contract and the pre-approval required to seek a vision with him. Some in the village were also unhappy with the fact that Ma had kept her word and enforced a ban on Madrigal services for those who abused her son. Some defended her and stated that nothing she had said was wrong. All in all, most people seemed more appalled by Tatiana's treatment of Selena than by her treatment of Bruno, but that didn't surprise him.

Hearing what Mamá had done, however – that did surprise him.

His ears burned and his hands circled around his mug, his eyes focused intently on it as he heard Mirabel, Dolores, and his madre share, in turn, what had happened at the meeting.

He would never be asked to give a vision to Tatiana Valencia, ever again. Or her friend, Señora Velasquez. Or a few other people who had made their way onto the list over the course of the night. He could choose to share his gift with whomever he wanted – or he could choose to say no to people who had hurt him – verbally or otherwise – over his visions in the past. And this time – his mother would support him in it.

It was somehow both freeing and terrifying.

Despite what he told himself year after year after lonely year, he still wanted people to like him. He'd been trying to earn their - their appreciation? Praise? Acceptance? - for decades after losing it as a teenager and only ever ended up going backward, farther and farther from his goal, until he gave up trying to go forward at all.

But then the foundation he'd built his life upon – earning the Miracle, earning his mother's approval, earning the village's acceptance – crumbled to dust along with Casita.

In standing up for him, in barring others from using him for his gift without any regard for him as a person – his mother had chosen him over his gift; over the approval and good opinion of the town.

She'd chosen him.

When the gifts had returned, his had loomed over him. He'd gotten better at embracing it, accepting that perceptive part of him that allowed him glimpses into the future – but more often than not he still felt like he was wrestling with his power. Like Jacob, he felt like he'd wrestled with God and survived – but at a cost. He would always have a limp – always have the evidence of his struggles etched on his heart. Most days, now, he felt like he was living – fully appreciating each day as the little miracle it was. Some days he was just surviving. But there were some days – rarer now, but still there – he felt like he had lost; that he would always lose. There were still all of those impending what ifs clinging to the edges of his mind like shadows.

But while his relationship with his gift had shifted once again, he knew other peoples' opinions of it hadn't changed overnight – and that didn't make the thought of heading to Lucía's in broad daylight the following morning any easier.

Mamá and Dolores also told him what Tatiana had said about her. About him. About the two of them, together. Pepa had to get up from the table and go rant in the courtyard, cursing under her breath and flashing lightning and rumbling thunder until Félix went and validated all her anger and then made her laugh. Bruno had been tempted to join her.

He was indignant on Lucía's behalf, but the anger quickly faded, burnt out and drowned by the familiar feelings of sadness, disappointment, and guilt pooling in his chest and making it hard for him to breathe.

He knew something like this would happen. Bad-luck Bruno, the brujo of the Encanto, the maldición – el hijo del diablo – that someone would accuse him of ruining Lucía and her life was inevitable. He had just hoped it would take a little longer to catch up to him, to affect her. He was wrong.

She knew this could happen, and she still chose you. The thought formed clearly in his mind, and his cheek twitched slightly, remembering the ghost of her touch on it. Echoes of what she'd told him before ran through his mind – I will not run from your suffering.

Another thought rose up to combat the first. But how long will she suffer with you before she decides she's better off without you? Before she realizes Josefina is better off without you? Their lives would be safer and happier without you.

He closed his eyes again, fighting against the doubts and worries that plagued his mind.

"Lucía loves me," he muttered to himself, attempting to convince himself that nothing had changed in that regard. It was just – a little chisme. Gossip. No truth to it. Even if there was, other peoples' opinions on their relationship really shouldn't matter.

Then why did he have this sinking feeling settling on his shoulders like a heavy blanket?

It was only the beginning. Only the beginning of their relationship – but also, only the beginning of Lucía's experience with the…less savory aspects of being associated with him. What if…

He didn't really want to think about it. What-ifs were dangerous traveling companions. Lareina scrambled out of his breast pocket and climbed up to his shoulder, nuzzling into his curls.

"Lucía is my friend," he explained quietly to Lariena. She squeaked softly in reply. "She's my friend and she's – she's – we're courting. She chose to be with me and she loves me. She likes my family and she likes me…" he forced himself not to add 'for now' to the end of that sentence. "And I need to go talk to her instead of hiding. I can't keep hiding. I can't keep – I've got to try. I can do this. I've got to do this. Lord…help me do this."

He sighed, determined, and knocked on the wooden door six times before rapping his knuckles against his own head and throwing salt and sugar over his shoulders.

He reached for the doorknob, and the door knocked back.

"Hola!" Someone shouted from the other side. "Bruno Madrigal!"

Bruno froze, and then he wrenched his hand away and backed away on silent feet.

He took three steps before crashing into someone. And that someone thundered in irritation.

"Oh! Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry – ah – Pepa?" Bruno turned around and stared at her. "Wha - "

"You've been standing there staring at the door for twenty minutes, muttering to your rats. Has mooning over your novia made you so dumb you forgot how to open a door?" She looked exasperated. "Allow me to demonstrate - "

She turned the knob and swung open Casita's front door to reveal Osvaldo Ortíz standing right in front of it, a basket he held against one hip tilting precariously as he raised his hand to knock again.

"Bruno!" Osvaldo grinned and straightened. "Just the man I wanted to see!"

Bruno looked between Osvaldo and Pepa, slightly confused. The tension he felt in his shoulders shifted from the 'someone-is-angry-with-me-and-I-have-to-face-them' sort to the only slightly less terrifying 'someone-is-trying-to-be-friendly-and-I'm-not-sure-how-to-react' sort. "Ah – um. Hmmmm….?"

Maybe if he made vague, neutral sounds, he could get away with not saying anything at all.

"I made this for you!" Osvaldo beamed at him. He held out the basket he carried in front of him, displaying it proudly for Bruno. "I call it the 'Savior Special'. Since, you know. You saved my life the other day!"

Bruno stared at the basket, full of a hodge-podge of items. Wedges of cheese, fresh fruit, a bag of what looked like some sort of mulch, little pieces of knotted rope, what looked like tiny doll outfits, another bag with something unidentifiable inside, a notebook, and a set of pencils. His mouth moved for a moment, though no sound came out, and he looked back up at Osvaldo.

After a moment, he managed to bark out "…what."

So much for vague, neutral sounds.

Osvaldo's face fell, his brows pinched together in worry. "You don't like it. Of course you don't like it, it's – stupid, a rat basket, what was I thinking - " he chuckled nervously, his grin growing even wider as he tapped his finger against his cheek and then waggled it before him. "I – I'll tell you what I was thinking. I was thinking that I have no idea what you even like, that's what I was thinking. I knew you did that play last week with your pet rats - but this is an embarrassment to my profession, I'm usually a lot better at this, let me tell you – "

"No!" Bruno finally managed to get out. Pepa's cloud had disappeared and she looked from Osvaldo's basket to Bruno with a gleam in her eye and a pinch to her lips that could only mean one thing – she was highly amused and he was never going to live this down. Now that he knew what it was, it was actually a really nice gift basket, but he didn't want to accept it and start something with this man. He had no desire to be showered with favors for using a gift he still didn't have the best grasp on, and he did not want anyone to think he expected something in return for the few times his gift actually ended up doing more good than harm. He'd rather not trade one rumor for another, thank you very much.

"No, it's – you don't have to tell me, or show me, or - you don't have to do anything. I didn't – I didn't save your life. Isabela - "

Osvaldo waved him off. "Oh, yes, Isabela. She saved me, too. I gave her a basket already. Fruits, chocolates, a nice set of pruning shears and a nice trowel, she told me it was unnecessary but I insisted and she was very happy. But she wouldn't have even known to save me if it wasn't for you! You're a - "

"Nope!" Bruno stopped him, both palms raised in surrender. "Don't even - "

" – Hero!" Osvaldo grinned again. "A true hero, mi amigo. And I know I cannot repay you, not in the same way, but – I can offer you something small as a token of my thanks!"

"Uh…." Bruno looked to Pepa again. She was looking between the two men with that smile on her face and not helping the situation at all. "Oh, uh – well, again - you don't have to do that. I was – I'm – it was - "

"It was something, eh?!"

"Yeah…it was…something. Look, I – I'm glad you're all right, but I don't - " Bruno eyed the basket again, feeling just a little sad that he couldn't accept it. Lareina would love it.

She squeaked earnestly on his shoulder.

Miercoles.

"Shush," he muttered to her out of the corner of his mouth. "I can't accept it. I'll bring you something else nice later." He looked back up at Osvaldo and gave him a pained smile. "Lo siento, Señor, that's – really – really thoughtful of you, but you don't owe me anything, and I shouldn't – I can't accept your basket."

Lareina made what he could only describe as rat harrumph and abandoned him in his hour of need, scampering down his ruana to his leg and then down to the floor. She turned back to him and scolded him with her little squeaks, and then ran off in the direction of his room, no doubt to tell all the others all about how their caretaker had forsaken them by refusing a glamorous gift basket.

"Seems like the rats would've accepted it just fine, Brunito," Pepa said sweetly.

Bruno shot her a dark look.

Osvaldo frowned, and then nodded with determination. "I understand what you're saying, Señor," he said.

Bruno sighed with relief. "Ah, well, thanks, then - "

"I should try again! You need something for yourself, not for your pets!"

Bruno's sigh of relief turned into a disbelieving sputter. "Wha – no! No, no - "

"Not to worry, Señor! I will not give up! I will find out what you like and make sure the Savior Special is fitting for a – well, you know. Someone who saved my life."

"You really don't - "

"I have a survey you could fill out, if you want - " Osvaldo balanced the basket on his hip again and patted his pockets.

Bruno shook his head. "Señor – Osvaldo – Osvaldo, look, you - you really don't need to - "

"Aha!" Osvaldo stopped searching his pockets and looked up, nearly spilling his basket for the fifth time in the process. "It's like you know me! I am a master of my craft; I do not need to stoop to a survey to make a gift basket worthy of my savior! Well, not my Savior," the capital 'S' was implied by his tone – "that's – you know – our actual Savior, but like – the man who - "

" – saved your life, we get it," Pepa said. She'd crossed her arms and was tapping her cheek thoughtfully with her finger, trying to hide her smirk with her hand.

"Yes! You! You get it! I will not rest! I will complete my quest to discover la cesta de regalo perfecta. Adios, Bruno Madrigal! I'll see you around, yeah?"

Bruno watched the man turn on his heel and leave, and he turned to glare at Pepa. "Did you have to encourage him, Pepa?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Encourage him?!" She gasped in mock outrage. "Brunito, I did nothing of the sort. Besides, I kind of want to see how many times he shows up with a gift before he wears you down and you finally accept it, just to get him to stop. It's not wrong to accept a thank you for helping someone, tonto."

At his look, she laughed and threw her arms around him, holding him tightly until he scrambled to pull away. "Go see Lucía, Bruno. If she's upset about any of this, it's not going to be at you."

Bruno harrumphed as dramatically as Lareina, pulled his hood up, pushed his sleeves up his arms, and stalked out the door to Lucía's house.

Josefina was at school and Lucía was cleaning the printing press when Bruno arrived. He'd taken the road the long way round, opting to avoid crowds, and although one person had skittered out of his way, most hadn't paid him any mind. All in all, he considered the fact that he made it to her house without having to talk to anyone a success.

"Ah!" She smiled at him and looked up as he entered the front door of the shop, causing the little bell above the door to chime sweetly. She wiped her hands on her apron, one that was old and stained with ink. "There you are! I was just thinking about you! I have something for you. Let me just wash my hands."

Lucía walked to him and flipped the sign on the shop door from Open to Closed. She gently pushed his hood back from his face, kissed his cheek, and motioned for him to follow. He blinked after her for a moment, marveling at the ease with which she touched him and lamenting that that particular moment of contact was far too brief. He shook his head. He didn't want to be…clingy.

She exited the back door of the shop, crossed the courtyard, and set to work washing her hands in the kitchen sink. She carefully lathered the soap around her hands and up her arms, washing all traces of ink away. "Are you here for long? Would you like some coffee or tea? I haven't decided on anything for lunch yet, but we could just have something simple if you want to stay and eat with me – with us. Papá went to deliver the birth certificate to the Hererra family and is stopping at Señor Martínez' home for a game of Parqués before he collects Josefina at school to bring her home for lunch. Hmmm, I have – ah - some arepas con queso, some leftover ham, some fruit and veggies - "

"You're very…cheerful today." Bruno said. He leaned against the counter, watching her, and narrowed his eyes at her in bewilderment.

Lucía dried her hands on the towel on the counter, and she gave him a confused look. "…thank you?"

"I…like that you're cheerful? It's…nice." He puzzled out, and he smiled softly at her. He did like seeing her happy. "I just - " he let his voice trail off and frowned again, his brows drawing together. He didn't want to be the one to put a damper on that happiness today.

She blinked at him. "It's a beautiful day and I don't have so much to do in the shop that I can't enjoy it. Last night I had so much fun with Ana and Raquel. Bruno, I laughed so hard! Josefina is at school and now, you're here. Why wouldn't I be cheerful?"

They stared at each other for a moment, and Bruno peered at her, as though trying to gaze right into her brain to find the answer he was looking for. He watched her mind work for a moment, and he saw the moment she the realization hit her.

"Oh," she said. "Did something happen at the council meeting last night?"

Bruno sighed and his shoulders deflated slightly. "You don't know." He didn't want to be the one to tell her.

Lucía pursed her lips. "Actually – I do have some idea. Tatiana?"

He nodded, slightly confused.

"Let me make us some coffee, and you can tell me all about it, eh?"

"…and she said – that - that I…ruined you and made…several ridiculous insinuations about – about, ah - the – the – the sort of woman you'd become and that you weren't…you weren't…ah…that you were - "

Bruno's voice was tense with shame and apology as he stared at the lukewarm, untouched cup of coffee beside him. He scrunched his ruana in his hands, his hair falling forward to frame his face.

"...that I wasn't fit to teach the impressionable young minds of our town's children? That I was a disgrace to the Encanto? That I'd sold my soul to el diablo because I dared to commit the grievous sin of bathing, unchaperoned, at the house of the man who is courting me?!" Lucía's voice got more and more dramatic as she went along, and by the end of her speech, the back of her hand was pressed to her forehead and she peered at Bruno from beneath her eyelashes.

He was still staring at the table.

"Ahem," Lucía said, clearing her throat and adjusting her position so that was draped theatrically against the back of her chair, her hand still pressed to her forehead. "How dare I?"

Bruno looked up to her and back down at his coffee, and then did a double take. He snorted and looked up at her, the corners of his mouth trembling as though he wanted to laugh but wasn't sure if he should. "Wha – what are you doing?"

She grinned at him for a moment and the schooled her face into something much more melodramatic. "Isn't it obvious? I'm scandalized that she's finally uncovered my nefarious true nature – I'm some sort of - hedonistic seductress. A wayward woman. A thousand showers could not wash the stains of my indiscretions from my soul."

Bruno blinked at her, his cheek twitching slightly. Lucía wasn't sure if he was going to laugh or cry.

Lucía flushed and sat up, smiling sheepishly. She rearranged her skirts just for the sake of giving her hands something to do. "I was just – channeling Ana and Raquel from last night. Trying to get you to smile. You were taking Tatiana's opinion of me so seriously."

When he didn't say anything, she sighed. Bruno watched as she clumsily scooted her chair around the table so she could sit beside him. She brushed her shoulder against his. "I'm not thrilled that Tatiana is spewing garbage again, Bruno. But it's just that – garbage. She's also said nonsense like that about Raquel before, insinuating that there was something wrong with her because she's still unmarried. She's judged Pepa for her storms. She's complained about Camilo's pranks. She's – she's judged Mirabel for not having a gift and you for having one that doesn't suit her idea of what a gift should be, and she's judged Alejandro and me and Josefina, and she's judged my father for being too preachy because she complained to him about something and he quoted proverbs at her."

Bruno turned to look at her in question.

" 'The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.'" Lucía smiled. "He used to tell that to us – Sofia and I - as kids, too. One of the first verses we learned. Anyway, she wasn't very happy with him."

Bruno tapped his fingers on his knees, fidgeting uncertainly with his ruana. "Did you – how are you so – didn't that - ?"

He seemed both surprised and disconcerted at her reaction to the news of the gossip about her. About them.

Lucía's smile faded. Was she taking this too lightly? It wasn't the first time someone in town gossiped about her; she was fairly certain no one was exempt from gossip in the Encanto. It was a rare bunch of people who'd been spared from Tatiana in particular. But Bruno had gotten the worst of it in his lifetime, and hearing about what had happened last night had probably upset him more than it had her.

"Honestly? I was upset last night when Ana and Raquel told me about the rumors. But I vented to them and they listened and then got very silly and dramatic about it later in the evening and made me laugh, they were so ridiculous - and I'm fine now. I talked to Josefina this morning before she went to school – just to remind her about what the truth actually is. I'd already told her about delivering the baby and cleaning up at Casita and I reminded her this morning that if she hears anything unkind or untrue about anyone or anything, she can talk to me about it."

"So you knew? And you're…okay?" Bruno asked.

Lucía bumped his shoulder again. "I knew about the rumors about us. Those will be put to rest without too much fuss once everyone realizes we're courting. Then the next new couple will come along and the chisme will start all over with someone else."

She paused. "I did not know about how Tatiana and the town reacted to the vision contract – how they reacted to you - until you told me, though. I'm glad you told me, Bruno. I'm glad the contract was approved. I'm glad – I'm glad Señora Ruiz and your Mamá stood up for you. And I'm sorry they had to in the first place. I'm sorry there are still some in town who seem to want to use you as their own personal scapegoat for everything in their lives that doesn't go to plan. I'm more concerned about that than anything to do with me. Is that what's bothering you about all this?"

"Its just - you shouldn't have to do this," he blurted out. "I should be the one apologizing to you and comforting you and – not – not – not whatever this is," he gestured between the two of them. "Being with me hurt you, Lucía, already, and - "

"No," she said firmly, twisting in her chair to look him in the eye. "No, Bruno. That is not true. You did not hurt me. Being with you did not hurt me."

"But - "

"Tatiana tried to hurt me, but it is small in comparison to how she tried to hurt you. I'm already over what she said about me. Well," she amended after a pause, "I'm getting there. I'm more annoyed than anything else about what she said about me. But what she said about you? The things she called you, the ways she's tried to hurt you by manipulating people into thinking you're some – some – some sort of villain who uses his gift to hurt people? I can't – I cannot believe someone could be so needlessly selfish and cruel and - if I ever hear her spew that vile waste from her mouth again I'll – I'll - I'll clean it out with soap! She'll be breathing bubbles for a week! Maybe I could make one big enough and she'd get trapped in it and just – heh."

Her hands were clenched into fists, and a self-satisfied smirk spread across her face. She grew still and quiet.

"…Lucía?" Bruno asked after a moment, when she still hadn't said anything.

"I'm imagining her trapped in a bubble. Yelling and yelling and no one can hear her stupid mouth run."

Bruno snorted, a small, genuine smile blooming on his face for the first time since they started discussing the council meeting. "I could run it by Mirabel. Maybe if she thinks about it hard enough, at the next gift ceremony the kid's gift could be bubble-entrapment. Assuming, you know, they'll still get them. Gifts, I mean. Who knows."

Lucía snorted, then giggled, and then laughed. "Bubble-entrapment? Really?"

Bruno shrugged. "Still be better than mine."

Lucía sobered and shook her head. "Maybe easier to work with, but I love you, and I love the part of you that is your gift, whether you choose to use it or not. But Bruno - " she repeated. "Tatiana tried to use you and my relationship with you to hurt me. Emphasis on tried. I'm annoyed with her. I'm angry at her, on your behalf. You did not hurt me. You didn't."

"But - " she frowned, and her brows furrowed as she thought through something else. "But – just so you know – if you ever do - hurt me, I mean – and you will, at one point or another, and I'll hurt you, too – not on purpose, it's just – we're human, you know?"

She looked at him carefully and he tensed up, a guarded expression on his face.

"If and when that happens, I'm not - " she let out a frustrated huff. "I'm not going to just cut and run. We'll talk about it, okay? We'll work on it together. We'll get through all this, and the next thing, and the next thing, and whatever comes after that - together. Okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

Lucía studied him. "Are you okay?"

Bruno opened his mouth and then closed it again. He clasped his hands together and ran his thumb over his knuckles. "Yeah. I'm okay. Thanks. Sorry for – just. Sorry."

She studied him for a moment. He was obviously still struggling with something, but it appeared that he'd said all he could say for the moment. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, and after a moment, she felt him relax.

Another moment, a sigh, and he rested his cheek on her hair and pressed his leg against hers. She threaded her arm through his, took his hand in hers, and snuggled further in to him.

They sat there together, content to be physically close in the warm, comfortable quiet of the late morning. After a few moments, Bruno told her about Osvaldo, scowling and gesturing dramatically until she was shaking with laughter.

"But that - that's so sweet!" Lucía giggled.

"Not you too!"

She pressed her fingers to her mouth, trying not to snort again. "Why wouldn't you take it, Bruno? You know he's going to keep trying and really, a rat telenovela basket was very thoughtful. I wonder what else he thinks you like…?"

"Knowing him, probably shovels and pails and…sand…sandcastle stuff," he grumbled.

"Antonio would like that," Lucía said. "So would Josefina. And oh! Telenovelas and dramatic stories – that reminds me about what I wanted to give you! Have you ever read The Count of Monte Cristo?"

Bruno pursed his lips and thought for a moment. "Nope. Don't think I have. Maybe I've heard of it, but don't think I ever read it."

Lucía released her hold on him and clapped her hands together, shifting slightly and letting out a little squeak of enthusiasm. "Oh, wonderful! I think you'll like it. Plots, corruption, intrigue, mystery, secret identities, love, revenge -"

He tilted his head and smiled at her. "I look forward to it."

She was suddenly hit with a rush of affection for this man, who took a long walk through town just to warn her about what people were saying about them, not knowing if he'd have to face any of those people on the way. She turned a little in her seat beside him, lifting her knee to rest across his so their legs overlapped slightly. She slipped one arm around his waist and one across his chest, holding him tightly.

"Te amo," she whispered into his shoulder. She felt his breath hitch.

"…te amo," he said softly in return. He slowly shifted to put his arms around her, pulling her closer. He pressed his face to her hair, nuzzling into her and sighing. It tickled her scalp and gave her goosebumps.

He chuckled. "All this for agreeing to read a book? How many more've you got for me, then, Lucía? I'll read them all."

She laughed lightly. "Not for the book. For coming to see me."

"I – I like seeing you," he said simply.

She squeezed him just a little tighter, and then relaxed. When she went to pull away a moment later, unsure if she was making him uncomfortable, he pulled her close again.

"…stay?" He whispered. "Unless – unless - "

"I'll stay," she whispered back and snuggled in again, returning her head to its place on his shoulder.

Soon after, they heard the little bell on the courtyard gate jingle, and Lucía shifted back to her chair, her feet on the floor. She held out her arms as Josefina bounded in, Papá trailing behind her with a smile on his face.

"Hola, niños! Lucía, mi amor, it does my heart good to see you so happy. Good to see you, too, Bruno."

"Bruno!" Josefina cried, and the joy in her heart at seeing them both shone through her radiant smile. "Mamá!"

She dropped her school bag on the floor and ran to them both, climbing up into Lucía's lap and giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek before launching herself at Bruno and offering him the same. "Did you come to have lunch with us, Bruno? Guess what I learned at school today!"

Bruno quirked his eyebrow expectantly.

"No, you have to guess." Josefina said seriously.

"Hmmmm," Bruno pretended to think very hard about it. "How to count your toes?"

"No!" Josefina giggled.

"Hmm…how to make tres leches?"

"No!"

"Hmmm, pity. I like tres leches. Did you learn about the many benefits and uses of salt?"

"No!" Josefina laughed out loud. "Señorita López did this experiment where she made a cloud like your Pepa except it was science and not magic. We're learning about the water cycle and perps – pers – perspiration! "

He couldn't help but smile back at her. "Sounds sweaty."

Lucía snorted beside him and elbowed him lightly.

Josefina wrinkled her nose at him. "What?"

"I think you mean precipitation, right Josefina?" Lucía said with a smile.

Josefina nodded. "Perspitation, right! Like rain and snow and hail."

"Well, that sounds exciting. How about you tell us more about the experiment while we make lunch? Go wash up, and we'll have some sandwiches with the leftover arepas and ham, okay?"

"Okay!" Josefina jumped down from their laps and raced away to the sink.

Papá called after her. "Is that where your mochila belongs, amorita?"

"Oops! Sorry Abuelo! I'll get it." She reversed course and skipped to the school bag she'd dumped unceremoniously on the ground, hanging it on a hook by the door before returning to the sink. "Today when we get back to school we're gonna get to play outside and observe the weather and learn about how other people live who don't have a magic weather person to help take care of their crops."

Josefina chattered on and on through lunch, asking questions and sharing everything she'd learned at school that day. Lucía was a bit relieved to see that so far, no one had mentioned anything about Tatiana's gossip or about the council meeting. It was too much to hope that Josefina would avoid the gossip altogether, but apparently other parents had been mindful enough of their children last night to avoid saying things in front of them. Or maybe it had just been that the council meeting ended too late for the kids to catch on to their parent's opinions before the next day at school. Perhaps they were all just biding their time, but there was no use worrying over something that hadn't happened yet. Best to just enjoy the day they had while they had it.

When they were nearly done with lunch, a knock sounded on the print shop door. Lucía's padre excused himself to see who it was, and he returned with a very amused glint in his eye. "It's for you, Bruno," he said simply. "An Osvaldo Ortíz."

Bruno let out a groan that reverberated so deeply Lucía could feel it in the soles of her feet.

Lucía walked with him to the front door of the print shop after he gave Josefina and José his good-byes. She quickly found the book she'd planned on loaning him. In one smooth motion, she switched the sign back from 'closed' to 'open' and kissed him on the cheek before opening the door. "Thank you, Bruno. You're very thoughtful. Te amo. Buenos tardes, Señor Ortíz."

"I didn't…I mean, I was just - " Bruno said to Lucía, attempting to say good-bye before dealing with Osvaldo.

"You came all the way over here to check in on me. That seems very thoughtful to me."

Bruno scratched the back of his neck. "Right. Ah - you're welcome. Thank you for – everything."

Noticing Osvaldo's openly curious expression, he quickly clarified. "For listening. While I talked. And for lunch. And for – the book! I'll – I'll let you know when I'm finished, okay?"

Lucía smiled at him and nodded and turned to Osvaldo. "And what have you got there, Señor Ortíz?" She ignored Bruno's pointed cough and narrowed eyes and smiled at their visitor.

Osvaldo looked between the two of them and stared down at his basket full of green things. Green bottles of wine, green grapes, green candies, what looked like a green handkerchief of some sort with a crude hourglass drawn on, a green pinwheel sticking out of the side as well. Bruno looked back up at Osvaldo and he didn't even say anything before Osvaldo scowled at his basket, shook his head, and rushed away.

"Nothing, Señora Moreno. This is nothing. I'll get it next time, Bruno, lo prometo! One Savior Special, coming up! This one – this next one will be a win, I'm sure of it!"

Bruno spent the rest of that day and most of the next sequestered in his room, where he was pointedly ignored by all of his rats until he made them a peace offering in the way of some hard queso, fruit, and lots of gentle scritches. He started reading the book Lucía had given him and made it almost all the way through. She was right – he liked it. When he was done he'd have to go through it again and mark all the pages he wanted to discuss with her. By the time he made it downstairs for dinner, Félix and Agustín were waiting at the bottom of the stairs to ambush him.

"Ready, bro?" Félix said with a wide grin.

"Ready for what?"

"For guy's night, of course! We have a lot to talk about, hombre!"

"Like what?" Bruno eyed him warily.

"Like courtship, amigo. Wooing. Dating." Felix waggled his eyebrows.

"I – I think we're doing all right...?" Bruno really had no desire to discuss his thoughts and feelings on Lucía with his brother in laws. He knew that would lead to them gushing about their wives, who were his sisters, and just – no, thanks.

"You are! It's been nearly a week and you're doing exceptional. Exceptionally well," Agustín nodded.

"But! We promised you a guys' night and we're not taking no for an answer!"

They sat down for dinner and as soon as it was done, Félix and Agustín cornered Bruno yet again. Bruno offered to help with the dishes, but Pepa and Julieta saw right through his delaying tactics and shooed them away.

"Have fun!" Julieta called out as Félix and Agustín guided Bruno to the front door.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Pepa waved good-bye. "Which is a very short list, by the way!" She winked at them and Félix made a kissy face at her.

"Traitors," Bruno mumbled.

When Bruno still resisted their guidance toward the front door, Félix paused, his hand on Bruno's shoulder and a gentle smile on his face. "We're just going to Benito's, eh? It's been over ten years since we've had a drink there together. Come with us. Come reminisce with us over old times, and toast to the new. We'll get the same corner booth in the back, away from the rest of the crowd. If it's too much for you, I'll get a bottle of wine and we'll just come back to Casita, relax on the back porch. Let us toast to your relationship and your good fortune. And if we have a little advice to give, we'll try not to get too carried away, and you can take it or leave it - okay bro?"

Bruno sighed. It had been an awfully long time since he'd had a drink at Benito's with his cuñados. "Okay."

Benito's was a bar run by none other than Benito Perez, and the bar itself was much like its owner – classic and weathered and worn but tidy. It wasn't flashy, but it got the job done. Benito didn't bartend anymore – he left that to his son, Ricardo – but the wood counters and tables still shone with polish and the stone floor was still slightly sticky. It was a Saturday night, so it was busy, and Bruno preferred it that way – the more people there, the less chance he'd be noticed in the noise and the crowd.

Bruno pulled his hood over his head and pushed his way through the doors, doing his best to keep to Agustín's shadow. They went to the promised corner booth in the back. It took Félix quite a bit longer than the average person to return to the table with three tall glasses of cerveza, because he called greetings to everyone he met on the way. Once Félix had finished exchanging pleasantries with half the bar, he returned to the table and slid the glass of amber ale across the table to Bruno, and then carefully handed Agustín his.

Félix and Agustín made it halfway through the first round without much in the way of talking. Bruno spent most of it observing the occupants of the bar, his muscles slowly relaxing as people laughed and talked and generally ignored his presence.

When Félix noticed that he'd barely touched his beer, he lifted his glass and nodded at him. "To Bruno and his triumphant return!"

"To his lady love and a successful courtship! May it be far less complicated than mine," Agustín lifted his glass as well.

Félix chuckled. "May your days be filled with peace and laughter and your nights filled with - " Bruno smacked his glass on the table and slapped his hand over Félix's mouth before he could say anything that would make Bruno burn to ash in embarrassment.

Félix moved Bruno's hand away from his mouth and laughed, loud and long. "May those days eventually lead to nights filled with passion and fire!" He said, waggling his eyebrows and lowering his voice to a smolder to humor Bruno.

"Shhhhh!" Bruno hissed. "I don't need your alcohol fueled rambling adding anything to the rumors about Lucía and me."

Agustín and Félix exchanged a look. "Any truth to those rumors, hombre?"

"What?!" Bruno yelped. "No!"

"Well, then. There's nothing wrong with toasting to your future joy and pleasure."

Agustín nodded decisively at Félix's words.

Bruno groaned and pulled his hood further over his head. "Please stop. I don't want to hear that combination of words coming out of your mouth again."

"Eh, lo siento. We're just encouraging you to enjoy the ride, bro. Admire her. Let her admire you. Revel in discovering all the facets of her brilliant, shining, personality; revel in the secretive, stolen glances, the teasing touches, the passionate embraces, the fiery stolen kisses - and when you can no longer take being parted from her as you lie alone in bed at night, yearning to hold her in your arms, you will plan on how to best pop - "

"Okay, remember you're married to my sister and now you're grossing me out." Bruno hissed.

" - the question!" Félix finished, looking suitably scandalized.

Agustín laughed. "He's just saying you get to savor it; this time together! Your madre already likes Lucía and Lucía's padre and her daughter already like you. You don't have to earn anyone's approval, nothing to be nervous about! You can just relax and enjoy laying - "

Bruno squinted, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You're not any better!"

" – the foundations of your relationship!" Agustín pounded the table with his palm to accentuate his words as Félix snickered. "Where has your mind been all day?!"

Bruno scoffed. "Damage control and Edmund Dantès. And you're not helping!"

"Relax, bro. No one's listening." Félix made a show of looking around to prove it, and then he leaned back with a grin. "We're just here to celebrate the start of a beautiful relationship and help you sweep Lucía off of her feet."

"What? We're already courting! And we're happy." Bruno paused, suddenly uncertain. "How much more do I need to sweep her off her feet?"

"Well she loves you, that cannot be denied. But we're talking about dates, amigo! Dates!"

Bruno glowered at him from beneath the hood of his ruana. "We…date." He said defensively.

"You visit and have coffee at each others houses and discuss…books and telenovelas." Agustín pointed out, his voice carefully neutral.

"You're fifty, hombre, not eighty," Félix chuckled.

"We danced! We went – we went to the festival!"

"For the record, you danced at the festival before you were officially courting. And that was an excellent start, and there is nothing wrong with coffee and books and telenovelas, amigo, but – now you must woo her," Félix sighed dramatically.

"As Lorenzo secretly woos Lareina with his words and Valentino with his actions," Agustín added.

Félix turned to him with a grin. "You are surprisingly into the rat telenovelas, Gus."

"What?" He said defensively, straightening his glasses. "They're…very good."

"I'm not…I am not writing her love sonnets about her glorious hair or smile or – or – or saving her life from a villainous rat," Bruno said flatly.

"Ah, never say never! All is fair in love, Bruno. You may one day be so overcome by her glittering emerald eyes - "

"Pepa's are green. Lucía's eyes are brown," Bruno corrected. "With – with little golden flecks when they catch the sun just right, and - Gus, what are you doing?"

"I'm writing this down for you! Can't hurt to keep all your ideas in one place, eh?" Agustín had pulled out a small notebook and pencil from his vest pocket and was scribbling furiously inside it. "Brown…golden flecks…catch the sun…there!"

Bruno drained the last of his glass. "Okay, we've had a drink, can we - "

"Get another round! Excellent idea. Gus?" Félix nodded to Agustín and the tall, lanky man scrambled to his feet, pushing the notebook and pencil to Bruno with a wink.

"Got you started, there, hermano. I think you can take it from there, eh?" He went to get them another round of drinks.

Bruno looked down at the little notebook.

Agustín had somehow compared the color of Lucía's eyes to dirt and tried to rhyme it with fertile…soil. Then something about mining their depths for golden flecks and the sun and moon and…

Bruno winced and massaged his temples. "Seriously, Gus?"

"Let me see that," Félix snatched the notebook before Bruno even had a chance to protest. He stroked his goatee thoughtfully as he read it, his smile growing larger and larger with every line.

He looked up and met Bruno's eyes over the top of the book when he was finished, and Bruno couldn't help it – his mouth betrayed him, tugging up into a grin to match Félix's, and they both burst into laughter as Gus approached with three more beers.

He stumbled over a chair leg and set the glasses down a bit heavier than intended, causing the beer inside to slosh over the side and across the table. Félix rescued the notebook and held it aloft, his brows furrowed. "Careful, bro! You'll ruin all your hard work. This is pure gold!"

"Comedic gold, maybe," Bruno mumbled under his breath.

"Hey!" Agustín said, sliding into the booth beside Bruno. "I'll have you know Julieta loves my poems."

"She loves you," Bruno corrected with a snort. "Despite your poems."

Agustín narrowed his eyes at the both of them and sniffed. "I'd like to see you do better."

Bruno raised his eyebrows and focused on the glass in front of him.

"I've only dabbled in poetry," Félix admitted with a grin. "Mi vida prefers action to words, though any words can be romantic; it's all in the delivery. With a few whispered - "

"NOPE." Bruno said, shaking his head emphatically. "Next topic, please. Poetry is not on my list of ways to – to woo Lucía."

"You have a list?" Félix drew out the word list, intrigued.

"No. I do not have a list."

"What's on it?" Agustín asked.

"Nothing is on it. There is no list. It was…it was metaphorical." Bruno said, gesturing with his hands before him as he explained.

"So you're telling me you're winging it?" Agustín said skeptically.

"I winged it! I just adored Pepa for the gorgeous tempest that she was – and still is - and look how well it worked out!" Félix sighed and smirked at some distant memory.

"Yes, but you can wing it," Agustín argued. "You're a natural. We - " he gestured between himself and Bruno – " – are not."

"Speak for yourself!" Bruno grumbled, pulling his glass closer to himself and taking another drink. He determinedly ignored the embarrassed flush spreading from his face up to his ears and down to his chest.

"I admit, those romantic plot lines you write have to come from somewhere," Agustín nodded, tapping his temple knowingly. "But there is a big difference between writing romance - " another tap to his temple – "and living it." He pressed his palm to his heart.

Félix nodded. "A very good point, amigo. A very good point. And don't sell yourself short, Gus! You faced down the dragon of their mother's disapproval and prevailed! That, my friend, is true love!" He pounded his own chest in solidarity and then reached across the table to clasp Gus's shoulder.

Agustín nursed his own drink, his mouth twitching at a memory of his own. "I don't know if you remember, Bruno, but I wasn't the – ah – Julieta and I – ours wasn't the most graceful courtship, and - "

Félix snorted.

" – our first actual date ended with me unconscious and Julieta having to explain to her mother where my shirt had gone – there were ants, everywhere, and - "

"Oh, I remember," Bruno said, narrowing his eyes at him. "But I – I mean – I'm not – poetry, wooing, romance – I – what advice are you actually trying to give me, here? Because Lucía – she already – she already likes me, for whatever reason, and we're already courting, and I'm just – a little confused on - "

"Oh, no!" Agustín and Félix cried, almost comical in their protest as they shook their heads earnestly. "No, no!"

"We're not giving you advice on how to earn her love," Agustín said, leaning toward him and lowering his voice. "You've already won her heart."

"We're giving you advice on how to show her how much you love her," Félix said. "You have her heart? Wonderful! That is the very first step on a very long journey. A lifetime adventure of love! Show her you're worthy to carry her heart for the rest of your lives!"

Bruno stared at them.

"You do love her, sí?" Agustín prompted.

The memory of her curled against his chest the day before sparked something warm and protective in his chest. "Of course I love her!"

"And you want her to know how much you love her, sí?"

"Well, yes - "

"You want her to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she holds your heart in your hands, that you'd move heaven and earth to be with her because she is worth anything you have to face to be by her side, sí?" Félix exclaimed dramatically, determination etched on his face.

"Uh – yeah?" Bruno blinked at him.

"Well, then – show her how you feel. Don't keep all those feelings bottled up inside. Share them with her."

Bruno tapped his fingers on his glass. They did have a point. Right? Lucía had been – so, so – understanding about everything – all of his habits, his fears, his anxiety, his gift – he could put some effort into showing her how much he appreciated her.

"Okay," he sighed, resigned. "What – what do you think I should do to show Lucía how much I love her?"

"Find out her favorites," Félix said promptly. "Excellent place to start. Favorite food, favorite dessert, favorite hobby, favorite color, favorite book, favorite – "

"Tamales with the pork and peas and carrots, cholado, writing stories, although she also really likes reading them and enjoys dancing too, blue, and she really likes ah – um – to – help people. I think her favorite book is the one she made with her padre and Ale – Alejandro, but one of her favorites is also The Count of Monte Cristo. I know she likes to sleep in, but I'm not sure yet what her favorite time of day is, - but – I don't think that's – ah - " He flushed as he thought about the way she seemed to like to tuck herself to his chest, her head on his shoulder, and he kept that favorite to himself.

Félix blinked at him. "Okay. Well then. That was fast."

Bruno rubbed the back of his neck, feeling self-conscious. "Um – I – brought her tamales last Saturday. We went out and – she really liked the lulo cholado. She shared some with me. She likes sweet things, but she doesn't get cholado very often. And – I mean, we worked together for over a month on that play, so I just – noticed things. About her."

Agustín chuckled. "And you've already used your gift to help her rescue her daughter. You can check 'do something drastic, noble, and selfless to prove the depth of your devotion' off the list."

Félix scratched his cheek thoughtfully. "You know, you're right. You really are doing well at this, eh? Just – keep that up."

After a moment, Agustín turned and held Bruno's gaze. "You went to see her yesterday. To talk about the council meeting. Did it go well?"

Bruno nodded, his eyes sliding away.

"Good. Keep going to see her. If you're serious about this, Bruno," Agustín continued, catching his eye again. "You'll keep going to see her. Don't – avoid the hard things, hermano. They won't go away."

They stared at each other.

Félix cleared his throat. "Right. Excellent advice, Gus."

They all sat in their own thoughts for a moment, and then Félix broke into a wide grin. "Now, about those date ideas – have I got some for you! Variety is the spice of life, amigo. Picnics – early morning brunches, afternoons by the river, stargazing at night. You can cook together. I know being out in public isn't a particularly favorite pastime of yours, but - take her out to eat, be willing to be seen in public with her! Go for walks. Go dancing on the weekends. Sit next to each other in Mass tomorrow, eh? Letting people see you actively courting her will help with those rumors; people speculate about what they don't see, but when the truth is staring them in the face it's a lot harder to make up lies about it! Help her in her shop; find out if there is something she hates doing and offer to do it for her. Oh! You both like plays? San Cristobál is an option now, amigo! The world is yours for the taking and your future is bright, eh?!"

Bruno smiled down into his glass, still only half-gone. "Yeah," he agreed quietly. "You're right." He looked up at the two of them. "Gracias, both of you."

Sunday evening, Bruno shut the door to his room behind him with a sigh, feeling warm and relaxed and buoyant. He'd sat beside Lucía at Mass and they'd all had lunch again at Casita afterward. He played with Josefina, and sat on the back porch with Lucía and his sisters and their husbands, talking until the sun had nearly set, and it had been a perfect day. There was nothing particularly notable about it, but it was easy and relaxed and restful, and he wouldn't complain if all his days were just like it for the foreseeable future.

Tomorrow he was going to go to Lucía's and ask her on a date. A real one. The thought made little butterflies blossom in his stomach.

It had taken a little more time listening to Félix and Agustín volley ideas back and forth the previous night before he voiced the idea that perhaps he should include Josefina on some of the outings. Félix and Agustín had stared at him for a moment before actually getting teary-eyed and waxing poetic on all the daddy-daughter dates they'd gone on with their own daughters and on all the outings they'd partaken in as a family. (There weren't as many as there should have been. But that was changing, now.)

It made Bruno happy to see how much they loved their families – and how much they really loved him, too. After listening to them, he quietly decided to alternate dates with just he and Lucía with outings that included Josefina as well.

Osvaldo had ambushed him shortly after church, and – true to Bruno's prediction – had presented him with buckets and pails, trowels and towels. He had taken one look at the startled, faintly amused look Bruno exchanged with Lucía and snatched the basket right back, promising he'd get it right tomorrow.

Bruno didn't care. The way he felt today, he would've taken the sand bucket and invited Antonio and Josefina to go to town building castles in his room, though there was a lot less sand than there had been in the past.

Santo cielo, but he loved them. He loved his family. He loved Lucía. He loved Josefina.

"I love her," he chuckled, his back still leaning on his closed door. "I love Lucía, and she's amazing; she's an angel, and - "

He saw Lareina standing on her hind legs, her whiskers twitching in the air as she looked to him from her perch on his desk. He waltzed over to her and plonked himself down on the chair, propping his chin in his hand, with his elbow on the desk. He spoke very seriously to the rats that scampered up to see him. "She loves me too. And they – they were right, last night. Gus and Félix. I haven't seen much of our future, mis ratas, but what I have seen is good. It's good and I'm – I think I might actually -"

The edges of his vision tinged green, and he froze, goosebumps breaking out along his arms as the vision overtook him.

He's staring at hands. Hands joined – a woman's resting lightly in a man's, and the rest of the two people attached to the hands slowly come into focus.

It's him. Him – Bruno Madrigal – in an embroidered guayabera, with his hair tied back and a tender smile on his face.

And it's – it's Lucía? It's Lucía in an off-the-shoulder lacey dress, with flowers in her intricately braided hair – and a veil.

She's wearing a veil.

She's looking at him with a teary smile on her face and a veil in her hair and a lacey dress.

Bruno's heart hammered as the vision began to fade, but he held on for a moment longer.

They were standing in front of an altar.

He blinked, and became aware of dozens of whiskered noses poking at his neck and nuzzling his tear-stained cheeks.

He gasped slightly, staring down at all of them, and gently gathered them up to nuzzle them right back.

"You guys," he whispered. "I think I'm going to marry her."

A/N:

la cesta de regalo perfecta = the perfect gift basket

I think the rest are all words I've used before.

Thanks for reading! Your comments and support are always appreciated!

This chapter and the next we have a little bridge from one plot point to another. See how happy Bruno and Lucia are on this little bridge? We're gonna let them just be happy for a little while. Enjoy the fluff.