Hazel Eyed Visions

Late Night Talks

I couldn't sleep. How could I? My heart felt like it was going to burst from excitement, anxiety, and a little bit of fear. "Is it time yet?" I repeated that in my head, every now and then I would peek at the window in the nursery from my bed, seeing if the moon was fully out or if it truly was dark enough. I was so ready.

I crept out of my bed and out of the room, careful to not wake Mirabel and Antonio up. "Casita? Can you..." I gestured to the floor and was instead met with a floor tile bouncing. "Fine," I sighed, tiptoeing down to the kitchen. Once I arrived, I saw a dim light from a small candle. Next to it, I saw Bruno standing near it fidgeting with himself.

I knocked gently on the wall to get his attention. "Hey," I spoke in a quiet voice. Bruno nodded his head and motioned for me to come over. I leaned against a counter next to him and analyzed his figure. Why did he have his hood on?

"Do you think you could possibly remove the hood?" I asked, lightly poking his arm. Bruno tensed and shook his head, "Why?" I shrugged and folded my arms, "Because I'd like to see your face?" It's a little hard to tell but I swear I saw his cheeks turn a faint color of red.

"...Okay," He sighed, lowering the hood. Bruno's hair poofed up a little, revealing dark brown hair with speckled strands of gray. I could clearly see his face now and, holy shit my chest feels so tight right now. "Thank you," I stammered out, adjusting my weight on the counter. Bruno simply nodded and pulled at his poncho. He looks so nervous. His eyes are looking everywhere but me, he's practically knawing on his lips, it's as if he has some horrible secret that he can't share.

I clicked my tongue to break the silence, "First question, why leave but not actually leave?" Bruno scrunched his face, clearly not wanting to answer, "You've already asked that." I huff and roll my eyes, "Well, yeah, but I just want to know why someone would want to stay near their family when all their family does is talk badly about them." He furrowed his brows and scoffed, crossing his arms, "I don't think that's any of your business, to be fair."

"Besides, you weren't supposed to see me last night." Bruno spoke in a very matter-of-fact tone, as if he won an argument. "You weren't supposed to be home and yet," I gesture towards his whole self, "Here we are." There was a pause between us, just a quick one before Bruno sighed, moved next to me, and sat down on the floor. He began to fidget with some loose strands at the end of his poncho, "I love my family. Sure, we've had rough moments but.. I couldn't bear to really leave. I didn't want to miss out on some pretty big moments y'know?" He looked up at me with a sorrowful look. His eyes were so sad. I sat down beside him and pulled my legs close to my chest. "I get it. This family is special," I shrugged, "Besides the whole gift thing." Bruno laughed quietly.

"Speaking of gift," I chewed on my thumb, "Why does everyone speak so badly about yours?" Bruno looked at me as if I just committed a crime, "Because it's bad." I frown and placed a hand on his shoulder sympathetically, "Is it though?" That must've struck a chord because the next thing I know, Bruno starts sniffling and rubbing his eyes. He's crying, trying to silently cry but it's not working.

"I was treated so badly. Everyone focuses on the bad. They all think that I caused all the bad things in their life." Bruno is whimpering, his voice is shaking intensely as if he's held all of these feelings inside for so long. I immediately hug him, his body tensing up strongly. We sit like this for a moment, I'm hugging him tightly while he sits there in a shocked state, still crying but not as bad anymore.

I let go slowly, "You are not what's wrong with the world." I definitely come off as a wild card, incredibly confident but not in the best way at all. I barely know him but I can't help and feel sorry for him. From what I can tell, he's been demonized for something he doesn't have a lot of control over and it breaks my heart. Bruno looks up at me and sniffs, wiping his face with the collar of his poncho and smiles, "Gracias, Pip." He says my name but I never even told him my name.

"You know my name?" I ask, tilting my head and chuckling, "W-Well yeah, considering I've been in the walls for a while now." He knows my name. How long has he been in hiding? "Have you been watching me?" God, I sound so conceited, I mentally smack myself. "Not that I think you've only watched me-" I'm trying hard to clarify, stumbling on my words and feeling my face go warm.

Bruno simply chuckles and scratches his neck, "I've been here for ten years." A moment of silence takes over. Ten years? How hasn't anybody noticed? "So... you have been watching me?" I tease a little, trying to perk his mood up.

"I-I mean, not in the way you're thinking!" Bruno stuttered quietly, emoting with his hands frantically, "Of course, I noticed you and I saw you a lot but I never-" I fist bumped Bruno's shoulder, "It's okay, no need to protect yourself."

We were quiet for a moment, Bruno occasionally opened his mouth only to close it. I yawned, a bit loudly, and Bruno took that as a sign that we should go back to our respective areas. He stood up and held his hand out for me. I took it and felt my face heat up. His fingers felt calloused but soft and they felt warm, it was an inviting feeling. I wanted to hold them for longer but he let go as soon as I got up.

I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight.