Beautiful Bruises ~ Camilo Madrigal x Reader

Don't Spill

"Give that crazy lady the candle."

You stared down at him, your heart slowing and pumping loudly in your ears. You pulled him aside on the stairs, crouching so you were his height.

"How do you know?" you whispered, your eyes wide.

"Jolly told me," he explained, holding up a small, damp rat. "She was in the sewers when that person grabbed you."

You looked around, heart breaking. How were you supposed to stop him from telling everyone?

"Listen, buddy," you whispered. "You can't tell anyone about this. Not your big sister, not your parents, not Camilo. Especially not Camilo. If you do, he'll be in big trouble. All right?"

He tilted his head, his curls falling to one side.

"What about you?"

"I've got it all worked out," you promised, standing up and taking his hand. "I promise, I'll make everything right, and-"

"No, I mean will you be ok?"

You jerked to a stop, surprised by his question. You glanced down to see his innocent brown eyes staring up at yours with worry. Your heart filled with love for the adorable Madrigal child beside you.

"I'll be fine," you said softly, squeezing his hand. "I'll be just fine." You hoped it wasn't a lie.

"Dinner's almost ready," Julieta said when you arrived. You smiled tensely and nodded, gently nudging Camilo towards the dining table. He ran off to talk to Delores, who, luckily for you, had her earplugs in.

"(Y/N)!" Jude cried, running over and wrapping you up in a bear hug. You felt a lump appear in your throat when you remembered how you would have to go behind everyone's back to save them - including Jude.

"Miss me?" you teased forcefully, trying to act normal. He laughed easily, and you reminded yourself that this was why you weren't involving him. He was happy, and you couldn't risk him losing that.

"Of course I did. I heard you went to Lucía's for the night - did you have fun?"

You nodded, patting his arm and walking off to your seat at the table. Your tears threatened to spill over, but you tilted your head at the ceiling to fend them off.

"Camilo, you're here." At the sound of Abuela's voice, your head snapped up. Your eyes locked across the table, and she frowned, her eyes softening apologetically. You smiled just barely to show you weren't angry - not that much, at least.

Camilo walked in, his eyes finding you immediately. He frowned, approaching you quickly, and you sat down as he did the same at your side.

"Hey, Cariño," he mumbled, leaning in to kiss your cheek. Your mouth felt heavy with unspoken words, and you clenched your teeth to keep them from spilling. "Sorry. What's wrong?"

"Don't apologize," you said quickly. "I'm just... tired. And still a little weirded out by everything that's going on."

He nodded, his eyes tracing your face sadly. You refused to look at him, the guilt of keeping such a large secret unbearable.

Supper wasn't terrible. You found it easy to talk to Mirabel, who sat on your other side, and managed to avoid Camilo. The second you met his gaze, you would shatter. You would tell him everything, and the tears you were doing so well to hold back would overflow. You had to stay away from him until this whole thing blew over.

After dinner, you placed your plate on the counter for Casita to clean and turned to Mirabel.

"Hey, can I sleep in the nursery tonight?" you asked quietly. "There's a spare bed in there, right?"

"Feel free," she said slowly, squinting at you. "Everything fine between you and my primo?"

You nodded quickly.

"I just... need some space from everybody right now."

She nodded, not prying anymore, and went to set up your bed. You followed, but when you made it to the top of the stairs, you felt somebody grab your arm.

"(Y/N)." It was Camilo. "Why won't you talk to me? What's going on?"

You turned towards him shamefully, refusing to meet his eye. You shrugged weakly.

"(Y/N)... if I did something wrong, just tell me." His voice shook, betraying how upset he was, and you felt like crying. "Or if it's... something else, like... if I don't make you happy anymore, I just want to know! I've done everything I can, and I just want you back." His hands slid behind your head, gripping the back of your neck in an attempt to make you look up at him. "I just want to make you smile again."

Your soul shattered at his words, and you looked up into his flooded forest eyes. They were red; he had been crying, and you hadn't noticed - hadn't even asked him if he was ok.

"Camilo," you whispered, before looping your arms around his neck and bringing your face to his.