the way i loved you 𓍯 ˚. (CAMILO MADRIGAL x Y/N)

𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗺

"what did he mean by you being scared?"

the boy stopped his tracks, he'd rather stay in this creepy dark eerie hallway then face whats about to come, he was terrified.

antonio inhaled a sharp breathe "i'm scared that-" the boy choked on his words bashfully trying to hide his face. y/n pat him on the back, no child should ever have to feel overwhelmed and in over their head. "hey hey it's okay, your secret's safe with me, and to be fair we're both keeping a quite big one." she jested.

to her avail, the little boy smiled through his tears. wiping his face, he continued "i'm scared that my family will treat me as an outcast if i don't get my powers, or if i receive a bad one."

"my cousin, got treated differently when she didn't receive a gift and tio bruno... well... i don't want to live in the walls." antonio timidly trailed off in a hushed voice, making sure bruno doesn't hear that tiny little comment in the end. y/n felt her heartstrings being tugged on. no boy, especially one his age should ever have the fear of being shun out by his family.

she carefully chose her words before she spoke. "hey...your family will always love you, okay? whether you get a gift or not, they won't treat you differently, but you don't have to worry about that, things will go well, i promise."

is that a promise i could keep? she hoped it was.
to fill y/n with more guilt with the assurance of cruel hope, the boy's posture improved and he flashed her a quick smile.

oh boy, that candle better not be a bitch.

"thank you y/n, i think i'm ready to go now."
y/n patted him once more on the back, getting rid of the last few tears that resided on his face. "that's great to hear kid."

he was ready to go, he'd climb out of the wall fearless. she approached the exit, the disguised painting. she carefully peeked outside the frame, cautious to not even make a squeak, she watched intently to see if the coast was clear.

"i know you pushed my brother in the fountain," tonito said. "but you're not as mean as he said you were." she scoffed at the mention of that wretched boy. what exactly did he say about me? "trust me, whatever he told you. not true."

"coast is clear." she pushed the painting, the little sunlight from outside seeping in, she made it big enough for make antonio jump down safely,she soon followed and mindfully placed the frame back on its exact spot. "come on lets bring you to mirabel." and he took y/n's hand.

"oh my gosh tonito there you are!" pepa shrieked, a rainbow forming above her head, around her was her side of the family all dressed in yellow.

they all looked equally distressed as a few seconds ago, they were all in a desperate state begging for pepa to calm down, but their misery vanishingly went missing at the sight of their tonito.

"where did you find him?" pepa questioned mirabel who y/n was able to find first, before she led her and antonio to the secluded room.

"actually it was y/n who found him." mirabel confirmed, pointing at the girl who kept herself hushed by the corner. "oh really? you mean y/n that pushed my other son in the fountain y/n?" pepa mumbled, a small storm cloud appeared above her head.

y/n took a large gulp, intimidated by the hint of storm clouds that reckoned with the rays of the rainbow, a hauntingly beautiful sight. and though she was trying to avoid contact, she can can hear camilo, who was in the room the whole time, chuckling.

"well since you found my son, i'll no longer hold that against you." pepa warmly smiled at the girl, which made camilo's face dropped. he frowned in dissatisfaction with how fast the ice thawed.  now it was y/n who had the last laugh.

"where did you find him?" felix chipped in, patting down the wrinkles and dust  on antonio's  pants.

"on the roof." "behind a plant." y/n  and antonio said in unison. shit.

the family looked at them with obvious confusion. she laughed it off. "aha, we mean that uh, i saw him hiding in the roof, cowering behind a large bush.. plant." she stuttered the first words that popped into her head.

luckily pepa looked convinced. "very well then, tonito, never run from mama like that again, we were worried sick." she took the boy in her arms and planted two kisses on his head.

"abuela says, it's time." a meek girl, who y/n figured was dolores mentioned while cupping her ear. y/n was  barely aware of her presence because of how silent she was during the whole entirety of the conversation.

y/n walked out of the curtain and joined the rest of the crowd. the rest of the family, excluding antonio and mirabel, soon followed after.

she avoided the endearing presence of the family who passed her by.  unfortunately camilo settled right beside her, huddled with the rest of his family, dolores was right behind him, and always best dressed in pink girl was on his other side.

y/n wanted to move away, but the crowded room made it hard for her to even twitch a muscle. pepa and felix headed right up the stairs to join abuela and andrea.

andrea was highly respected in the community, to everyone, she was just as important as the madrigals...just without the powers.  she stood side by side with alma, both taking turns in telling the story of the birth of encanto.

the crowd was so large, leaving not nearly enough room for personal space, y/n then felt camilo's hand brush swiftly against hers.

the contact sent shivers down her spine and she jolted a bit, immediately folding her arms and stepping away from him, cautiously not to bump anyone.

y/n's cousins made their way through the crowd and joined her, "y/n you're here! we thought you snuck out or something. " ivan whispered, but it was loud enough for camilo (and obviously dolores) to hear given how close y/n was to them.

"mama threatened to cook you up alive if you did run off." rosa chirped. "what? but i got here before you did." y/n looked puzzled.

"really? we haven't seen you around, and why's your dress so dusty?" ivan quizzed, "i was-"

just as y/n thought of him, the large potted on the second floor shook aggressively, the plant that was right by the painting. two eyes peeled out from the darkness of the dim lit hallway. in between two of the large leaves of the plant. it was bruno. he'd never miss his nephew's ceremony, even if it was from afar. even if nobody else knew he was there.

"busy. i was busy." y/n waited until ivan was no longer focused on her, and handed a small discrete nod at the "plant." bruno grabbed a hold of one of the leaves, acting it out as a limb, and made it wave back.

"we swear to always help those around us, and earn the miracle that somehow found us." alma's voice spoke in a monotone, yet it captivated the attention of everyone.

two spotlights focused on the young boy she just had a heartfelt talk with, stealing away everyone's attention.  the lights everywhere dimmed expect the one that shone on them

he reached out his hand on the side, urging mirabel to walk with him, even though y/n eased his mind, it couldn't get rid of his cold feet. mirabel nervously she accepted. they walked hand in hand, up the stairs. y/n stood there, hoping, praying, wishing on every star that it would work when antonio laid his hands on the door knob.

birds. parrots. pigeons, you name it, started flying from all directions, clouding the moonlight that shone throughout the house, swarms of raccoons took up every living space below everyone's feet. "we have a new gift!" abuela rejoiced.

everyone cheered, the children jumped as if reaching for the clouds. camilo whistled in triumph, and y/n's shoulders untensed, releasing the biggest sigh of relief she ever had.
"everyone come inside!" antonio called out, leading the crowd and menagerie of critters into his jungle room.