Chapter Text
"No…" Bruno's hands shook as he stared in disbelief at the proof of his latest vision. He wanted to smash it, as he had done with the last vision he'd had ten years ago, but his fingers would not release their grip. "No, no, NO!" he screamed through gritted teeth, pressing his forehead against the smooth, glass-like surface of the vision proof as he began to pace.
After mindlessly wandering through the different rooms in his tower, muttering the word "no" under his breath the whole time, he leaned against the wall in his study and slid down it to sit on the floor next to his desk. He laid the vision proof on his lap, finally able to unclench his hands from around it, then promptly buried his fingers in his hair as he bowed his head. His eyes darted across the image, taking in the expressions on the faces of the people it contained. How could it be, that this would come to pass, and that they'd be… happy? It just didn't make sense!
"Tío Bruno?" came a whispered voice from the doorway.
Bruno started and looked up, hastily hiding the incriminating image by hugging it to his chest. "Dolores," he breathed, getting to his feet and stashing the vision proof in the top drawer of his desk. "What's wrong, sobrina?"
"That's what I came to ask you," she replied as she walked over to him. "You've just been saying 'no' nonstop for the last half hour."
Bruno couldn't meet his niece's eyes. Of course she had heard him; her Gift was superhuman hearing. He bit his lip, casting his mind about for something to say to divert her attention, but he was abruptly brought back to the present by the sound of his desk drawer opening. "NO!" he shouted as he hurriedly slammed the drawer shut again.
Dolores recoiled with a pained grimace, her hands pressed against her ears, but she had still caught the briefest glimpse of what her uncle had been trying to hide.
"Sorry, sorry," he whispered penitently as she lowered her hands. "I just… didn't want you to see…" He drew a shaky breath before adding, "I'm so embarrassed."
"Embarrassed?" Dolores repeated. "Not ashamed?"
Bruno swallowed nervously, but there was no judgement in her tone. "No," he replied.
Dolores nodded. "And rightfully so," she said matter-of-factly. Bruno blinked in surprise as she continued, "You have nothing to be ashamed of; all you did was see something that hasn't happened yet. You have no control over that, so you shouldn't be damned for anything you saw."
"But it's…" Bruno hesitated. "If it's going to happen, then I'm already guilty of…" He couldn't bring himself to say more.
"'If'?" Dolores frowned slightly. "Have any of your other visions not come true?"
Bruno's face crumpled as his last hope of escaping this prophecy was dashed. Even the vision he'd had on the night of Mirabel's Gift Ceremony, which would change depending on how you looked at it, had come true entirely: the Encanto both broke and was restored with Mirabel at the forefront of everything. "Why must I be doomed to this fate?" he moaned as he bowed his head. "This kind of thing shouldn't happen! It's just wrong!"
"Tío Bruno," Dolores sighed, placing her hand under his chin and lifting it. "I feel like you've missed something important." Bruno blinked at her, nonplussed, as she smiled sympathetically and explained, "Your visions always come true, which means there's no sense in fighting it. Since nothing can change what's going to happen, whatever it shows is meant to be."
Bruno shook his head miserably. "If that's the case, then… then my visions… take away people's free will."
Dolores gripped his shoulders bracingly. "No! I don't believe that, and you shouldn't either! You said you were embarrassed but not ashamed, which tells me that this isn't something you don't want. You aren't being forced into this situation, you're being encouraged - and…" She glanced pointedly at the desk. "…from the look on her face, I'd say she's not going to be upset by it either."
"She… did seem pretty happy," Bruno admitted, blushing.
Dolores nodded in agreement. "So, are you going to go tell her how you feel now?"
Bruno blanched at the suggestion. "I… I don't…" He gulped. "I don't know how she… I mean, what if she doesn't want…?"
Dolores shook her head in exasperation. "I'll just go find out, shall I?" she offered, turning to walk away.
Bruno grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving. "You can't tell her -"
"I won't," she reassured him. "I'm not going to tell her about you, I'm going to ask her about you."