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"Welcome to the Family Madrigal!"
In the distance, you could hear Mirabel singing to the tourists about her fantastical family, showing them around town and explaining everyone's gifts. It was a normal thing, everyone had gotten used to the musical outbursts and choreography but they never got tired of it, grooving along to the catchy tune.
Children trailed behind her, a chorus of never-ending questions filled the air, adults followed while taking pictures of the scenery and fascinated by the family members using their talents.
"We don't talk about Bruno!" A group of villagers piped up.
Ah yes, Bruno. The one member of the amazing Madrigals that no one ever talked about. Even the slightest mention of him would bring up that one line. You had been told by Mirabel that he could see the future and mysteriously disappeared one day, not a word from or sight of him since.
"My primo Camilo won't stop until he makes you smile today!" Mirabel pointed and whizzed by.
Camilo Madrigal, the shapeshifter, the boy playing ball with the kids and changing his form to make them laugh. Clutching your basket, you focused on him as you watched them run around, you weren’t Dolores but you could hear his laugh crystal clear, his smile brighter than the sun Pepa influenced.
As if on cue, he raised his head and caught your gaze, waving his hand with a cheeky grin on his face. Hiding the color on your cheeks, you immediately turned away to hurry off but ran straight into Isabela, dropping your basket that spilled the contents inside.
“Hey, watch it- oh Y/N. Sorry, didn’t see you there.” Miss Señorita Perfecta composed herself perfectly as she always did then walked away.
“Yeah, sorry for being in the way.” You rolled your eyes, dusting your clothes off then grabbed your basket, gathering your stuff.
“Thanks I-” Taking your book back from an outstretched hand, you looked up to see none other than Camilo, who had left the game when he saw the whole interaction, heading over to the scene to help.
“Hey are you ok?” He asked, holding out his hand to help you up, trying to look at you while you avoided eye contact.
“Hey! Hi! Oh um yeah... yeah, I’m fine!” You stuttered, hesitant for a moment then took his hand, standing up and telling yourself to keep your cool.
“Sorry about my cousin, she can be a bit of a diva,” Camilo chuckled, a light bulb lit up as he shapeshifted into her, mocking her hair flip, “Look I’m Isabela! Flowers for you! And you!”
You internally laughed at his antics, your eyes smiling on their own but your face didn’t change. You bit your lip, gripping your basket to keep from fidgeting, your feet desperately wanting to move but stood where they were, stuck firmly on the ground. You wanted to stay, make more conversation with him, do something but nothing came out.
Camilo noticed you were quiet, he changed back and spoke softly, “You sure you’re alright?”
“Y/N!” Your mother called out, gesturing for you to come back.
“Shoot I um.. I gotta go! Thanks again!” You quickly turned around, almost bumping into a pole then scurried home.
“Oh ok bye-” Camilo watched you leave, mentally kicking himself for not saying anything else before you left. He missed talking to you, cracking inside jokes and messing around, hearing you laugh and seeing your smile. Especially your smile.
----------
"Almost done... ta da! What do you think?" Mirabel exclaimed proudly, sprawled on the floor with various cuttings of paper, sticker sheets and covered in glitter, showing off the latest edition to her scrapbook.
Sitting cross legged on her bed, you took your concentration off the traditional cloth piece you were sewing, giving her a nod of approval, "That looks great! It just needs one more thing..."
Undoing the cap on the sparkles, you added some more onto the pages, tapping the bottom of the bottle to get more out. You set it aside, satisfied with the finished product then glued a bow at the top.
"There. You can never have too many decorations." You handed the scrapbook back to her, continuing your work, searching through the box of thread to add another color.
“Sooo… you doing anything for La Feria de las Flores?”
“Nothing really, probably going to sell chocolate caliente and help around with the activities, why?” You said, pulling the thread through the needle.
“Oh you know just curious,” Mirabel said, cleaning up the leftover materials, “Since I’m gonna be helping my mom out with the arepas I was thinking maybe… we could… find you a date?”
“A what?”
“A date!”
“Mirabel no-”
“Come on, it'd be fun! You’d have someone to go with and not mope around at the stand!
“I don’t mope arou- ow!” You pricked your finger, placing down the cloth, you took a bite of a cookie from a plate that Julieta had brought up.
“Y/N, every year it’s always the same, we both work the stands then go have fun the rest of the days it lasts. We’ll still do stuff together but you gotta let loose, this could be your chance to meet someone!” Mirabel chimed in, sitting next to you.
“What about you? Shouldn’t I be pushing you to get a date too?”
“Oh no thank you, there’s no one I’m even remotely interested in.” Mirabel shook her head.
“So what makes you think I’m into anyone?” You raised a brow.
“Because I know you,” Mirabel smirked and scootched closer, resting her head in her hands, “So who is it? Tell me, tell me!”
“I told you I don’t like anyone.” You stood up, collecting your stuff into your bag.
“There has to be someone!” Mirabel questioned, “What about Jose that works in the market with his aunt? Ooh or my dad's helper, Alfredo?”
“No, definitely not.” You tsked, rolling your eyes.
“Is it someone here?” Mirabel noticed your blush, “It is! Who is it?! Definitely not Isabela, unless?”
“No, I’m pretty sure she hates my guts.”
“Well, that makes two of us. What about Luisa? That other girl down the street?” Mirabel zipped through names, “Camilo?”
You instantly froze, goosebumps forming on your arms, your face flushed with color at the mention of his name. The ball of yarn slipping from your hands brought you back to reality, practically playing hot potato with it while you tried to catch it.
“CAMILO?!” Mirabel gasped, a giant smile spreading across her face, “You like Cam-”
“SHHH! Not so loud I don’t want the whole town knowing.” You whispered, covering her mouth.
Mirabel nodded then grabbed you by the shoulders, shaking you and whispering, “I can’t believe you like Camilo! Are you gonna ask him to the feria? Did he say anything??”
“Alright cálmate,” You took her hands in yours, “No I haven’t talked to him. I’ve tried, I really have but I can barely form words around him. Plus it’s been years since we last hung out…”
You had grown up with the Madrigals, your parents were family friends with them so you would always see each other. You first got along with Mirabel and Camilo since you were all closer in age but eventually warmed up to the rest then Antonio when he was born. The three of you formed your own little trio, playing pranks, stealing food from the kitchen, telling ghost stories under the covers when you had sleepovers.
You watched Camilo get his gift, exploring the various forms he took and clapping for him. You were happy for him but everything changed after that. Abuela and the town had found uses for his talent, keeping him busy causing them to drift apart.
"Oh yeah... that," Mirabel sighed then squeezed your hands, "Well you never know until you try."
You nodded, giving her a small smile, "I guess so. Just don't tell anyone, ok?"
The door squeaked as it slowly opened, Dolores at the other side of the hall in front of her door, standing there carrying a load of laundry, her eyes widened.
“I know.”
“Ay Santa Maria,” Mirabel stared at her across the hall, watching you stand up, “Y/N?”
“Get her.”
----------
“Shh...” Camilo rocked a baby in his arms back and forth, taking the form of the child’s mother while she ran some errands.
Sitting outside on the front bench, he took in the nice breeze and the intoxicating smell of flowers, greeting people that passed by. His thoughts were all over the place since earlier, wondering how he was gonna talk to Y/N.
“What do you think?” He glanced down at the baby that reached its arms out and giggled, “I guess that's a start”
“Camilo!” The infant’s mother called out, approaching him, her arms full of groceries, “Thank you so much.”
“Hi Mrs. Santos, yeah don’t sweat it,” Camilo changed back into himself, “Here let me help with those.”
“Oh, you really don’t have to,” Mrs. Santos took back her baby in one arm, Camilo carrying the groceries and placing them inside, “Thanks again. I would’ve been all over the place.”
“Don’t worry about it, that’s what I’m here for,” He smiled, perking up when he heard something coming from outside, “I should get going, adios!”
“DOLORES! GET BACK HERE!”
After chasing Dolores around the whole house, she escaped through the front door and ran into town. You and Mirabel rushed after her, knowing she was most likely going to tell someone, that someone definitely being Camilo.
“DOLORES NI SIQUIERA LO PIENSAS!”
“I’m sorry I have to!” Dolores shouted.
“No, you don’t!” You yelled back.
Racing into town, you briefly voiced your apologies whenever you pushed past people. It was hard keeping an eye on Dolores and barely dodging flower arrangements, but you finally had a clear view and sprinted towards her.
"Camilo!" She called his name, you saw him standing there, confused at the sight of you and his cousin chasing after his sister.
Tripping over yourself, you held out your hands to stop yourself from face planting, scraping your palms and knees. You felt the tears in your eyes, knowing the inevitable was gonna happen. You weren't gonna hold this against Dolores, you knew she was a chismosa and couldn't help yourself but just this once you hoped she wouldn't spill.
"Dolores, what's going on?" Camilo asked, confused when she got to him, somehow still full of energy.
"I- well... you see," Dolores' lips quivered, looking between him then you, "Y/N li-"
Vines wrapped around her mouth before she finished the sentence, Isabela strolled over, "Dolores, there you are! Abuela needs help with something."
You peered up at them, deciphering whether or not Isabela had just looked in your direction, nodded and given you a genuine smile. Mirabel helped you up, examining the bruises, taking out a handkerchief and cleaning the blood. Isabela tried to drag her prima away, wrapping more vines around her to move her when Dolores managed to yank a vine off her mouth.
"Y/N LIKES CAMILO!!!"
You felt your heart drop to your stomach, a heavy pit and your chest beat rapidly as everything closed in, your hands shaking while time felt like it slowed down. Townspeople who were in the square had wandered over to see what the fuss was about, having heard her, their expressions all towards you.
Camilo’s jaw slightly dropped open, his emotions changing from shock to confusion, realization, settling on hope as he stared at you. You forced yourself to look at him, wringing your hands, a tear sliding down your cheek. He took a step forward but you stepped back, away from Mirabel, away from everyone.
Away from him.
You turned on your heel, running as fast as you could. Past your house, past the Madrigal home, away from the town you knew like the back of your hand. More tears fell from your eyes, you didn’t know where you were going but anywhere was better than having to face a loss.
“Y/N, wait!” You heard a voice far behind you, ignoring it and kept going.
You stopped at a river, collapsing onto the ground, letting the tears flow, letting out the sobs you had been holding back. Hugging your knees, you curled yourself into a ball as much as possible, thinking maybe you’d be protected or even hidden.
You blocked out the noise of the bushes rustling in the distance, the footsteps that walked towards you. By your side, Camilo debated whether or not to reach out and console you but instead sat in silence, letting you ride it out. He observed the river’s path, the water falling from the waterfall and a peaceful aura surrounding the area.
“Y/N?” He whispered when he heard your sobs start to die down, placing his hand on your shoulder, “It’s ok, deep breath in… deep breath out…”
You didn’t flinch or move away when he touched you, you felt relief that he was there. It felt like a weight had been lifted but there was still a dark cloud looming over you. It was all out there now and there was nothing you could do.
Doing as he instructed, you took deep breaths, your throat still hurt from crying but that was the least of your worries right now. You had to confront him about it, you knew he was already going to bring it up anyway. Might as well get it over with and move on.
Taking one last breath, you lifted your head, sniffing and wiping your tears. Pausing for a moment to think, you bite your lip, the inner voice inside you screaming at you to ‘just do it!’ Finally opening your mouth to say something, you stopped when you felt arms wrapping around you tightly, his body colliding with yours as he held onto you.
“Camilo I…” You croaked, giving up and hugging him back, burying your head in his shoulder as he stroked your hair.
“It’s ok. It’s ok, I’m here…” Camilo muttered into your ear, comforting you, “Don’t go… not again.”
You reached your hand up, running your fingers through his curls. You realized he was trembling, holding onto you as tightly as you were clinging to him. You both stayed there embracing each other for what seemed like a lifetime, the clouds disappearing from the sky, making way for the sun shining down from its highest peak.
“I won’t. I promise.” Slowly pulling away, you moved a loose strand from his face, “I’m guessing there’s no escaping what Dolores said?”
“Not really, I mean she spoke louder than she usually does,” Camilo wiped a tear from your cheek with his thumb, “So… do you?”
“Do I what?”
“You know what I mean,” He lifted your chin, “Do you like me?”
“Yes. Yes I do,” You replied straightforwardly, “I get it if you don’t feel the same, I mean you’re part of an awesome family, you have a gift and I couldn’t compare to that I-”
Cupping your face in his hands, he brought it closer, touching your forehead to his. He let out a shaky laugh, tears visible in his eyes this time, leaning back slightly to look at you.
“I knew it,” He chuckled, his eyes gleaming with sincerity, “Y/N, of course I feel the same. I have for quién sabe cuánto tiempo. I don’t care if you have a gift or not, you’ve always been special in your own way.”
You sniffled, melting at the way he looked at you, “I just thought after barely seeing you when you got yours… I don’t know I thought I lost my friend.”
Camilo sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, “I know. Abuela always has ideas for us once we get our gifts but I never wanted to hurt you… and you haven’t lost me, ok?.”
Moving closer, you got cozy, your head against his shoulder as he rested his on top of yours. Your fingers intertwined together, comfortable with each other’s presence, admiring the clear blue sky and the shimmering water. You could hear the faint sound of music, mostly muffled by the trees, the bands gathering to play at the feria.
“So, you really like me huh?” Camilo smirked, glancing down at you.
“There it is.” You rolled your eyes, a smile playing on your lips, elbowing him.
“AH- what?” He laughed softly, “Speaking of, there’s actually something I wanted to ask you.”
“Yeah sure, que pasa?"
“Well I- hold on,” Camilo dug through his pockets, "Wait lo tengo! Come on why's it stuck?!"
You snorted, holding back a laugh and watching him be a goofball. It was nice interacting like this again, picking up where you two had left off and knowing you liked each other. Maybe there was a possibility of something more to blossom. You saw a piece of purple peek out of his pocket, assuming it was the object he was trying to show you.
"Hold still I got it."
"Wait Y/N-" He tried to snatch the paper back but you already unfolded it, reading the font printed.
'La Feria de las Flores. Agosto 12-22. Celebra la vida!'
You faced Camilo who this time was the one refraining from looking at you. You processed it for a moment when you registered what was happening, when Mirabel had told you to talk to and ask him. He was trying to ask you all day and you bolted like an idiot every time.
"I wanted to say something sooner, but I didn't know how and we were always cut short so..." Camilo scratched the back of his neck nervously, "Y/N, do you maybe wanna go to the feria with me?"
"Yes! Oh my god, yes! I've been trying to ask you the same thing!" You laughed, bringing him into a hug, "I'm so sorry I didn't realize, there was so much going on and I was kind of tongue tied I-"
Leaning in, Camilo planted a quick butterfly kiss on your lips to stop you from rambling. Bringing a hand up to your mouth, a blush rose on your faces, although it was just a peck, the tingling sensation still lingered.
"Y/N! There you are!" Mirabel shouted, riding behind Antonio on the back of his jaguar buddy, hanging on for dear life, "Woah!"
"Mirabel said she needed help looking for you, so Jaguar followed your scent." Antonio patted the animal's head.
"Are you ok? What happened? I was so worried!" Mirabel bombarded you with questions then pointed at her cousin, "You! Wait are you guys good? Bad? What's the terms here?"
"Mira, está bien, estamos bien," You stood up, rubbing her arm in reassurance, "We're great actually. I'll tell you all about it later."
"Oh? Did I interrupt anything?" Mirabel observed the pair, noticing Camilo lacing his fingers with yours, holding your hand, "Oh! Oh ok! Well then, I'll let you two have your moment. Come on Antonio!"
"Wait what's going on? I wanna know!" The little boy protested, climbing back onto the jaguar.
"I'll tell you when you're older."
Watching them leave, Camilo grinned and kissed your hand, gazing up at you teasingly, "We should probably get going, the feria's starting soon."
"Y-yeah, yeah we should." Your face was well near tomato red, your head spiraling and squealing at a frequency you were certain Dolores could hear.
"Shall we?"
Your face lit up, smiling from ear to ear, "We shall."
Camilo took in something he hadn't seen in a long time, and this was worth it. He never wanted to stop seeing it, along with the sounds of joy you made, it complemented you more than anything else.
That smile. That damn, illuminating, beautiful smile.