#encanto reader insert

As the months flew by, you did indeed learn to wield your pyrokinesis to bring joy to the family and Encanto, not just fear. When the weather turned unexpectedly cold and villagers were freezing, they turned to you to keep their fires burning and their homes warm. When festivals were celebrated, villagers now turned to you to create impressive fire shows, instead of asking Abuela to keep you locked away in Casita.

You felt like you finally had an important place in the family, and you wished your Uncle was there to see it.

Occasionally, your temper inevitably flared. At the dinner table, when family tensions were high, the lanterns would flare, and the scolding from both your mother and Abuela would only serve to fuel the flames higher and brighter. But then, you’d hear Bruno’s whispery voice in your head, encouraging you, almost as if he were right behind you and whispering the words in your ear. It gave you the strength you needed to calm down and remain one of the more respected members of the family.

You hummed, running a comb through your hair, working on the knots that had gathered through the day. Once done, you put her comb down and wrote in your notebook.

‘You must love your son so much. I’m sorry I couldn’t meet him.’ 

‘You will someday, I’m sure of it.’ 

You frowned, lips pressed into a line.

You had come to this small town nearly three years ago, looking for a peaceful place to live where you weren’t known, where you could make a new first impression. It had worked wonderfully and you had quickly become great friends with two sisters, the one and only Pepa and Julieta Madrigal. You spent much of her time with them, offering to babysit their children or help Julieta with her cooking frequently. They were amazing, some of the kindest people you knew, and you felt as comfortable around them as she did her own family, perhaps even more so.

It had almost been a relief when you found others with gifts like yours. 

Of course, you didn’t tell them of your gift. The whole point of finding this new place was to escape the stigma that came with your particular powers, and you were not going to ruin that, even if it meant keeping the secret from your best friends. 

There was one person in casa de Madrigal that knew of your gift and only one. The spirit of your friends’ dead father.

You could see the dead when others couldn’t, and the spirits could always tell. 

It was from this spirit, their dear Abuelo Pedro who grew to see you as another daughter, that you learned of Pepa and Julieta’s long lost brother, Bruno, the black sheep of the family who vanished one day. No one else would talk about him and you could tell it hurt the man deeply to see his family broken like that. The people in town would only murmur and whisper gossip to you if you asked just right and you knew first hand how trustworthy gossip was.

‘I know you would like each other.’ Pedro insisted and you nodded.

‘If -’

‘When.’ He corrected. you scratched out the first word and started again.

‘When I meet him, I’m sure we’ll be friends. I can’t imagine not loving every member of this family.’

Pedro smiled, delighted.

‘I can’t wait, mija.’

-

A part of you had doubted that you would ever meet the now infamous Bruno Madrigal. 

Ten years.

He had been gone for ten years. Then, suddenly, the house began to fall apart as the family fell apart, left in a pile of rubble to be rebuilt from the ground up. Which included welcoming back their ostracized brother, who had supposedly been living in the walls of their family home. It was an incredibly strange situation to think of, but made sense considering what Pedro had said about how much the man loved his family. 

The first thing that struck you as you watched the joyful reunion from afar was how much he looked like his father. If he cut his hair short, you were sure he would be the spitting image of Pedro. The second thing you noticed was how tired he looked. you had the urge to make him a warm cup of tea and settle him down for a good, long nap.

Not that there were any beds here anymore.

Pedro was by your side while you watched her friends, a fond smile on his face. 

‘See, isn’t he handsome?’

You huffed and rolled her eyes, a fond smile of your own gracing your lips. You nodded.

‘You should talk to him when you get the chance. I’m sure you two will hit it off!’ The way he said it made your face grow hot. ‘Maybe if things go well enough I can call you daughter and it’ll be true.’

Oh boy …

You sighed. You wanted to respond, to tell Pedro that you were a 48 year-old woman and your time to find love and get married had long passed, but even if you did respond he wouldn’t have accepted it. 

Still, you did say you would try to be friends with him if nothing else. You were going to introduce yourself, but then the whole town had appeared, wanting to help, and you found yourself lost in the hustle and bustle. That was fine, you told herself. You were sure you would have a moment to talk another time.

Like that night, when the town had returned to their homes for the night, leaving only the family themselves. They had put some tents up for themselves to sleep in, at least while the weather was still nice. Plenty of people had offered their homes and guest rooms to the family, including yourself, but they insisted on sticking together. You could understand that.

They had been sitting around the fire, talking and laughing amongst themselves, but as the night grew longer and darker, they started drifting off to their own tents, until it was just the triplets and you. 

“So, you’re the long lost brother I’ve heard about.” You finally said, looking at Bruno, admiring how the fire light danced across his face. It made the bags under his eyes look even darker.

“Ah, sí, I guess - I guess that would be me, huh?” he said with a nervous chuckle. “What, uh, what have you heard? About me, I mean.”

He was fidgeting, you noticed, fingers playing with the frayed strands on the edge of his ruana. 

“Ah, mostly just rumors and gossip. Nothing I can really bring myself to believe.” That seemed to be what he needed to hear, his shoulders relaxing and the smallest of sighs escaping him. “I’d love to get to know you more. I’m already best friends with those two.” She motioned to his sisters, who were watching the interaction very, very closely. “I don’t see why I can’t be good friends with you, too!” You said with a smile. 

It was probably just a play of the light, but you thought you could see his face grow a bit redder as he flashed you a dazzling smile, a bit lop-sided but striking.

“Yeah, I think I’d like that.”

You couldn’t stay for long, unfortunately. You had to get home to get your own sleep, but you told the triplets you would be back in the morning to help with rebuilding. They all smiled at you and wished you a good night. 

“We’ll see you tomorrow!” Bruno had added. 

You could feel Pedro’s happiness as you left.

-

It only took a few short months for the house to be completed and in that time you and Bruno had grown incredibly close, just as close as you were to his sisters. It wasn’t difficult. Bruno was the kindest, sweetest, gentlest man you had ever known, just as Pedro had said. He was also a bit mischievous and terribly goofy. You loved hearing his stories, each one more complicated and convoluted than the next. He was always a joy to be around. 

Which was a problem. 

Because everytime the two of you were even close to each other, Pedro was there, giving you a look that made your face flush, smiling at the two of you. 

He was very insistent that the two of you start dating. Then get married. There wasn’t much you could do about it. You couldn’t snap at him to stop or people would wonder who you were talking too and the last thing you wanted was for your secret to get out. 

He might have been ignorable, at least, if the rest of the family didn’t seem to share the same opinion. 

“So, you and Bruno a thing yet?” Pepa would ask.

“The two of you are so cute together!” Julieta would coo at you. 

Even Alma would give looks at the two of you, the same one her departed husband gave. They were so clearly a couple, even after all these years. 

And, of course, there was the one other little issue, one you were far less willing to admit. After all, when you were put under so much pressure, even if it was from the people you loved, your first instinct was to go against it. But, as you sat around the fire another night, watching as Bruno laughed with everyone else, the sound warm and comforting, his eyes sparkling with the fire light, you couldn’t really deny it anymore. 

You had fallen in love with Bruno Madrigal.

You supposed, just this once, you could give in to the pressure. At least they weren’t trying to get you to do something terrible. 

The more you thought about it, the more the idea of being with Bruno got to you. Just thinking about him would send butterflies flapping in your chest, like you were a teenager again with some silly crush. But …

That meant you were going to have to tell him. You weren’t about to get into a serious relationship with someone and not tell them about your … ‘ability’. 

It was another two months before you could get the courage to do such a thing. There was so much that could go wrong. What if he rejected you? What if he told everyone else and you were shunned? Or worse, forced out of the valley all together? You weren’t sure you could handle the heartbreak of losing your home again, losing your friends, the people you considered to be your family. 

But you knew you couldn’t stay like this.

You went to Casita that day, unwavering in your approach. You knew if you hesitated even a little bit you wouldn’t be able to go through with it. 

You were immediately greeted by several members of the family, Mirabel, Camilo, and Antonio, who looked like they had been playing in the entrance.

“Y/N! Hola!” Mirabel waved, a big smile on her face. You smiled back, kind but strained.

“Hola, Mira, is your Tío Bruno home?”

“Sí, he’s in his room!”

“Gracias, querida. You lot behave yourselves, you hear?” They all nodded, not that you believed them. 

You could feel Pedro’s presence almost immediately, always warm and welcoming, so proud of his family. It was reassuring, at least a little. You knew that, even if the whole family grew to hate you, Pedro would still view you as a daughter. 

Even if you wouldn’t be able to see him again. 

Before you could regret your actions, you opened Bruno’s door.

From what Mirabel had told you, his room looked a lot different than it used to. She had described a sand pit with cliff-like walls and so many, many stairs. The room you entered was nothing like that. There was still plenty of sand, but it fell like waterfalls around the walls of the round room, an intricate pattern on the beige tiles. Across from you was the hallway with a couple doors on either side, the most prominent being the large, round one that led to his vision cave. You had never been in there yourself, never really felt the need to peek into the future. It was tightly closed, so he probably wasn’t in there. 

You went to the second door on the left, the one you knew led to his bedroom, and knocked against the wood. For a moment, nothing happened, then you heard something shuffling around, then a whisper and many small, pattering footsteps.

You took a step away and waited. The door opened a moment later, revealing a very disheveled looking Bruno. His hair was messier than usual, salt and pepper ringlets framing his face. His eyes looked groggy, but the bags that had been so prominent under his eyes when you first met him were nearly as noticeable and his cheeks were a bit more full. He was wearing his brown pants, a white button up shirt hastily thrown over his shoulders, buttons undone. 

Shit, he was so handsome. 

The moment his eyes met yours he was beaming, causing your heart to flutter and a smile of your own to tug at your lips.

“Y/N! Hi! Oye! Come in, come in!”

You let him usher you into the room, closing the door behind you. He went about trying to pick up the stray laundry on his floor, his many rats scattering when he picked up the clothes they had been sheltering in. You picked one up, letting it climb up to your shoulder. The slight warmth and weight was comforting.

“Sorry about the mess, I wasn’t expecting anyone. But I’m glad you’re here! I’ve been working with the rats, teaching them a new trick. I think you’ll like it! And I wanted to show you! Hold on, let me just …” He worked on buttoning up his shirt and ran a head through his messy locks. You chuckled.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“Hmm? Oh, no! I was already up, just, you know, not put together, I guess. Like I said, I wasn’t expecting any guests, and - and I wasn’t really ready to go anywhere, so -”

“Bruno, I need to tell you something.” You didn’t like interrupting him, even if he did ramble sometimes, but if you didn’t get this out you weren’t sure you ever would. 

He froze for a moment, uncertainty creeping over his expression, his big, beautiful eyes only daring to glance at you for a moment.

“Ah, okay… Here, let’s sit.” He motioned for you to follow him as he sat on the end of his bed. You sat by his side, debating with yourself how you were supposed to explain this. He waited patiently, hands absently petting at one of his rats who had settled onto his lap. 

Finally you took a deep breath. 

“I really like you, Bruno.” You decided to start with, getting to the point as quickly as you could. Just get it over with and deal with the repercussions after. “I would very much like to start dating you, if I can. But that’s why I can’t in good conscience keep this a secret anymore.”

You looked over to him, which was the exact worst thing to do. He was staring at you, his face flushed and eyes wide in shock, lips slightly parted. You looked away immediately, choosing instead to stare at the rats chasing each other around the floor. 

“The reason I came here was because I was chased out of my last home. The people there hated me. They thought I was evil, a bad omen, something like that, and wanted me gone. Because I … I can… “ You had to take a steadying breath. “I see the dead. And I talk to them, too. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, that I didn’t tell anyone! I was so afraid that you all would hate me, too, and you’ve all been so nice to me. Encanto’s my home! You’re like my family, and I didn’t want to loose everything because of this stupid curse, not again! I can’t do it again, I just can’t! I don’t want to leave! Where else would I go? Where else would I find friends like you? What would I do? I .. I…” 

You were rambling and you knew it, words coming out quicker and quicker the longer you went. You could feel the tears pricking at your eyes, the panic rising and choking you like a hand around your throat. You had said it and now he would hate you, you were sure.

Your thoughts of loss plagued you, spilling from your mouth without a filter. They didn’t stop until you felt his touch, warm hands wrapping around you and bringing you in for a hug. You practically melted in his arms, letting the tears flow freely as you nuzzled into the crook of his neck, grasping at the back of his shirt desperately. You didn’t want to let go, didn’t want to hear the goodbye. You could stay here for an eternity and you wouldn’t care. He smelled so nice, like sand and salt. You wanted to drown in him. 

“It’s okay.” You could hear him saying, a hand running through your hair, so comforting, more comfort than someone like you deserved. “You’re okay. You’re not going anywhere. It doesn’t matter what you can do, no ones going to kick you out. This is your home.” 

He held you there, close to him, murmuring words of comfort until you had stopped shaking and your mind cleared. 

Of course he wasn’t going to hate you. This was Bruno, after all, sweetest man alive. You weren’t sure he was even capable of hating anyone.

Reluctantly, you pulled away, wiping the salty tears off of your face and taking a shaking breath.

“Lo siento, I didn’t mean to fall apart like that on you, I just -”

“Don’t apologize.” He stopped you, warm smile taking your breath away. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

“You -” Another shaky breath. “What do you think? About the … the …”

“Your gift?” He finished for you, voice achingly kind and gentle. You shook your head.

“I wouldn’t call it that…”

“It’s only a curse if you call it one.” You looked at him at the odd phrase. “Mamá said that a lot. When I was really struggling with my own gift …” He said sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck. “When did … how long have you had your gift.”

You looked away and shrugged.

“Since I was born.”

“And … do you - so you mean what you said? That you …” You were forced to look back at him when he didn’t finish the sentence. You were taken aback by the look in his eyes, like you were the most important thing in the universe to him, something so stunning and precious. You felt your face heating up. You gulped and nodded.

“I think I love you, Bruno. I wouldn’t have told you about … this if I didn’t.”

His eyes flickered away from you, the gears working in his head. You waited for baited breath for his response.

It caught you by surprise when he pulled you into another hug, tighter than the last, less comforting and more desperate. Or relieved. He rested his forehead against your shoulder and you buried your face in his hair, hands bunching up the back of his shirt again.

“I love you, too.” His muffled voice whispered. “‘Have since I first saw you.”

You could almost hear Pedro cheering from wherever he was in the house. You were just grateful he wasn’t in the room. 

You held each other as long as you could get away with, only separating when Casita began to rustle around you, a section of floor roling about to get your attention. Bruno let go first, a deep disappointed sigh leaving his chest. When he looked at you it was with so much adoration you felt your heart would burst.

“We should probably go to lunch …”

You winced, but nodded. 

“I’m going to have to tell them …”

“Dolores could tell them.” He offered. “I’m sure she already knows.”

He shook your head.

“No, it should be me.”

“Should we tell them we’re dating, too?”

His words sent a shiver through you, a thrill you hadn’t expected. You couldn’t keep the smile of your face, and it seemed neither could he. 

“Yeah, you can tell them. After. It’ll lift the mood.”

He nodded, getting up. You felt cold without him by your side.

You watched him get ready, fixing his clothes and throwing his usual green ruana on. It took a bit, but he managed to comb through his curls eventually. Before he could leave, though, you stopped him.

“Wait, one more thing.” He looked down at where you had grabbed his hand, then into your eyes. You stepped closer, smiling so softly. “You look so much like your dad.” You said with a sigh, brushing a strand of hair out of his face, letting your hand rest over the side of his face. “He loves you so much and he’s so proud of you. You have to know that.”

For a moment he just looked at you, eyes watering. Then he leaned into your touch, hand resting over yours on his face. His eyes fluttered close, a tear running down his cheek. Your thumb stroked over his cheek to wipe it away.

“Gracias.” He finally said, voice watery and shaky. “I really … I really needed that.” 

You knew then it didn’t really matter if the rest of the family would hate you or not. Bruno loved you, and that was enough. 

As the two left his room, hand in hand, you could hear a familiar voice, there but not there, speaking. 

at first, you tried to wait it out until camilo got back, and then you heard the yelling. you could tell it was his abuela. you didnt want to intrude, as it wasnt your place to snoop or stop conflict in a family you werent exactly apart of, but then you heard the cracks. something was very wrong. the yelling stopped, but soon turned into panicked yells.

you lifted yourself off of camilos bed, where you had been sitting, to investigate, and a sort of panic beginning to fill you. when you got to the door and opened it, even just the inch you had gotten it open, you could see it was chaos. pieces of the house were falling, camilos family was being rushed out the door..

oh god, you had to get out, didnt you?

camilo saw his door was being slowly opened as he was running to get to the candle. "y/n! you need to get out!" he was out of breath, his voice panicky. you tried to push the door open more, but a piece of the houses roof fell, pushing the door back, leaving only a couple inches of space.

you jumped back from the sudden pressure against the door and sheilded your head after a second, you deemed it safe, and tried to squeeze through with no luck. you turned around, and camilos room was falling behind you. you shoved the door with your arm as hard as you could, moving it barely a quarter of an inch each time.

"i cant— i cant—!" you yelled out, trying to get anyones attention.

"casita! go help—w-ah–!" camilo tried to send casita your way, but was cut off. you couldnt see by what, but you heard him let out a shout that travelled down, he'd fallen.

"camilo‽" you nearly screamed in panic.

"casita, y/n! help them." you heard his voice faintly. then, you heard tiles clicking downstairs. "no! not me! not— help y/n! y/n!" his previously quiet voice turned into a shout, which was carried away from you as the tiles moved him out of the house.

you tried bodyslamming the door again to no avail.

as the dust began to settle, the first thing camilo did was look around. he needed to see if you were there.

you werent.

his heart picking up speed again, he ran into the barely calmed house to find you. he was back within the broken walls before anyone could even see that he was safe.

"y/n!" he screamed amongst the dusty air. he'd barely looked twice at mirabel, but from what he saw, she was safe, so he kept looking. "y/n!"

he ran.

he was running, checking under everything in his sight, between anything, around everything. nothing. and, oh god, he couldnt let his panic take over now. not when he couldnt find you. he couldnt lose hope. he had to keep looking.

he ignored the calls of his name, everyone telling him to step back out and that it was still dangerous. he couldnt even comprehend the number of fucks he didnt give, because he needed to find you.

he found evidence of you. something he'd been dreading. the fabric of the clothes you'd been wearing was sticking out from a rock just under where camilos door had been.

no.

no, this isnt real.

that blood isnt theirs.

he looked around the other side of the rock, and.. he nearly passed out. he had to hold onto the concrete rock to stop himself.

no..

it was you. you in all your glory. your red, half-under-a-giant-rock glory.

he tried to lift the fallen piece of casita. he wasnt strong enough, but he couldnt just... give up. he was straining himself, trying to stop the inevitable flow of tears while pushing the rock that hadnt even moved even a little bit yet.

he couldnt look at you again. "you're gonna be okay, y/n." he said quietly, trying to convince himself of just that. "l– luisa! someone– someone help!" he pushed once more as hard as he could before resting weakly against the big rock. he was out of breath.

luisa. yes, he could become luisa.

...

why.. why wasnt he becoming luisa?..

he needed to be someone else, someone stronger. he was useless as himself. why was he shifting‽ he felt the tears begin to fall past the dam he'd built.

useless. he pushed the rock. nothing.

useless.. he pushed the rock harder. nothing.

useless! he punched the rock and collapsed to his knees in pain, clutching his fist in his other hand.

y/n needed help. he needed to help them. what was wrong with him‽ he couldnt shift into anyone useful, he couldnt even get himself to calm down enough to see through the blur that was his tears.. he blinked once, looked over to where you lay half beneath the rock. he barely felt the dehabilitating pain of his fist anymore. he blinked again as tears filled his eyes and reached forward to grab your hand.

it was cold, but he didnt want to admit that.

"camilo!" the call of his name from somewhere behind him was enough to send him out of the dazed state he found himself in. it was enough to remind him how he, the camilo in question, had completely failed to protect you, or even just help you. he weakly crawled next to you and leaned into your body, flat on the ground beside him.

he began to cry. it was strained, still trying to compose himself and feed into the lies of 'they're still alive, they're okay', but it just wasnt working. he could feel how cold your hand had gone. your hand never even reach this temperature during the colder seasons of encanto.

his mothers arms around him went unnoticed by the steadily increasingly numb boy. he held tightly onto you, afraid to let go. he didnt care if he got blood on him, he didnt care if it stained. he just wanted you. he wanted to hear you tell him you were okay, he wanted you to hold him back. he needed you. he would give anything even just feel your hand move against his own once more.

"i'm so sorry.. i'm so sorry, mi amor.." he sobbed, choking on his words. he was whispering, and he barely noticed he was even speaking. "lo siento, y/n. despertarse.. por favor, wake up– te amo.." he spoke through tears and clenched teeth. pepas loving touch couldnt comfort him right now.

“Ah! No, no, no!” You muttered, as you tried to stamp the flames out. In your panic, you only made the fire worse as you slowly set alight to ALL the decorations. Soon, half the village square was up in flames. Villagers started running around screaming, pushing and shoving as they tried to get away. Some of the village children ran up towards you before they spotted the flames coming from your hands. “Ah! Monster!” They screamed, running in the opposite direction to you.

Your mother, Pepa, saw the chaos happening. Her eyes narrowed as she saw that you were in the centre of it all. The sky darkened and rain began to pour from the sky, as lightning flashed dangerously and the loud rumble of thunder signified how terribly angry she was with you. “Oh no…” You whispered to yourself, as she came over to you, agonisingly slowly. Luckily, the intense rain was able to douse your flames, including the ones still hovering above your hands.

“Y/N!” A shriek of anger comes from the edge of the village square. You turn to see your Abuela coming towards you, her face in a vicious snarl. “How could you? You’ve destroyed everything your family has worked so hard on today!”

You sniff, tears threatening to fall. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to, I couldn’t… control it.” Your chin wobbles, as Abuela yanks your arm to drag you back to Casita. Your family follows behind you, glaring daggers into your back. “I don’t want to hear it, Y/N.” Abuela shakes her head. “You have created absolute chaos, frightened the villages and disappointed your family. You must control your gift, or you cannot go out of Casita into Encanto.”

You gasp in shock, blinking rapidly as the tears mix in with the rain coming from Pepa’s storm. “You’ll lock me away in Casita?” You begin to sob, hugging myself as we trudge up the steps to Casita. As soon as you all get inside, you run up the stairs and run into your room, slamming the door. You flop onto your bed, staring up at the ceiling. It feels like your heart will break.

The door slowly creaked open, and your eyes land on your Uncle Bruno as he slinks into the room. “Y/N, let’s… have a talk.” You sit up, wiping your tears, as you sit cross-legged on your bed. Bruno sits beside you, a hand resting on your shoulder. “I know what it is like. To have a gift that causes fear in other people.” He says, as you look up at him, listening intently.

“People have a tendency to be… afraid of what they don’t understand. Now, you and I… we both have powerful gifts. Capable of great things… but also capable of causing a lot of damage.” You look down, sniffling, as you hug your pillow. “They see that power, and they are afraid. They don’t take the time to understand it.” Bruno adds, sighing as he looks down at you. “I know it seems tough right now, that no one will be able to see who you are, past the big scary fire…”

“They are so frightened of me… but it isn’t my fault, I can’t control it!”

“You will, with time. And when you can, they will love you for your gift. I think it is pretty neat, honestly.” Your face lights up. “Really?”

“Well, for a start, you can create a bonfire any time you want, and then we can toast marshmallows. Or when it is super dark, and you can just flick your hand and light us a torch? Yeah… your gift is awesome.” His words make you smile for the first time, the candles in your room start to burn a bit brighter.

“You keep your chin up, kiddo. Don’t listen to the others… listen to your Uncle Bruno.” You smile, feeling the room become warmer from the heat of your flames again.

ou rushed as quick as you could, knowing that every second that passed you were only increasing your Abuela’s wrath. As soon as you were done, you disappeared from the village before the villagers even had a chance to ask anything else of you, reappearing directly behind Abuela. You swallowed nervously as she turned around giving you a cold stare.

“You’re late, Y/N.” She stated, her hands on her hips. “I know, I’m sorry,” you breathed, lowering your head in shame, “I had a lot to do and it took lon-“ “I don’t want to hear your excuses.” Abuela snapped, taking a step towards you. “You should be able to appear instantaneously whenever you are needed. That is what your gift is for. The rest of your family is helping with the celebrations, and you are letting them down.”

This hurt you more than any yelling would have accomplished, and Abuela seemed to realise that. “Now go, you have wasted enough time.” With that, you disappeared with a poof of air and you reappeared into chaos. Your family were everywhere, a hurricane of activity. As soon as they saw you they started shouting instructions at you, asking you to teleport to this place and that place on completely opposite sides of the village. You struggled to breathe, to contain your fear and crippling stress of the burden placed on your shoulders. You needed to hide, needed to get away from this curse you had.

Before you even realised what you were doing, you disappeared from the view of your family and reappeared in the nursery… Mirabel’s room. There was no way anyone would think to look for you here, and you trusted that casita would know that you did not wish to be found. It was still not private enough for you though, so you dived under Mirabel’s bed and curled up into a little ball. Finally you could release your pent-up emotions, allowing yourself to cry and let it all out.

Your cries and gasps for breath were (though not loud) enough to distract you from hearing the nursery door open. Mirabel heard your quiet sniffing as soon as she walked in, and she slowly crept up to her bed before carefully getting onto her hands and knees to look under her bed.

“Are you okay?” Mirabel asked as her head popped into view. “I’m fine.” You replied stiffly, clearly not fine. “I’m fine.” You repeated, hoping it would make her go away. “Suuuure.” Mirabel hesitated for a second, before adding “I’m coming in primo/a!” She shimmied under the bed until her shoulder was next to yours. Together you lay there in silence for a minute or two, Mirabel patiently waiting for you to open up to her.

“Why aren’t you helping set up the celebrations?” You asked, unable to bear the silence any longer. “I, uh, I wasn’t particularly wanted, I guess. Abuela seemed to think I was just getting in the way.” Mirabel tried to make light of it and force a hollow laugh out, before she nudged your shoulder to fully gain your attention. “The real question is why aren’t you helping them?”

You hesitated, laying your head down on your hands, humming to yourself. “I just… they were all…” You stopped, huffing and throwing one of your hands up in the air. “Doesn’t matter. It’s not important.” You tried to deflect the question but Mirabel shuffled to try and face you properly, grabbing your hand and holding it tightly.

“I know that’s not true, Y/N. Come on, you can tell me! What’s wrong?” You shook your head, perhaps some futile last attempt to maintain some composure before it escaped you all at once. “I’ll never be good enough for this family… for Encanto.” You hid behind your hands, not seeing Mirabel pull a confused face. “Not matter how hard I try, I’m never there quick enough. I should be there instantly - that’s what Abuela said. Even when they send me on errands at different ends of Encanto at the same time… I should somehow be everywhere all at once.” You lowered your hands to look at Mirabel, before you laid your head on her shoulder. “But I can’t.”

“No one could, Y/N.” Mirabel softly whispered, hoping to fill the silence while she figured out what to say. “And you shouldn’t have to feel like that. Abuela is wrong.”

“I see you, Y/N. I see how hard you work for this family, how much you do for everyone without anyone noticing. I mean… sometimes I don’t see you because you’re suddenly there and gone again in a flash, haha…” Mirabel joked awkwardly, hoping to make you laugh a little. As bad as her attempts were, she did succeed in bringing out a small puff of air of amusement and a tiny smile from you.

“Thanks, Mirabel.” You snuggled closer to her, holding her gaze for a second before you added, “And for the record, I notice everything you do for this family too. I know you don’t always get the credit you deserve, but I see it and appreciate it.” The mutual cheering up seemed to work for you both as you both decided to wiggle out from underneath her bed and have a proper hug of consolidation together.

“Y/N, are you okay?” Your head snapped up, staring at Julieta with wide eyes when she spoke. “You’ve barely touched your food.” She only gazed back with slight concern and so much care. Your heart broke at the thought of losing her friendship. Your eyes scanned the table, meeting everyone’s concerned or confused gazes. 

You could have backed out right then, said you were just feeling a bit unwell but you were sure you would get better once you’ve finished lunch. It would be so easy to pass it off as nothing. 

Bruno squeezed your hand, drawing your gaze to him. His eyes were so warm, a little smile on his face, encouraging you the best he could. 

That meant everything to you.

You took a deep breath.

“Actually, no, I’m not okay.” He took your time putting your fork down, resting your hand in your lap and staring intently at your plate. Everyone was quiet. Not even the animals made a sound. That really didn’t help. 

‘It’s okay, mija.’ You heard the voice in your ear, even though you couldn’t see him. ‘It’s okay. You can tell them. They would never hate you for this.’ 

When you were ready you looked up again, keeping your eyes trained on Abuela. You reasoned that if you focused on one person and one person alone, it would make things a bit easier. You hoped it would.

“I’m so sorry, but I’ve been keeping a secret from you all. It - this is going to sound very strange, and odd, and terrifying.” You paused. “Please, before I tell you anything, I need you to promise me something. I need you to promise me that this won’t leave this room. I don’t want anyone in the village hearing of this.” You looked around the table again. For a moment, the silence remained. 

“I promise.”

Everyone’s heads turned to where Dolores sat, looking unbothered by the whole situation. Of course, it made sense. She had no doubt already heard what you had told Bruno. Still, it was a relief that someone had spoken up.

“I’ll promise, too.” Came Bruno’s voice from beside you, drawing your eyes to him and his encouraging smile once more. You smiled back, small and strained, before it faded back to the anxiety-ridden frown. 

One by one, everyone around the table agreed, either taken in by your clear uncomfortableness about the situation or too curious to say no. Finally, everyone had agreed but Alma.

You looked to her, eyes pleading and desperate. She nodded. 

“None of us will say a thing, querida. Not if you don’t want us too.” 

You nodded in turn, chewing at your inner cheek as you thought over what you were going to say.

“I - I believe I told some of you I moved around a lot in my life, correct?” There were a few nods. “What I didn’t tell you was that it wasn’t by choice. I was - they drove me out, forced me to go somewhere else. Because I … the dead speak to me.”

You could feel your body stiffen up, your hand clutching white knuckled at your skirts. The only thing keeping you from falling apart was the non-existent whisper in your ear and the hand squeezing yours, a bit too tight. The silence rang like a bell in your head, threatening to drown out everything else. But the feeling of dread that was pooling your gut. You tried desperately to keep your breaths even, eyes squeezed shut. You didn’t want to look at their expressions, didn’t want to see hate or fear or disgust. 

You wished you were back in Bruno’s room. Back when you were in each other’s arms. It wasn’t so quiet then, the sound of his heartbeat and even breathing more relaxing than any lullabye, his arms warmer and more comforting than a blanket. You wanted to disappear.

Finally, what felt like hours later, there was a sound. Someone clearing their throat. Your breath got caught in your chest as you waited for the verdict. 

“Y/N, that … is unexpected. And I think I can speak for everyone when I say we have questions.” It was Alma who spoke, of course.

You nodded, not trusting your voice at that moment. 

“How … ?” That sounded like Pepa.

You took a deep breath before opening your eyes again. 

“I don’t know,” you managed, looking over to her. “I’ve just sort of … always heard them. Ever since I could remember. Like whispers in my ears. I’ve tried so many times to get it rid of it, but …” You shook your head. “They never stopped.”

“Wait, do you hear them all the time?!” Camilo asked, clearly troubled by the thought. You shook your head again, a fond smile playing at your lips.

“Only when they have something to say. It can be a lot sometimes. I’ve been places where there were so many, all trying to yell over another to be heard. It can get so loud.” You winced at the memory. You would have headaches for days afterwards. “But Encanto is very quiet.”

It was a reassurance, or at least that’s what you were trying for. You couldn't imagine anyone wanting to live in a haunted town. No one would want to live in a haunted house, either, but … well, you couldn’t promise that. 

“What do they say?” Mirabel asked in a hushed voice, looking at you with wide eyes.

You shrugged.

“Different things. Messages for their families, little favors to put them at peace. Sometimes they just want someone to know what happened to them, sometimes they just want someone to listen.”

“Aww, that’s really sweet.” Mirabel again.

‘It’s not!’ you wanted to insist. ‘Nothing about this was sweet or cute or endearing!’ But you thought better of it. There was a beat of silence as you waited for the next question. You decided to focus on the warmth of Bruno’s hand before the anxiety could get the better of you. 

“How many ghosts are there?” You heard a tiny voice say. You looked over to find Antonio’s big eyes staring at you. You sighed and allowed yourself a moment to think about that, counting with your fingers.

“There were seventeen. But it’s gone down to … eight.”

You could feel Pedro’s delight like a blanket in the room. He thought it was going well, but you knew better. The grandkids seemed happy enough to ask their questions, silly ones, pointless ones, dark ones, personal ones, anything they could think of, but the adults? 

They smiled politely enough, sure, but all but Felix had stopped eating all together. Julietta was staring at you, unable to keep the emotions out of her eyes despite the smile she plastered on. She was much like her brother in that way. She looked confused, and scared. Augustine was by her side, holding onto her, his smile more of a grimace. Pepa wouldn’t even look at you, staring intently at her plate, a dark cloud over her head. Felix was eating his food, hand on Pepa’s shoulder for comfort or reassurance. 

Alma didn’t show anything on her face, her eyes following the line of conversation, moving from one person to the other as they spoke. She was unreadable.

That wasn’t good at all. She was the one charge of your fate, ultimately, and you couldn’t even tell what she was thinking. Your grip on Bruno’s hand tightened. You weren’t even answering questions anymore, the grandkids' conversation devolving into crackpot theories and jokes. It all melded together in a din of sound and you weren’t able to make a thing out. All you could do was stare desperately at your friends, the two women who had welcomed you so warmly when you first arrived all those eight years ago. 

They were scared of you now. You knew something like this would happen, but it still hurt. It felt like your heart was breaking, shattering like glass, the pieces tearing at your insides and lodging themselves in you.

“I’m sorry.” Your voice was so quiet but it cut through the conversation like a knife. You hated the silence that followed. “I should have said something sooner. Or maybe I shouldn’t have said anything at all. I was just… I’m so scared. I don’t want to lose my home again. I don’t want to lose you. You’re like my family and - and I don’t want you to hate me!”

You felt Bruno let go of your hand, putting his on your shaking shoulder and squeezing slightly. You hadn’t realized you’d been shaking. 

“Everyone hates me, once they find out. But … you’re my family! I shouldn’t keep something like that from you, not anymore. It’s okay. You can hate me. I’ll leave town if you want me to. I’m just … I’m so sorry.” 

You really weren’t sure what else to say. It all felt so terribly overwhelming, the tears threatening to fall at any moment even as you tried so desperately not to fall apart. You were right on the precipice and knew that anything could send you over. You closed your eyes, trying to block everything out, at least for a moment, at least until you got yourself back under control.

You recognized the sound of a chair moving and footsteps, the sound sharp against the silence. It stopped behind you and you could hear Bruno shift in his chair, his hand leaving your shoulder. You nearly broke when you felt someone hugging you from behind the chair. 

“You’re not going anywhere, mija. You’re right where you belong.”

You let out the ugliest sob at Alma’s words and the dam broke. You were crying hard now, shoulders shaking and tears streaming down your face, splashing against the table and your lap. 

You felt Bruno’s arms join his mother’s, his head on your shoulder. You let yourself lean into his touch, burying your face in his curls.

There was a chorus of moving chairs as the whole family got up, each one walking over to you and joining in on the hug. You were surrounded by so much love and warmth, you could only cry harder as you were overwhelmed with so many warm emotions, burning inside your chest like a fire. Pedro’s comforting presence only amplified the feeling.

They didn’t hate you. 

“Can I?” Bruno asked, voice muffled and quiet, just loud enough for you to hear. You smiled, your heart clenching. You nodded, removing yourself from him just enough so he could actually talk and be heard.

“I have something I want to say, too!” Bruno said, effectively getting everyone’s attention, though no one was quite ready to let go yet. “Y/N and I are dating now!”

There was a single beat of silence before -

“I knew it!” Camilo and Mirabel shouted at the same time from either side of you just as everyone else cheered or squealed or shouted congratulations. It left Bruno laughing and smiling, his eyes almost glowing as he beamed at you. You laughed, too, a bit manic with relief. You leaned your forehead against his and he sighed a happy, dreamy sigh.