Bruno Madrigal Oneshots

The World Doesnt End (3)

by Lolapola on Ao3

warnings: none

summary:Five times Bruno's presence wasn't wanted, and one time it really, really was.

One and a half times, actually, but that doesn't flow off the tongue quite as well

i decided i'm too impatient to wait to post one everyday so i'm just gonna publish the rest of them :)

"I just -" Julieta takes a deep breath, visibly calming herself, and Bruno can see the effort she's making. The deliberate way she's trying to be reasonable and fair, to not be angry and say something she'll regret, to be the mediator of her family, like always. He can see her instincts to wreak havoc on the person who hurt her sister warring with her instincts to protect her brother, of whom everyone always assumes the worst. He can see it's only a lifetime of arguing with everyone on that topic that's stopping her from doing the same right now.

"I just don't understand why you had to say anything," she says, finally, and Bruno can see that she really, truly does want to understand, if only so she can finally either just be angry or forgive him.

Behind them, Pepa weeps bitterly at the back of the church, as outside the hurricane howls and rattles the windows. Tables and chairs and beautiful decorations are being whipped around in a frenzy, and every now and then something is slammed against the window or the walls, making everyone jump and causing Pepa's sobs to increase tenfold.

Beside her, her new husband is whispering to her comfortingly and stroking her hair, occasionally managing to make her smile. The ceremony itself was finished with, and Pepa had managed to stay relatively calm throughout, even as the growing winds outside had steadily destroyed the area they'd all spent days painstakingly preparing for the wedding celebrations. As soon as they were legally married, Pepa's control had finally waned, and now here they are.

Across the road, Mamá and Julieta's fiancé Agustín are marshalling most of the guests into preparing the schoolroom as a last minute venue replacement. Bruno hopes distantly that there'll be enough space for dancing. He knows that was what Pepa was looking forward to the most.

The other guests are milling around nearby, chatting quietly in groups and pretending not to notice the weeping bride.

To say it is the most guilty Bruno has ever felt would be wildly untrue, but – well. It's up there.

His only consolation is that throughout the entire debacle, Félix hasn't looked angry or upset or even mildly put out. Not even once. Not even when his brand new wife had burst into tears as soon as they were legally married, which probably had the potential to hurt anyone's feelings. Bruno wants to thank every higher power he can think of for bringing the most immovably cheerful man in the world into his sister's life.

As always, today it's mostly the stress Pepa is under that's causing her emotional turmoil – the negative emotions always seemed to win out over the positive when it came to her weather. The one upside to this disaster is that now Bruno can easily see Félix knows that, too.

"Bruno?" says Julieta, shaking him out of his thoughts. There's a pleading look on her face, and he doesn't know what to say.

"Juli, it wasn't – I wasn't -" He stops. He wants to explain himself. It wasn't a vision, he wants to yell, not everything I say is a vision, and you used to know that –

If he says that, he'll have to say what it was, and he's pretty sure saying it was meant to be a joke would go down very badly right now, with his sister in tears and her wedding destroyed.

Pepa had looked so stressed, so anxious, and he just wanted to make her smile, because it was her wedding and she was supposed to be happy. He hadn't come down from his tower in days and when he'd arrived that morning it had only taken him about 3 seconds to see, no future vision required, that the stranglehold she had over her emotions was going to blow up in their faces. He'd been angry, all of a sudden. Everyone got nervous on their wedding day. Why did she have to keep it all in for the sake of the weather? None of them were made of sugar. They could deal with a little rain.

But he can admit that maybe his communication skills leave something to be desired, because this isn't quite a little rain, and it's his fault.

The feeling is familiar, but somehow it gets worse every time.

Julieta runs her hands through her hair, glancing back at Pepa.

"You had to know -" she started, then stopped again. "Bruno, I know you think telling people about bad visions helps them – helps them prepare, or, or change things, or something, but you had to know telling Pepa would -"

She cuts herself off, frustrated, and then looks Bruno straight in the eye.

"Bruno, do you really think this would have happened if you hadn't said anything?"

Bruno recoils as if she's slapped him, and even Julieta looks away, twisting her mouth unhappily, but she doesn't look as though she regrets it.

A lot of the townsfolk have said it to him. He knows more of them think it. But this is the first time one of his familia have ever implied that he makes these things happen.

His stomach twists in horror, but the worst part is, she's right. It's just that it wasn't a vision.

It's just that he's bad luck.

"Juli..." he whispers, but she doesn't look at him.

He takes a deep breath, setting his shoulders decisively. He has to fix this.

He starts forward, and Julieta's head snaps back round, her eyes wide, putting a hand on his chest to stop him.

"Hey, no – ¿que estas haciendo?"

"I – I just – I want to apologise," he says, less firmly than he'd have liked. Julieta rubs her face, looking exhausted.

"Dios, Bruno, por favor, are you crazy?" she says, sounding angry for the first time. "Do you really think that is a good idea?"

"I -"

"This day is already bad enough, I don't want to remember it also as the day my sister accidentally killed my brother with lightning."

Bruno swallows, looking over at Pepa again. Although the hurricane is still raging, she looks like she's calming down, laughing a little tearfully at something Félix is saying.

"Bruno."

He looks back at Julieta. She's calm again, gazing at him with sad eyes. It's almost worse, because he can't blame what comes next on words said in anger.

"I think you should leave."

Bruno stares.

"What?"

Strangely, seeing his heartbreak reflected in her face doesn't make him feel any better.

"I mean it," she says doggedly. "This isn't fair. You know Pepa will be angry. If she sees you, she'll get upset again, and she deserves to get at least some of her day back."

For a moment, Bruno can't speak. His heart pounds and his face burns with some strange mix of fury and despair.

'Not fair?!' he wants to scream. 'When has any of this ever been fair?'

He can't do it. He can't open that can of worms. Not today.

"Fine," he snaps eventually, and hates himself a little bit for the sting of vindictive pleasure he gets when Julieta's face crumples even further.

He turns on his heel, suddenly determined to twist the knife even further. Let her be upset, he thinks. Let her feel just a little like I do every day.

"'Nito, por fa...please don't be angry," he hears her whisper, and his resolve crumbles like sand. "Lo siento mucho. I just – it's for Pepa. ¿Entiendes, no? For Pepa."

Bruno can't turn around. He won't.

But he reaches one hand back, hesitantly. It meets another hand, grasping like his, and for a moment they cling onto one another.

"Tell Pepa I'm sorry," he says, in as strong a voice as he can manage. "And, uh, feli - felicidades."

He thinks he hears Julieta say she will, but he's out of the door and into the hurricane before he can change his mind, and he doesn't look back.