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If there was one thing Camilo prided himself on, it was his ability to make someone smile.
Of course, he loved to perform. There was little he loved in the world more than acting as dramatically as possible, especially for someone who usually was on the more somber side. The times he actually managed to make his abuela laugh were moments he held close to his heart.
Being the center of attention was something that Camilo loved, and his gift made it easy.
Even more than that, more than being the center of attention, the shapeshifter loved making people happy. He made it his personal mission to seek out the saddest members of the village each day to make sure they laughed, to give them even the smallest bit of joy in their day. Slowly, each and every day as Camilo got older, the village became a brighter and more joyful place to be, and Camilo couldn’t help but feel like maybe he had a bit to do with that.
Being good at comforting was a part of making people happy as well, and contrary to many people’s expectations, Camilo was very proud of his skills in doing so. Comedy and hijacks were far easier, of course! He was born to make people laugh. But to make people happy, as he was so determined to, he couldn’t rely solely on his impeccable comedy skills.
Comforting his mamá was nearly second nature now. Pressing a warm cup of tea into her hands and reminding her to breathe was easy, and every time she managed to calm down and thank him for helping he felt as if he could do anything, even if his prima Mirabel teased him for being a mamá’s boy.
All this to say, Camilo considered himself quite good at cheering people up and helping them feel better. But when he barged into his tío Bruno’s room to ask if he wanted to help him put on a play (it turned out that his uncle was as much of a theater lover as he was, though he preferred to stay out of the spotlight himself) and found him sobbing, he really didn’t feel like he knew what to do.
When he walked in it took him less than a second to spot his uncle, curled up in his new sitting area. But instead of sitting on the overstuffed chair or comfortable couch, he was sitting on the sandy ground in front of the couch. Camilo froze in his tracks, eyes widening as he watched his tío sob violently, not having noticed his sobrino’s entrance.
Camilo felt unable to move as his uncle reached up and tugged violently at his hair, biting his knuckle as if trying to silence his cries. He only managed to find the strength to move again when Bruno hit his head with his fist, his cry of pain somehow managing to sound sharp around his knuckle in his mouth.
“Tío!”
Rushing over to his uncle, Camilo nearly slipped on the sandy floor, barely managing to make it to Bruno’s side before falling to his knees next to him.
Bruno only seemed to realize his nephew was there when he was suddenly sitting next to him, as if he hadn’t heard his sobrino’s shout at all. His head shot up quickly, eyes widening even as tears continued to fall. His hand fell to his lap as he no longer bit down on his knuckle. The fist that had hit the side of his head quickly found its way into his hair, tugging slightly. “Ah, uh, Camilo, I-” another sob cut off whatever his uncle was trying to say.
Another cry of alarm quickly left Camilo, diving for his uncle's hand and gently detangling his fingers from his hair. “No no, none of that tío.”
His uncle's hand went slack, allowing Camilo to pull his hand away from his head. Taking the other one as well, Camilo gently held onto both of his uncle's hands.
A soft whine came from Bruno, and Camilo quickly snapped his head up from looking down at their hands. His uncle was staring wide eyed at his nephew, more tears forming in his eyes.
“What’s wrong, tío Bruno?”
His uncle just shook his head, the sudden movement making the tears fall. Camilo sighed, Bruno flinching at the sound.
“It’s okay, I just want to help. You aren’t alone anymore, we can help you now.”
“... but you shouldn’t have to.” His tío’s voice was barely above a whisper, his eyes downcast.
Camilo’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean? You’re our family, family helps each other. Why wouldn’t we help you?”
Bruno tried to wave his arms around, opening his mouth to begin talking, but after a moment seemed to realize that Camilo was still holding his hands and let them drop again. His face scrunched up in frustration, beginning to rock back and forth. The gesture made Camilo frown slightly, reminding him of his mamá when she would grow upset and begin thundering. The shapeshifter was too scared to let go of his uncle’s hands, afraid that if he did so he would use the opportunity to hit himself again. Instead, he began to mimic the rocking in an attempt to show his tío it was okay to do, the way he would for his mom when she seemed too reluctant to do so alone. The small smile that broke through his uncle’s teary expression made him feel encouraged he was doing the right thing.
The two sat there in the quiet for a few minutes, rocking back and forth quietly. Camilo kept his rocking in time with Bruno’s, making sure to keep their hands together.
Camilo waited until the rocking slowed and his uncle seemed calmer to ask again. “What did you mean, tío Bruno?”
Shaking his head, Bruno’s face once again screwed up in frustration. This time however he seemed at least a bit less upset by the question, and more thoughtful. Eventually, he sighed and slowly spoke. “I’ve made the family feel enough grief and sadness, why should I make everyone more upset?”
“Because that’s not how it works.”
His tío’s head shot up to look him in the eyes, but the shapeshifter kept his eyes down on their interlocked hands, focusing on finding the right words to help his uncle. “Yeah, you made the familia really sad when you left, especially mamá, tía, and abuela. I don’t remember much from right when you left, but I remember everyone being scared and worried about you. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t come to us for help.”
“But I… I just don’t want to make anyone sad again.”
Looking up, Camilo smiled again at Bruno. “But it would make everyone sadder to find out that you were in pain and didn’t tell anyone. Knowing that you trust us to help you and want to feel better wouldn’t make us sad, it would make us happy for you.” He cocked his head to the side slightly before his smile grew more playful. “Plus, in a family like this, there’s really no point to keeping a secret. My sister can literally hear everything in almost every part of town. My brother talks to the rats.”
Bruno chuckled quietly. “You have a point there.” His uncle thought for a moment with a small thoughtful frown. “How about this. I’ll have a small chat with your tía in the morning and we’ll see how that goes, alright?”
“Yes!” Camilo bounced where he sat, grinning joyfully. His tío quietly laughed again, expression the happiest Camilo had seen in days.
And, well, if his uncle did decide to try and keep his feelings down, Camilo really hadn’t been joking about the futility of trying to keep a secret in their household. He was sure it would come out one way or another, and the family had become very skilled at forcing each other to accept help.
No matter what happened, his tío Bruno wouldn’t feel alone anymore. Not if the family had anything to say about it.