Bruno didn't want to admit that Agustín and Julieta were right about how sick he was, but he really did feel better after sleeping on and off for practically the whole day. He was still far from in perfect shape. His head was still a little sore, but thinking just to himself didn't feel like such an impossible task anymore.

He was still achy all over, but he didn't feel like he was both freezing and burning up at the same time. His stomach still hurt, and the thought of anything too heavy just made him feel a little ill, but he found that he was actually hungry.

And though he was still somehow tired he didn't feel like he was going to fall asleep if he closed his eyes for just a few seconds. And though his throat still tickled and he still had a pesky cough, the coughs were no longer so painful, leaving him feeling like he was actually going to cough out his lungs.

All in all he really did feel fine. He hadn't realized how not-fine he'd been until he felt better. He felt well enough to leave the room and join Agustín in the kitchen for breakfast. He had a hard time focusing when his brother-in-law tried to make conversation with him, but it was still an improvement.

Now that his mind was clearer he could actually think about what Julieta had asked of him. She wanted him to think about talking to Pepa. He didn't want to think about it, but Julieta didn't really ask a lot of him. He didn't want to think about how much he had ruined his relationship with his sister, but he especially didn't want to ruin everything with Julieta.

So he thought about it. And then he thought about it some more. His mind was going in circles, and he just kept coming back to the same answer. Pepa was better off without him. He would just upset her if he came back into her life. Yes, there may be times when he would make her happy, but Bruno sincerely believed that in his case the good did not outweigh the bad.

Julieta insisted otherwise. And Bruno wanted to listen to her, because she knew Pepa in a way that Bruno never would. They were all siblings, but their relationships were all different. Even when they all got along Bruno's mischievous relationship with Pepa, where they always messed with each other, was different from the sisterly relationship that Pepa and Julieta shared. They could talk to each other about things that Bruno just didn't understand.

He'd never been jealous or resentful about this fact. He knew there were some things that he would much prefer to talk to Julieta about, and some things that he only confided with Pepa about. It was normal and had always been the case.

It made it hard to really think about how Pepa would react though. Bruno was sure she would be mad, because that was the side of her that he knew. Julieta thought that Pepa would be more relieved than anything, happy to have their family whole again, because that was the side of her that she knew. They were both Pepa, but they couldn't both be true at once. How would she actually react? Bruno had a guess, but he didn't actually know for sure and he was terrified of the uncertainty.

Should he give Pepa a chance and risk her fury? Or should he keep hiding and deprive both of them the chance of reconciliation after all this time? He thought he had known what was right, but he was second-guessing himself. He didn't like that.

He frowned to himself and nibbled on an arepa as his mind kept going back and forth. This wasn't getting him anywhere. He wished that there was someone who had seen both Bruno's and Julieta's sides of Pepa. Someone who knew her better than anybody else, who could tell Bruno definitely about how she would react.

…Oh.

Actually…

Yes…Yes! That actually might work And if things went wrong then the downfall wouldn't be nearly as bad as it would be with Pepa herself.

Bruno stood up so suddenly that his chair scraped across the floor, making a very unpleasant sound, before being knocked over. He didn't really care at that moment. He was too relieved and excited now that he had a plan in mind. He smiled at Agustín, who just gave him a concerned look.

"Are you okay, Bruno?" Agustín asked slowly. He looked like it was taking everything in him to refrain from jumping to his feet and supporting Bruno, in case he should fall. Agustín was trying to take care of him without being overbearing. His hermano had always been like that. Both of them had.

"I need to talk to Felíx." Bruno said suddenly.

"Okay." Agustín raised an eyebrow at him. "Why?"

"Because he knows Pepa." Bruno said. "I know her in a way that Julieta doesn't, but she knows her in a way that I don't either. Felíx knows her like both of us, so he'll know who's right."

Agustín thought it over. "You want to talk to Felíx, and then you'll decide if you want to talk to Pepa."

Bruno's heart sank slightly. Agustín didn't sound judgmental, but Bruno was used to people thinking his ideas were dumb. He always overcomplicated things, but at the same time didn't think things through. Was this a dumb plan? He didn't think so. He thought this could work. But what if Agustín thought so? Would he disagree with Bruno about Felíx the way that Julieta disagreed with him about Pepa? Would Bruno be left second-guessing himself again?

"Sorry, sorry, that was a dumb idea." Bruno dismissed his own idea. It was far from the first time that he had done this kind of thing. He frequently just spoke his mind, letting absolute nonsense come out of his mouth. His family was very tolerant and forgiving of his rambling nonsense.

"No, no, not at all." Agustín stood up and took his hands before Bruno could even think about gesturing frantically. He froze and just looked at Agustín. Why did he look so eager? "You want to talk to Felíx? That's great!"

"I-it is?" Bruno didn't know what to do with that information.

"Of course!" Agustín said. He looked so pleased and proud. Bruno didn't understand what he had done right. "You want to see the rest of the family. That's a big step!"

Bruno felt his face go red. "N-not everybody. Just Felíx."

"Yes, yes, but it's a start." Agustín said. He squeezed Bruno's hands. "You have no idea how happy this makes me."

Bruno blinked. "You're right. I don't." Agustín didn't look upset with his bluntness. He just gave Bruno a small smile and let go of his hands.

"Do you want to see Felíx now, while everyone is gone, or later tonight?" Agustín asked. Bruno hadn't really thought about the specifics, but he didn't hesitate to answer.

"Now." Bruno said. "Before I change my mind."

Felíx enjoyed being in town and helping the family, but he didn't have a set job. Sometimes he would stay with either Pepa or Dolores to keep them calm and grounded when they started to get overwhelmed. Sometimes he would watch Camilo and Mirabel as they ran around town and did their best to make everybody happy Sometimes he and Agustín would just stand to the side and watch the rest of the family do their thing, wondering just how they fit into all of it.

These past few days had been weird with Agustín staying home. Just how sick was he? It was clearly bad enough that he needed to stay home, and he wouldn't even leave his room, and Julieta was visibly concerned. But he couldn't be that bad, or else Julieta would remain home with him.

The whole family was worried about what was going on, but more than that they were just confused. Multiple times Felíx had to pull Camilo away from Dolores and try to tell him why he shouldn't pester her for information. He knew that there was something more going on here, but he trusted that he would learn the truth eventually. He just needed to wait and let it happen.

So he continued to go into town without Agustín, trying to pick up the slack where he could. Today he was working with Julieta, helping her pass out food. There were an odd amount of injuries today. Nothing had really happened, it was just bad luck.

They had only been working for a little while when Dolores ran up to them. She looked a little nervous, but there was happiness in her eyes.

"Lola!" Felíx laughed and picked up his daughter, swinging her around. "How's my little girl?"

"Good." Dolores said. She sounded like she meant it. If something was wrong she would sound a lot more upset. "Um, are you busy? Tío-" She made a little squeaking sound. "He wants to talk to you."

Julieta hadn't really paid a lot of attention to them, focusing on the people in town, but at Dolores' words she gasped and nearly dropped her plate of food. Julieta muttered an apology and put the food down with shaky hands. She seemed to forget about the people she was helping. Her attention was completely on Dolores.

"H-he does?' Julieta asked. She almost sounded ready to burst into tears. Felíx wondered if maybe Agustín wasn't sick after all, but there was something else going on that was making him isolate himself from the family. It would explain how relieved Julieta seemed.

Dolores hummed and nodded. "Agustín said so. But, uh, he only wants to see Felíx. Nobody else." There was definitely something bigger going on here, but who was Felíx to leave his hermano waiting? He could keep a secret. He didn't like to, especially from his wife, but he could do it.

"Well, we don't want to keep him waiting." Felíx said. He gave Dolores a squeeze and set her down. He gave Julieta an apologetic look. "Will you be okay on your own?"

"I'm fine." Julieta said dismissively. "Go. I'll talk to Pepa if she asks about you." Julieta got back to work, though it was with clear reluctance. Felíx made his way home, wondering to himself just what could be going on.

The walk home wasn't a long one. It was only a few minutes before he was approaching Casita. He reached for the front door, frowning when he found that it was locked. He hadn't even known that the door was capable of being locked.

"Uh, Casita?" He looked at the house. "Can I come in?" He'd never been very good at reading the house, but the very slight movement in the shutters reminded him of the shifty and guilty looks that Camilo gave him when he knew he was doing something wrong but didn't want to fess up.

He didn't want to stand out here and stay locked out of his own home. He knocked on the door and tried not to feel like he was being rude to Casita. It wasn't his fault it wasn't letting him in.

The door was quickly opened by Agustín, who looked as relieved to see him as Julieta had been. Felíx was getting more and more confused and concerned.

"You came." Agustín didn't open the door completely. He looked around somewhat anxiously, as though to make sure that there was nobody else around, before he grabbed Felíx' arm and pulled him inside.

"Of course I came." Felíx said. "What's going on?"

Agustín took a deep breath. "Look, it's…it's complicated. It's been exhausting trying to figure things out. I know Julieta's at her wit's end, and I'm not far behind."

Felíx' concern spiked. "What's wrong?"

"A lot." Agustín let out a tired laugh. "I'll tell you everything I know, but first I need you to promise me two things." His eyes were serious, and Felíx knew that if he didn't agree then he wasn't going to be told another word.

"First, I need you to keep an open mind." Agustín said. "I'll understand if you get mad, or upset, but please try not to yell. H-he's very jumpy right now."

Felíx opened his mouth to promise not to get mad, but then Agustín's words caught up to him. "He? Who?" Even as he said it an idea came into his mind. An impossible idea that he instinctively tried to shoot down, because it wasn't possible. But there were only so many people that could make Agustín and Julieta so emotional, and make them feel the need to hide secrets from the family.

Agustín grimaced. "Just…you can't tell anybody. Not yet. But especially not Pepa."

Felíx felt his throat tighten. He didn't like to keep secrets from his wife, but he wasn't afraid to if it was necessary. If this was about what he thought it was in the back of his mind, then maybe there was a reason to not tell Pepa. Felíx didn't like it, but if he had to make the promise to even have his hope/fear confirmed at all, then he would happily do so. Pepa would forgive him.

"She won't hear it from me." Felíx promised. Agustín gave him a grave look and went into the kitchen. Felíx followed behind him, only to freeze in the doorway when he saw someone sitting under the table. They were curled in on themselves and had a hood that hid their head and face. Still, Felíx would recognize his friend and brother anywhere.

"Bruno." Felíx had to keep himself from shouting. Not in anger. Any anger he might have would probably catch up to him later, but at the moment he was far too relieved and excited to be mad.

Because he didn't want to start yelling, but he needed to get his feelings out, Felíx started laughing. It wasn't funny, but he couldn't help himself.

Bruno had lifted his head and he was looking at Felíx with wide eyes. He leaned away from him slightly. "I think I broke him."

"Probably." Agustín put a hand on Felíx' shoulder. "What did I tell you? It's a lot." It was, and Felíx couldn't think of anything that would make him happier.

"This is insane." Felíx said through his laughter. He approached the table and knelt on the ground, reaching a hand out towards Bruno. "Where've you been, Hermano?"

Bruno just stared at his hand, and then towards Agustín, and back to his hand. He looked painfully confused. Felíx had used to get a little frustrated and very confused about Bruno's uncertainty about the most basic of things. Now he was happy to see it again.

"I…don't know what is happening." Bruno said slowly. He was looking for answers, but he was afraid of asking.

Agustín sat on the ground next to Bruno, nudging his shoulder. "What's happening is that Felíx is happy to see you."

Bruno's eyes widened and he looked even more confused. Agustín gave Felíx a significant look that said 'do you see what I've been dealing with?'.

"But…why?" Bruno asked. Now Felíx was the one who was confused.

"Why?" Felíx frowned. "Why not?"

Agustín sighed and crawled out from under the table. "I don't know about you, but I think the rest of this conversation is one that should be had over drinks." He smirked. "And I happen to know where Julieta keeps the good stuff.

"That's good enough for me." Felíx said.

"I-I don't know." Bruno said. Felíx didn't give him the chance to get caught in his own head.

"Nope!" He said cheerfully. He grabbed Bruno's arm and pulled him out from under the table, pulling him to his feet. "Sorry, bro, you don't have a choice." He wrapped his arm around Bruno's shoulder, pulling him close. He could feel the other man shaking. "Seriously, Bruno, it's good to have you home."

"I-I can't stay." Bruno said, somehow sounding confident despite his shakiness. Agustín made a scoffing sound that he covered up with a cough. He obviously disagreed, but he was holding his tongue for now. It was probably something they'd already tried to talk about.

Felíx wasn't going to let Bruno go anywhere without a fight, but there was no reason for the fight to be right now. "In that case, all the more reason to have a stiff one, sí?" He smiled at Bruno, who gave him a very small smile back. It was good enough for Felíx.

He sat Bruno down at the table while Agustín got the drinks and some glasses. Bruno was incredibly tense and he looked like he wanted to crawl back under the table, or back to wherever he had been these past two years. Felíx didn't know Bruno as well as the rest of the family did, but between Dolores and Pepa he knew how to calm down somebody who was really anxious and on the verge of having a breakdown.

He didn't ask what was wrong. He didn't ask about the details that he was desperate to know about where he had been for all this time. Right now Felíx' job was to provide a distraction, and it was fortunately a job that he could do quite well.

"Hermano, wait until I tell you what Camilo did last week." Felíx said light-heartedly, as though none of them had a care in the world. "Pepa was stressed last week because so many of the farmers needed her weather adjustments, and she can only do so much at once. Well, Camilo didn't like seeing her so stressed, so he shifted into her and pretended to be her for some of the more demanding villagers."

Felíx laughed at the memory. "Ay, they were so confused when 'Pepa' was standing in their field for an hour and the weather didn't change at all." One of the farmers had later asked Felíx if something was wrong with Pepa. It had taken him a bit to figure out that his son was trying to help out in as mischievous a way as he could. He still hadn't told anybody else about what Camilo had done, because he didn't want the boy to get in trouble for 'lying' when he was only trying to help. He had thought it would just stay between the two of them, but he knew that Bruno would appreciate it.

Sure enough, Bruno snorted and covered his mouth with his hands. He was trying to suppress his laughter, but that just made it worse. Bruno let out a burst of laughter, and once he started he couldn't stop.

Felíx grinned and chuckled, proud of himself that he was able to get Bruno to loosen up just a little bit. He looked like he needed it.

It was hard to be cheerful right now. Felíx was dying to know why Bruno had left and where he had gone. Why was he so much more anxious than he remembered him being? Why had he come back at all if he insisted that he couldn't stay?

Felíx was determined to get some answers, but not right now. Just for a few minutes Bruno deserved to be happy.