Whilst we walked through the halls of la casa Madrigal, realisation dawned on me as I paled, stopping in my tracks. The same people my abuelo had to beg for my family had to stay in the Encanto were the same ones I was on my way to lunch with. I backtracked, palms starting to sweat and electricity beginning to crackle; I could be the sole reason my family was booted right out of the village.

"Uh, Camilo?" I nervously chuckled, an overly exaggerated smile on my face. "Y'know, on secound thought, I don't think having lunch at you place is the best idea." The boy paused before bursting out into a laughing fit. "Ay, niño, zip it! Your abuela practically hates my family after last night!"

The shapeshifter recoiled in offense, a playful scowl on his face. "Aren't I older than you-"

"That's not the point!" I grabbed at my skirt as to keep myself from strangling something (or someone). "I am on thin, thin ice when it comes to your entire familia! I mean, they have all the reasons in the world to hate me and my family, but still-" I let out a resignated sigh, cutting myself before I word vomitted even more.

Yellow poncho boy stared at me in contemplation, hazel eyes squinting before snapping his fingers. "Fine. Just for you, I'll skip with the family and we can have some quality one-on-one time." 

A lazy arm slung around my shoulder; luckily for Camilo, I was not in the mood for a repeat of yesterday afternoon's fiasco. I sarcastically muttered of the joys and wonders of spending alone time with the 'great' Camilo Madrigal, a completely real smile on my face. 

The boy stopped the both of us before we could get an inch closer to the Madrigal's, eyes darting around wildly. "But, before we do that, we gotta sneak in some food first." I raised a finger to mention- "Don't worry, Dolores usually doesn't care. She's probably listening right now."

Ah, the sweet comfort of knowing I will never truly have privacy ever again. How delightful.

I waited for the shapeshifter to scurry along with his plan, however, the shapeshifter had other ideas... A mischevious glint in his eyes left me with nothing but a sour taste in my mouth and an uneasy feeling in my gut. "Wha- Huh- Wait, you expect me to steal from your family?" I whisper-shouted, the static on my fingers charging up in alarm.

He gave a lighthearted roll of his eyes, a scheming grin on his face as I followed his gaze to the Madrigal's extensive patio. The family worked as a team to set up for lunch, the synchronisation in their actions mesmorising.

"Trust me, I do this all the time. I'm practically an expert at this stuff," Camilo bragged with half-lidded eyes, puffing his chest out as if I should be impressed.

I crossed my arms and gave him an unimpressed glare; I felt like a disappointed parent. "So, what you're confessing is that you're a well versed criminal?"

He spluttered over his words giving me quite the satisfaction. "W-well, when you put it like that then things get a lil' vague," the boy sheepishly chuckled, twiddling his thumbs and avoiding eye contact. "But, it's the Madrigal's food which, in turn, means it's my food and is legally up for the taking."

"Ay, Dios mío. Why would I help steal your family's food when you could just, y'know, take it? At the very least ask for it? My mamí specifically told me to not make any bad impressions, much less steal from the Madrigals," I relentlessly chided. If this was what having children was like, I wanted out.

He sucked in a sharp intake of air, shaking his head in disapproval. "No matter the person, my family just can't resist the urge to coddle a guest." 'Go on,' I wordlessly signalled. "Plus, if they saw me, I'd be dragged to eat at the table."

Jeez, first I'm a total asshole to him, now I'm practically guilt-tripping him into neglecting his family? Low blow, Y/n, low blow. The shapeshifter seemed to have caught the reluctancy in my face, presenting me with two options. "Would you rather the most awkward lunch ever with my tíos and tía giving you nonstop questions, or would you rather spend the afternoon with yours truly?"

I hesitated, genuinely weighing the pros and cons of both scenarios. I hummed in thought. "See, Gimme a sec to think about it-"

"Y/n, I was joking!" he whined out; the boy was like a kicked puppy. "You're meant to say, 'Camilo, I want to spend the rest of my evening with you and only you!'" with the lamest impression he could muster, he shifted into me, fluttering his (my?) eyelashes.

Leaving Camilo in the dust, I yelled out over my shoulder. "Yeah, on second thought, maybe lunch with the whole family isn't such a bad idea after all-"

"Ay, chica! I was kidding!"

-

With two plates filled to the brim with all the Colombian delights I could dream of and more, the boy lead the way through his home. "Alright, mi amiga-"

"That's a bit of a stretch, don't you think?" I bit back, a sly grin on my face.

He visibly deflated, a hopeless groan coming from the boy. "What happened to the sappy and nice Y/n who I talked to like, half an hour ago? I miss that Y/n. Bring her back; please and thank you."

I backed down, recalling why I was spending my afternoon with the Madrigal in the first place. "Fine, fine. I said I'd make it up to you, so I'll act more... civil. Just for today," I strained out, mumbling the last part under my breath.

"Aw, I knew you had it in you," the shapeshifter cooed, guiding me up a flight of stairs as I burned holes into his back with a ticked-off glare.

This damn Madrigal certainly knew how to push all the right buttons, didn't he? Yet, if it had been any other night, bolts of lightning would be rolling off my arms and zapping relentlessy at anyone within a two metre proximity. Bemusingly enough, I did not have the sudden urge to wring his neck or storm out la casa with free food. Instead, my gut screamed at me to follow him, to not magically disappear when his attention was diverted, to not slip away. It was as if I genuinely wanted to know him better. Was the air spiked with magical drugs, by any chance?

"Alright, what better place than one of the Madrigal's very own magical rooms to spend your lunch in?"

He stopped right at his glowing door, the boy's confident grin matching perfectly to the one engraved on wood. Balancing the plate perfectly on one hand and doing a mock bow with the other, he twisted the knob and welcomed me into his bedroom. I took a hesitant step forwards, leaning in to study the room first before I committed. Magical house, magical rooms, Lord knows what was in there.

Camilo clicked his tongue, a grin never leaving his face. "Oh, come on, it's just my bedroom. It's not going to self destruct in your face, I promise."

Not convinced whatsover, I reluctantly gave into my temptation and hoped I wouldn't live to regret it. For something so magical, it seemed quite the opposite at first glance: a painfully average bedroom. The parameters were not too big yet not too small, squeezing in a double bed, a bedside table, bookshelves, wardrobes; it was the bare minimum. 

I pursed my lips into a thin line, eyes scanning the room once more. Had I missed something? "Uh, you don't expect me to eat on your bed, do you?" 

Camilo shrugged his shoulders, moving to the centre of his room and sitting down on thin... air? From gold dust, two chairs and a table materialised themselves, glowing and radiating the same energy as the entire casita did. I shook off my stunned gaze; I should definitely just assume that every single little thing is magical in advance.

"Surprised?" the shapeshifter bragged, slumping into his makeshift chair with an oomph before digging into the stolen food.

I rolled my eyes unimpressed. "I was so prepared for you to fall right onto your ass," I snickered, studying his smug grin melt into an offended glare.

He shifted into me with the blink of an eye, furrowed brows and pouted lips mimicking my gestures and voice. "'Oh, Camilo! I'll be civil for the day. All just for you, mi amor!'"

I cocked an eyebrow at, first of all, his terrible, terrible impression, and second: "This is me being civil...?"

Camilo deadpanned, choking on a bit of food before sending me a childish glare. Whilst the boy ravaged his lunch, I cautiously approached the chair adjacent to him, most definitely expecting him to 'magic' the chair from right under me. Humming in thought, I finally took a careful and calculated seat on the shimmering furniture, tracing the grain with the tips of my fingers in wonder. Why the hell wasn't I given a magical house?

"Two truths, one lie," he interrupted, spoon halfway in my mouth. I sent a muffled 'what?'  his way. "Ah, not surprised that you've never played," the boy teased, a triumphant smirk on that stupid freckled-face of his as he noted my disdain.

"Shut it. I mean, like, why?"

Camilo's laughter rang out as if he caught his teacher explaining the wrong answer. "Why else? We get to know each other and have fun in the process. I'll go first since you don't seem to get it." I scowled.

"Alright, well," he drawled out, eyes studying the ceiling for an answer. "I almost drowned my brother, I used to think my tío was a seven foot monster and my prima destroyed our magic once."

I clicked my tongue, tutting the boy with a wag of my index finger. "Are you sure you should've gone first? Three truths no lie seems like a pretty boring game."

He poked out his tongue in a childish manner, side-eyeing me as he continued inhaling his meal. "Har, har," Camilo mocked, moping as he took another bite. "But seriously, what's your guess?"

One hand fiddled with my dress, the other handling the spoon as I took a moment to consider the options. I would be bluffing if I genuinely didn't believe there to be a lie; they all seemed quite possible to me. So, I threw a shot in the dark.

"...You used to think your tío was a seven foot monster?"

The shapeshifter slammed his fists onto the table dramatically, flabbergasted at my presumption. "You think I almost drowned my baby brother!?"

"You thought your tío was a seven foot monster!?"

We paused, staring right at each other with a nonchalant look before Camilo bursted into laughter, my giggles ensuing as a result. This had felt... odd, as if I were unrestricted, free to do whatever the hell I wanted. Why was his cheeriness so contagious? Then again-

"Okay, wait, wait, wait. That means your prima destroyed your magic?" I backtracked, not letting this topic go unexplained.

"Long story," Camilo huffed. "Have you met Mirabel?" Hesitantly, I nodded, movements slowed and uncertain (I did not in fact know who Mirabel was). "She's the girl right in the centre of the front door." Well, that makes more sense. "Right, well, the family was growing divided because of abuela's crippling expectations for us, she had forgotten who the real gift was, Mira had this whole epiphany, casita broke down, the candle burned out, but then Mira fixed it all in the end."

My heart panged. I had felt the crippling agony of losing your home, but losing your gift as well? Unimaginable. "That must've been... wow. I'm so sorry."

"Besides for us not having a house for, I dunno, a day or two, it wasn't all too bad." Surprisingly, the shapeshifter had seemed unbothered.

"What? But you lost your gift, your magic! Did you not feel lost without it? Or- or empty?" So what if my gift hadn't served the most purpose, suited only to face combat? That didn't make me any less soulbound to it. "Gifts are simply an extension of ourselves; did you not feel as if a part of your soul was ripped out?"

Camilo wore an unreadable expression, shoulders heaving with a deep breath before replying. "My gift. It, well, uh... nevermind. Your turn next." 

That same look that I saw in myself every damn time I had looked in the mirror, I had seen in him. The longing for something that could never be; the hopelessness and struggling I try to ignore every morning? I saw in him. My limbs were screaming to comfort him, to whisper that everything would be okay, but my body didn't budge. Besides for the occasional spark, I remained reactionless. He was probably just having a bad day, right?

I cleared my throat lest it cracked, outlining the golden glow of the table with my gaze. "Well... I've moved villages more than once, my favourite colour is purple and I'm born with my gift."

A blank gaze met mine. "Uh, your favourite colour is purple?"

"Nope," I corrected, popping the 'p'. "We De La Peñas aren't born with our gifts. It's considered mercy from Dios for giving us five years of leisure before we're bestowed our gifts. There are these fancy ceremonies that we hold when a family member turns five, do a bunch of boring old vows, then we wait till midnight."

The shapeshifter leaned his cheek on his palm, that half-lidded expression meaning no good. "Same with us Madrigals. Perhaps we're more alike than you think." Camilo winked in my direction as I visibly recoiled at the notion, dramatically gagging to get the point across.

"Don't flatter yourself for things outside of your control, Cami."

Oh Dios. 

If I thought that damned Madrigal was smug before, nothing could've prepared me for the biggest grin that erupted on the boy's face. It was comparable to staring directly into the sun; Camilo was beaming, his entire set of teeth on display. He slapped the table with open palms, standing so quickly from his seat that the chair toppled over with a disruptive screech.

"You just called me by a nickname," the shapeshifter oh-so proudly claimed.

My face began heating up, palms sweating and hands buzzing. "I- uh- wha- why is this such a big deal? I-I mean I just slipped up with my wording, y'know, 'cuz I'm a terrible talker and, jeez, your stare is really intimidating; stop staring at me like that," I panicked, word vomitting all over the place as my hair began standing on its end from the sheer amount of electricity I was involuntarily creating.

Camilo kept a hard gaze right on me, a smile from-ear-to-ear never leaving his face; it was as if he were hypnotised. I sat uncomfortably under his unwavering stare as I shattered under the pressure; wait, was he coming closer-? The boy's face was right up in mine, psychoanalysing my every movement as I froze as still as a rock. A distraction, I needed a distraction- My brain spewed out a decent excuse, an embarassed panic settling in. He was never going to let me live this down, was he? "Alright, Cami, why don't we, uh, head to your tío's vision thing!" 

Alas, fortune was never on my side as the door creaked open.

"Hermano, Y/n, are you guys-"

We froze. 

"It's not what it looks like-!"

The door slammed.

-

yeah no this isn't proofread bye this chapter took so long because writer's block i hate it here i just want them to kiss already but ughh i have to build chemistry first anyways have fun with these crumbs <3