Beautiful Bruises ~ Camilo Madrigal x Reader

The Years You Lost

"You ready for the party?"

You spun around, heart racing.

How did I not remember it was his birthday? The answer came quickly. I never knew when it was in the first place.

"Yeah, I..." You trailed off, stunned by his appearance.

He must have just showered - you could smell his foresty shampoo from where he stood only a few feet away, a new yellow rauna draped over his shoulders. He must have wrestled with one of his friends earlier - he had scrapes on his face and hands that Julieta's magical bread hadn't healed yet. You were suddenly shocked by how grown-up he looked; this wasn't the thief you had met two years ago. His lankiness was still visible, but he had muscles and a taller frame. He walked proudly and stood up straight.

He was quickly becoming a man, and you felt left behind, deprived of a year of your life.

"Cariño? You there? I mean, I know you like the view, but..." He laughed at the appalled expression on your face.

"Go on, Antonio," you said quickly, shooing him off. "Thank you for Tara - I love her!"

"I'll take her to the nursery," he called behind him with a sweet smile, calling her. She followed with one final glance at you.

"Aww, come on. You know he's going to be 8 soon - it's not like he doesn't know we're dating," Camilo groaned, sweeping you into his arms. He wrapped them around your waist, lowering his head so that you booped noses. You fought a giggle, instead pulling away and crossing your arms across your chest.

"Still. I want to preserve some of his innocence. Clearly the same wasn't done for you."

Camilo chuckled, walking in front of you and placing both hands on the side of your face. Unable to hold it back anymore, you smiled, and he pecked you on the lips.

"Clearly. And hey, it's my birthday. You pretty much have to be nice to me, all right? I didn't even get a present from you," he said, sitting in the middle of the yard and pretending to pout.

Laughing, you sat next to him, intertwining your fingers with his. 

"How about this is my gift?" You pushed him back into the grass, pressing your lips to his and sliding your free hand under his head. His hand slid under your shirt on accident, pressing against your bare back and making you shiver. When he didn't pull away, you smiled and leaned in.

"Aah!" you and Camilo both shouted as you were vaulted into the air. A large palm tree rested underneath you, and you struggled to stand on the leaf you were currently sitting on.

"Good, you finally stopped," Isabela called from her own respective tree, pulling Jude toward her with a vine. He smiled, wrapping his arm around her waist and waving at you.

Sorry, he mouthed as you dropped back to the ground, Camilo holding you to his chest and taking the brunt as he landed on his back.

He groaned as you scrambled off of him, apologizing quickly.

"Yeah, you're fine," he said, sitting up slowly and rubbing the back of his head. "I'm gonna kill Isabela, though. That's going to give me a killer headache." Suddenly, he grinned. "Hey, it was me saving you for once."

Blushing, you quickly pointed to a tear in his brand-new rauna.

"What are you gonna do?"

He shrugged, nonchalant.

"What? It's just a little rip."

You sighed, shaking your head as he pulled you to your feet.

"I have to go get dressed. The party's in your room, right?" you asked, trying not to let nerves creep into your voice.

"No, actually. We couldn't move all the villager replicas, so we decided to have it in Antonio's room - we didn't want to creep anyone out - like last time. That may have been a disaster, but we're hoping it'll be better tonight," he said with a laugh. "Abuela invited all the villagers - I'm not sure why. I think she's using it as an excuse to get the whole village together, now that the whole fiasco is over and everyone's safe."

You nodded, dusting off your skirt.

"Got it. See you in a few hours?"

He smiled.

"Of course, Amor."