It was an ordinary day at the beginning of April in Encanto, and Pepa had arranged to meet a friend of hers to catch up and talk about books, since they both really liked reading.

They were both sitting in the kitchen next to Julieta, talking while she was cooking. She listened to them talk and sometimes made a comment about it.

"But do you think Lizzie really fell in love with Darcy?" asked the redhead.

"Well, it's suspicious that she began to be interested in him just after seeing the mansion in which he lived, I'm not saying that it isn't... But I want to believe that she really love him. The interested one in her family was her mother, not her"

"It could also be that she felt indebted to him for helping her little sister" Her friend made a disgusted face, and she laughed. "The thing is, you're a hopeless romantic"

"Forgive me for wanting to see the good side of people and wanting a bit of romance in my life, even if it's fictional" she answered, also laughing.

"And that's why you're still single"

"Ay don't remind me" she said pouting.

"Haven't you had your eye on some villager?"

"How am I going to meet new men in a town as small as this and so isolated from the rest of the world?" She said annoyed but at the same time in a funny tone.

"...Wait, you don't know Bruno" said Pepa. Both her and Julieta, who turned slowly to look at her sister while their faces lit up, their eyes widening and with a smile from ear to ear.

The aforementioned, who was in the middle of the patio with Mirabel, Camilo, Antonio, his animals and his rats, seemed to hear his name, but decided not to give it importance and continued to entertain his nephews.

"Hmm…" She wasn't stupid and she knew what was going through their minds. "I don't know if it's a good idea for me to start getting to know your brother with those intentions..." she whispered, for fear of being heard by any other relative, especially Bruno (but she knew that Dolores would listen to her, whether they both liked it or not).

"If things don't work out, don't worry. No drama, you're both too old for those things"

"Yeah, but I don't know..."

"What's the problem? Doesn't he look handsome to you or what?" Pepa asked.

"Eh..." She, who had the patio in front of her, looked at him in the distance for a second. "Yes, he is, but still..." she answered a little blushed.

"Besides, he's a man with a lot of empathy, who always tries to help, who likes art, who is good with children...," Julieta said, pointing with her lips to the patio where the mentioned one was "you see"

"I'm sure you'll get along very well! You could get to know each other better at our mother's birthday party" which was to be in a few days.

She went back to her house and after eating, Pepa approached her brother, linking their arms (so he wouldn't run away).

"Bruno, my dear, you're not seeing anyone, are you?"

"Em... what do you mean...?" he asked surprised.

"You know, with intentions beyond friendship"

"Mm no" he said as if it were obvious, which in truth, it was.

"You know? I have a friend with whom you could get along very well"

"I don't know Pepa..."

"You don't lose anything by knowing her, she's very kind and beautiful. You can meet each other during mom's birthday party"

The days passed and Alma's birthday party arrived, which was celebrated in the town, with a great meal in the town's main square, and then continued with a big party that lasted until the night.

They put three rows of a lot of tables in the town square, next to chairs, obviously. She sat relatively close to the Madrigal family, because she was a very good friend of them, especially with Pepa.

When they finished eating and drinking coffee, the sobremesa arrived. Some people stood in the tables talking catching up with other guests, and others danced to the accompanying music.

"Bruno, bro!" said Félix, approaching his brother-in-law, who was sitting in his seat, talking to his nephews Mirabel and Antonio, who were keeping him company. "Go and have fun! Dance, talk to some girl...!"

"I'm fine here" he answered.

"Nonono, you have to have fun" said Félix lifting him from his seat and dragging him to follow him.

"_______!" said Pepa, approaching her, who was sitting having coffee talking with other guests. "Can you come with me for a moment?"

"Yeah, sure" she said, taking a quick last sip of her coffee to finish it off. "What's the matter?" She said already standing up, walking next to her friend, who linked her arm with hers.

"I think it would be good for you to dance" she said, going to the center of the square, where everyone was dancing. She made eye contact with her husband, and they moved closer. "Ay guys, what a coincidence!" she said, letting go of her friend and approaching her husband, who released his brother-in-law. "Bruno, my friend _______ — ________, my brother Bruno. I have never introduced you properly"

"Nice to meet you" she said, approaching him to give him two kisses on the cheek as a greeting.

"Likewise" he said, doing the same.

"What if the two of you dance? You two were very bored sitting down" proposed Pepa.

"Eh..." Both of them looked at each other for a second nervous and confused, and then they looked back at the married couple, who were looking at them expectantly. Seeing that they wouldn't leave them alone until what she proposed happened, slowly and embarrassed they began to move their bodies to the rhythm of the music and forced a smile, trying not to look too fake.

"Very well!" Pepa said. "We'll leave you alone" she said with a wink, before leaving.

They both moved away, but they continued to watch them, to which they continued dancing uncomfortably, until she noticed that for a moment they stopped watching them, so she took Bruno by the hand.

"Get down and follow me!" she said, to which he, a little confused, paid attention to her. They slipped out onto the makeshift dance floor and went to a quieter spot to the side of the church.

"Thank you" Bruno said.

"You're welcome" she saw him look down at her hand, which was still clutching his, "oh, sorry" she said blushed.

"Don't worry" he said. "I don't know why my sister has insisted on pairing me up with you..."

"Yeah, about that…" The embarrassment wouldn't go away. "I'm single and I already know all the men in town, except you... Pepa asked if I knew you, and... You know how the story goes"

"Oh, that makes sense, I thought I heard my name the other day when the three of you were in the kitchen talking"

"Sorry" she said red because of the embarrassment.

"Don't worry, for real!" He said trying to cheer her up. "Pepa is very matchmaking with her friends, it can't be helped"

"Yeah" she laughed "es un sol- literally" They both laughed.

"How did you become friends?"

"In the library. We both really like to read, especially romance and period books.

"Like which ones?"

"The classics, you know: Wuthering Heights, Little Women, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice... We read this last one recently and discussed it the other day at your house, have you read it?"

'No, but I readed Wuthering Heights"

"And what do you think?" she asked curiously, trying to hide her excitement "I haven't met many people who like it"

"It's hard to read" he said with a painful grimace.

"If it weren't for the fact that I prefer to spend my time reading new things or doing other things, I would read it many more times. I find it very interesting and entertaining to see how Heathcliff tortures a family for two generations"

"Ugh, I hate him"

“Understandable and respectable"

"Where are these two?" Pepa asked her daughter when she realized that her brother and her friend had disappeared.

"They're talking in a quieter place, don't worry and don't overwhelm them" she replied.

They felt the need to talk for hours to get to know each other more and better, but it was not the time nor the place. It was Alma's birthday, and it was the first in 10 years that mother and son could spend it together, so they left it for the next day. There yes, they talked and talked until the hours passed quickly and the sun began to hide between the mountains. They both hit it off very well and had fun talking and exchanging opinions and anecdotes.

They met the next day at the Madrigal's house. But she was a little late.

"Sorry for the delay! And how I look" she apologized, considering that she wasn't dressed up enough. "I don't know what's going on today, but my watch and mirror broke"

Bruno, who was an extremely superstitious man, was not very amused by this information.

"Really?" he asked concerned.

"Yes" she answered without giving importance to the matter.

They walked through the town while they talked, and he couldn't help noticing that, while walking, she stepped on some cracks in the flagstones of some paved roads.

"Look, I live here, along with my family" she said, pointing to her house when they passed by her street. "And there's my cat" she said, pointing to a cat that was sleeping peacefully in the sun, next to the door of the house. It was black.

He knew that she had a cat, she told her about it the day before, but she never mentioned the small and for him very important detail of the color of his fur.

She walked over to the cat and crouched down, petting it. He became happy after contact with his owner, and rubbed against her legs, and then his.

"He likes you!" she reported. He smirked awkwardly, and it didn't go unnoticed by the cat's owner. It should also be said that Bruno was a very expressive man with his face and body language, he couldn't help but be read by others, even if they didn't know him well. "What, are you superstitious?"

"Yes, quite a bit" he admitted.

"Oh, well, my birthday is next week, Tuesday the 13th"

"WHAT!?" he asked horrified. On top of that, he knew that he was 38, that is, he was turning 39, that is, 13 x 3.

"Em... Yes..." She didn't like her new friend's expression. She stooped down to pry the cat off his legs, picking it up in her arms like it was a baby (although to her it was her baby). "I was thinking of inviting you"

"Mmm... I'm flattered but... I don't think I'll go"

"Why?" she asked surprised and hurt. "Just because of the date?" Bruno didn't answer with words, but his expression said it all. "Wow…" she said offended.

"_______, you're nice, but-"

"You don't want to be with me for fear of bad luck" she said hurt.

"Well..."

"Yes, you just proved it to me" he really wanted to say a lot more, but he didn't know exactly what.

She was tired of failing with men, they were all fools in some way. But she really liked Bruno, apart from his handsome face and body, and she wanted to get to know him better to see if they could have a good future together. Did she like him because of the low expectations she had of him because of the bad rumors she had heard for years around town? Because of the low expectations she already had of men from her previous experiences? The desperation to find someone? Who knows, but what she did know is that she should hold back and keep the forms, for the sake of her friendship with his sisters.

"But... Well, it's understandable" she said, looking at her cat, while stroking it with one hand. "You are within your rights to walk away from me if you feel uncomfortable in my company. It's okay" she said, looking back at him, smiling gently with the best fake smile her face had ever expressed, which if it wasn't for the pain she showed a minute before, Bruno would have believed it. "It was a pleasure spending these days with you, I had fun. We'll see each other, I guess" she said entering her house, leaving him there, with his mouth open about to say something, although he didn't know exactly what.

Bruno, still surprised by the sudden argument, went back home, because he had nothing else to do in town.

"Are you coming back so soon?" Pepa asked surprised.

"Yes…" he replied uncomfortably.

"What happened?" she asked as a small cloud formed above her head.

"Well... You see..." Bruno explained what had happened to his sister, knowing perfectly well without any need to see the future with the power of his gift that a storm was going to form, and said and done, when he finished tell it all, there was a storm over the town.

"How dare you!?" she asked horrified. "¡Madre del amor hermoso!"

They all ran to Pepa to see what had happened that had put her in such a bad mood and to try to calm her. The rest of the villagers blamed the sudden storm with her, especially ________.

"She must have found out everything, I suppose..." she thought from inside her house, trying to reassure her cat, frightened by the sound of thunder.

"Bruno, I love you so much, you know, but you're a huevón!" said the redhead. "Right now she will feel as you have felt all these years. Was it true that you brought misfortunes? No! Well neither does she!"

And Pepa was right. Bruno had been an idiot and a hypocrite, and he felt terrible for having made someone feel bad, and specially _______, who these days had pleasantly enjoyed her company and had ended up liking her.

"I know I should apologize, but... I don't think she wants to see me again" he said sadly "or at least not now or soon..."

"Tito, these days I've been listening to her talk with her family and other friends, and she likes you" said Dolores.

"What!?" he asked surprised, while blushing. "I don't believe you, it can't be"

"Believe it!" Pepa said. "I have a good eye for matching," well, that wasn't as true as she said, but she thought it was "you know, why should it be any different with you and her!? Also, you're a good person and handsome, start believing in yourself more, please!"

"But what's going on!?" Camilo asked confused.

"I don't know either" Mirabel replied.

"I'll tell you all later" said Dolores.

He had to apologize to her, show that he was sorry for how he had treated her, that he knew it was wrong and that it would not happen again, if she allowed her to continue in her life. And with the support and help of his family, he set out to try.

Two days passed. Dolores listened closely to her possible future aunt. She reported that ________ was going to take his little niece to the park. The plan started. Bruno would "coincidentally" take Antonio to the same park, and there he would apologize to her, along with a small gift.

When she saw that he arrived at the park with his nephew (and a couple of animals) she got a little nervous. Nerves increased when he sat down next to her, on the same bench she was sitting on.

But she wasn't the only one nervous, he was even more so. He wanted everything to go well, for everything to go as planned, and  apologize to her. He didn't want her to think or speak bad things of him, and he didn't want either of them or any of the Madrigals to feel uncomfortable sharing common spaces, like in the Casita.

On top of that, they weren't the only adults in the park, and they were obviously surprised to see that Madrigal there. But he had to ignore them, be brave and take action.

"Hello" he said very shyly.

"I-Is it me?" She said jokingly, pretending to be surprised, putting her hand to her chest and looking behind her quickly.

"Sí"

"Are you sure you want to talk to me? Maybe I'll give you bad luck" she said annoyed as she crossed her arms, to which he sighed deeply. She watched the children play, especially her niece, who was the same age as the Madrigal's nephew sitting next to her.

"About that…" he sighed again "I want to apologize" She looked at him "I'm really sorry. I know it was an horrible behavior on my part, and more so because I've been through the same thing all my life, and I know perfectly well how it feels... I'm very superstitious and I can't help being nervous... But I know that many times I don't it makes sense to feel that. Also... I know it has been little, but in all the time I've been with you, nothing bad has happened — on the contrary, I have felt very comfortable and happy..." She saw how he turned red, and the woman's face and body softened and relaxed, apart from the fact that she also blushed, although much less than he, who it was obvious that he wanted the Earth to swallow him. "I would like us to continue being friends and get to know each other better, if you allow me... Although I will understand perfectly if you don't want to, and I will respect your decision without question. And... Whatever answer you give me, I want to give you something, as a sign of my repentance, affection and respect for you" he said putting his right hand inside his green ruana, which apparently had pockets inside. He took out a clover with four leaves, small, dry and flattened. It had clearly been between the pages of a big book for a long time.

"Oh no, I can't accept it" he said waving his hands.

"Why?" he asked concerned.

"Because it's very important to you. I accept your apologies, but not the clover"

"I want you to keep it"

"Well, I want YOU to keep it. I don't believe in any kind of luck, but you do, so you need it more than me. I insist"

"Well... whatever the lady wish" he said as he put it back where he had taken it from, and she laughed lightly. "Again, I'm terribly sorry"

"Come on, nothing's wrong, don't worry, what's past is past. I appreciate you showing me your repentance and apologies" He smiled, happy and relaxed because everything had gone well and just as planned. "So... did you just said that you have affection for me?" she asked flirtatiously as she crossed her legs, resting her elbow on her thigh and her chin on her hand.

Author's note:

Y'all know that tweet that say something like "If I have grammar mistakes in English don't correct me I have no respect for this language"? Well yeah I say the same /half joke.

Friendly reminder that I have more Bruno x Reader stories on my profile, and a Bruno x Reader x Óscar fanfic, go check them and support them please <3

Also, btw, I'll explain some things about Hispanic cultures:

- I wrote Tuesday 13th because in our culture the day of bad luck is Tuesday (Martes), not Wednesday or Friday. We have a saying that says "On Tuesdays neither get married nor embark" ("Los martes ni te cases ni te embarques")

- Fun fact: I almost made Y/N's birthday December 13th, which is the Saint of all Lucías, who are the patron saints of the blind, so that Bruno would think that he would go blind if he dates her, but it seemed too much. Also the Saints are days were people called with X name are congratuled saying ¡Feliz Santo!, and some are so important that are national holidays.

- Dolores called Bruno "Tito" because is a form to call our uncles (Tita for aunts), specially if we are close or kids.

- I almost call Dolores "Loli". To me is so weird seeing people calling her by her real name. One of my grandmas has the same and NO ONE call her Dolores, everyone calls her Loli. But anyways, it doesn't really matters.

AO3: PieckBurton
Fanfictionnet: Mikasa Burton
Twitter: Pieck_Burton & burton__art
Instagram: pieck.burton & burton__art

If you like my content and want to support me more, my k0fi is https://ko-fi.com/pieckburton

Hope you all enjoyed it. <3