Chapter Text
Pepa knew her son.
She knew his habits, his little unconscious tendencies he probably wasn't even aware of. She was his mother, after all.
So she could say with certainty his behavior recently was odd.
Just at breakfast that morning, he was offered seconds, and he didn't seem aware he was asked a question until Isabela flicked his forehead. The most shocking thing? He had waved off the offered food with a distracted "no thanks". Camilo had never refused seconds, normally resorting to thievery to obtain the forbidden food.
He was seemingly lost in thought a lot more often than not, shifting into people seemingly at random. Normally she would chalk it down to teenage boy things, but she wasn't the only one to notice his behavior. Dolores had been fixing her brother with questioning and interrogating glances at dinner recently, and there was going to be wind for quite a while until she got to the bottom of what was troubling her son.
Naturally, that meant enlisting her daughter.
Dolores was all too happy to help, for the chance to meddle with her little brother no doubt. She had been keeping an ear out for her brother's name or voice and hadn't received much besides the occasional family member greeting him or his usual chores around the village.
Until late afternoon, that is.
" Hola, Camilo," an unfamiliar voice sounded. It was a melodic voice, and Camilo responded in such an un-Camilo like way Dolores had to pause a moment.
" H-Hola, (Y/n)," he said.
"Would you mind running this to Mirabel? I've been meaning to return it to her," the girl said. Dolores was sure she heard her brother gulp.
"Yeah—I mean of course," he stuttered again.
"Thanks!"
That couldn't mean what she thought it meant, could it?
Pepa had other ideas when Dolores told her.
"Camilo has a crush!" She exclaimed, the sunlight seeping through the windowsill seemed to get brighter. "I wonder who it is?"
"She mentioned Mirabel, maybe she knows?" Dolores supplied.
As if summoned, Mirabel emerged through the doorway, what seemed to be clothes stacked in her arms. Besides her, a pretty girl in a dress with a blue top and yellow skirt laughed at something Mirabel said or did.
Dolores' eyes widened, tugging on her mother's sleeve.
That's her , she mouthed, making Pepa snap her attention to the girl.
"Ah, Tía Pepa," Mirabel said, peeking around her stack of fabric. "This is my friend, (Y/n)!"
The girl, (Y/n), stepped forward and gave a polite wave. "Hello, thank you for letting me into your home."
Dolores smiled at her, a bit more smugly than her usual expression. Pepa gave you an enthusiastic smile of her own.
"Of course, come any time," she said, grasping her hands in her own.
(Y/n) seemed a bit confused at the earnesty with that which they greeted her, but thankful and polite nonetheless.
Just as Pepa was plotting for how to get Camilo here, he walked in not unlike Mirabel's perfect timing earlier. Pepa watched him and—yes! He completely froze when he took in the sight of Pepa and (Y/n) standing close together, with Dolores and Mirabel.
(Y/n) smiled brightly at him, and Pepa noticed the faint coloring on her ears closely. " Hola, Camilo."
Camilo had such a soft yet nervous expression on his face, it made Pepa want to just squeeze him tight. He raised his own hand in a shy wave. " Hola, (Y/n)."
"Guy's I'm kinda struggling here," Mirabel said, making (Y/n) snap back into attention as she took some of her friend's burden.
The two made their way to the stairs, (Y/n) turning back before ascending. "Nice to meet you, Pepa, Dolores," she said. "And, see you later Camilo."
She turned away, leaving Camilo standing with a dopey grin on his face.
"She wants to see me later," he said, like he couldn't believe it.
Dolores face palmed, but Pepa just ruffled Camilo's hair, mouth pulled into a proud smile.