Chapter Text
You dodged through the crowd, taking huge strides as you ran. “Excuse me, Sorry,” you spoke, passing the townspeople, “please, let me through!”
Making your way to the front, you stopped to look around the rubble of the once magical Madrigal house. While the devastation in front of you would normally be something you’d take in for a second, you were busy looking for something else. Well, more like someone.
“Mirabel,” you spoke in relief to yourself, and for a moment a little smile rose to your face as you practically bolted to the curly haired girl. Mirabel looked over the shoulder of her mother and mustered a small smile, as much as she could at the moment. You collided with your friend, your skirts moving around each other as you hugged your worry away. You two laughed for a moment letting yourselves relax.
The friendship between you and Mirabel started years ago, a little after Mirabel’s unfortunate gift ceremony. You’d become fast friends as Mirabel felt distanced from her family at her lack of a gift, and you were a friend, a normal friend who didn’t have a gift either. You grew up side by side always together, a little vacation from the pressures of your lives and families. In the past few weeks, Mirabel had seemed… distracted with something, but seeing the destruction to her beloved casita before you, it’s clear that she had been busy.
Pulling away you checked her face, “are you okay? I- I heard the people in town, and- and I didn’t know what happened I just heard “The Madrigal house is destroyed, or like broken”, or something!”
You smushed her face around looking for injuries that may have come from the incident, Mirabel let you, looking at you funnily as you went on, “and like, what was I gonna do huh? So I ran here, oh you’ve got some plaster here, but then you’re here and I just-” You paused your ramblings after realizing the whole Madrigal family was watching you examine your friend.
You pulled your hands away from Mirabel and brushed your skirt down, clearing your throat while Mirabel held back a laugh, “... hello… everyone.”
The family nodded at you, Dolores, Pepe and a couple other family members looked a little weirded out, but Luisa, Isabela, and Julieta smiled at you fondly and laughed a little at your realization.
You knew the family Madrigal, but you often stuck around Mirabel and her side of the family, never really getting past more of an awkward phase with the rest. Except Camilo. Well he was a little complicated, as you were still in an awkward phase with him, but his confidence often made you shy away and it’s kinda just been… weird around him. Speaking of Camilo Madrigal, he was one of the family members that found this little greeting funny, very funny in fact.
You blushed a little as the family continued to look around the rubble, just wondering what the next step is. After talking, they decided to rebuild and the best thing you’ve ever seen anyone in this town do for the family that gives everything for them, they offered to help. And, of course, so did you.
Mirabel smiled at you as you came up and grabbed some equipment to help around the broken house and spoke in a soft voice “...Thank you (Y/N).”
You smiled and winked at her before taking off to one side of the house.
–
The day was turning to night and you’ve managed to sweep and clean up, salvage what you could of the original house and overall, you think you did a good job for yourself. You looked around and spotted Mirabel talking to and thanking a lot of townspeople who were checking out for the night, but promising to come back tomorrow. You smiled and turned back to finish your job, opting to give maybe an hour more of work, it’s the least you could do.
You dragged your broom back and forth, clearing away more of your section of the rubble. Brushing away at one spot, you heard the distinct sound of wood, a difference from the recurring sound of stone being brushed around all day. A chunk of wood settled down around your feet and at a closer glance you could see distinct rivets in it.
“Oh?” you reached down and picked the chunk up, giving it a closer glance to determine if it’s trash.
Gliding a finger along the rivet you made out a familiar shape, “...looks like a nose…” an idea popped in your head, “oh! Oh oh! The doors!”
You smiled and reached back for the broom, sweeping away the plaster dust round the area, clearing up more wooden chunks.
Despite the fact that this is a depressing scene, you’d always been interested in the magic of the Madrigals and you knew that the doors were important so you may have gotten a slight itsy bitsy excited to try and piece together the pieces of wood.
“Sorry Madrigals, taking a quick break.”
You tossed the broom to the side, letting it make a little twunk and took a seat on the floor while you gathered the chunks of wood. You slid them around and brushed them all and began to examine them, like starting a puzzle… which is really what you’re doing anyway, unaware of the set of eyes on you.
Camilo was doing his part of the work, he really was, but how could he possibly concentrate with his greatest mystery lingering around his, now ruined, home. You see, Camilo knew you... without really knowing you. You were always so animated, so happy when you came around, no one guessed how you were feeling or what you wanted, it was practically written on your face or it was being said out loud, speaking your mind, no time for second guesses. But, only around Mirabel. Well, also Luisa and Isabela… even Julieta and Agustin. Sometimes he’s even seen you act like this around Abuela and his family! But never him, never Camilo.
Whenever Camilo says anything to you, it’s like you don’t even know who he is, that he’s a Madrigal! It’s just cheap polite smiles and small laughs at whatever he’s said, no reaction at least nothing genuine. Between you and me, there were even times where he shapeshifted into other family members just to get something out of you, even if it was a little bit of a wider smile, but he couldn’t speak, knowing you’d know something is up so the conversation was normally one sided greetings and nothing more. After a while, Camilo kinda gave up. Not entirely but instead of stampeding to you every time you’d step into the house Madrigal and trying to get you to befriend him, he started just watching from the sidelines, seeing how you were with Mirabel and Luisa and Isabela… and the rest of his family. Just not him.
But you see, that’s why Camilo hasn’t gotten most of his work done, he was busy… watching. He liked to see your facial expressions when you’d find something important or see that focused look when you’d get stuck cleaning a rough spot. And now it’s pretty late, almost time for him to call it quits when he heard a little thunk on the floor and shuffling. Turning around and there, sat on the floor in a pile that was your skirt, was his personal enigma.
Looking around for any witnesses, he went to sneakily shift into Mirabel, just to take a look at what you’re doing and what pulled so much of your attention that you’d stop cleaning. Taking a step and realizing that he hadn’t changed at all, he suddenly remembered he was standing in the rubble of his magical home before sighing and making his way over to you… as himself.
You lost yourself in this personal puzzle of yours, your tongue poking out of your lips as you focused, tracing your fingers through the patter of the door.
“Hmm,” you pieced together an eyebrow and eye, “Maybe Luisa?” you put another piece to the left, an ear and some wild hair, “well not Isabela.”
You were so lost in your puzzle and didn’t hear the soft footsteps approaching you, only celebrating a little when you were able to add a mouth.
“And then… um,” you rooted around more for some pieces, pulling some more from around you to finish the image, revealing… “Oh well look at that guy, he’s pret-ty handsome, I’d think.”
You jumped, knocking the pieces around a bit, and turned around quickly meeting the real face of the puzzle you’d just pieced together.
“Ah- Oh Camilo!” You looked up at the boy leaned over where you’d sat down before, gazing down at you with a cocky look. You stared up for a moment before scrambling to stand, grabbing the wooden puzzle as you went and holding it tight so it’d stay together being held.
“Hey! Uh, what’s up,” you smiled at him, making his little smirk falter a little as he realized you’d already reverted into “polite robot (Y/N)”.
You smiled a little awkwardly as a small silence formed over the both of you before Camilo interrupted, “I was just wondering what you’re doing over here… on the ground?”
You laughed a little and Camilo thought again that it’s the same old routine with you and him, “I was just cleaning and found some.. stuff, “ you held up the still together pieces of his door, “ah, this is the stuff… this… yeah.”
You pulled a small smile on your face and looked away from the boy and maybe looking for Mirabel to save you from this interaction.
“Well, looks like your stuff is my stuff,” Camilo pointed at his face in your hands and you nodded.
“Oh! I’m sorry, do you want to do this? I, I guess I just saw it and tried to help, uh, sorry, I probably should’ve just I dunno, found someone else, I’m sure the doors are important, I mean-,”
Camilo stared in awe, his eyes widened with every word you said. You were rambling, rambling to him! He dropped his cocky look, all her energy went to take in the moment, every expression and thought, everything you were saying to HIM.
“- sure that It’ll be fine… I can touch the doors… right?” You looked up from your hands to find Camilo staring at you, seeming like he wasn’t listening at all. You felt your heart drop a little, but you should’ve seen it coming, it was a common thread in your life, for people to just tune you out. You liked to talk, you didn’t feel bad about it, but it still hurt to know you were practically talking to yourself.
Putting up another polite smile you got his attention, “uh Camilo?”
The boy blinked at his name, straightening out his posture, “yeah, huh? What was it?”
You gave a little laugh, Camilo almost sighed when he’d realized you’re back to stranger talk, “I- Well, I… nevermind, um.”
You took a step backward and hopefully away from the conversation, “It’s getting pretty late, um, yeah I’ll grab my broo- wUH,” your step landed on the very thing you’d meant to grab and you tripped. Bracing for a fall, you’re not a stranger to bruises, often falling and bumping around in the town, you’re surprised when you’re caught by the wrist and pulled forward.
Wood clattered to the floor, pulling you to open your eyes… and looking into another set. You obviously weren’t expecting a rescue and you ragdolled into Camilo’s arms.
You quickly pulled away, laughing a little under your breath, but the red on your cheeks said enough. Camilo pulled a (Y/N) and laughed to himself too, brushing his hair back and clearing his throat, his cheeks a soft pink. Shuffling your feet you scooted a piece of wood around with your foot, drawing your attention to the puzzle that had you so enraptured only a few minutes before. The pieces were scattered again, however, you could still make out Camilo’s face in the wreckage.
You sucked a breath through your teeth, “I, uh…” an apology didn’t really come out before Camilo spoke himself.
“Well, I’ve definitely looked worse.”
You and him stood in silence for a second, the sound of the last volunteers and the family Madrigal chattering could be heard loud and clear, before you began to giggle. Then chortle and chuckle, before finally laughing, laughing for real. Camilo looked over at you, taking in the big smile and your scrunched up nose and shoulders. Your laugh was contagious, Camilo found himself unable to keep any cocky exterior and he laughed at the joke and scenario too. And he felt good. It felt like he put the puzzle together instead of you, like this is the way it was supposed to be, you and him laughing, talking, having fun and sharing each other.
You wiped some tears away from your eyes before looking back at him, “you know,” you smiled at him, “it’s good to know you’re still cracking jokes despite everything.”
Camilo shrugged, “maybe that’s my real gift, the gift of comedy,” he held his hands in the air and waved them like the words were appearing between them. You laughed again picking up his wooden face and the broom.
You handed the pieces to him and smiled at him, “well then it would make sense, ya know, considering your gift is… gone.”
You walked away giggling a bit, finally about to find Mirabel and head home for the day while Camilo watched you walk away trying to understand what you meant, “wha… whA hey! You laughed at that joke!”
With a little pep in his step, Camilo chased after you to catch up, happy to hear your laughs, full belly laughs, no holding back. He was happy that his mystery was becoming more clear, and maybe even a little closer to him.
---
Only a few days had passed, but with all the help they had, the House Madrigal was back, and really back! The house was back , the magic was back, even Bruno was back! But everything else was new, Luisa and Isabela were new, and so was Mirabel and Abuela. A good new, but there was another thing, another good new.
You strolled up to the house Madrigal, the casita greeted you with a simple wave of the shutters, which you gladly reciprocated, smiling before knocking on the door. After a few seconds you heard a couple voices arguing behind the door, before it swung open revealing… two Mirabels?
“Uuhh?” you looked between them until one sighed, rubbing between her glasses,
“Camilo, seriously?” The left Mirabel just laughed, before changing into the teenage boy who shrugged.
“It would’ve been funny if you’d actually have let me answer the door. Ya know, just saying!” Mirabel sighed again, not as annoyed as she put on but looked over at you, finding you laughing too.
“Don’t worry Mirabel,” you said as you strolled into the house, grabbing a smiling Mirabel by the arm and linking them together, “I think I’d be able to tell the difference between you,” you turned to look at Camilo, “and a rat.”
Camilo looked after you for a second before laughing and following behind the two girls, “hey! Rats are Bruno’s thing, not mine!”
You all laughed as you continued on your way through the house Madrigal, linking your arm through Camilo’s as well, surprising him as you took charge, smiling up at him with the smile that he’d been hoping would be directed at him for years. Heat rose to his cheeks, his heart felt a little funny, but he smiled back nonetheless, taking it as excitement. Finally, he was your friend, and he’d do anything to stay that way.
Or that’s what he thought.