Shifting Allegiances (Camilo x OC)

~four~

Elian caught Verónica's eye on her way back to Antonio's room. "Talk to Mirabel, she's probably upset," they called over to her. Verónica nodded back, then gave her and Camilo's hands a sly look. Elian shot her a glare and rejoined the dances.

"You worried?" she said, moving her hands in time to the beat and Camilo's hands, occasionally joining for a spin or particular move.

"Mirabel isn't a liar. But maybe today upset her more than she was letting on."

"Maybe that's why she didn't join the family picture. Maybe you should worry about why none of you noticed, eh niño bonito?"

"You're right," he said with a slight frown.

"I usually am." Elian gracefully brought them back to their typical teasing.

"Oh! I never asked you what your name was," Camilo said sheepishly.

"I wondered when you'd get around to that. My name, regardless of my pronouns, is Elian."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Or whatever you are at any moment."

"You get it."

They enjoyed each other's presence for a little bit longer before Elian said, in the middle of being twirled in, "Unfortunately, mi Papa said I wasn't allowed to stay long." She let go of his hand and took a step back. "I'll see you around, hm Madrigal mágico?"

He grinned triumphantly. "If you're lucky."

They only smiled back at him. "You better hope I am," she murmured back, before turning dramatically, sending her dress rippling slightly behind her as she went out in search of Verónica.

She found her dancing next to Mirabel, trying to drive a conversation. Mirabel, to her credit, was trying to be upbeat but was clearly mentally occupied.

"Hey Verónica, I gotta head out. Early curfew, y'know? Mirabel, gracias por la fiesta, and congrats on Antonio's gift. Good luck with the cracks." She met the Madrigal girl's eyes and smiled.

"Gracias, Elian," Mirabel said with a small smile. She must have gotten their name from Verónica.

"Adios!" she said cheerfully and walked out. She had to inform Abuelo of the going-ons of la Familia de Madrigal. Should be fun.

On her way out she nodded deeply to Mirabel's Abuela. "Gracias, Señora Madrigal. Congratulations on Antonio's gift."

"Gracias, niña," the matron responded, and Elian was out. They breathed in the fresh air and set out for home.

When she got home, she announced it by opening the door. Her Abuelo sat in the kitchen, apparently waiting for her to come home.

"You're later than I expected, mija."

"Si, abuelo. The young Madrigal was nervous and delayed the ceremony." A lie, but how would he know? "He got the gift of communicating with animals."

"Hm. I a pleasant gift, I suppose."

"Si, Abuelo. And the oldest grandkid, the flower girl Isabela, seemed pretty into her boyfriend Mariano. That may become something soon."

"Hm. Unfortunate. More Madrigals."

"Si Abuelo. That's all, I'm going to bed."

"Si, si mija. Go to sleep. You have one day off before work again."

"Gracias, Abuelo. Buenas noches."

She walked to her room and flopped down onto her bed, exhausted.

The last image in her head was that of Camilo Madrigal.

After Elian left, Camilo mostly danced with his family, often shifting into them to mirror their movements exactly, to the delight of the partygoers. It was fun, but he couldn't get his mind off the beautiful girl he had been dancing with earlier.

They celebrated long into the night before shooing the civilians out of la casita. As the madrigals began to separate into their own rooms, Abuela called out to them, "Wonderful gift ceremony, everyone! Felicidades Antonio. Your gift will be very helpful for the family and community." Camilo smiled at his little brother, who was practically glowing.

"Go to bed, everyone, and sleep for tomorrow. We may have a proposal soon!" Abuela smiled kindly at Isabela, who smiled and ducked her head, small flowers appearing in her perfect hair. Camilo turned to go to his door when Abuela came up behind him.

"Camilo."

"Si, Abuela?"

"That girl you were dancing with was very pretty. You should invite her over for lunch someday."

"Maybe, Abuela. We'll see."

"No, no. You will. She'd be a good match for you. A beautiful girl for a beautiful boy." She bestowed a smile upon him. He gave her a half-smile back, watching her back as she left.

He opened his door and went into his room. After a few seconds there was a knock on the door, and Dolores walked in.

"She really is lovely, you know."

"Yeah, but you Abuela wouldn't exactly approve of her... gender stuff. And even if she didn't care, she wouldn't want me to date someone who was a boy sometimes."

Dolores sighed. "I know. But something may change, hermanito."

"Let's hope so.' He groaned, lying down on the bed. "She's so pretty, as a boy or a girl. And witty and funny and clever. But there's not much I can do about Abuela. I know Elian won't try to hide herself around us."

"Yeah, that sucks. At least the person you like isn't going to propose to your cousin soon."

"At least I have that going for me," Camilo responded, shooting her a wry grin. "I'm happy to just be friends for now though. She's not going to go away, we'll always be in Encanto. I can take my time to get to know her."

"I'm glad you can have a happy mindset about his, Camilo." Dolores stood up. "I'm going to bed, hermanito. Buenas noches."

"Buenas noches, Dolores." He stared up at his ceiling and hoped that Abuela wouldn't hate Elian when she really met them.

A/N

Okay, for clarification on Elian's gender fluidity: They pretty much always use they/them pronouns, be that he/they, she/they, they/them, or he/she/they. So they refer to themselves as a boy when they use he/they pronouns, and same with she/they and girl. This isn't me trying to erase demigenders by saying that they're "basically a girl" or "basically a boy." Realized it could be taken for that now. hope you all like the story so far!