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Chapter Text

Bruno was seven years old and running.

He was getting more and more used to running from people.

Thankfully it was usually kids. When the adults were mad at him they just went straight to Mama.

(Actually he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not...)

Right now he was running from Inigo.

He had seen Esmeralda kissing Rodrigo, and Inigo was mad at him. Apparently Inigo was going to ask Esmeralda out.

Inigo was also six years older than Bruno so he was fast.

But Bruno had gotten good at avoiding people.

So right now he was in the lead.

He rounded the corner and saw the Gomez' house.

There was a boy about his age in the front yard, waving a stick like a sword and using it to hit a scarecrow who held another stick.

"BRUNO!"

Inigo's yelling alerted the boy.

He leapt over the fence and stood in front of Bruno.

"What are you doing?"

"Be gone vile evildoer! There is no place for you on this land!" He said to Inigo.

Inigo seemed to be as taken aback as Bruno. But he did decide to leave eventually after using his fingers to indicate he was still watching Bruno.

The boy lowered his stick and laughed.

"He was scared! I knew he would be!"

"Weren't you?" Bruno said as he was helped up.

The boy shook his head. Upon closer view, Bruno could see her had a pale scar marring his dark skin and he was skinny, skinnier than Bruno.

"Oh please. I am Hernando and I;m scared of nothing!" He declared.

Bruno laughed a bit. "We'll um, gracias."

"De nada. Come over whenever you want to. I know how to handle evildoers. Maybe I can teach you too."

"This is how we do things."

"Can't I make things?"

"We are making things." Senor Nunez said.

"No I know that I just...I want to make things pretty not..." Jorge lightly tapped the door his papa had built.

"Pretty things that have no use are a waste of time."

Jorge sighed as he took his straw hat off and ran a hand through his red hair.

This was usually how the seven year old's talk with his papa went.

Still he kept trying.

There had to be use for pretty things.

"Gotta go!"

Jorge and his papa blinked as a boy pushed between them and into the house with the door they had just fixed.

"Bruno I am going to rip out your skin!"

Jorge's eyes widened.

"I'll go get Senora Madrigal." Jorge's Papa said

Jorge frowned before smiling.

"Buenos dias Senor." He said as he turned on the charm. "I happened to notice a hole in your jacket I can recommend the best tailor..."

"We all know Luca..."

"No I know Senor Ramierez is talented but what about the fabric...."

"Fabric?"

"Si. Talk to my hermana Lianna, she knows how weave the prettiest and best fabrics."

Mission accomplished. He was distracted.

The door opened slowly.

"He's gone." Jorge said.

"Uh...gracias."

"Lianna said I'm good at distracting others." Jorge shrugged. "My name's Jorge."

"Bruno."

"I know."

Chapter Text

Nine year old Bruno sat in his room.

He was supposed to go into town but to be honest, sometimes it was easier to hide in his vision cave and wait for them to be brave enough to find him. They rarely were.

There was a light knock on his door.

He at first thought it was a rat.

Then there was the unmistakable pounding on his door that almost shook it off it's hinges.

"Nando! Jorge!" he yelled as he opened the door.

His two friends (and wasn't that a surprise? He had two friends that weren't his sisters or friends with him because they wanted to get on his sisters' good sides) were there.

"Did we wake you up?" Jorge asked in his calm way.

Bruno shook his head. "Madrigals get up early."

"Told ya." Hernando said as he high fived Bruno.

"Well Hernando woke me up. Nunez's don't get up early." Jorge complained.

Hernando shrugged. "I had to get out of the house before Mama and Papa worried."

"Worried?"

Hernando shrugged again.

Bruno and Jorge looked at each other before Jorge shrugged.

Hernando had let it slip a few times that his parents were overprotective of him but he used the excuse that he was the only child they had and most likely would ever have as the reason. Considering he had a scar on his face and was the skinniest and shortest out of all three of them despite being a year older, Bruno wasn't sure that was the truth.

But he wasn't going to accuse one of his only friends of lying.

"What did you want to do?" Bruno asked instead.

"We can play hide and seek in the fields." Jorge said.

"Pepa's watering them." Hernando said.

"It's hot out." Jorge said. "Come on. You asked for ideas, I gave you ideas."

"That sounds fun." Bruno said. He hesitated as he looked down at his ruana. He would normally wear it so he could hide, but he didn't want to overheat.

He'd be with his friends. With that thought he ditched the ruana and followed his friends outside.

"Bruno!"

"Oh no." Bruno said.

"Who's yelling for you?" Hernando asked, stopping their game and picking up a stalk.

"That's not gonna be a good weapon." Jorge observed.

"I can turn anything into a weapon." Hernando said.

"Bruno!"

"Over here." Bruno said. He wished he had his ruana to hide under but he did not.

Jorge seemed to sense what he was thinking and smoothly moved in front of him.

"Hey I'm the one who's scared of nothing." Hernando said as he moved in front of both of them.

Felix Garcia, the orphan boy about Hernando's age, ran over.

"Felix?" Bruno was surprised. "It's okay guys, he's usually nice."

Hernando brandished the stalk like a weapon at Felix and thankfully the boy took it all in stride. "Bruno?"

"Si?" Jorge said instead of Bruno.

"I was wondering if you knew where Pepa was?"

"Oh that's it?" Bruno paused. "I think she'd be in her room. She already watered the fields."

"Gracias Bruno. Hernando, Jorge."

Once Felix was gone, Bruno turned towards his friends in mock embarrassment. "You two don't have to protect me."

"Of course we do." Hernando said. "You're scared of things and I'm scared of nothing!"

"Besides, what kind of brothers would we be if we left you hanging." Jorge said.

"Brothers?" Bruno repeated.

"I mean uh, we're friends. And we're boys. So we can be brothers right?" Jorge said.

Bruno stared for a few seconds before he smiled. "I have two sisters. Two hermanos sounds pretty good."

"I think we need to do something to make it official." Hernando said.

"What?" Bruno said.

Jorge pulled a small knife out of his pocket.

"You had a knife this whole time and were going to let me use a stalk as a weapon to defend Bruno?" Hernando said in hopefully mock exasperation.

"Uh, si. I know better than to give you a knife." Jorge said. "Hold your palm out."

Hernando and Bruno did just that.

Jorge sliced each of their palms.

"And we shake on it. Now we are blood brothers." Jorge said.

"And we're not going to let Julieta heal this." Bruno said with firm conviction. He wanted to remember them being brothers and didn't want to lose the scar.

"Deal!" Hernando cheered.

"Always together." Jorge said.

"Brothers forever." Hernando said as he put his fist on top of Jorge's.

"No matter what the future brings." Bruno said as he put his fist on top of Hernando's.

In his room, Bruno laid on his bed, staring at the scar forming on his palm.

He remembered what he had said.

"Always together, Brother's forever. No matter what the future brings."

He ran his finger over the scar. "I think I need..." He shook his head. "I am never going to have a vision about our future. I trust them that we'll always going to be friends."

Chapter Text

eleven year old Bruno was walking past the Nunez's.

He had had a decent day. He had had a vision about Gloria since she wanted to break up with her emotionally harmful boyfriend but was afraid to, and he had a vision of her kissing Pablo Guzman. Gloria had been so relieved she had cried and hugged him, and it was his first hug from a girl he wasn't related to so it made him feel weird.

Not in the least because Hernando had happened to witness it and was giving him a hard time about it.

"When's the wedding?" Hernando said.

"She literally is kissing Pablo Guzman in my vision..." Bruno deflected.

"When you're my age you'll understand..."

"You can't pull the when your older card all the time..."

"Spackle is just done to build houses." Bruno and Hernando turned at the annoyed tone of Senor Nunez.

"I know but if we have to make it can't we make it pretty?!" Jorge pressed.

"It's Lianna's job to make pretty things! Do you want to make fabric with tu hermana?"

"No I just..."

"Then you are going to make things the way I tell you too."

Jorge grabbed the bucket and ran.

Hernando and Bruno looked at each other before they took took off running a.

It's what brothers did.

"Agh! Agh! Ugh!"

Bruno eventually stumbled upon Jorge throwing handfuls of a spackle mixture on the side of the mountain and yelling every time.

"You know, I think it looks good like that." Bruno said. "It really does."

Jorge frowned as he grabbed another handful of the spackle.

"Ah ah ah." Hernando said as he caught Jorge's fist.

"Lo siento guys."

"Why don't you just tell your father you want to make houses that look nice and are functional? That's what you want to do right?"

"The houses tu Padre makes are nice." Bruno said.

"I mean houses like yours. Like Casita. I know it's pretty because it's magic but I wanted to try and make non magic houses look like that." Jorge said. "He doesn't get it."

"Yeah well in my experiences parents don't always get things." Hernando said. "Don't you agree Brunito."

"First off, don't call me Brunito. Only my sisters get to do that." Bruno said.

Hernando held his hands up.

"Second off, why would I agree?"

This time it was Jorge and Hernando who looked at each other and of course it was Hernando who spoke up.

"Um...we've all seen how tu Mama acts with you."

"She only acts like that because I fail."

"I don't think you fail." Jorge said.

Hernando seemed like he was tired of the mush.

"Gloria hugged Bruno."

"Really?!"

"I had a vision about her kissing Pablo!!!" Bruno said in exasperation. He had seen thos expressions on his sisters and knew they only meant trouble.

"Well kissing doesn't mean marrying..." Jorge teased with a grin.

Bruno was glad his friend was happy again but did it have to be at his expense.

"That's it!" He yelled as he dove after Jorge.

The three boys were running.

It was fun.

Until Hernando suddenly stopped, hands on his knees and taking deep breaths.

"You okay?" Bruno said. His anxiety spiked.

"Si Si. I just...um, didn't sleep last night."

"Nando..."

"Let's do something other than chase." Hernando said in his declaration voice even though he wasn't as forceful as it had been before.

"Do we need to get you something from Julieta?" Jorge said.

"No No I'm fine. Let's sword fight. I think Bruno can beat you now."

Hernando actually sat out the sword fight, just coached them.

"How was your day?" Mama asked at supper.

"Good. I gave a good vision to Gloria." Bruno said.

"I knew you could give good visions." Mama kissed his forehead.

"Juli..."

"Si?" Julieta turned to Bruno.

"Can you give Hernando some of your food?"

"is he sick? Hurt?"

"I..." Bruno put his head in his hands. "I don't know."

"Well if you're worried about him, why not have a vision?" Pepa asked.

"I don't have visions about people unless they ask me." Bruno said. "He says he's find and he probably is but..."

"I understand." Julieta fixed him with an understanding smile. "I'll do what I can."

"Gracias Julieta."

Chapter Text

"Hernando?" Julieta had gotten used to the fifteen year old coming to the stand even before she had any of her food set up.

Especially since Bruno had drawn attention to Hernando's fatigue three years ago.

But Hernando didn't want anyone to see him getting food from the stand. Even though he always declared that he wasn't afraid of anything, Julieta was pretty sure that he was afraid of anyone seeing him.

"Bad morning." He said shortly.

"I figured." Julieta reached for an arepa. She paused before she handed it to him.

"Julieta, I need an arepa..."

"You need to tell Bruno and Jorge."

Hernando shook his head. "We've been over this. I can't tell them."

"My food almost didn't heal you last time."

"I know. But you always heal me."

"Aren't you afraid of my not being able to heal you one of those days?"

"Like I tell your brother, I am Hernando and I'm..."

"Scared of nothing." Julieta shook her head. "I know. I know."

"Exactly. Give me the arepa please." He held his hand out.

"I need you to tell Bruno at least that it's a possibility. Please."

Hernando opened his mouth.

"Nando!" Bruno's voice carried from the house.

"Fine. I'll tell them. Just give me an arepa."

Julieta handed it to him.

"How dare you!"

Bruno flinched.

he had been waiting for Hernando. It did worry him a bit to see his older friend at his sister's stand. Especially since it seemed like it was taking him a very long time to get healed.

But now he was cornered by Hugo.

"What did I do this time?" The fourteen year old ventured.

"You know what you did."

"No actually I don't..."

He was being picked up by his ruana.

"hey!"

There was a thunk sound.

"Put him down!"

"Jorge?" He had kind of been expecting Hernando.

Hugo kept one hand on Bruno's ruana and grabbed Jorge by the shirt collar. Now he was holding onto both of them. Jorge lost his hat.

"Okay, Jorge has done nothing to you! Put him down." Bruno tried to harness Hernando's energy but his voice shook.

"He said put them down Hugo." Speaking of Hernando.

"And what are you going to do Gomez?"

Hernando punched Hugo.

Soon the two were in a brawl.

"I can't believe you!" Pepa said, storm cloud thundering.

Lianna was lecturing Jorge for getting involved in this fight and Hernando had been dragged away by his parents.

So Pepa was yelling at him.

"You should have stopped the fight!" Pepa said.

"How?"

"...I don't know!"

Chapter Text

"If you don't tell them. I will." Julieta threatened the seventeen year old. He had needed healing because he had coughed up blood that morning and it took the longest it had ever taken.

Julieta had told him every time she would tell Bruno and Jorge but this time he thought she actually meant it.

He sighed.

He left his house and saw Bruno and Jorge.

"What are you two up to?" Hernando asked trying to sound casual.

"Bruno thinks I have a crush on Valentina."

"He does." Bruno said. "I didn't have a vision but I have eyes. You look at her the way Pepa looks at Felix."

"Yeah has she ever actually moved past her issues and accepted that Felix likes her?"

"Guys!" Hernando never raised his voice except for his declaratory voice and even then he didn't raise it towards his friends.

"Nando?" Jorge said.

Bruno's anxiety spiked.

Hernando had never looked that serious as long as the sixteen year old had known him.

Not even when facing evildoers.

Hernando sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Here it is. I'm dying..." He just blurted it out the way Julieta constantly told Bruno to handle horrid visions.

Jorge grabbed Hernando's shoulders and shook him, demonads for explanations falling out of his mouth.

Bruno took a step back.

"But Julieta?"

"Julieta's healed me every time it gets close. But it doesn't...sometimes she's afraid it won't work." Hernando said.

Bruno's face paled.

"But I'm scared of nothing!" Hernando tried.

"So you think that you're going to live?"

Hernando shook his head at Jorge's question.

"I know I'm dying."

"Nando!" Bruno said loudly.

"It's okay. I know I'm dying and I'm not afraid of it." Hernando said.

"You can't be dying."

"I am. I just don't know when it will happen." He sighed. "Which is why we need to make the most of it."

Bruno opened his mouth.

Jorge took a shaky breath and nodded. "Let's go see if we can bug Lianna."

Hernando smiled. "If I wasn't dying I'd admit I have a crush on Lianna."

"Hah!"

Bruno had gotten quiet.

"Bruno? You okay?"

"Uh yeah."

Bruno was not okay. He stared at the scar from their blood brother bond years ago. His face set in determination

He set up his rituals.

"Brunito?" Julieta asked. "Oh."

"Yeah. Hernando finally told me."

"I'm sorry Brunito but...I figured he needed to be the one to..."

"He can't be dying. He's Hernando. Hernando doesn't let any villain stop him and he won't let whatever this is stop him."

"Bruno..." Whatever Julieta was going to say was lost as Bruno lit a match.

"Want me to sit in on it with you?"

"Okay."

Bruno took his sister's hands.

And he saw...

He saw himself and Jorge a little older than they were right then, but it was hard to tell how much older.

He saw Jorge falling apart and he saw himself stone faced.

Chapter Text

"How are you feeling?" Eighteen year old Bruno asked.

Hernando rolled his eyes. "I never should have told you. It's bad enough my parents hover over me..."

"Lo siento..."

"It's okay. But like I told you, I know it's gonna happen so I'm going to live my life..."

"Afraid of nothing." Bruno finished for him.

"Si." Hernando lightly nudged him. "Don't forget to live like that too."

"It's easier for you. I don't get that though. You're..." Bruno hadn't put words to what he had learned would happen to Hernando since he had learned it.

Hernando seemed to have no qualms about it though. "Dying? Yeah. Once you accept that's gonna happen to you, there's not much that scares you."

Bruno opened his mouth but then he felt a body slam into his back.

"Jorge!"

"Hide me." He whispered.

"Parents?" Hernando asked as he picked up a stick. Even though they had pretty much outgrown playing swordfight, that didn't mean Hernando stopped being able to turn sticks into useful weapons.

Bruno grabbed the stick. "Don't attack his parents.."

"Not my parents..." Jorge whispered.

"Is that Hector?" Hernando whispered.

The older boy who was about Lianna's age, was stomping around.

"He looks as mad as Emilio did when I told him he had a high chance of losing his hair?" Bruno tried to joke about it.

"Yeah..." Jorge squeaked.

"Why?" Hernando raised an eyebrow.

"You!"

Jorge hid even further behind Bruno as Hector approached.

"Where's Jorge?"

"We do not know anyone by that name?" Bruno was a very bad liar.

But thankfully it would seem Hector just wanted to focus on Hernando. Maybe he was afraid the bad luck would rub off on him if he spoke to Bruno.

"Jorge kissed my sister. I want to kill him."

Oh Bruno could help. "Was tu hermana a willing participant in the kiss?"

"What?" Hector sputtered, finally looking at Bruno.

"Was she a willing participant?"

"He he kissed my hermanita!"

"And tu hermanita is seventeen. She's old enough to have an opinion if she was a willing participant." Bruno repeated smoothly.

Hector frowned but then ran away.

Once he was gone Jorge stood up.

"You dog! You kissed Valentina!" Hernando teased.

Bruno took a step back.

"You okay?" JOrge said once he realized that Bruno wasn't participating in the good natured ribbing.

"Si. I just uh, I have to do something for mi mama."

Bruno did not have to do something for his mama.

But Hernando was dying and Bruno didn't know when it would happen.

That means he would lose one of his best friends too soon.

And Jorge was kissing Valentina, the most perfect and feminine young woman in town. No way would he want to be associated with the curse that was Bruno if he did end up courting her.

Bruno knew he was going to be alone again soon.

He stared at the puckered scar on his palm.

Chapter Text

"Julieta!" Senora Gomez was pounding on the door of Casita at three in the morning.

Nineteen year old Bruno froze.

He hadn't been able to sleep and he hoped that a glass of water would help. But now...

He crossed his fingers that this didn't mean what he thought it meant.

But Julieta ran out of her room.

"Si Senora?" She said.

"It's Hernando. My bebe boy..."

Julieta ran out of the door.

Bruno was still frozen.

"Brunito! Go be with your friend!" Pepa said, thunder shaking him out of his thoughts.

He nodded.

It was too late.

Jorge had run out of his house. "Is it?"

Bruno nodded. He felt as if she couldn't cry.

Jorge on the other hand was unashamed with his emotions and cried as he hugged Bruno.

Senor Gomez opened his door and saw the two of them.

He sighed. Tears were wet on his face.

"Thank you both for being friends with him."

"He was our brother." Jorge said as he wiped his face.

Bruno took a step back.

"Bruno." Senor Gomez was still talking to him. "Gracias for giving him a reason to be brave."

"He wasn't born brave?"

"No. I think meeting you gave him someone to be brave for because you weren't brave."

Now Bruno cried.

When Hernando was buried, he heard the people gossiping.

"You don't think it had anything to do with his friendship with Bruno?" Ozma whispered to Ozvaldo.

Bruno shouldn't try to eavesdrop.

He didn't want to hear.

But actually he did.

"He does bring bad luck for people."

Bruno looked over at Jorge who was being comforted by Valentina.

He stared at the scar on his hand.

Then at the gravestone.

He ran to his room.

Chapter Text

Twenty three year old Bruno hid in his room.

Jorge's wedding to Valentina was tomorrow and all Bruno could think about was messing up Pepa's wedding and her declaration of "I hate you!"

(She had apologized the next day, saying that her emotions were high at the time and she could never hate her brother.)

But he had messed up.

What if?

What if he did the same thing to Jorge and Valentina?

Valentina was the most perfect non Madrigal in town. Mama had entertained the idea of him courting her but Valentina's parents had loudly declared he was a bogeyman.

he didn't like her like that and could tell that Jorge did.

But he would rather die than mess up his brother's wedding.

Bruno stared at his palm.

The pale puckered scar seemed to echo his resolution.

"Have you seen Bruno?" Jorge asked his papa.

"You know tomorrow you're going to be a married man tomorrow." Papa said.

"I know..."

"Which means that your friend isn't going to be your top prirotiy."

Jorge huffed. All things considered his papa had had his problems with Jorge but never forbidden him from hanging with Bruno. He didn't believe in curses or bad luck.

So Jorge told himself Papa would be telling him this if Hernando was the brother that Jorge was worried about today.

"Why do you want to concern yourself with that curse?" Valentina's mother asked.

"Mama!" Valentina scolded.

Jorge looked at the pale puckered scar on his palm.

Valentina took his hand. "You can go check on him."

"What?"

"He's going to be a member of mi familia tomorrow." She said.

"What? We're not..."

Valentina ran her finger over the scar on his palm.

He smiled at her. He kissed her cheek. He knew he made the right choice with his bride.

"Bruno?" Jorge said as he entered the room. "Bruno? Are you okay? I haven't seen you in a while..."

Bruno was in his vision cave.

Jorge hiked up the stairs.

"Bruno? I wanted to talk to you about the wedding tomorrow."

"I'm not going to the wedding tomorrow." Bruno said.

"What?" Jorge shook his head. "You're my best friend. And I need you..."

"No."

"No what?"

"You don't need me." Bruno frowned.

"Si I do. I know Nando's dead but we're still brothers."

"No we're not!" Bruno pushed Jorge's hand away. "We're not brothers."

"Bruno..."

"Not even friends!"

Jorge blinked. Bruno had never raised his voice before. ANd his words?

"If that's how you feel..." Jorge paused. "There's always a spot for you at my home."

Bruno did not want to do that.

But he was a curse.

He was a curse who he knew had hurt Hernando.

He messed up Pepa's wedding.

He didn't want to mess up Jorge's life or lose him.

he was better off alone.

Chapter Text

29 year old Julieta returned from the Nunez's.

Bruno had dedicated himself to being the babysitter for Isabela and Dolores so he didn't have to go into town and see people. People didn't like him.

And he didn't have his brothers anymore.

"Bruno..." Julieta began.

"Si?" He said.

"I think you need to talk to Jorge."

Bruno tensed as he looked at his puckered scar on his palm. "No."

"Bruno. Valentina had a miscarriage. She's got her support but most people forget the husband needs support too."

"Jorge has Valentina, his parents and Lianna." Bruno said firmly.

"But he needs his brother."

Bruno stood up. "I didn't know he had a brother."

"Bruno..."

He left Julieta with the baby girls so she couldn't see the tears in his eyes.

"I envy your ability to get through life without being afraid." Jorge said at the gravestone of Hernando.

He needed space.

Valentina was finally asleep after a very exhausting ordeal. She had cried herself to sleep.

Jorge left her in the care of Lianna and her parents.

As he stared at the puckered scar on his palm Hernando's voice echoed in his mind.

"I am Hernando and I'm scared of nothing!"

A smile pulled on the corner of his lips but he sighed.

"I need you right now." He put his hand on the stone. "I'm scared. Scared of trying to be in this next phase of life on my own. Scared of being the husband that Valentina needs me to be. Scared..." Jorge's voice dropped to a whisper. "Scared that I'm not the brother Bruno needs and that's why he's been avoiding me."

He sighed. "You were the brother that we both needed."

Little did Jorge know when he decided to go back to his wife and see if she was okay, Bruno emerged from behind the church.

He had also had the idea to visit Hernando.

"It's not that you aren't the brother I need." Bruno whispered.

"I just can't be the brother you need."

Chapter Text

"She's a beautiful baby Julieta." Mama told Julieta about Mirabel, who had been born yesterday.

Julieta beamed with tired parental pride.

Bruno watched this.

He was happy for his sister. Three beautiful children.

But after Felix congratulated Julieta, he motioned for Bruno to come closer.

"Si?" He asked. He was a bit afraid. What if Felix wanted him to have a vision about one of Pepa's children?

Instead Felix smiled. "The Nunez's finally have a child."

He'd like to think Felix was talking about Lianna.

But Lianna had never married. Before...everything that happened, Jorge admitted that Lianna loved Hernando and would never love again. So far her declaration seemed to be very accurate.

He knew which Nunez Felix was talking about.

"Good for them." Bruno said.

"Bruno, they've had miscarriages for a very long time. This is the first time they have had a child and he seems healthy. Don't you want to see him?"

"No." Bruno said. "No No I...I'm happy for the Nunez's."

"Bruno..."

Bruno pulled his ruana tighter.

"What will you name him?" Lianna asked.

"Javier."

"Javier?" Lianna repeated.

"Javier Hernando Nunez."

Everyone knew where Hernando came from. But Javier?

It had been Valentina's idea. She didn't want their son to grow up under the pressure of being just like Hernando so she suggested it be his middle name. And when they were searching for a first name Valentina asked him what Bruno's middle name was.

It had been Javier.

So Jorge's son was named after both of his lost brothers.

Jorge tickled him lightly.

"There's a new Madrigal too. About the same age." Valentina's mother said.

"Mama if you're implying what I think you're implying..." Valentina said.

"I'm just saying. A girl of the magical Madrigal is the same age as your son. Maybe in the future..."

"Mama he's a baby!"

Jorge looked at the puckered skin on his palm. "Maybe in the future those two will be friends."

"I think she was talking about more than friends." Lianna said.

"Well all I'm hoping for is friends." Jorge said. Because if they were friends, maybe he would finally get to talk to his brother again.

Chapter Text

Jorge had walked around sullen for a few days.

Not because there was a Madrigal that didn't get a gift, though he knew that worried his familia.

But because Bruno was gone.

Now there wasn't any chance to reconnect with his brother. To somehow apologize for whatever he did that led Bruno to hide from him.

Still he had his son. His wife. He had to enjoy the family he had now.

"Give them back!"

"Why?"

Jorge was in town with his son when he heard the girl who didn't get a gift yell almost on the verge of tears, and Manuel Rivera taunt her back.

"Javi?"

"Si Papi?" Javier smiled a gap toothed smile.

"Go wait for me at Tia Lianna's shop." Jorge said.

Jorge approached the noise and saw what was going on.

Manuel and a couple of his cronies were playing keep away with Mirabel's glasses.

"Maybe you aren't a Madrigal!"

"I am!"

"Nu uh! The only Madrigal who needs glasses is your Papi. And he's not really a Madrigal."

Jorge didn't know what to do. he was forty years old. Manuel was twelve. How did he handle this? He wasn't Manuel's Papa or Mirabel's Papa...

"You should have left with tu Tio."

Something snapped inside of him and he harnessed his inner Hernando.

"Leave her alone!" Jorge said.

"What? Senor Nunez we're just pl..."

"You are evildoers. And evil doers have no place in the Encanto." he brandished his tiny carving knife at them as if to drive the point home.

"Your crazy!" Manuel yelled even as he ran.

Jorge picked up the glasses, wiped them off and placed them on Mirabel's tear stained face.

"Hey..."

Mirabel sniffled.

"Want to come to Lianna's shop with me and Javi? lianna needs some help but I think you'll like the fabrics."

"I can help too..." Mirabel said.

"Oh I know you can but..."

He held his hand out.

Mirabel took it after hesitating.

"Gracias Senor Nunez."

"Call me Jorge." Because if Bruno hadn't started hiding from him, he would be one a first name basis with all the Madrigals.

It got lonely back here.

Bruno knew it would.

But he also knew this was what he had to do.

He had to protect his sweet sobrina.

But only being able to talk to the rats would get under anyone's skin after a while...

So Bruno looked at the scar on his palm.

He hesitated but put the hood of his ruana up. "I am Hernando and I'm scared of nothing."

Wait that wasn't the right tone.

He cleared his throat. "I am Hernando and I'm scared of nothing!"

There it was.

Bruno chuckled a bit, but it lacked all humor. He turned and saw a bucket.

Jorge's ever present straw hat was brought to mind.

Chapter Text

Seven year old Mirabel was hiding in the fabric shop.

Lianna was nice. She let Mirabel hide no questions asked.

And she pretended not to hear Mirabel's sniffles.

"Hola."

"Hola Mano." Lianna said. "What? No Javi today?"

"Javier is helping his mother. I wanted to ask if you could make a dress for Valentina for her birthday..."

Jorge stopped talking when he heard a sniffle.

He brushed aside the fabric and saw Mirabel.

"Hey..." He kept his voice soft, the way he had learned to talk to Bruno.

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah I get it. Sometimes nothing makes me cry too."

Mirabel rubbed her nose on her wrist and Jorge cringed. "here." he untied his scarf and handed it to her. "It's a little cleaner than you're arm."

Mirabel wiped her eyes.

He waited.

Since the day after her ceremony where he stood up for her, Mirabel was basically his daughter. He had Javi, but after all the miscarriages, Valentina and him had agreed that they were not going to try to have another. Jorge wanted a big family though so when a little girl needed fatherly comfort and had no sign of her actual father, he stepped in.

(And maybe it was a little selfish on his part. He was trying to do with her what he failed to do with Bruno.)

"Senor Ozvaldo says M'like....like Bruno. Do you think I am?"

Jorge was the perfect man to answer that question.

"Well...where it counts."

"Que?"

"You're curious. Like Bruno. You're clever. Like Bruno. You're creative. Like Bruno. You're loving. Like Bruno."

"He was all those things?" Jorge had a longer list but seven year olds had short attention spans.

"Si."

"All I hear about is he was bad." Mirabel admitted.

Jorge mentally cursed out every villager but smiled at Mirabel. "Well when you want to hear about how he really was, I'll tell you."

Mirabel nodded. He held a hand out to help her up and she paused. "What happened to your hand?"

The scar. It would always be there but it faded over the years.

Jorge clenched his fist to hide it. "Sorry, I'm not ready to tell you about that."

"Okay."

"Hey Mirabel. Want to learn how to sew a dress?" Lianna said in a bright voice.

Mirabel nodded.

Chapter Text

Jorge was running through a forest.

He was looking for his brothers.

He didn't know where he was.

There was a Forrest that surrounded the Encanto but it didn't look like where he was right then.

He was scared.

But he had to find his brothers.

"help me!" He heard Bruno yell.

Jorge sped up if that was possible.

He kept running.

He almost ran past a flash of red.

He backed up.

There was Hernando.

Hernando! Dead!

Jorge ran to him, only to find his body was as weak as it was two decades ago.

Hernando was dead.

And Jorge couldn't do anything about it.

"Help me!" He heard Bruno yell again.

Jorge sniffled but he ran again.

He hadn't been able to save Hernando.

He was not losing his other brother.

The voice of his brother kept echoing from all around.

The Forrest surrounding him became darkness.

And still kept running.

Forty five year old Jorge woke up. He buried his face in his hands.

It had been five years since his brother had vanished.

And many many more than that since he lost his other brother, and Bruno told him he didn't want to see him anymore all in one fell swoop.

But still...

Jorge wasn't the tough protector his papa had raised him to be.

But he had to try.

He protected his wife and his son.

He just wished he could protect his brothers.

Bruno was seven years old again.

He was running to escape judgement.

He ran from Hugo.

And then he saw Jorge and Hernando standing there.

They were reaching for him, ready to protect him

But then he touched them.

And they died.

Bruno was left alone as the town fell on him, Lianna and the Gomezes and Valentina all trying to kill him...

Forty five year old Bruno sat up. He fought the urge to scream, remembering he was still behind the walls.

He stared down at the mark on his palm until his vision went blurry.

He cried.

He wanted his brothers.

He wanted his brothers here with him.

Instead he had his impersonations of them.

There was a light knock on the wall.

"Are you okay Tio Bruno?'

Dolores.

He had asked her to keep where he was a secret and she did, but sometimes at night she spoke to him.

"I'm okay..."

"Are you sure?"

"Can you do something for me? Leave...." Bruno had managed to make two little figurines from what the rats brought him. "Leave one of these on Hernando Gomez's grave and the other at Senor Nunez's."

"Si..."

Nobody knew where they came from.

But Jorge held his breath and wished it came from Bruno

Chapter Text

Bruno had the bucket hat on his head.

He knew Jorge would never be caught dead with a bucket on his head, but Bruno didn't have Jorge's ever present straw hat with him. So he wore the bucket as he made the spackle.

Cracks had appeared but he had fixed them in time.

He knew tonight was going to be big. He knew that the sobrino he never got to meet was having his gift ceremony tonight and he knew that something was going to happen.

His rats scurried around as Bruno removed the Jorge bucket.

Bruno took a deep breath and looked at the scar on his palm.

He smiled but it was a fake smile as he pulled his hood out.

'I am Hernando and I'm scared of nothing!"

"Javi?" Jorge asked his son as his son was trying on multiple outfits for Valentina and Lianna.

"What's going on?"

"Your son is having a teenage boy crisis." Lianna said.

Jorge was now even more confused. He turned to Valentina. "He has a crush on Mirabel and wants to look nice for her when we got to the ceremony tonight."

"Ah...wait you like Mirabel?"

"I do not!" Javier said as he tied the neck scarf. "I just...want to look nice for the Madrigals."

"MMhm. Javi you have no interest in learning to sew yet you make sure your at the shop during Mirabel's lessons." Lianna said.

"That doesn't mean anything!"

"Give it up. He'll tell us when he's ready." Jorge was catapulted back to being teased about Valentina by his brothers.

He shook off the shred of sadness that made him feel. "I think the third outfit is the nicest."

"Thanks Papi!"

The party was in full swing. Bruno could hear it going on. He could hear the stunned silence that he thought was just because Antonio was walking to his door. But then he looked through a hole in the wall and found out Mirabel was walking Antonio to the door.

While everyone looked shocked and worried at that, Bruno caught sight of a villager who looked proud.

Jorge.

Bruno pulled away from the hole before that could make him sad.

The gift ceremony was going well.

But then Mirabel ran in yelling about how the house was in danger.

Jorge was a parent. He recognized exaggerations, lies and genuine fear.

This was the third option.

(It also made it easier because Mirabel mimicked Bruno's mannerisms when she showed genuine fear)

He shared a look with Valentina and he knew she thought the same thing.

But the cracks were gone.

"It's a magic house." Jorge whispered as Senora Alma tried to usher them back to the party. "It could have fixed itself."

"Si." Valentina said. "So what do we do?"

Jorge's brow furrowed.

"Ah, Javi, invite Mirabel to breakfast tomorrow..."

"What? I can't do that!" Javier flushed.

"Javier Hernando Nunez..."

Lianna lightly nudged him, "Mirabel left."

"Fine. You get out of it just this once young man." Jorge said as he ruffled his son's hair.

Chapter Text

"Before Tio Bruno left, he had like, some terrible vision about it."

Well this was not what Mirabel had been expecting when she followed her sister. She hadn't been expecting her to have a breakdown and then before Mirabel could do much comfort, she dropped the bombshell.

"Tio Bruno? What was in his vision?"

"Don't know. They've never found it." Luisa said as she picked up the donkeys.

"But if something's wrong with the magic, start with Bruno's tower. Find that vision."

"Wait? How do I find a vision? What am I even looking for?"

"When you'll find it, you'll know. But be careful. That place is off limits for a reason."

Mirabel was a little scared to go into Tio Bruno's room.

She didn't remember anything about him and the family and the town didn't think well of him...

Mirabel paused outside of Lianna's fabric shop.

Well not, the whole town.

She hesitated before she opened the door.

"Hola Mirabel. Another lesson? I think you're past what I can teach you..."

"Is Senor Jorge here?" Mirabel cut off Lianna.

Lianna pushed the box of buttons back on the shelf.

"I think he's..."

"Right here." Senor Jorge said. "What's the matter Mirabel?"

"You once said I was like Bruno where it counted."

"And I still believe that." Senor Jorge said.

"Can you tell me more about him?"

For some reason Senor Jorge looked down at the puckered scar on his palm and nodded.

"He was creative. He could spin stories about anything..."

He didn't know why Mirabel wanted to suddenly know more about her estranged uncle.

But Jorge would do whatever he could to make sure that his brother was actually thought of correctly.

So he talked.

Telling her of the adventures.

Telling her of saving him.

Telling her of Hernando.

Telling her of his encouragement.

He didn't know how long he talked but he could see some of the tension melt from her expression when she stood up. "Gracias Senor Jorge."

"Still just Jorge..."

"Sorry, I can't." Mirabel hesitated before she hugged him.

Then she left.

"Wonder what that was about?"

"Maybe the cracks she saw?" Lianna wondered out loud.

Bruno felt something he hadn't felt in a very long time.

Someone entered his room.

"What?"

Chapter Text

Mirabel thought that she had lived through the hardest things she would have to in this quest to figure out what was wrong with the magic

Bruno's room was not for the faint of heart and she had almost died several times.

But as she put the pieces together, she saw herself.

"Why am I in your vision Bruno?" She whispered.

Thunder sounded.

"Tia! Jeez!"

"Sorry sorry I didn't mean to...shoo shoo shoo...ma!" Tia Pepa pushed the cloud out of the nursery. "I just wanted to get the last of Tonito's things and then I heard the name we do not speak."

Mirabel remembered what Senor Jorge had told her about her Tio.

They were all good things. But Senor Jorge never told her about visions.

So she asked her Tia.

That was a mistake.

Every time she was ushered to another person filling her head with bogeyman Bruno stories she tried to remember all the good things Senor Jorge had told her.

Though it did occur to her that she didn't know why Senor Jorge seemed to know so much about Tio Bruno.

Jorge was outside. Worry was making him restless.

And when he heard the loud thunder crack he winced.

Valentina was sweeping the front courtyard and she looked up. "Engagement dinner must not have gone well."

The engagement dinner did not go well. To put it mildly.

Mirabel was running after her estranged Tio in the walls of their home, trying to find the pieces of the vision and what they meant.

And then she fell.

"Help! Casita! Help me! Help me!"

"You're very sweaty!" She was panicking but she did almost notice that it felt like there was a scar on Bruno's palm.

But then he tried to leave her behind.

"Wait. Have you been in here, patching the cracks?"

"Oh that? No I'm too scared to go near those things. All the patchings done by Hernando."

"Who is Hernando?"

"I am Hernando and I'm scared of nothing!"

Mirabel's brow furrowed.

"it's ah, it's actually me. I used to say my real gift was acting. I'm Jorge I make the spackle."

Realization flooded in.

"What's this on your hand?"

Senor Jorge looked at the raised bump. "Nothing important."

"You remind me of Bruno where it counts."

Senor Jorge and Tio Bruno were blood brothers.

So how come no one talked about them being friends? Was it because it ruined their bogeyman image of Bruno?

Mirabel was jolted out of her thoughts when she saw Tio Bruno walking away.

"How long have you been back here?" She asked.

Chapter Text

Jorge was painting the side of the house.

It was just what he had always dreamed of doing, making houses functional and lovely to look at but it wasn't very thrilling.

Not because he had done it for so long. But because he didn't have either of his brothers cheering him on for doing what he wanted.

And his mind was not on the task.

His mind was on his living but missing brother and his missing honorary daughter.

Mirabel had asked him about Bruno.

No one talked about Bruno.

Did she...did she know where he was?

He had a feeling she brought him up to her familia and that was why the sky was so stormy. Pepa never liked to talk about Bruno.

"She messed up the proposal!"

Jorge paused when heard Ozma. "She ruined it!"

"I knew Mirabel was a ruiner. Just like her tio."

Jorge might have been able to handle it if they were just insulting one or the other of the two people he was worried about.

But insulting them both.

Jorge was a protective man. Not really a fighter. But he could be...

With some help.

His fingers traced the scar on his palm and he pictured Hernando.

"Are you going to let them spew their nonsense?" he heard Hernando say.

"Mirabel is a fixer. She fixes things." Jorge kept his tone even.

"I doubt she can fix this." Ozvaldo said.

Jorge clenched his fist tight enough little half moons were being dug into his palm

"You never give her a chance. You see her as a failure just like you saw Bruno. You refuse to see the good things about them both."

"Sounds like you refuse to see the bad things about them both." Ozma said.

"Well talking didn't work. And I know you keep a knife on you." He imagined Hernando talking.

He wasn't going to use his tiny knife but...

Jorge slapped Ozma.

"I thought we weren't supposed to hit people." That wasn't imaginary Hernando. That was Javier.

"Um...don't tell tu Mama. Let's go to Lianna's store."

"OUr family needs help. And you need to get out of here."

With that, Bruno was now in his sobrino's room about to do the one thing he swore off doing.

"What if I show you something worse. If I see something that you don't like you're going to be all "Bruno makes bad things happen. Oh he's creepy and his vision killed my goldfish."

"I don't think you make bad things happen. Sometimes family weirdos just get a bad rap. You can do this."

Bruno heard someone else speak but he knew it was in his head.

"KNowing something is going to happen, even if it's bad, can make you better prepared for it."

At that time he was a young teenager and hand't realized Hernando was talking about his inevitable death.

But it seemed to work for Hernando, knowing something bad was going to happen to him.

"For the nerves." Antonio said as he handed him a stuffed Jaguar.

Bruno took a deep breath. "I can do this I can do this..."

"You can do this!" He imagined both of his brothers cheering him on as he lit a match and took his sobrina's hands.

Chapter Text

Jorge had been told for years that the only thing he could really count on was the magic remaining strong around the Encanto.

He couldn't count on Julieta's magic always being able to heal, as he learned through Senora Montoya, the first person that Julieta couldn't heal when they were kids, and then eventually through Hernando.

He couldn't count on Pepa's weather always overpowering the natural weather even though a lot of times it did, even the sunniest day for Pepa Madrigal couldn't always overpower a storm.

He thought he could count on Bruno always being there but then something happened with the wedding that Jorge didn't know about.

So the only thing that he could count on was the strong magic.

But then the earth shook.

A crack split through the town to the mountain.

"Javi, Valentina!" He yelled.

Lianna in a surprising show of strength pulled Javier and Valentina away from the crack through the ground.

Jorge let out a sigh of relief. "Gracias hermana."

Lianna nodded.

While the Madrigals screamed for Mirabel...

Jorge turned his head at just the right time and saw a green blur riding away.

Was that?

No.

Bruno did the best he could to be brave.

He knew Hernando and Jorge, mostly Hernando, told him when they were younger that he couldn't just let people walk over him.

He had to stand up for himself. Especially against his own mother.

And Bruno had tried to offer help for Jorge with his Papa.

It was time to take his own advice.

If for no one else's sake then for Mirabel's.

But then he realized he was overreacting. Mirabel seemed to have solved things with his Mama.

And then he got to see his sisters again. They hugged him!

Once he had re introduced himself to his family...

He turned and saw Mirabel.

"You need a bell kid."

"No." Mirabel shook her head. "You need to see Senor Nunez."

Oh no.

"No..."

"Si."

"Bruno..."

Bruno turned his head at Julieta's quiet voice.

"It's been more than two decades. At least clear things up with him." Julieta said.

Bruno opened his mouth.

But Mirabel turned his palm over and traced over the old puckered scar.

He sighed.

"Alright. But this is going to end badly."

"It didn't end badly when you reunited with us," Felix said.

"Come on." Mirabel grabbed his hand.

Chapter Text

Jorge was helping the Madrigals repair the house.

"Now you don't just get to make houses pretty and practical like Casita, you get to make Casita." Valentina teased.

Jorge threw some of the spackle at her.

The two were laughing but then Valentina stopped.

"Valentina?"

She cleared her throat and pointed behind him.

Jorge turned and he froze.

Bruno stared at his friend.

Time changes everything and everyone and since it had been almost three decades since Bruno had gotten close to his friend, there were a lot of things different.

But what remained was the ever present straw hat.

The kind look in his eyes.

The lopsided smile when he was up to something.

He was still the Jorge that Bruno was friends with, that Bruno became brothers with.

"Hey.." Bruno said.

Jorge hugged him.

He was getting used to randomly being hugged.

At least Jorge didn't do it as tightly as his sisters did.

Eventually Jorge let go.

"We're still friends?" Bruno voiced extremely hesitantly.

Jorge shook his head. "We're brothers Bruno. What did we say?"

"Always together..." Bruno began with a smile.

"Brothers forever..." Jorge finished.

"No matter what the future brings."

Things were quiet for a while.

But Jorge had wanted to know for twenty seven years. "Why did you stop being my friend?"

"I neve wanted to Jorge. I thought you'd hate me. I thought it was better if I pushed you away and made you hate me."

Jorge slowly nodded. "Bad luck Bruno."

"Ozm..." Bruno decided to change what he was going to say but Jorge knew he was talking about Ozma. "Some people told me it was my fault Hernando died."

"Hernando was sickly!" Jorge said. "Julieta couldn't even heal him!"

"I know. But I was worried I'd ruin things for you or you'd push me away and I thought it was easier if I decided when you left me."

"Remind me to smack Ozma again..."

"What do you mean again?"

"Valentina!"

Valentina grinned before she turned to Bruno. "Bruno...it's wonderful to have you home."

Bruno looked a bit like he wasn't sure if she meant that before waving.

"Ah, you are my husband's brother. We're hugging."

Jorge laughed at that.

"We can pick up where we left off?" Bruno asked.

"Si." Jorge chuckled as Valentina let go of Bruno. "Come on, I want you to meet my son. Javier Hernando Nunez. He's got a crush on Mirabel..."

Bruno's eyes grew moist and Jorge wasn't sure if it was because of Javier's name being his middle name or because Javier's middle name was their blood brother.

"I have one thing I need to do first."

Bruno put his hand on Hernando's grave. "I get the feeling if you were still alive you would have stopped me from running."

"I tried to." Jorge said putting his hand on the grave.

The two living members of the blood brothers looked at each other before they hugged.

And if you happened to be watching, you might have noticed a glowing figure hugging them both too.