iii | Harbingers of Change | Bruno Madrigal
Bruno Madrigal x Original AFAB Character [ masterlist ] | [ ← previous chapter ] [ read it on ao3 ]
cw: obsessive-compulsive behavior, emotionally abusive parents, suicidal thoughts, reference to to past self-harm and suicide attempts
word count: 12481 | rating: mature
⧖⧗⧖
“Jueputa…” Sofía mumbled to herself as she pricked her finger on the sharp needle when finishing up the last few stitches of her design. Quietly cursing to herself, she eventually managed to tie the thread and place the orange dress in her basket, diligently keeping her dripping finger far away from the delicate fabric until she could grab her things and rush out of the studio.
She was late, but unfortunately, that wasn’t anything new. Bringing her finger to her mouth to catch the few drops of fresh blood on her tongue, Sofía winced at the sudden potent metallic taste invading her senses, just as she reached the first crossroads on her path.
With little to no deliberation, Sofía decided to walk the path that led through the forest up the hill - the scenic route - instead of strolling through the busy afternoon streets crowded with pedestrians. The tailor’s shop was close to the small river that ran through Encanto, about halfway between Sofía’s family’s house and Casita, which were both practically home to her at this point.
After her interest in art and sketches had morphed into a fascination with sewing and embroidery at a fairly young age, it had only been a matter of years until Sofía had become a seamstress in town, and one of the more prominent ones at that. Granted, despite her initial interest in the profession and her genuine enthusiasm for most of the projects she got to work on, Sofía’s wish for this job had not derived from a need for money; instead, it had been born out of necessity.
She had learned very early on in life that she needed to make herself useful somehow, no matter how, even though her involvement with the Madrigals, especially Pepa, had helped her own family’s farming business out significantly already. Sofía had been there anytime Pepa had needed someone, not only to help relieve her of her overwhelming emotions, but also to talk things through. They often spoke about her feelings, about why she was experiencing them and most of all, about how to deal with them on a day to day basis.
This arrangement had started in the very beginning, right after Sofía had received her gift, and over the years as both Pepa’s mood and the weather around town stabilized, her own family had grown to be the biggest farmers in all of Encanto, supplying and providing the majority of the town with produce daily. Although it had all been a lot of work on all of their parts, Sofía had to admit that now, way over a decade after it had all started, her family was happier than ever.
After the vision Bruno had given her cousin Gabriéla that fateful day Sofía had received her gift, it had only taken months until she had caught onto the longing, lingering stares Andres was shooting her cousin every time they passed his family’s stall in the marketplace, and only a few more until Gabriéla reciprocated them every single time. It had been fascinating seeing Andres' entire character change over the course of mere weeks as he dropped his mask, and after some time had passed, he came off as a genuinely nice person whenever Sofía got the chance to see him.
A while later, just after his first dinner at their family home, she had caught the two lovebirds kissing outside the front door just as she prepared to make her daily journey to the Madrigal home, where she had continued to be a frequent guest. They had gotten engaged shortly after, and now, almost fifteen years later, the two of them were expecting their second child.
“Time flies when you’re having fun,” were Julieta’s usual words to describe the feeling of just how quickly time had passed from then until now, and Sofía never once doubted that Gabriéla was indeed having fun - in fact, she was thriving. Never before had she seen her as happy as she was now. Despite her initial concerns about marriage and children in particular, she was a natural. Even on stressful days, when her son Arturo cried and she was exhausted enough to pass out, Gabriéla emanated a glow of sheer happiness that Sofía knew from her own experience to be extremely rare, and she could not have been happier for her cousin.
Of course, there had been tough times as well. It had been hard when their abuelo Dario had passed away a few years prior, just after the birth of Gabriéla’s son. He had died peacefully in his sleep the night after he had gotten to hold Arturo for the first time, and his daughters had found him the next morning, a smile still permanently embedded into his face.
It had been sad, but they all knew it was okay - he had been happy in his final years. The whole family had decided to celebrate his life rather than mourn his death, and with the help of the Madrigal’s, they had thrown a party the likes of which had never been seen. It all had ended in a bittersweet goodbye to her abuelo, but Sofía knew she would never forget him for what he had given her in allowing to move and live here in the family home.
The afternoon sky above Sofía was mostly clear as she ventured along the beaten path through the forest, only a few fluffy clouds lingering above the mountains on the horizon. She was glad Pepa was having a good day today.
As of late, she had been having more trouble controlling herself again. Over the years, the two of them had grown to trust each other more and more, but in recent times Pepa had slowly grown hesitant to call on Sofía’s gift to help her deal with her emotions. Once, when the younger girl had been comforting Pepa during a particularly bad breakdown, she had told her that she often felt like she was using Sofía for her gift. They had had a long, in-depth talk about that, ending with a lingering hug and a mutual understanding: they were always there for each other, in whatever ways they could be. There was no reason to feel guilty, as long as they weren’t forcing the other person to help.
The fact that was compounding Pepa’s whole problem was Sofía’s realization that she craved feeling needed; it was what gave her a purpose in life, it was what motivated her to do anything at all. It wasn’t the validation or gratefulness, it wasn’t even money or any other material pleasure; it was the simple act of feeling useful that kept her going.
Still, even after their talk, Pepa had started a habit of bottling up her emotions more and more, with the simple goal of not feeling them for fear of annoying those around her - especially her mother. Alma had once called Pepa “abnormally neurotic” during a fight, one of many fights about her annoyance with rain or hail even just entering her field of vision, let alone get on her or any of her clothes or furniture. Sofía was sure that Pepa had never forgotten that and was now acting on pure instinct to prove her mother wrong.
When Casita emerged in the distance, its colorful facade like a bright beacon on the horizon, it distracted Sofía so much that she accidentally tripped over a thick root on the forest floor beneath her, barely preventing herself from tumbling to the ground as the bottles in her basket clinked together loudly. Sofía grinned to herself, both out of sheer embarrassment at falling over practically nothing, and also because of the gentle reminder of what she had brought with her.
It was the triplets’ birthday tomorrow, and whilst Alma had planned a huge celebration for her children, Sofía had learned to avoid larger gatherings years ago because they tended to overwhelm her, no matter how much she prepared for the onslaught of feelings that would threaten to suffocate her every time. Knowing full well it wasn’t a good idea for Sofía to attend their birthday festivities, Pepa, Julieta and Bruno had made Sofía promise to come over in the evening and spend the night together to celebrate their 20th birthday right as the clock struck twelve. Naturally, she hadn’t come empty handed - nay, she had a wide array of gifts in tow. Apart from the yards and yards of elaborately embroidered fabric, what was weighing her down most were the aged bottles of alcohol Sofía was carrying with her. They had all planned on experimenting whether Julieta’s cooking could flush alcohol out of their system, and Sofía had sort of splashed out, getting some bottles from the market as well as the wine her family had given her to bring as a gift.
As Sofía strode closer to Casita, a strange tightness spread through her neck and chest, and she only took a moment to realize what it was. These days, it was a rare occurrence that Sofía felt nervous to see the triplets, but she had worked on their presents for months, and although she knew they would all be incredibly kind and grateful, she desperately hoped they would like their gifts.
With a shiver, Sofía pulled herself together, trying to remember one particular phrase Julieta liked to say to cheer her up in times like these. “No time like the present.”
⧖⧗⧖
Even after all these years and countless visits to the Madrigal home, Casita still liked to lead Sofía to her destination with a wiggle of its beautiful tiles. There had been barely a day in the last fifteen years that Sofía had not visited, in fact, she had probably spent more nights here than in her actual home, and yet sometimes it still felt overwhelming to come here.
The sheer beauty of the home had only improved ever since she had first laid eyes upon it, and Sofía made sure to compliment the house whenever she got the chance. “You look stunning today, Casita,” she grinned as she made her way up the wide stairs, gently stroking her fingertips over the dark blue railing as she passed.
Despite the house’s attempts of urging her forwards, Sofía instead made her way to Bruno’s room, hovering by the glowing door for a moment. He wasn’t in there, she could feel that immediately.
In fact, it had gotten easier to feel his emotions from farther and farther away, especially if he let her. Bruno had caught onto how to conceal his feelings a little better, but Sofía never let him know just how much of an open book he continued to be to her.
Feeling somewhat nostalgic, she let her eyes wander over the picture frames that adorned the walls of the little corridor to his room. There were countless photographs of all four of them, practically any age you could imagine. There were a few of them standing by each other’s side during birthday celebrations, and a pair showing Pepa, Bruno and Sofía helping Julieta in the kitchen, starting out kind and neat in one, ending with all four of them covered in flour in the next. Many wonderful memories sprung to mind as Sofía’s eyes wandered over the pictures, something she did way too rarely, she realized now.
After a while, Sofía’s smile fell. There was no denying that when she followed the photographs that depicted Bruno in chronological order, his once wide grin that showed all of his brilliant white, crooked teeth continued to turn more and more into a frown the older he got. His posture changed too, from shy and bashful to genuinely uncomfortable, sometimes even fearful.
Unfortunately, over the years, Bruno had grown from being the family’s golden child to being its black sheep. Sofía never truly understood why nobody seemed to get along with him as well as she did. People came to see him often, not to seek his advice or opinion but to have him see their future, which was something he had absolutely no control over, and yet the general consensus among them was that Bruno Madrigal was both creepy and cruel.
The inhabitants of town regularly came to him with their most dire situations and fears, begging for something only he could do for them, and despite his knowledge about their opinion on him, he did them the favor every time, never denying a single visitor of a vision. And for what, for them to scorn him, to act like he slighted them on purpose and to start pointing fingers at him and avoiding him like the plague whenever they saw him in the streets?
They had to know that he could only see the future, not shape it in any way. They had to know, because Sofía had told them many times. She had been witness to many unfortunate incidents regarding Bruno’s visions as well as countless furious visitors, and every single time she did her best to calm them down and direct their contempt towards something else than the innocent Madrigal son, and every single time she failed.
In return, Bruno had started to hide himself away more and more, even as a young child when things had only just started turning into the dismal situation they were now. He regularly holed himself up in his room, heavy bags plaguing his dull eyes whenever Sofía saw him during dinners or outside.
Not only had the town dubbed Bruno weird, disturbing and just overall bad luck, which would have been bad enough, but his visions had also started taking a significant, tangible toll on him. Apart from the usual physical symptoms, his splitting headaches, burning eyes, and general exhaustion, things had gone very wrong a few times.
Once, a few years back, Bruno had given too many visions in a single day, and had ended up stumbling into Sofía’s room, his eyes dripping deep red blood. Both Sofía and his sisters had been tremendously scared for him, Pepa struggling to suppress the thunderstorm growing outside while Julieta ran to the kitchen to panic-cook him a meal to heal. All the while, Bruno had just sat there, completely quiet. It had been one of the most terrifying moments of Sofía’s entire life, to see him sit there with no emotions, almost lifeless; a mere shell of a man who barely even reacted as she carefully wiped away his bloody tears. Even though Sofía had forced herself not to feel his feelings, not wanting to breach his privacy in this already critical moment, the pure coldness emanating from him when she had brushed her hand along his cheek was uncharacteristic to say the least, highly concerning to be truthful.
It had taken Bruno days to snap out of it and return to his usual self, days he had spent locked away in his tower, with the already endless staircase seeming even longer than ever before. Sofía had learned the hard way that he did not want to see anybody, had devoted hours on end just sitting with him while he stared into nothingness, but after a while, Casita hadn’t even allowed her or anyone else into his room anymore.
Those few days without Bruno were the longest time Sofía had been without him ever since they had met, and she had spent them in constant worry over him, his health and his mental state.
Ever since then, things had been different. No one knew what had happened or what had really caused that episode in him, but something changed within him that month. Bruno started looking even more exhausted than usual, all the while his paranoia multiplied regularly, leaving him superstitious and anxious almost every single day of his life. He slowly began altering his routines to help him through his visions, which he still insisted on doing even though they were clearly causing him pain, and found himself creating a type of ritual to guide him, to aid him as a crutch to cope with whatever came his way.
More worryingly, the youngest Madrigal started to develop strange tics, mostly related to his recently arisen superstitiousness. Sofía had watched these habits develop from their very beginning, and she was certain they were born out of a need for stability and reassurance that nothing else could give him in that moment as well as a desperate wish to get rid of the bad energy he seemed to think was surrounding him at all times.
To achieve this, Bruno had started off by simply acting out what he had heard about warding off bad luck, doing things such as throwing salt over his shoulder at every occasion he felt nervous about something, sometimes even sugar, for good measure.
He had once read that in many cultures, people knocked their fist on wood to chase away evil spirits as well as express gratitude to friendly ones in hopes of good fortune. Ever since then, occasional soft taps against door frames turned into frequent raps of his fists against any wooden surface he could think of. Naturally, as with nearly every one of Bruno’s habits, the pattern remained the same, in this case the same rhythmical sequence of five knocks, then, after a short pause, another few as he muttered to himself so quietly that nobody could understand him.
Then there were other things, certain gestures only Bruno himself seemed privy to know the meaning behind, and his frequent muttering of rhymes and songs he had learned in his childhood from books or his mother, sometimes even some of Julieta’s verses.
Over time, as things got worse, these tics progressed from voluntary actions that clearly reassured him to unavoidably compulsive gestures that he could not do certain things without completing first.
There had been many cases in which Sofía had seen him crossing his fingers as he held his breath until his face was blazing red, knocking his fists on his surrounding surfaces until his knuckles were scraped and bleeding, as well as avoiding anything even remotely associated with bad luck as though his life depended on it.
That compulsive need that forced Bruno into doing things this way was more aggressive on some days than others, specifically when he seemed more troubled than usual.
Still, despite Bruno’s best efforts to conceal all of these feelings, struggles and problems, it affected Sofía immensely. She considered him her best friend, the most important person in her life, and it caused her endless pain to see him suffer like this.
Slowly, she let her fingertips ghost over a framed picture of the two of them standing just outside Casita when they had been barely ten years old, arms wrapped around each other tightly, wide grins on both of their faces. If only things could be like this again.
⧖⧗⧖
The door to Sofía’s room had moved ever since it had first appeared, and was now situated a little farther to the side of the house than Bruno’s. This meant it was also farther away from where people would gather during parties or other occasions, and it made it much easier for Sofía to have a place to relax without feeling overwhelmed by other people’s emotions.
As a matter of fact, it had originally taken weeks for Sofía to muster up the courage to open the door to her own room. There had been so much pressure and incredibly high expectations that came with her being such a special addition to the Madrigal family, and naturally, the fear that the room would be even remotely like Bruno’s had been lingering in the back of her head for the majority of the time she waited.
Her room had barely changed since then.
Its main theme was very clearly comfort. It was a cozy room, with lots of space to spread out and relax on a multitude of sofas, loveseats and a huge bed large enough for a whole crowd of people. A large window overlooked all of Encanto, and the sides of the room were lined with rows of large bookshelves filled to the brim with all kinds of literature, only interrupted by a few little alcoves where one could snuggle up and read.
If Sofía was feeling especially stressed out, Casita would simulate rain sounds to help her calm down, sometimes just to aid her in falling asleep. Also, when it was dark, stars faintly twinkled on the high ceiling, all in their actual, accurate constellations.
In all truth, the four of them probably spent the most time in her room - had been ever since the beginning. It had adapted, slowly but surely, adding a little nook for a study so they could all be in the same room while still getting work done whenever they wanted to. Julieta would work on recipe ideas in one corner while Pepa meditated by the giant window, artificial rain noises working wonders on calming down her raging pulse, and whereas Sofía used her free time to practice her sketching or embroidery, Bruno would merely read or write, or sometimes just sit and stare into nothingness or at the star-covered ceiling, rarely simply resting his arm across his eyes as he laid back and relaxed for once.
They all took comfort in each other’s presence, no matter what was happening around them. Sometimes, no words needed to be exchanged at all. Sofía considered it a privilege to be included in this phenomenon, one that usually seemed almost exclusively reserved for relationships between twins or triples. She was sure it was only because they had all grown up together, being close friends for such a long time, and yet she had always found it fascinating how they often understood each other entirely without words.
The moment Sofía opened her door, her train of thought was interrupted by Pepa who jumped up from the ground in front of her as soon as she laid eyes on her. “Finally! How kind of you to grace us with your presence!” Harsh words, but by now Sofía was used to Pepa’s brashness and ever-changing moods, and the younger Madrigal sister had spoken them with a wide smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, just before enveloping Sofía in a crushing hug. “Love you too, Pepa,” she laughed back in reply, setting her basket down as soon as Pepa let go and Julieta began hurrying towards her, imitating just what her sister had done.
A hug from Julieta was something to behold, just like Julieta herself. Her presence was always warm and welcoming, her attitude gentle and mothering, dripping with kindness and understanding as well as maturity and wisdom well beyond her years. Being both slow to anger and a resolute, comforting shoulder to cry on at all times combined with her patience being that of a goddess, Julieta was the one who truly kept the four of them grounded at all times.
“Sofía, I’m so glad you could make it! These two have been driving me insane for hours worrying over when or if you would get here.” With a quick gesture to her siblings beside her and a slightly mischievous grin the oldest triplet stepped back, just enough so that Sofía’s gaze fell on Bruno who stood just a few feet behind her.
She watched in dismay as his facade slipped into place seamlessly, replacing his previously empty expression with a broad grin and he rushed towards her, a faint blush still on his cheeks from Julieta’s words. After pushing his sister’s aside Bruno came to a stand just in front of Sofía, and for a moment he motioned as though he wanted to hug her himself as well, before he instead bent down to the basket she had placed by her feet.
“Aaaand what have you brought us here?” he asked with a sly grin contorting his features, his long curls obscuring his face as he picked it up with ease. “Ay, hands off, señorito!” It barely took seconds until Sofía had ripped her property from his grasp, and immediately, she could see his expression change. His kind smile turned wider so Sofía could almost see her reflection in his shiny teeth, had she not been distracted by the way he looked at her. “We have secrets now, do we?” Bruno’s voice was deeper now, more playful than before, and Sofía couldn’t stop the goosebumps that spread over her skin at his words. Oh no.
Playing catch had been a frequent occasion when they had all been younger, in fact, had become somewhat of a tradition. Pepa was incredibly ticklish, so she had always been the most fun to catch, but whereas Julieta was the fastest among them, Bruno was the most nimble. Climbing, jumping, running - name it, he was good at it. Still, it had been a while since Sofía had seen him look at her like this, and yet it only took her a moment to bolt away from him as quickly as she could, playful instinct kicking in just like it had when they had been children.
In turn, it barely took minutes until he caught her, effortlessly tripping her so she fell onto her bed as he stood behind her, panting like they had been running for hours. Both their faces were red as tomatoes, and Sofía could faintly hear the sisters cackle in the distance as she backed up onto the bed, holding the basket in her lap like she was protecting a child. “Bruno, this is for later.” He was unperturbed, stalking closer to her like a predator towards its prey, eyes fixed on the basket, completely unwavering. “Bruno! Do you wanna ruin the surprise?”
That got him. All of a sudden, his eyes lit up like the ones of a child, a demure smile playing around his facial features as he stepped back, giving her enough space to get up again. “Well, why didn’t you just say that in the first place?”
⧖⧗⧖
The sun had gone down hours ago. The only things lighting up Sofía’s surroundings were the strong moonlight shining through the giant window on one side, and the mess of candles they had lit earlier, casting the whole room in a comforting, flickering orange light.
It was nice spending time together like this again, just the four of them. They had all been busy with their own projects and activities recently, but now that they were all reunited like this, it felt like no time had passed at all. Of course, the alcohol helped, too.
Julieta’s reaction to the strong liquor Sofía had brought was by far the most severe, her expression morphing from a look of pure disgust when the liquid hit her tongue into one of an epiphany only moments later. Sofía had no doubt the oldest triplet was expanding her palette, already thinking up recipes that would match or even improve the taste she was experiencing.
Pepa was different. She would sip at her drink greedily but cautiously, ready to stop at any point as if experimenting what it would do to her mood. They had all tasted alcohol before this, of course, but moderation was a word they had banned for tonight, so it was interesting to see how all of them reacted nonetheless. To all of their surprises, drinking didn’t affect Pepa negatively at all. Instead, she wore a wide smile on her face that brightened up the whole room, and her genuine laughter quickly increased both in pitch and intensity, which often baited the others into snickering along with her.
Bruno didn’t drink much; he never had. Sofía didn’t like to assume, but she had always suspected that he denied alcohol because it could affect his visions, or perhaps his control over when and how often he would have them.
Sofía had only ever seen him fully drunk once over a year ago, at her eighteenth birthday party. Her family had, of course, gone fully overboard with the festivities despite Sofía’s wish to keep it small and manageable, she suspected partially because they were hoping to set her up with one of the countless young men residing in Encanto, inspired by the recent marriage of one of her younger cousins. Anything but overjoyed, Sofía had still obliged their wishes and danced with a few eligible bachelors over the course of the evening, none of them particularly tickling her fancy whatsoever.
The most fun she had had that night had been dancing with the triplets, hooking their arms into each other to move in circles around the room in childish motions, twirling and lifting each other in ways that had made them all laugh hysterically. All to the dismay of Sofía’s family, of course, who had immediately paired her up with another stranger, whose impure intentions she had felt wavering off him even before he touched her hand to lead her back onto the dance floor.
It had happened when Sofía had fled outside to escape his company hours later, that he had followed her to wrap his arms around her firmly enough that any resistance had been futile. Without any hesitation, he had pulled her into a kiss, just when Julieta had stepped into her field of vision, making the stranger cease his actions and hurry off into the night instead.
Relief was barely enough of a word to describe what Sofía had felt in that moment. Of course, she could have pushed him away, sent him god-knows-where after giving him no signs of liking him all evening, but Julieta’s company had been enough to rout him. Immediately, she’d rushed to envelop Julieta in a tight embrace whilst thanking her profusely. “Don’t thank me,” she had whispered in response before pulling back slightly to look into Sofía’s confused eyes, “thank Bruno.”
Later, Sofía had found Bruno leaning against one of the wooden posts off to the side of her family’s property, struggling to stay upright as his gaze drifted over the clearly visible stars in the sky. She had felt how drunk he had been far before she reached his side, and yet it had surprised her just how far gone he’d been. With her arm looped through his, she had led him inside and to her room, making sure to lay him down so he would be as comfortable as possible before backing away. “He touched you…” Bruno had murmured, barely audible through his slurred pronunciation, and yet Sofía could feel the raw fury emanate from him at his words. “That goddamn bastard touched you.”
He had, of course, apologized profusely the next day and many days after that for just how drunk he had been, but in all truth he had never managed to recollect his memory of the evening - possibly for the best. Ever since then, Bruno had barely had a drop of alcohol.
Tonight, however, it was different. Not only was Bruno dismissive about drinking, merely tasting one of the older wines Sofía’s family had gifted them, he also seemed much more withdrawn than usual. He barely joined in on any of the fun or conversations, and, after a while, he vanished without a word.
Bruno’s sisters didn’t seem too perturbed about his absence, immediately making use of the situation by moving onto girltalk. Both Julieta and Pepa had their eyes on two boys from town, which had been a prominent conversation topic between them in recent times.
Julieta and her novio Agustín hadn’t exactly met by accident. Abiding by Alma's wishes, Julieta had started to run a little booth in town where she would give away freshly cooked food to anyone in need of healing. Agustín was a man of Julieta's age who had frequented Julieta’s stand over a long period of time, a different type of injury in tow at every single visit. By that, one could gather that he had either been incredibly clumsy and accident-prone, or genuinely interested in her. Whatever it had been, Julieta had soon developed more than a small crush on him. After having kissed a few times, an experience she had described to Pepa and Sofía in elaborate detail, she and Agustín had recently made the step to officially become a couple.
With Pepa, it had been different, like all things were. A few months back, Sofía’s family had invited the Madrigals over for supper, which had been where Pepa had properly met Sofía’s cousin Félix for the first time. They had been seated next to each other at the dinner table, and it had truly been love at first sight. Despite having fallen head over heels in love with each other after that first night of discussing anything and everything for hours on end, they had danced around each other for a long time until he’d properly asked her out. Recently they had started meeting up regularly, and whenever they did, Pepa would come home dazed, radiating an immense happiness that would make rainbows appear all around her for the next few days.
Against all odds, considering the town’s opinion on him, Bruno had joined his sisters in dating someone only a few weeks ago. He had been spending a lot of time with Martina, a girl from town that neither of the girls knew particularly well, but one that he seemed overjoyed to meet up with every single time. Sofía had only seen her a few times, but everytime she had felt her chest constricting like she was about to have a panic attack.
Martina was, for lack of a better word, perfect - the type of person who was just effortlessly beautiful. Her tapered waist was only part of her impeccably sculpted figure that visibly promised seduction, spools of her mercury-red hair framing her face, her saffron-tinted complexion as flawless as the one of a porcelain doll. Her dark, sweeping eyelashes made it look like she was wearing makeup at all times, and the sugary voice that poured out of her puffy, heart-shaped lips was just as mesmerizing as the rest of her. According to everyone who knew her, the cheerful personality and her bubbly outlook on life seemed to make Martina just an overall pleasure to be around.
All in all, she was beautiful in a way Sofía wasn’t, lighting up any room she entered, and she was floaty and angelic - so unlike Sofía in every way.
Sofía had spent hours of her time weeping over how it made her feel whenever she knew Bruno was meeting her, insistent on going alone even though his sisters inquired whether they could join him every single time. She loathed the jealousy that ricocheted through her, could feel it wavering just beneath the surface of her skin whenever Martina was mentioned, sizzling and blistering as though it was burning her from the inside out. Yet, nothing was worse than hearing Bruno talk about her, his head in the clouds as he gushed over something they had gotten up to the day before - it truly made Sofía feel as though she wanted to die.
Never in her life had she felt less attractive and desirable than now. It wasn’t like Sofía and Bruno had ever done anything unsavory; in fact, she was absolutely certain he was not interested in her in that way. What he felt had always been like an open book to her, and she knew his feelings towards her had barely changed ever since they had first met. Hers had, clearly.
Sofía liked Bruno Madrigal, everybody knew that. And yet, nobody knew how much she craved his closeness and affection, and just how much she wanted him. She wanted to call him her own, wanted to claim him and have him adore her just the way she adored him. This odd sense of possessiveness was not only uncalled for, it also made Sofía feel physically sick every time she dwelled on why she felt this way, and yet she couldn’t help but wish Bruno saw her the way she saw him.
A loud peal of laughter from the sisters brought Sofía back to reality, and she quickly shook her head to get rid of her thoughts before Pepa turned towards her, her words slightly slurred as she spoke. “See, Sofía? Now that Bruno has his novia, only you need to find someone, and then the whole family is happy!” Without hesitation, Julieta turned towards her sister, staring at her as though she had just insulted her. “Pepa!” Unimpressed, Pepa continued. “We could all get married together! Then comes the happily ever after, like a fairytale! I’ve always wanted to be in a fairytale…” Her voice quieted down as she trailed off, just when Julieta elbowed her in the ribs. Pepa threw her a confused glance in response before her eyes suddenly widened in silent realization, one that Sofía was not privy to the details of.
Instead, she bit down on her bottom lip to subdue the pang of pain that shot through her chest, feeling inexplicably close to tears after those few words, and spoke up herself. “Yeah, I don’t know. Some fairytales aren’t all that good, you know?” Sofía hoped they couldn’t hear the pain in her voice as she rose from the ground to inconspicuously stretch her limbs, hiding the frown that was undoubtedly distorting her face. “Anyways, I’m not really looking to… date anyone, I guess.”
The conversation stalled, and when Sofía still felt tears stinging in the corners of her eyes a minute into deafening silence, she excused herself to go to the bathroom, instinctively grabbing her basket on the way out without really knowing why.
She felt off; a bizarre mixture of sadness and heartache oscillating in her deep chest - a feeling she had grown to know very well over the past few weeks. Perhaps a breath of fresh air would help compose herself again.
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It was more of an instinct than a proper thought process that led Sofía down to the river passing through the nearby forest. Granted, she knew that on the off-chance Bruno had not retired to his tower room, he would be there as well, but right now, Sofía would give anything to visit one of her comfort places if it finally helped her breathe again.
When Sofía reached the moonlit riverbank, she sat down beside the familiar cloaked figure without a word, faintly noticing just how dizzy she had grown from their earlier drinking. In turn, Bruno flinched for a moment, immediately relaxing as soon as he realized who she was. Sofía hadn’t noticed earlier when they had been inside, perhaps too overwhelmed with her nervousness and Pepa’s emotions which often had the power to overshadow all others around her, but now, she could feel distress radiating from Bruno like she hadn’t in a long time.
She wasn’t exactly sure how long the two of them sentenced themselves to complete silence, but instead of pressuring him into talking immediately, Sofía forced herself to slowly synchronize their breathing - an old habit that had always helped her calm down in the past. After a while, when she felt she could speak without her voice betraying her, she took a deep breath.
“We missed you in there.” That was simple enough, not forcing Bruno into responding if he didn’t feel like it, merely an observation. Out of the corner of her eyes Sofía could see him frown, the expression remaining on his face just long enough so she could clearly recognize it. A faint, barely noticeable shake of his head made it clear what he was thinking, even if she hadn’t felt it brush over her skin with the tender wind surrounding them: he didn’t believe her. “Yeah? Heh, that’s… nice of you to say.” Bruno’s voice was too loud, the words coming out of his mouth too fast to be considered natural, and he didn’t even turn his head to look at her, gaze stoically focussed on the river in front of them. “I mean it,” Sofía replied, her voice strong enough to imply just how serious she was about this, “It's not the same without you, Bruno.”
A deep shudder seemed to run through his body at that, coinciding with a cool breeze enveloping the two of them as they sat on the mossy forest floor, several feet apart from each other.
The conversation was over, and the silence between them stretched so far it almost became unsettling, considering how much they usually spoke. And yet, Sofía rather enjoyed it. His company alone was often enough for her to feel more relaxed than when she was alone, but this time - the time!
Trying not to look as frantic as she felt, Sofía rummaged through the fabric of her skirt until she found the small pocket by her waist, pulling out her father’s old silver pocket watch she always carried with her. Sofía watched in silence as the last few minutes passed, and when the clock struck midnight, she reached beside her for the basket she had incidentally brought with her.
When she pulled out the large piece of woolen fabric, Bruno’s eyes followed her movements curiously, his eyes never leaving her hands as she discreetly refolded the garment before turning towards him.
The hands holding the gift out to him were clearly visible in the strong moonlight, and yet it took Bruno a moment to understand her intentions.
With a strong wave of confusion he took it from her, and Sofía had to suppress the urge to read his emotions more thoroughly when his hands brushed over hers for just a moment. “What’s this?” What do you think it is? Instead of answering his question, Sofía merely shifted slightly so she was facing him, encouraging him to unfold it with a big smile. “Happy Birthday, Brunito.” In an instant, his eyes widened in disbelief, and despite her efforts to leave him to feel his feelings in private, there was no denying the deep sense of appreciation that settled in his core at her words. “For… for me?” This time, Sofía laughed, the sudden sound making Bruno flinch ever so slightly. “Of course it’s for you.” “But - “ “God, just open it, pendejo.” Bruno took his time, carefully unfolding the fine-grained fabric as if it would break if he moved too quickly, all until he could finally see it in all of its glory.
For years and years, Sofía had struggled to come up with gift ideas for all three of the triplets. It wasn’t that they weren’t incredibly grateful people who would be happy about anything as a present - for them, all that mattered were the thoughts and intentions behind it - it was that exact fact that made it so hard to find something they truly loved. Out of a mixture of resignation and the pure desire to make them something useful, Sofía had made use of her talents and sewn them something to wear. She knew the thought was boring and uninspired, especially considering it was her profession to sew and tailor clothes, but she had put a lot of time and effort into these gifts over the past few months and desperately hoped the triplets would genuinely enjoy them.
Pepa’s gift was an orange dress, the one Sofía had barely managed to finish just this morning. It’s gradated colors were mostly covered up by embroidery representing everything she associated with the turbulent, lovable girl: several different flowers and plants, a few vines of ivy along her back and, of course, a wide array of elements representing her control over the weather. The big, yellow sun that spread outwards from where Pepa’s heart would be was Sofía’s personal favorite, but she also adored the long lightning bolts lining the sides and back and the fluffy clouds around the waistline and along the bottom of the circle skirt. To finish it up, she had stitched a few raindrop shapes onto the flounces and ruffles along her neck and wrists, and it would have been a lie to say she wasn’t immensely pleased with the result.
Julieta’s gift was an apron. Again, it was unoriginal, but realistically the thing she would get the most use out of. Because of how often the oldest triplet would hopefully wear it, its main focus needed to be on durability rather than beauty, as Pepa’s had been. Sofía had chosen a forgiving fabric that could deal with frequent cleanings, and had reinforced all the seams and added pockets galore, for all of Julieta’s potential cooking needs. Along the stitching, which was barely noticeable to the untrained eye, were the delicate shapes of a wide variety of Julieta’s favorite herbs, the beautiful leaves of Basil curving around her waist whilst long stems of rosemary lined her pockets and neckline.
Bruno’s gift, which he was currently staring at intently, was a brand new ruana, not too unlike the one he constantly wore. It was made from a dark forest green fabric, elaborately embroidered all along its hem.
His posture showed just how taken aback he was, his mouth wide open, his arms frozen where they had first unfolded the garment. Sofía desperately hoped it was a good type of shock, but alas, she could not tell. Several moments passed until, in a desperate attempt to get him to speak, Sofía pointed at her embroidery.
“Let me explain it. Some cultures consider seven a lucky number, so I made sure that all the patterns were only arranged in repetitions or arrays of seven.” Bruno remained stock still, and Sofía could barely even see his chest rise and fall in shallow breaths. Quickly, she pointed at the row of circular motifs along the neckline.
“You’ve… you’ve probably seen an evil eye before. Don’t worry, it’s nothing dangerous,” she grinned, “It’s supposed to guard its wearer against misfortune and protect them from evil spirits and bad luck, especially fitting in your case, I imagine.” Sofía chuckled to herself again, but received no response. Determined to at least finish her explanations before she let the reality of his reaction hit her, she decided to keep going. “And I made them Julieta’s color, since… you know. You all three belong together, and there is something symbolizing each of you hidden in the embroidery on all of your gifts.”
Bruno’s eyes were wandering over the garment in shock, snagging on the deep green leaves along the hemline that were highly reminiscent of the plates Alma had gifted them all a few years back, minus the mention of hourglasses, which Sofía considered yet another unnecessary reminder of Bruno’s burden of a gift. What he couldn’t see, was that the inside of the ruana held a few pockets, which Sofía had had the foresight to add for both his salt-carrying habits and his rat-friends he often walked around town with, the inside seams adorned with bright orange flowers that mirrored Pepa’s dress color exactly.
Bruno still wasn’t talking, hadn’t reacted in any way, and Sofía released an anxious chuckle, scratching the back of her head nervously. “I… actually went to the library and looked into this, you know? And I had a lot of fun doing it, too, so that was nice! Even if you don’t…” she trailed off when she finally realized there was no way he was listening to her anymore. Even if you don’t like it.
There came another long, potent pause, and Sofía was almost ready to just drop the topic entirely and move on when Bruno suddenly broke the silence without turning towards her, seemingly staring through the ruana he still held in his hands. “You… you made this? For me?” Oh! “Yes! Do you like it?” “It’s beautiful…” he muttered. Sofía felt her heart surge with pride and happiness, and could barely contain the urge to bring him towards her in a crushing hug. Instead, she reflected on his words for just a moment, until her mouth spoke without her permission. “Just like you, Brunito.” Alcohol had loosened her tongue, and the warmth that immediately rushed to her cheeks told her she was visibly blushing, probably even in the low moonlight. How embarrassing. To admit that without context, so out of the blue was almost shameful, yet even now, Sofía could tell Bruno didn’t believe her. Then again, maybe it was for the best that he didn’t know how she truly felt about him.
When Sofía turned to see the tears in his eyes shimmer in the dim moonlight, she could have sworn she felt her heart break in her chest.
She knew it had been hard for him. Despite his constant efforts to conceal his deeper, true feelings from her, he often underestimated just how much her gift allowed her to feel what he felt. Bruno Madrigal faked things - a lot. He faked his smiles and forced his laughter, and Sofía knew it was because he thought he had to so that nobody would worry, and so that his sisters would think he was okay, when he really wasn’t.
Itching to reach out to him and pull him closer to warmly reward that raw vulnerability that only served to increase his allure, she instead reserved to gently place a hand on his arm, instantly bringing her attention to her. “Bruno,” Sofía almost whispered, “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” In a gesture she put down as unintentional, he shook his head ever-so-slightly before wiping his eyes as casually as possible as though they had been merely itchy, not threatening to overflow with tears. “It’s… it’s nothing, really. Nothing to worry about.” Sure. “Ah, is that right?” Sofía’s question was dripping with irony, but she was sure he was barely even picking up on it. “Yeah, you know…” Bruno shrugged as he gently traced one of the embroidered leaves with his fingers. “You know…”
When Sofía was sure he wasn’t going to finish his sentence, she decided this was enough. She was going to tell him what she thought, straight-up, and she would hope he would take it the right way. “Bruno… Look, I know you had a tough year - a couple of tough years if we’re being candid here. I want, no, I need you to know that people still love you and are still here for you, even if the town thinks you’re ‘Bad Luck Bruno’ or whatever stupid name they come up with next. Who cares what others think when we’ve got each other, right?”
Suddenly, Bruno’s head whipped around and his eyes found Sofía’s, his expression intense and almost bone-chilling. Before she could say another word, his arms were around her to envelop her in a hug, slow and hesitant at first, then frantic and clawing. Without having to think, Sofía reciprocated it with the same intensity, pulling him into her as much as she could while she rested her chin on his shoulder.
There was no denying she loved his touch. Sofía’s general aversion to physical contact had only worsened since she had received her gift. She couldn’t stand most people’s touch, however casual it was. Every time, she had to force herself not to feel their emotions, or have them flow into her like she knew she could, but even this restraint was hard on her. Bruno’s touch however… it was different. It never made her skin itch, never made her want to wash the place he touched until it was raw and bleeding or retreat back into the safety of her room and never come back out. Instead, it made her feel all warm and fuzzy, as if the feel of his skin alone was enough to have a sense of fulfillment spread through her.
It had taken Sofía a long time to realize what those feelings meant, and now that she had, she desperately wished she never had.
Abruptly, her thoughts were disrupted by Bruno’s entire body shuddering against her, and on instinct, she immediately pulled him impossibly closer against herself, feeling his every breath as if it was her own. When he spoke, she felt the vibrations move through her chest, but his voice was broken and weak. “Thank you… You… you don’t know what this means to me.” Immediately, Sofía had to suppress the urge to pull back and pull him into a passionate kiss to show him just how much this all meant to her, too. She trembled at the thought, softly shaking her head before slowly drawing back from his hug, just enough for their lines of sight to cross.
Bruno’s eyes were unfocused and bleary, and Sofía soon raised her hand to cup his cheek, her thumb wiping away a single tear as it ran down his stubbled cheek. After a deep inhale of fresh air, she quickly offered him a genuine smile before she managed to speak. “You know I have always believed in you, Bruno. I truly wouldn’t be where I am without you and your family,” Sofía had to bite back her own tears now as she saw his brows furrow further at her words, “I told you all those years ago that I would be forever in your debt, and I am still working on that. Maybe we’ll be even one day, but I honestly doubt it.” Sofía’s smile gave way to a deep frown when Bruno’s body suddenly shook with a powerful sob, and instinctively she pulled him close again by wrapping her arms around his neck, holding him close for a long, long time until his tears subsided and his breathing returned to normal.
His nose brushed against her neck, the warm air tickling the skin with every one of his breaths, and it was almost enough to distract her from hearing his muffled voice. “You’re my favorite,” he mumbled, his lips brushing over her collarbone when he spoke. Sofía was sure this would be her demise with the way her heart skipped several beats, and she immediately pulled back in shock, her hands resting on his shoulders to hold him an arm’s length away from her. “What’d you just say?” There was no doubt she had misheard him. “I… uh, nothing! I said absolutely nothing.” Oh. With the blush that came over his entire face, flushing his tan skin right up to where it was covered up by his ruana around his neck, she could feel the embarrassment roll off of him in giant waves. He had really said it.
No longer able to contain herself, Sofía released a loud burst of laughter at how surreal this all felt. She could immediately tell Bruno thought she was making fun of him, but she could not help herself as she nudged his shoulder right as her giggles subsided. “Don’t worry, you’re my favorite too, Bruno.”
She reveled in their mutual adoration for just a while longer before they fully pulled back from each other, and it only felt natural for Sofía to plant a comforting kiss on his cheek just before they broke apart. It had happened before, rarely, but, momentarily taken aback by her own gesture, Sofía could feel herself blush yet again. Fighting her way through it, she turned back towards the gurgling river and cuddled up beside the Madrigal son, leaning her head on his shoulder.
The both of them seemed to enjoy the silence, only occasionally interrupted by birds or other forest animals screeching further in the thicket past the stream. It took a while until Sofía picked up on Bruno’s quiet mumbling, barely audible through the noises around them, but just when she readjusted herself to listen to him properly, he spoke up louder.
“Twenty, huh?” “Twenty! Isn’t that great? The Big Two-O!” She gently nudged his side again when he didn’t react. “Isn’t it exciting? Who knows what this year will bring!” Sofía could just about see his eyes glossing over in the corner of her vision, as if he was completely lost in thought. There was another long pause, then he mumbled again, more to himself than to her. “I never thought I’d make it this far…”
Oh. The tears that flooded Sofía’s eyes were instantaneous.
She wasn’t a naive little girl anymore, she knew Bruno had had trouble dealing with things, as had she, and yet she had never once put him down as suicidal.
Ripping her head away from its resting place on his shoulder, she turned away from him hectically just as the first whimper escaped her throat. “Hey, hey! What’s wrong?” Bruno’s hands landed on her back, smoothing them over her shoulders in a comforting motion, but Sofía shrugged him off immediately, turning back towards him with fury evident in both her expression and inflection. “Miérda! You - Bruno, you can’t just spring that on me! The fact that you… did you try? Try to…” His eyes widened as he realized what he had said aloud, and his jaw dropped as he seemed to desperately seek the right words to answer her frantic questioning. “I - No! I mean, I - yes, I’m - I wasn’t thinking! I’m so sorry, Sofía, I swear I didn’t mean to - “ She cut him off with her hand stretched out to hover over his mouth, and he stilled immediately.
Sofía’s thoughts were running rampant. He had tried to kill himself. When? Why? It wasn’t a real question, she knew exactly why. Bruno Madrigal had tried to end his life, because he had felt so miserable, so desperate and overwhelmed with everything that he tried to kill himself. She could have lost him… lost him forever.
Bruno turned away from her after a while, dejected, just about to get up and leave when she violently gripped his wrist and pulled him back down to the ground, startling him enough so he released a little shriek in the quiet night, immediately devolving into another string of apologies. “Just - god, stop it! This is not - I’m not… This is because…” Sofía forced herself to take a deep breath, insistent that a panic attack would help neither of them right now. “God, Bruno, I wouldn’t know what to do without you… If I lost you, too, I don’t know how…”
A long, empty silence followed as Sofía struggled to get her mind to cooperate with what she wanted to say, but Bruno merely stared at her, stunned, silent, unblinking. Then she spoke.
“You know I was never very close to my parents.” Bruno nodded hesitantly, and Sofía was hit with the realization that now, she had to tell him the whole story - now, she had to bare her soul and pour out her heart to him so he would understand. After a deep sigh, she continued. “But of course, when they died, I was devastated, as any four-year-old would be. I didn’t understand why this was happening, in general or to me, I didn’t understand why they were gone forever or why I had to go live with my abuelo all of a sudden. “Even though it had been far from perfect before, all I wanted was another day knowing they were home, not caring about their drug habits or their unpredictable manic mood swings. All I wanted was for my parents to be alive and to be there for me.”
Sofía’s eyes were strictly focussed on the babbling river, but she could clearly see Bruno’s brows furrow at the edge of her field of vision, his fingers clenching into fists on his knees. “It followed me for years, that feeling, and I don’t think I will ever really get over that. I know they weren’t good people, I know they definitely weren’t good parents, but I would give so, so much to spend just another day with them.” Struggling to keep her breathing even enough to keep talking, Sofía blinked away her tears and started fidgeting with her fingers, curling and uncurling around the chain of her father’s pocket watch attached to her skirt.
“When I… When I came here, I was overwhelmed. This town was beautiful, but so different from the city I was used to, and my family was warm and kind as opposed to my parents’ mostly cold behavior towards me. “I was devastated about their deaths, about the loss of what I thought was my world and support system, and I barely knew how to cope, I… I didn’t think I would survive for long. I thought my life should end with theirs. “After a while here, that all hadn’t changed. I thought I would never be happy again, I thought I didn’t deserve to live if they didn’t.” Bruno huffed out a breath beside her and moved slightly, she couldn’t tell if it was closer or farther away from her, but she didn’t have the courage to turn her head towards him before she managed to get to the point of her story.
“And then I met you - you guys.” It was a minor slipup, one Sofía hoped he didn’t notice. Yes, it had been mostly Bruno and his pure kindness that had helped her out of her depression, but she didn’t need to tell him so directly… Then again, what did it matter now?
“You were all so terribly kind, so endlessly supportive… You were a family nothing like the one I had, and even though the gift was overwhelming and a lot to handle - still is, might I add - it has given me so much in return since then. “Helping Pepa deal with her emotions over the years, helping Julieta with the pressure that was being put on her by your mother and then everything with you… It has all helped me so much more than you could possibly imagine. “You made me feel… It all made me feel like I had a purpose, a reason for being here. I - I guess I really have to feel needed. I mean, what else is there, really?”
In the brief stillness that followed her words, Sofía realized not only how much she had rambled and veered off-topic, but also just what she had just admitted out loud; things she had barely thought about, let alone admitted to herself in the past few years, and yet Bruno's distress had coerced them out of her like it had been nothing. She wanted to add something that would make it obvious that she was okay, she wasn’t worthy of his pity or empathy, she was okay and would always be okay; but she found there really wasn’t anything else left to say.
The quiet rustling of leaves around them filled the somewhat frightening silence as she waited for Bruno to react. There was a latent thought in the back of her head, almost a wish that she had just kept her mouth shut for once and hadn’t said any of that aloud, or that, at the very least, Bruno had been too preoccupied with himself to hear it.
After sitting in the pressing silence for so long, Bruno’s voice absolutely blindsided her as he suddenly spoke entirely unprompted, seamlessly breaking the stillness between them with the few syllables that left his lips.
“You are.” What? “Huh?” The way Bruno’s voice transferred so smoothly through the quiet almost unsettled her, but the words he spoke were far more ominous than that. Without thinking she turned herself towards him, noticing his eyes were cast downward, fingers slowly tracing her embroidery on the hem of his new ruana.
Bruno took a moment to respond, by then his voice wasn’t the nervous one of the boy Sofía had gotten to know almost fifteen years ago, this was the voice of someone who had something to prove, and he would do anything to do it. “Needed, Sofía, you are needed. We need you - I need you.” Sofía’s stomach churned as her thoughts ran haywire. There was no way he could mean it like she thought he did, there was no way he could mean it in the way she was hoping for. Without even allowing herself to overthink further, she attempted to throw him a wide smile to lighten the mood and distract from their current conversation topic. “Anyway Bruno, I - “ “I’m serious,” his tone was assertive and intense now, “I would not have made it this far without you, and I…”
He used the short break in his sentence to rip his gaze away from his present and turn towards her, that same intense expression back on his face. Sofía could not take her eyes off of him. It wasn’t until right this moment that she realized something had shifted between them. It hadn’t been a gradual change, this was a sudden, intense feedback loop that developed between the two of them, paired with the way his close proximity so easily set Sofía on edge, it only left a few thoughts soaring through her brain at lightning speed.
She wanted him. She loved him.
God, she loved him.
Sofía hadn’t realized she was frowning until Bruno finally finished his sentence, his voice quieter now as he sat closer to her. “I need you.” He paused for a moment before he whispered it again, suddenly so close to Sofía that she was sure they were sharing the same air. “I need you, Sofía…”
Without another second to doubt herself, Sofía leaned forward and closed the distance between them.
When Bruno’s lips met hers, Sofía felt like she lost her grip on reality - so long had she waited for this moment that she knew if she had been standing up, her legs would have given out beneath her just from this. It was a simple kiss, a press of her mouth to his held for only a few beats of her heart, and yet the electric shock that passed through her at the feeling of him was without doubt the most intense thing she had ever experienced.
It took barely a few seconds before the kiss was broken, its end punctuated with the barest of caresses of Bruno’s lips brushing over hers, tantalizingly light as their noses bumped softly, his faint stubble deliciously harsh against Sofía’s skin. She let out a barely audible sigh, unsure whether to settle on feeling shocked or ecstatic about what she had just done, an echo of the overwhelming feelings ringing through her, lingering in her brain as they pulled away.
In retrospect, there was no telling who initiated the next kiss, but just when they had brought some distance between the two of them, Bruno’s mouth crashed into hers once again. The way his lips sealed over hers stole her breath away, and yet this kiss was lacking the earlier innocence, its intentions far clearer this time.
Now, it was clumsy, all hunger and desperation, born out of passion, out of want and desire. Sofía flattened her palm against Bruno’s ribs as his arms encircled her, crushing her body right against his, and instinctively, her hands moved up his chest and around his neck, clawing at his clothing in the process.
She reached up to rake her fingers through his tangled curls, threading them into the hair at the nape of his neck to urge him impossibly closer to her, right as his arms stiffened around her, hands digging into the skin of her waist so tightly that she could feel his frenzied desperation like it was her own. Sofía felt thoughtless, mindless, weightless, as though her soul had finally left her body and was floating somewhere far above her, and Bruno’s mouth was hot and consuming as it continued to move against hers in a wet, demanding kiss that was unlike anything she had ever felt before.
Shaking fingers tangled themselves into his hair, tilting his head to kiss him with everything she had as her fingernails softly grazed his scalp, resulting in a whimpering sound originating deep in his throat that made her heart do florid somersaults in her chest. When Bruno’s hand slowly slipped from Sofía’s neck upwards to cup her jaw, his soft and gentle touch was such a sharp contrast against the frantic nature of their kiss that she felt her mouth drop open in shock, and Bruno didn’t waste a second before his tongue moved between her stunned lips, kissing her as deeply as he could. Sofía responded by sliding her tongue against his in feverish strokes, determined to mirror his every move with matching enthusiasm, and she was rewarded by another deep rumbling sound emanating from right under where one of her hands still rested against his clothed chest.
She so desperately wanted to shift, pull Bruno even closer - impossibly closer - she wanted to slide her leg over his to straddle him, she wanted to roll her hips against him to feel him against her hard and ready…
Suddenly, Bruno pulled back. His hands remained on her, slowly, almost absentmindedly trailing his fingers over her neck and down to her exposed collarbone. If he was speaking, Sofía had no way of hearing him over the deafening sound of blood rushing through her ears, but all of a sudden it seemed like her vision was almost enhanced, and she couldn’t suppress a gasp of shock as her eyes landed on him.
Bruno Madrigal was a picture of a man. His pupils were dilated so much that barely anything of his beautiful, soft green eye color was visible, his hair was messed up beyond recognition, thick strands of his dark brown curls hanging in front of his face in a way Sofía knew he disliked immensely. Bruno’s lips were slick and bruised, and his chest hidden beneath his ruffled clothing was rising and falling in rapid, shallow breaths as the two of them panted like they had just finished running around town for hours on end. Her fingers slowly descended from smoothing out his hair to settle along the gentle curve of his cheek, just like she had done earlier, her thumb brushing over the faintly freckled skin of his nose in the process, and his eyes widened slightly at the intimate gesture. Sofía could have sworn that had never seen him look quite as beautiful as he did in that moment.
There was barely any time to process what they had just done or to think about her own feelings after this unexpected turn of events, and there was an endless amount of emotions Sofía would have loved to read in Bruno’s eyes and feel emanating from him, falling off of him in waves like they usually did. What she hadn’t been expecting to pick up on was the disgusting sting of fear.
Immediately, Sofía flinched back, dropping her hands and pulling away from his grasp to crawl several feet backwards until there was a fair distance between them as she merely stared, confirming her suspicion. He was scared.
Oh no. She had… She had taken advantage of him. Shame burned brightly under her skin, blooming deep in her heart as regret made itself known in the forefront of her mind. Clearly, Sofía had misinterpreted his feelings and words - clearly, she had taken advantage of his vulnerable situation.
For god’s sake, he had just admitted that he had tried to commit suicide in the past; what kind of monster was she to have a reaction like this? What was she thinking, forcing herself onto him like that after such a confession? This wasn’t appropriate, this was disgusting and predatorial, this was purely non-consensual! She should have asked before she… God, what about Martina?
Not only had Sofía used Bruno’s momentary vulnerability to satiate her disgusting desires for a taken man, her oldest friend at that, she had also, in turn, made him betray the trust of his novia, had made him kiss her out of obligation, just because he had expressed a feeling of gratefulness towards her?
Sofía wanted to die, wanted to sink deep into the loose soil of the forest floor beneath her and never come back out; she wanted to revel in her shame, simmer in her self-hatred for the rest of eternity until the devil himself came to claim her as one of his own.
When Bruno broke the deafening silence he was still panting, his bleary eyes shining brightly in contrast with his flushed skin, yet his voice was croaky and broken. “You… you should probably thi-” “Yes! Yes, we shouldn’t,” Sofía paused to catch her breath and sit up straighter from her cowering position, the shock of what had just happened slowly but surely settling in her bones, “We shouldn’t, with your novia and all that.” At that, Bruno froze, his mouth dropping open in shock over something Sofía wasn’t quite privy to. “What? No, no! I don’t… Martina isn’t - “
“Ay, what are you two doin’ here, huh?” Pepa’s shrill voice broke through the otherwise serene quiet of the forest, and only left awkward silence in its wake. Both Bruno and Sofía whipped their heads around to their friends immediately, and it was clear Julieta was simultaneously supporting her sister and trying to hold her back from advancing further towards them with a firm arm wrapped around her waist. “Always hiding out here, the two of you! It’s our birthday, we gotta celebrate together!” The younger Madrigal sister slurred her words significantly, and Sofía felt the little smile overcome her expression before she could rationally think about what to say.
There was nothing she could do now, she realized. Nothing she could do or say would remedy what she had just done to Bruno, she could only hope he would grant her the courtesy of retreating silently and without much fuss, vanishing from the face of the earth never to return. Sofía would take a moment later to apologize for her actions and desperately hope he would forgive her - not that he should. There was no doubt in her mind that she had no right to use him like she just had - like an idiot, like a harlot without any control over herself, her feelings or her actions. No, she deserved whatever was coming her way, she deserved all of the humiliation, the shame and the mortification after what she had done tonight.
Dejectedly, Sofía blinked away the tears collecting in the corners of her eyes before jumping up from the ground to run towards the two sisters, enveloping them in a crushing hug she desperately hoped wouldn’t be their last. Julieta and Pepa reacted immediately, wrapping their arms around Sofía to hold her as tightly as they could as though they could feel her distress radiate from her like she usually could.
When Sofía pulled away, she noticed the concern on Julieta’s face before she even properly locked eyes with her, and with a sudden flash of genius pulled the two sisters towards the riverbank where she had left her wicker basket. “Now, who wants gifts?”
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here you go, i continued the story! let me know what you think!
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@ihavenoideawhatiamdoinghelp @sunflowerfive @khameo @vernon-dursley @svr2003 @rebel4fandom @my-favorite-fics-and-imagines
