A short time after Bruno Madrigal disappeared, Mirabel found him hiding within the walls of their Casita. Sure enough, her sisters and cousins all wind up finding about about him too. They all agree to keep his secret and becomes a source of camaraderie for the unlikeliest of fellowships.
Directly inspired by The Mouse in the Walls by UC_Glue, Through the crack in the wall is an Encanto fanfic by FandomTrashcan about the Madrigal children all knowing about their Tío Bruno hiding in the walls early on. It can be read on Archive of Our Own here
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This fanfic provides examples of:
- Cool Uncle: The kids can all be honest with Bruno in a way that they can't with the other adults in their family and thus are able to get the right kind of attention and guidance without Alma breathing down their collective necks.
- Empathic Environment: Sand from Bruno's room has a weird habit of winding up all over the house, this being a clue that he never actually left.
- Incompatible Orientation: Isabela is expected to pair up with Mariano, but she prefers the company of Julia, a village girl she develops a connection with.
- I Have Sisters: Bruno learned to braid hair thanks to growing up with two sisters.
- Keeping Secrets Sucks: When Dolores discovers that Bruno has been hiding in the walls and that Mirabel has been visiting him, she is chomping at the bit to tell someone.
- Knows a Guy Who Knows a Guy: Bruno's secret travels along the kids like this. Dolores hears Mirabel socializing with Bruno, so she tells Luisa who tells Isabela. Mirabel tells Camilo who tells Antonio.
- Loophole Abuse: Since one of the primary rules in the Madrigal Household is "don't talk about Bruno", the kids justify this as the reason why no one outs Bruno for being a Secret Squatter to their parents or Abuela.
- Open Secret: Bruno being Casita's Secret Squatter becomes "the Madrigal family's worst kept secret" since the entire third generation ends up knowing about him, meaning over half of the family knows about him being there.
- Secret Santa: Mirabel discovers Bruno after he ends up leaving her several gifts through the week as an anonymous provider.
