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It was Saturday night, which meant only one thing in the Encanto: with the Sundays that followed being taken for rest, Saturday nights in the magical town were ones of celebration; when townsfolk, young and old alike, danced together in the shared atmosphere of happiness and community.
Of course, though, when there was a party, there must be music as well, and more often than not was Agustín - the best pianist in the Encanto - in the lineup. Despite the fact that he, more often than not, had his fingers slammed between the keys of the piano and the piano lid at least once a performance, no one doubted the young man’s ability to bring the town to life with the notes he played, especially when accompanied by the melodious voice of his friend, Clara. The duo were recognized for their talent in the town, and rightfully so.
Having to prepare for his performance in advance, the accident-prone youngster in question was already on the main street where the party was typically held, but he was pulled from his thoughts upon seeing the mother of his musical partner raising her arms to get his attention and, to his surprise, the absence of said partner he noticed right after.
“Excuse me, Agustín,” She began once the young man approached her. “But Clarita came down with something, and she, rather unfortunately, won't be able to come tonight.” She informed him.
Agustín smiled and shook his head. “It’s fine, I’ll manage somehow. Please, tell her not to worry about it, and that I wish for her to get well,” He said. The last thing he wanted was for his friend to feel guilty about not attending. “And, if I don’t finish too late tonight, I’ll pay her a visit.”
Clara’s mother seemed pleased at this, and after a warm thank you and wish of luck for his performance, the two parted ways, and Agustín made his way up to the stage where the piano was placed by the coordinators, and took a seat on the bench. While he mulled over the possibility of playing some warm-up tunes, he was pulled from his thoughts once again when he felt the warm caress of a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t need to guess who it was, either; his heart practically leapt out of his chest once her soft voice met his ears, and it was impossible for him to not recognize the voice of the one he’d been secretly in love with for so long.
"Hola, Julieta," He happily greeted, turning to see her. One of the biggest reasons why he made sure he was available every Saturday night for the weekly parties was because he knew that the Madrigals, the guardians of the Encanto, would never miss the gatherings. He was friends with the triplets, of course, but he was particularly close with one of them - the one standing right in front of him. Their friendship had started when they were much younger, formed mostly from the fact that Julieta was the one to heal any injury Agustín sustained thanks to his infamously clumsy nature.
“Hey,” Julieta said, glancing around. “Where’s Clara? I’m surprised she hasn’t arrived yet.”
"She was feeling a little under the weather, so she couldn't come,” Agustín said, not minding how strange the fact that he was still smiling might’ve seemed as he delivered the bad news. It was an effect she had on him; one of the things he always loved about the eldest triplet was the fact that she cared for everyone, regardless of who they were or if she knew them well or not.
“Oh no, Really? Maybe I'll see if I can soothe her with one of my meals.”
"I was actually going to go after I finish playing, later. We can go together, if you want?” He proposed the hope evident in his voice.
Julieta smiled and nodded in agreement with his offer. "Have you found someone to replace her tonight?”
Agustín sighed and shook his head. “The schedule is so tight I doubt I’ll find someone in time. I’ll just have to practice as much as I can so I can live up to the expectations of what a soloist should be.” says, a little nervous.
Julieta seemed to ponder this for a moment, before a shy smile appeared on her face. "If you want... I could sing with you," She offered, not entirely sure what she was saying as she fiddled with her fingers. "While I don't sing particularly well, I’d love to be able to help.”
“O-Of course, that would be great!” Agustín beamed at her offer. “You already know what songs I play, so that's no problem, and… well, you have a lovely voice, so I don’t doubt that you’d do great up here.” He said, so overcome with euphoria that he didn’t realize until after he’d spoken that he’d given her such a compliment. He could feel his face flush, warm with blush.
"I'm glad to know that you like my voice," She commented with a smile, a blush similar to his own creeping up on her face. "I just hope everyone else does, too." She added, turning to see how the villagers began to crowd around the stage.
After a moment, she turned back to him briefly. "I need to talk to my brothers about something, but I'll be back in a minute." The Madrigal excused herself, hurrying off the stage towards Pepa and Bruno with a smile on her face.
- •••
After a few minutes, the main street began to flood with a rush of people; the type of hustle and bustle that was contagious enough that it drew you in and made you want to join, dancing until sunrise when your body couldn’t take it anymore.
Julieta, though, was growing restless instead of excited. "I'm starting to regret this," She said, her eyes finding Agustín’s. She noticed that her presence on stage garnered curious glances and whispers from the crowd, obviously wondering why she was up there.
“Don't worry, Juli. I know you'll do great,” He replied, his tone as gentle and warm as the smile on his face was. He placed a hand on his partner’s shoulder as they turned to face each other, and their eyes met in the manner that drove them both crazy and allowed them to drown out the noise of the crowd in the presence of the other. Finally, she managed to smile - the same smile that drove him crazy.
"Thank you, Agus." The angst in Julieta’s voice subsided ever so slightly, her eyes communicating a sense of gratefulness. While the oldest Madrigal daughter was always the one who cared for others - the one who treated their wounds with her food and brought some of the most injured of the town back to health - who else could provide her with the same strength and aid she gave to others, if not Agustín? He gave her a space of comfort; one where she didn’t have to live up to the ideal that was "Señorita perfecta Julieta", and could instead just be herself.
"Let the show begin," Encouraged the young man with a smile and nod, sitting on the bench and snapping his fingers before lifting the lid of the instrument. Julieta busied herself with imitating the pose Agustín’s typical accompaniment would relax into: sitting atop the piano.
Although it was more along the lines of background music than a concert, once the sound of the piano began to fill the air, the partygoers below turned to watch the duo.
Agustín decided to start the night off with a quiet and moderate, albeit happy song; he wanted it to serve as both a means for those who wanted to dance already to have an opportunity to do so, as well as give those who still had drinks in their hands the time to relax and speak with friends.
The moment that she start to sing, Agustin felt as if everything around him and his partner froze in time as she began to sing. Seems like a miracle for him not stop playing the piano just for adore her and all the emotions that she makes him fell. Singing with Clara was always nice; but something about singing with Julieta felt much, much different. Her singing wasn’t necessarily better, nor was it worse, but something about the moment being shared with she made it feel extraordinarily special to him.
Her voice filled his ears, flooding his brain with such emotion that he was unable to stop watching her from the corner of his eye, feeling his face flush in response to seeing the stunning smile that was on her face as she sang. Even the simple gesture of how she moved her legs to the side of the piano made his heart thump.
Agustín didn’t even notice when the song ended, he had simply just stopped playing out of the muscle memory that was thanks to the countless times of playing the song in the past. He was far too wrapped up in his thoughts about his love for the healer to notice, and he watched as she turned to look at him, hearing the small nervous laugh that came out of her with her smile.
To him, no being more perfect than Julieta would ever exist.
"Eso, Julieta! You sing wonderfully!" Was heard from the crowd; everyone seemingly pleasantly surprised by how well the Madrigal woman could sing.
"It seems that they liked it," She said, turning her gaze to see her siblings, whose shouting was much louder than that of the crowd, overcome with intense pride for their sister.
“I loved it, Juli. You sing beautifully.” He flattered her unabashedly, though Julieta was much too dumbfounded from the praise of the crowd to be fully aware of how sincere his words were. It was something that Agustín was grateful for: he knew that if it hadn’t been for that, he wouldn't have been able to say it.
"T-thank you," She stuttered, a blush rising to her cheeks as her smile became much more bashful than it had been before. Agustin had absolutely no idea how much it meant to her to hear that, from him.
“Shall we continue…?” Asked the pianist, having come to his senses, trying to hide the embarrassment left over from what he had said.
"Gladly," Julieta said, her stage fright apparently swept away by being in the company of the boy with glasses. If she had one wish, it would’ve been to sing along with him until her vocal chords couldn’t take it anymore; after all, Agustin wasn't the only with butterflies in his stomach.
Having an affirmative answer, music began to float through the air once again. Agustín’s routine typically consisted of three or four songs of a more upbeat tempo to get the mood going, then that would be followed by songs on the more romantic and passionate end of the spectrum.
However, this time, he decided to ignore his usual routine.
To contribute to the mental image, here is a piano cover of the song played by Agustin
Upon hearing the very first chord, the public erupted into various shouts of excitement as they cheered for the chosen song: after all, with such beautiful lyrics and a very pleasant rhythm, Can't Take My Eyes Off You was a classic, and everyone loved to dance to it. That, and they loved the fact that it was, not to mention, the perfect song to invite your partner or love interest to dance to, as it provided the perfect opportunity for a romantic moment together.
However, Agustín much preferred to be the one playing it. He loved watching out of the corner of his eye as people enjoyed his music, observing how it moved them in a manner that they deemed good enough to dance to, the crowd blending into each other as the beat went on.
But today, however, his gaze didn’t fall on the dancing villagers, nor was it on the keys of his piano; instead, it remained on the person who accompanied him.
"You're just too good to be true," Julieta began to sing, her eyes shut as a smile spread across her face as she let herself be carried away by the music, her contentment from the moment and the dreaminess of singing the piece while accompanied by its player evident in her movements. The both of them flowed together in a perfect harmony as the song picked up, matching each other as if it was something they’d been doing for years. For Agustín, it was more than enough; the intimacy of singing his favorite song side by side with the girl of his dreams left him feeling that if he were to die at that moment, he would pass in blissful peace.
"Can’t take my eyes off you," The two sang in unison, the pianist’s voice low, yet still heard by his partner. The way their eyes met suddenly left them hypnotized, and the only thing that kept them singing and playing was their mutual desire to make the moment last for as long as possible.
The words and melody of the song were all that was needed for them to make their immense love for each other known, dedicating each and every verse and chord to each other as they let the music move them. Despite neither of them knowing if the other even reciprocated their feelings, the two of them were certain that the intimacy of the moment with each other would never be replicated with anyone else.
Both the pianist and singer became much more lively as the passion of the chorus flowed through them, the rhythm filling the air around them as the ballad played on and their movements were accompanied by the dancing couples from around town that surrounded them.
"I love you, baby," Agustín’s voice was soft during the second refrain, the gentleness of it leaving it only audible to Julieta, and he was more than okay with that. Julieta, the one who had healed each and every one of his wounds since he was a child and who made him smile simply by being present, was the only one who mattered to him at this very moment.
La Madrigal could do nothing to steady the pounding of her heart when the man’s singing reached her ears. She knew that she was the only one listening, the only one who could hear the tenderness in his voice, and it made her oh so happy. The mere thought of those words being meant for her and only her, as well as the idea of all of the fantasies she’s had of being with the boy she had been so madly in love with for so long finally coming true, made her skin crawl with pleasure.
Julieta turned to meet the pianist, and upon seeing the smile that adorned his face along with the lyrics, she knew at that moment that no one was ever going to make her feel the way Agustín did.
And once the song ended, the two of them remained so blissfully wrapped up in their own world with each other that neither the applause and compliments lavished upon them by the crowd, nor the proud calls of Julieta’s siblings brought them out from it. They only needed each other's presence, and that was more than enough.
“ - You always play so wonderfully,” Julieta began, her voice quiet against the cheers of the crowd, not unaware of the blush that was spreading across her face. “But I truly felt all of the passion in your music this time. You are a magnificent musician, Agus.”
"It's because I played with you, Juli," Agustín said, standing from the bench. His grip was gentle as he took her hand in his and intertwined their fingers, the simple gesture taking Julieta by complete surprise. "For everything you make me feel, and because I'm in lo - ” His voice caught in his throat, and they both stared at each other, eager for the moment they had both so desperately longed for for so long to arrive.
“Otra! Otra! Otra!” The crowd cheered, wanting more of the duo that had rocked the night, and the two lovebirds regretfully had to part from each other as the interruption meant they’d have to continue their conversation another time. All they could do was savor the loving glances from each other, their stomachs fluttering with butterflies as they paid each other compliment after compliment with the plethora of songs they played together, the night becoming one no one, neither the couple nor the townsfolk, would forget any time soon.
- •••
After the hour passed, the duet was relieved from the spotlight by the next set of musicians, and their parting from the stage was met with the cheers and applause from the crowd, and they soon found refuge with each other backstage, finally alone with each other.
Julieta was ecstatic, to say the least. "I can't believe it - we did it!" Her voice was full of enthusiasm as she suddenly enveloped her musical partner in her arms, who in turn was left a frozen, blushing mess. “I always knew it wasn’t easy, but how do you get up on stage every week without any fear? I feel like it would always feel the same way my first did.”
“Knowing others enjoy my music helps,” Agustin answered after she let go. “It feels amazing when you know others appreciate something you worked hard on.”
Julieta nodded. She could understand the sentiment. “I see - I feel the same way when I see people enjoy my food, even beyond healing them.”
The two quickly fell into silence after that, despite the fact that they both had plenty to say. The problem wasn’t a lack of words, no - but rather the fact that neither of them dared to step up and resume their conversation from before.
That was, until Julieta broke the silence with a deep breath.
"About what you were saying before," She began, determined to finally confess her feelings for the boy who was known for his clumsiness. However, as soon as she spoke up, two all-too-familiar voices interrupted the conversation from afar. Never before had Julieta wished she could’ve been an only child as much as she did at that moment.
“ - Julieta, Agustín, that was amazing!” Pepa burst in, her good mood evident as the absolutely radiant smile on her face only grew once she finally saw her sister. And she wasn’t alone, Julieta noticed, as Bruno followed right in after.
“We’ve heard you sing while you cook, but that doesn’t even compare to today,” Bruno said, his voice full of fondness for his sister. “And you were great as always, too, Agustín.”
Agustín raised his hand in response to their praise, a smile on his face. “Thank you, guys. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“Well, there’s a boy who wants to dance with Pepa, and I gotta make sure he doesn’t dare do anything else,” Bruno, despite being the youngest of the triplets, always tended to be overprotective when it came to his sisters and their potential partners, and this time was no different. “We’ll leave you two to it, then.”
“- Bruno, Felix is a gentleman! As soon as you get to know him, you’re going to like him.”
“But if you just met him -”
" - I said that a boy wanted to dance with me, and mi novio falls into the category of a boy," Pepa hummed, cutting her brother off before she turned on her heel and rushed out of the room. She knew better than to wait around and give the prophet a chance to bombard her with questions.
“Novio?! Wait, Pepa, come back!” It was Bruno’s turn to rush out of the room, following their sister once again as he shouted for her, and neither Julieta or Agustín could help but laugh.
After taking a moment to wait out any potential interruptions, Agustín wasted no time in picking up where they’d left off.
"So, do you want to talk about earlier…?”
"I think… we should wait until tomorrow, when we’ll have a chance to talk without interruptions,” Julieta said, though her voice was warm as she thought back to her siblings' antics. “And I’d… much rather dance with you tonight, while we still have the time.”
Agustín beamed at her suggestion. "It would be an honor," he said, a shy smile on his face as he gently took the brunette’s hand in one of his, his other one coming to rest on her waist. Julieta’s free hand found a place to rest on his shoulder, and the two future lovers leaned into each other.
Away from everyone else, the two sweethearts remained tucked away from the noise and rush of the party as they swayed and danced in each other’s arms all night.
The more they danced, the more it became apparent that the talk they agreed could be saved for the following day wasn’t even necessary; the movement of their bodies together said more than their words ever could, and the slow dance professed their love for each other in ways that speaking never could. They spun around and gazed at each other, sighing and laughing throughout the night they knew they’d never forget.
- •••
Bonus:
As the party was nearing its end, the coordinator took the stage and called for everyone’s attention.
“As always, we want to thank the musicians who joined us tonight,” She began, addressing the large number of partygoers who stayed until the end. “We are glad that despite Clara not feeling well today, we were able to count on not only the talent of Agustín, but also the unexpected participation of Julieta Madrigal, and how she carried the party at the height of the night.”
From backstage, Julieta perked up at the announcement and pulled away from her dance partner. “We forgot about Clara!”
“Miercoles,” Agustín sighed, trying to ignore how disappointing it was to have cold air fill the space where his dance partner once stood. “It's late, we better hurry up,” He suggested, saddened by the fact that they’d forgotten their friend, but more so by the fact that his dance with Juli ended so abruptly.
After taking a moment to regain themselves, the two lovebirds set out for the singer's house - though this time, it was unlike any other walk they’ve taken together before. This time, rather than walk separately, they walked side by side; their bodies linked at the elbows, their arms practically attached to each other as they walked in sync, laughing as they nearly forgot their original plan after being so swept up in the romance of the moment.