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justanisabelakinnie · 1 year

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November 11

Aka my birthday fic for Felix! Dolores wants to make the best possible cake for Felix, with…mixed results. Enjoy!

“Camilo, don’t eat the frosting!” Dolores hissed.

Camilo groaned and rolled his eyes. “Whyyyy? I just like how it tastes!” he complained as he licked each white frosted finger.

“You’re disgusting,” Dolores hip bumped him aside. “Hands off my cake.” She continued beating the eggs and letting the yolk fall into the bowl. “Now all I need is the flour.”

Camilo reached for the flour with his free hand, Dolores taking it.

“You’re no fun,” Camilo huffed, glaring at her.

“No, I’m loads of fun, actually,” Dolores protested. “I can be silly too.” She remembered the time she and Antonio were coloring on Camilo’s face as he slept, or the time when she and Mirabel humbled him and Isabela in a pranking contest that lasted weeks. “But unlike you, I know when to be serious.”

“I can be serious,” Camilo said as he continued eating the frosting.

Dolores snorted, pouring a cup of milk into the bowl.

“No, I’m being for real right now. Dolores, look at me. I can be serious.”

Dolores rolled her eyes and ignored him as she stirred.

“You’re not looking.”

Dolores sighed, looking at her baby brother, whose face was forced into a grim frown.

Dolores blinked at him. “Oh my gosh, Camilo, you’re totally right,” she said sarcastically. “You’re being serious.”

But that seriousness didn’t last long, as the two siblings burst into laughter, Camilo gripping the edge of the counter for stability, Dolores bending down to the floor as she gripped the bowl and—

Wait, the bowl?

Unfortunately, Dolores gripped the bowl as she was falling over laughing even though she meant to grip the counter, and it came tumbling over as she collapsed to the floor in a fit of giddy hysterics. The contents of the would-have-been cake spilling onto her head, dousing her once radiant curls, face, and blouse as she sat on the floor and her laughter ceased.

Camilo paused, and stared at his sister.

Dolores lifted her arms and made sure to keep them a good distance away from her body as she shook the disgusting mixture off of her skin, it splattering on the floors and cupboards. Struggling to open her eyes, she felt Camilo pry a tissue into her hands. She grabbed them and began wiping furiously at her eyes until she could see again, but the tissue was barely usable enough to wipe her whole face by the time she was done.

She felt utterly crushed. Her cake, the birthday cake she had been making for her Papi, was all ruined. And now she’d have to start all over.

It wasn’t long before she felt tears streaming from her eyes, as she hiccuped and croaked in agony, disgusted with herself as the salty rivers mixed in with the cake mix.

Camilo didn’t know what to say.

Dolores could hear her brother bending down to where she was sitting, perching in front of her on his knees as she felt his hands place themselves on her shoulders.

“Princesa,” he said softly, uttering her pet name.

“What?” Dolores demanded fiercely.

“Hey, it’s okay, hermana. The good news is…”

Dolores listened, waiting for him to say something uplifting.

And then he began licking the cake mixture off of her face.

Dolores’ eyes widened in disgust.

“At least you taste good!” Camilo licked his lips and giggled before leaning in again, but Dolores wasn’t having it. She slapped him across the face with her palm before recoiling in disgust.

“What the hell, hermanito?” Dolores roared. “The cake was ruined and it’s all your fault!”

Camilo’s smile faded the instant he was slapped by Dolores. Still clutching his pinkened cheek, he stared up at her with widened, sad eyes. “My fault?” He said, a genuinely grim frown overtaking his boyish features this time. “But how is it—“

“Because, dumbass, you were fooling around while I was trying to be serious! I just wanted to make a cake for Papi that I knew he would enjoy, because he’s a total sweet tooth! Everybody knows that! But you had to go and keep up the jester attitude and couldn’t just focus on the damn cake! And then you tried eating it off my face regardless? How am I supposed to be happy?”

“But Lola,” Camilo sobbed. “I—“

“Shut. Up.”

Camilo felt tears of his own trickling down, for more reasons than one.

“I’m done.” Dolores stomped off. “I’m taking a shower and then I’m going to my room. I’m done.”

Dolores wasn’t done of course. She was still going to bake something for Felix, perhaps cupcakes instead of a cake? She just wasn’t going to tell Camilo or let him be in on it.

“Lola, I’m sorry—“

“I said I’m DONE!”

Camilo froze, watching Dolores storm upstairs, and sighed.

Mirabel walked out of the bathroom to see Dolores standing there, drenched in a sticky, soft substance. “Woah, prima, are you okay? You look like you got into a fight with a pastry and lost.”

“I’m fine, move.” Dolores shoved Mirabel aside and slammed the bathroom door.

“Huh. Oh. All right. Rude.”

Mirabel walked downstairs to see Camilo cleaning up the kitchen, the messy substance all over the floor, counter, sink, and cupboards looking exactly like what Dolores was covered in. Camilo placed an indigo bowl that was rolling on its side into the kitchen sink and turned on the faucet before wiping the rest of the counter clean.

He was crying.

“Camilo?” Mirabel said tentatively. She couldn’t stand to hear another sniffle.

Camilo wiped his eyes and mouth with a napkin, ignoring his cool-colored cousin.

“Camilo, are you okay?” Mirabel asked again, trying to get his attention.

“I’m fine.” Camilo said, turning off the faucet and washing the bowl.

“You don’t wanna talk about it or anything?” Mirabel tilted her head. “What happened with you and Dolores?”

“It’s none of your business,” Camilo curtly replied.

Mirabel crossed her arms. “If you did something to upset her—“

Camilo groaned and rolled his eyes. “Of course you take Dolores’ side without even knowing the situation. After all, I’m just a silly little clown who messes everything up, aren’t I Mirab—“

“But you did, didn’t you?”

Freeze. Then Camilo sighed. “Y-yes. And so what?”

“What happened?” Mirabel asked.

“We were making a cake for Papi’s birthday. Well, she was making it. I was goofing off like an idiot until I made her spill it.”

Mirabel chuckled. “Aww, I’m sorry about that, primo. Want me to help you make a new cake?”

“Hmmm. Can you bake?”

“Not a bit.”

“Neither can I.”

Mirabel sighed.

“Well anyway I’m going to my room. Goodnight.”

“You’re taking a nap?” Mirabel asked.

“Why not?” Camilo said, patting Mirabel on the shoulder. “G’bye.”

Mirabel shrugged as she watched Camilo strut off to his room.

🧡

A few hours later, Mariano made his way over to Casita. He had been cleaning his room when he came across a sketchbook that clearly wasn’t his. Recognizing it as Camilo’s based on the art style, he was intent on giving it back to him.

He walked up the door to Casita, but didn’t even get the chance to knock on the door or ring the doorbell before the door swung open, the tiles clattering in welcome.

“Hola Casita,” Mariano said, waving with a smile as was tradition to do when entering the sentient house.

He walked up the stairs to Camilo’s bedroom and knocked on the door. Flipping through the pages, he was indeed impressed at how good Camilo’s artwork was.

The door opened, and Mariano stepped in, but quickly realized that Camilo hadn’t opened the door but that Casita had done it herself.

He shuddered. He wasn’t scared of the house by any means, but it was going to take some time to get used to.

He walked through the multicolored room covered in mirrors until he got to Camilo’s bedside. He saw the boy lying down on his stomach, clutching a blue pillow as he buried his face in it, his breathing soft yet ragged.

Mariano knew not to trouble him just then, but he did so anyway.

“Camilo?” He asked tentatively.

Camilo’s entire body jerked up in shock as his head sprang up, and he placed a hand to his chest.

“Mariano?” He breathed. “Oh. Hey. Wassup.” He wiped his eyes with his fingers, and Mariano realized he had been crying. “Did you come to see Dolores?” He twirled, shapeshifting into Dolores in a millisecond, and made kissy faces at Mariano while clasping his hands together.

Mariano’s unnerved face was all Camilo needed to come back to reality. He turned back into himself. “I was just kidding man, chill out.” He laughed weakly. “I have a girlfriend, anyway.”

“Oh, you do?” Mariano asked.

Camilo didn’t answer, as he noticed what was in Mariano’s hands. He quickly reached and grabbed it, snatching it angrily and clutching it tightly to his chest like it was helping him to breathe.

“Why do you have this?!” He freaked out.

Mariano raised two hands in the air in defense. “Relax. I was only returning it to you. You left it at my house.”

“Oh.” Camilo said.

Mariano sat down on the bed. Camilo didn’t invite him to do so, but nonetheless he didn’t make him get up.

“Your artwork is very nice by the way.” Mariano chuckled. “I couldn’t even begin to draw that way when I was your age. I still can’t. You have a talent, chico. Don’t let it go to waste.”

“You mean…you looked? Without my permission?” Camilo demanded angrily.

Mariano blinked and turned to him. “Was I not supposed to?”

“No! If you want to look next time, you gotta ask first, man! Sheesh. This is why I don’t show anybody anything. Just because I can draw doesn’t mean I want to make a career out of it, y’know? I draw because it’s fun, that’s it. The last thing I want to do is make money from it because then it becomes all about the money and not about doing what I love. I have much better things to do with my life anyway.”

“Like?”

“Like none of your business.” Camilo flopped down to lie on his back, hands under his pillow. “Anyway, did you really come to see me or did you just want to see Dolores?”

“I—“

“Because if so she’s already asleep.”

“Oh. Well, since I’m here, I guess I can talk to you.” Mariano paused, looking at the book which was resting on Camilo’s stomach, moving with each inhale and exhale. “Can I see your artwork, ¿por favor?”

“No.”

“Oh, well, that’s okay. I respect that. So, why were you crying?”

Camilo was silent for a long time, eyes staring at the ceiling.

“Cami—“

Camilo shoved the book in his hands. “Sure, actually.”

Mariano turned his head down towards the book, then back to Camilo, who rolled his eyes and gestured towards the book with his head.

“What, do you, do you want me to take it back?” He stretched up from his position lying face up and reached with his right arm for the book, but Mariano held it out of his grasp.

“No, I…I want to see what’s in it.”

“Oh, okay.”

Mariano took a deep breath, then flipped through the pages of the book. He was rather impressed with what he saw in it. Although he was aware of Camilo’s eyes being fixated on him, he didn’t allow himself to become too tense as he admired each and every human portrait. Camilo didn’t just draw his family and friends, but random people he saw walking about in the Encanto as well.

“Wow, you sure do draw your sister a lot.” Mariano smiled, a blush spreading across his cheeks at the loveliest portrait of Dolores smiling and eating an arepa he had ever seen. “As well as you and her.”

“She’s not the only person I draw, but yeah.” Camilo nodded. “I draw her a lot because she’s pretty and I love her.”

Mariano nodded. “I agree.”

“Of course you do,” Camilo yawned and rolled his head to the side, as well as his eyes, as Mariano continued to look through the book. He chuckled as he saw a picture of Mirabel with her arms wrapped around Camilo’s neck, biting his ear as said older cousin winced, and flipped to see a drawing of—

Him.

One of him smiling a dashing, bedazzling grin as hearts were scribbled around his head.

He paused awkwardly.

Camilo sensed his tenseness and instantly sprang up, seeing the picture. “Th-that was then!” He stuttered, squeaking. “I—I’m over…that…now! Like I said, I have a girlfriend! And I’m happy with her! Hm!”

“Okay.” Mariano pretended that little…scenario…never happened as he continued to look through the pictures. One was of Isabela sleeping. “Did you actually draw this when she was asleep?” He asked.

“Huh? Oh yeah. She looked so peaceful and happy. I had to capture it. I thought she would kill me when she found it, but she was very happy, actually, and gave me the biggest hug and kiss. Heh. Which was kind of embarrassing, actually.”

“I see,” Mariano said as he continued combing through the pictures. “Oh! And is this your girlfriend?” He asked, gesturing to a picture of a cute young Black girl with her hair in a low puff, and who was sitting sideways on the floor, smiling.

“Uh…” Camilo blushed, heat rising around his collar as he tugged it. “Y-yeah. Her name’s Emiliana.”

“Oh? Well, she is quite lovely.”

Camilo giggled sheepishly. “I know right, she is, I’m so lucky!”

Mariano smiled at Camilo, who blushed and flipped his ruana to cover his face, and went right on looking. “Wow. You draw her a lot. Something tells me you really do love her.”

Camilo smiled. “Of course I do! I wouldn’t be dating her if I wasn’t utterly in love with her. She’s the best thing that has ever happened to me in a good long while. You know, on our last date, we…”

Camilo continued to ramble on about him and his wonderful girlfriend, Mariano pretending to listen by nodding along as he continued looking at the artwork. One had Pepa and Felix holding hands with a younger Camilo in the middle of them. Another had two random kids from Camilo’s school, another had Julieta handing Dolores a pandebono. Another had Emiliana and Mirabel.

But the last picture was the one Mariano liked the most. A picture of Dolores, Camilo, and Antonio, each sitting behind the other. Camilo was styling Antonio’s hair in cornrows, Dolores doing the same to Camilo’s own hair.

It made Mariano smile and wipe the tears from his eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time he did such things with his siblings.

Camilo noticed his tearing up and sat up.“Huh…yeah, we do that a lot. You know, after we were done, I gave Dolores cornrows myself. Since after all there’s only three of us.” He awkwardly took the sketchbook from Mariano. “Aaaanyway, that’s enough of my show-stopping talent for today.”

Mariano nodded.

“What, are you crying? Duuuude,” Camilo giggled and bumped the man with his shoulder playfully. “There’s no need for the waterworks, bro. I’m proud of my artwork too.”

“It’s not that, it’s…my siblings don’t…they don’t like me.”

“Huh, how come? I mean, you’re a totally awesome guy!”

“You think so?”

“Well yeah, tonto! Except when you’re insecure about yourself, like you’re doing right now!”

“Thanks, chico. But…lately my sisters and brother and I haven’t been on good terms lately the way we used to. I’m not really comfortable going into how and why this happened, but…nowadays it’s like I barely even know them anymore. And that’s part of the reason I moved out too, because literally nobody in my family wants anything to do with me except for my little sister who begged to come along, she’s my best friend, and also because my Abuela really needs someone to take care of her. So seeing you be close with your sister and brother despite the large age gap makes me so happy.” He ruffled Camilo’s hair as if Camilo were his own little brother, making him grin. “Please never, ever lose that.”

“Awww, thanks,” Camilo smiled. “But I’m afraid I’ve already lost that.”

“What do you mean?” Mariano asked.

“Well…” Camilo bowed his head to the ground, staring into his lap. “We were going to make a cake for my dad’s birthday, hmm? And I didn’t really take it seriously and I spilled the cake mixture all over her and it’s all my fault.”

“Hey, chin up, chico!” Mariano said, lightly patting his shoulder. “It’s just a tiny mistake. You can always make the cake again. Just take it seriously this time!”

“But she said she’s done. She doesn’t want to make the cake anymore.” Camilo’s emerald green eyes glistened with tears that stung to the bottom of his eyelids and dampened his lashes. “That’s..that’s why I was crying earlier. I feel like such a disappointment, like I’m a terrible little brother. I should have helped princesa with the cake and not tried to mess everything up with those stupid jokes of mine. And now she’s mad at me. I wanna say sorry but…she won’t talk to me. And now she’s asleep.”

Mariano gazed down at the young teen sympathetically. And that’s when he had an idea.

“Hey,” he stood up and took Camilo’s hand. “How about you and I make a cake for your Papa? If you’re still up to it, that is. Maybe that can make up for you failing to help Dolores. While still having something for your Papa to enjoy on his birthday? That sounds like a good idea, no?”

Camilo paused and thought about it. “I…I guess so. Sure!”

“Great!” The two males exited Camilo’s room and shut the door behind them.

“But we should go to your house,” Camilo said. “Because Dolores is gonna wake up any minute, now.”

“Oh really?” Mariano asked. “How do you know?” He grinned. “Do you have super hearing?”

“Oh no. I’m just her brother. That’s all.”

Mariano chuckled, nodded, and then the two left.

🧡

Just as they were closing the door to Casita behind them, Dolores did wake up.

She yawned before slipping out of bed and walking up to her vanity. Frowning at her reflection, she noticed that her hair was messed up. She had to fix that. And not to mention she wanted to do her makeup too.

About half an hour later, she left her room to go brush her teeth and use the bathroom. Throughout all of this, there was something that she had forgotten to do, but she wasn’t sure what.

It was only when she was absentmindedly heading downstairs that she remembered. She was going to bake something for Papa’s birthday!

Hopefully Camilo wasn’t going to interrupt her plans.

She got downstairs to the kitchen, which had been miraculously cleaned up and polished, with all evidence of her and Camilo’s earlier baking accident completely nonexistent. She guessed someone else must have come across the disaster in the kitchen and cleaned it up because they wanted to use the kitchen too. After all, it wasn’t like Camilo to fix what he left behind.

“Yes!” Dolores said to herself, hurrying to get the mixing bowl, milk, eggs, white sugar, and baking powder out of the various cupboards. “This is the perfect opportunity to—“ she hiccuped.

Crap. Dolores hated when she got the hiccups. Once that happened, it always took forever for them to go away.

She poured herself a glass of water, and downed it all in one gulp.

“Anyway. This is the perfect opportunity to bake something that I know Papa will enjoy!”

She took out Julieta’s cookbook and flipped through the pages.

“Hmmm. I think I’ll make tres leches cake. Yeah. Papa will enjoy that!”

She preheated the oven to 175 degrees Celsius, then took out a 10-by-15 baking dish and began greasing it. Now she was ready.

Beating the egg whites into a bowl, Dolores was happy to make this delicious cake for Papa. She was especially glad that Camilo wasn’t here to “help” her and ruin the whole thing. She was, in fact, so focused on the cake that she didn’t even know where Camilo was. She guessed he was in his room, wallowing in his misery and the fact that he wasn’t able to take anything seriously(not that that was her problem). But if she had actually listened, she would know that Camilo was at Mariano’s house and was currently taking baking a cake with him very, very seriously.

It wasn’t long before Mirabel came into the room. “Hey, prima. What’s up?”

Dolores didn’t acknowledge Mirabel at first, adding vanilla extract to the mixing bowl as her head stretched to look at the recipe dictated in her Tia’s cookbook, muttering and mumbling something to herself. She was so lost in focusing that she didn’t even notice her cousin was there. Mirabel almost wondered if Dolores even heard her.

“Mmm…I should add more flower.”

Mirabel walked over to her prima daintily and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Go away Camilo. I don’t want to deal with you today.”

“I’m not Camilo.”

Dolores turned around to look at Mirabel. “You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Dolores tuned in to listen to Camilo, who was entering Mariano’s house. “Oh.”

“So you’re making a cake?” Mirabel peered over Dolores’ shoulder.

“Yes,” Dolores said, moving so that Mirabel couldn’t see. “By myself. I’m not having Camilo help me because the last time he tried to help he ruined it. So if you don’t mind…”

“Why can’t I help?” Mirabel frowned.

“Because I can’t risk any more freak accidents,” Dolores stated flatly.

“I won’t let that happen!”

Dolores rolled her eyes as she stirred the bowl, tasted some of the cake batter, then frowned and went back to the fridge. “Needs more milk.” She took milk out of the fridge and poured some into the bowl.

Mirabel, for some reason, continued on talking. “Please, I promise I won’t mess up! I’m not like your brother. I’m not accident-prone and I won’t mess everything up! I just wanna help!”

Dolores sighed. “Ugh. Fine. But you must follow my every instruction to a T. Got it?”

“Of course Dolores!” Mirabel perked up, beaming.

“Great!” Dolores gestured with her hand for Mirabel to step over to the kitchen counter, which she did.

Meanwhile, Mariano had invited Camilo into his house. The two were in the kitchen, ready to cook something for Felix.

“So, what shall we bake?” Mariano asked.

Camilo pondered, flipping through the cookbook that Mariano has provided for him.

“Ooh!” Mariano stopped Camilo from flipping to point at a recipe for brazo de reina. “We could make that—“

“Can’t eat fruits.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“It’s okay, man. Look, how about we make Enyucado?”

“Enyucado? I’ve never had that…”

“Well, of course you haven’t,” Camilo snorted in condescension. “It’s something mi Abuela on my father’s side used to make him and his siblings, and is from the Caribbean region.” Placing the book to lean upright against the back part of the counter, clearly Camilo was insistent on making this, not accepting disagreement from the older man. “Dolores and I had it all the time when we were kids and it was delicious! But I stopped because I kept getting it stuck in my teeth and it made me cry.”

“Wait, but what about the coconuts and guava jam? Aren’t those in the ingredients?”

Camilo blinked, then shrugged. “I guess we’re just going to have to make it without them, I guess.”

“Really?”

“Yeah bro, I’ve been eating it like that for years.” The younger boy glanced up at his sister’s fiancé in disbelief. “Wait, have you really never eaten this before?”

Mariano shook his head.

“Shut up.”

Mariano shrugged awkwardly.

“Shut UP!” Camilo’s eyes glistened as he was on the verge of laughter.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Well, anyway, you’re really missing out. So let’s start making it now!”

Mariano nodded.

🧡

Dolores opened the oven to take out the cake. “It’s ready Mira.”

Mira placed her cards down—she was so close to winning!—and sprang up to join Dolores in the kitchen.

“Is it good?”

“Only one way to find out!” Dolores took a toothpick and stuck it into the cake. Taking it out, she was relieved to see that the cake was indeed baked properly.

“Awesome!” Dolores celebrated. “Now all we have to do is wait fifteen minutes before we get to the best part, which is pouring the milk on the cake.

Mirabel giggled. “I can’t wait!”

Fifteen minutes later, the girls had mixed the cream, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk and poured them onto the cake. They then added the whipped cream and cinnamon frosting.

“And now we’re all done,” Dolores finally stated, as she refrigerated the cake. “Wow. That was a lot of fun!”

“It was!” Mirabel squeaked. “See, I told you I could help you make the perfect cake for Tío! He’ll be so surprised, I just know he’ll enjoy it, and Mami will too!”

“I know, mi prima, I know.” Dolores reached out to give Mirabel a hug, which she reciprocated. “I’m sorry I assumed you wouldn’t be of any help. I shouldn’t have judged you. Without you, I wouldn’t have made the cake as quickly, and it sure wouldn’t have been as fun either. Some things are best done in a team! And a team in which both partners care about the outcomes too!” She kissed Mirabel softly on the forehead. “Thank you for helping me make the cake, I couldn’t be more appreciative.”

“You’re wel—“

“Cake? What cake?”

The girls froze and looked up. Dolores gulped. Standing right before the two cousins…was their father and uncle.

“Oh, hey Papa!” Dolores stammered. “What’s up?”

“Oh, I just wanted to talk to my lovely princesas!” Felix walked up to stand between them and wrapped an arm around both girls. “Is that such a bad thing?”

“No, not at all!” Mirabel said, shaking in her boots. They had to take out the cake in an hour so that they could properly wrap it in aluminum foil, but they couldn’t do that with Felix there…

“So, what are you girls making?” Felix asked. “I hear you two made cake! I sure do love a good slice of cake! Can I have some?” He turned to Dolores, grinning and leering closer mischievously. “Hmm?”

“Oh, I’d love to, Papa, but umm, me and Mirabel already had the last slice.”

“Oh, I see.” Felix removed his arms from around his daughter’s and niece’s waists. “Well, that’s a bummer. I suppose I have to wait till my birthday then.”

This was where Dolores and Mirabel started to panic. “B-b-b—“

Felix frowned, looking sad. “Aww, don’t tell me you forgot my birthday, chicas.”

“Oh no, Tío, we didn’t!” It’s just that—“

“It’s just that what?” Felix asked them, looking as disappointed as ever.

Dolores was on the verge of tears. She knew she had to keep this a surprise, but how could she say no to her father’s adorable sad eyes? She almost wanted to comfort him by letting him have a peek of some of the cake. Or even a tiny slice. But then that would ruin the surprise for when his actual birthday arrived. But leaving Felix alone felt equally guilty.

Mirabel was still trying to come up with a solution. “Well…”

“Papa!” That’s when the door opened.

“Yes, mijo?” Felix asked, Camilo running around the kitchen to join his papa on the other side.

Camilo wrapped Felix in a hug, then took him by the shoulders and bounced up and down. “Oh, papa papa papa, you won’t believe it! So I was at the store today, right? And I was going through the clothing isles, and I saw—“ he paused to take a deep breath, his fingers fluttering about as he grinned In ecstasy, tears stinging around his eyes as he fanned himself. “I saw the cutest ruana I ever laid my eyes on!!! And I wanted to buy it so badly, but I didn’t have enough pesos. It’s even orange, just like the shirt you wear, Pa!”

“Really?” Felix asked, raising an eyebrow as he grinned.

“Really! Yes! And it reminded me of you, so I begged the shopkeeper to keep it on hold for me while I ran to get my dad, and it’s the last one in stock too so this is a really big deal! So can you please buy it for me?”

Felix looked at the girls, who were confused but quickly nodded their heads.

“Oh, all right, son. You seem to be the only one who wants to spend time with me, lately.”

“Yay!” Camilo beamed, grabbed Felix’s hand, and ran away. “Then let’s go now! Because he said that if I’m not back in twenty minutes sharp he’s gonna give the ruana to the boy who was behind me in line.”

“Oh, that can’t be good,” Felix said.

They went out the door, Camilo winking at his sister and cousin before closing it behind them.

And Mirabel and Dolores were nonetheless stunned.

“Did he just…help us?” Mirabel asked.

“Seems like it.” Dolores was frozen in shock. Finally breaking out of her catatonic state, she shook her head violently. “Ah well, he probably has some ulterior motives, you know how it is.”

🧡

Felix walked at a quick pace behind his son who was running and panting. “Wait for me, Camilo, your father’s turning 52, his old bones don’t work like they used to.”

“Come on, Papa, don’t be a dinosaur,” Camilo retorted. “I really want that ruana!”

“I can tell,” Felix said.

When they finally got to the store, Felix noticed that Camilo was sweating bullets, and not the kind that come from overexerting yourself.

“Camilo?” Felix asked. “Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, y-yeah.” Camilo gulped, wondering how he was going to get out of this lie.

“Where’s the ruana you want?” Felix asked.

“I-I don’t remember, I have to go find it.”

“Okay, take your time. I’ll wait here while you go search.” Felix waited at the door, leaning against it with his arms crossed.

Camilo nodded awkwardly and went into the clothing isle. But all he saw were…dresses? Whoops. Never mind. He was in the women’s clothing aisle. He went to the men’s clothing aisle.

Secretly he had lied to his father about a ruana that didn’t exist. Both so that he could cover for Mirabel and Dolores and so that his father wouldn’t know he was at Mariano’s house also baking a cake that was for his birthday. What was he to do?

All the ruanas he saw were pink, yellow, green, brown, blue, purple, and red. Not a single orange one. And he already had a yellow ruana, and he didn’t want to look like Bruno.

He walked out of the aisle sadly, ready to tell his father that the ruana had already been bought by someone else, and that was when he saw it.

The orange ruana.

Camilo almost choked up when he saw it. Sure, he had lied. But fate decided to show him mercy and he was glad it did. Because that was the most beautiful ruana he had ever seen. The texture, the patterns, the size, the warmth, it was too good to be true. He had to get his hands on it. Now.

But he was out of luck. Because the glorious, perfect ruana was already being held by someone else. Only it wasn’t a boy like Camilo had randomly claimed.

It was a girl. Yamilet Gonzalez. Aka one of Camilo’s friends, and Mirabel’s girlfriend.

Yamilet blinked when she saw him. “O-oh, hey Camilo, what’s up?”

“Hi, Yamilet. Mind if I…have this?” He started to awkwardly pull the ruana out of her hands. But Yamilet pulled it away from him.

“N-no, sorry Camilo, b-but I’m buying this ruana already. In fact, I’m…I’m about to do so now. S-so if you don’t mind.”

“NO!” Camilo roared.

Yamilet blinked. Her girlfriends cousin was acting a little bit…off…today. “Excuse me?” She asked.

“That’s mine!” Camilo noticed Felix walking over to Yamilet and him and, in a panic, reached for the ruana, attempting to tug it from Yamilet’s arms. “Yami, please, just give it to me! If you were really my friend, you’d realize that this is important to me! Just…”

“B-but Camilo, I want it, I saw it f-first, why can’t you just let me have it!”

“You did NOT see it first, I did!”

“No you did n-not! You did not!” Yamilet wrestled Camilo’s clawing fingers away. “The-there are so many other ruanas in this store that you can buy. Why can’t you just let me h-ha-have this one?”

Felix walked up to the squabbling pair. “Is everything okay?”

“No, everything is not okay!” Camilo said. “I really want that ruana but Yamilet won’t give it to me!”

“But I saw it first.”

“Wait,” Felix said to Camilo. “Camilo, before we left, you said that the shopkeeper agreed to let you leave the store, come back, and buy the ruana. So how come Yamilet has it? Did you tell the truth?”

“Yes I did!” Camilo basically sobbed.

Yamilet rolled her eyes.

“Okay, then, go ask the shopkeeper.”

Camilo gulped, but did as he was told. As he made his way towards the register with shaking legs, Felix turned his attention towards Yamilet. “I’m so sorry about my son, he can get a little wild sometimes.”

“Oh, tell me about it,” Yamilet said. “Mirabel told me all about the time when he—never mind. Anyway, I really want to buy this ruana because—“

“What? But—“ Camilo became flustered. “You said I could come back and buy it.”

“I never told you that, even once.” The shopkeeper shook her head. “This is your fist time coming to the store today, Camilo.”

Camilo paused, and turned to his father and Yamilet. Neither looked pleased.

“Hold on, I thought you said that the shopkeeper was a man.”

“You’re probably in the wrong shop,” Yamilet said.

Camilo glared at Yamilet. “Yami, if you don’t give me the ruana, I’m gonna tell Mirabel to break up with you.”

Yamilet just laughed at that. Then walked up to the cash register.

“Let’s go home, Camilo,” Felix said, but Camilo refused.

“Fine!” He sassed towards Yamilet in a mocking manner, Yamilet pretending not to listen. “That ruana won’t even look good on you! I mean, it’s orange, after all. And everybody knows that orange doesn’t go well with purple! So you’re the one who’s gonna look like an idiot!”

“Camilo, that’s enough, let’s go!”

That’s when Yamilet turned around. “Huh? It’s not even for me…it’s for my sister’s boyfriend.”

Camilo paused. “What?”

Yamilet sighed. “H-his birthday is in two days and I still d-don’t have a gift, but I know he-he’d like…this. So I came to buy it for h-him. I mean, it’s not like I have any oth-other options…”

Felix turned to look at Camilo disapprovingly. Camilo walked up to Yamilet and wrapped her in a hug. “Yamilet, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

“I know.”

“Do you believe me? Do you believe me when I say I’m sorry?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Please…I’m really sorry. Buy the ruana. But all the ruanas you want. Make your sister’s boyfriend proud. I’ll…I’ll live.” He sniffled. “I am so sorry about my outburst, Yamilet. I was just very scared and lashed out because…” he whispered something into Yamilet’s ear that Felix couldn’t hear. “But that’s no excuse for my actions. Please promise you’ll forgive me. Promise!”

“I promise.”

Camilo smiled, crying tears of joy.

“And if it makes you feel better, I can help you buy another ruana next time!”

“That would be nice.”

The shopkeeper cleared her throat. “Umm, excuse me, señorita, but are you still going to make an order?”

“Oh of course!”

🧡

“Come on, Mama,” Mirabel said as she and Dolores led Julieta into the kitchen and showed her the cake. “You’ve gotta see the cake that me and Dolores made. You’re gonna love it!”

“Okay!” Julieta said as she found her way into the kitchen.

“Since you’re such a good baker, Tia, I decided to try my hand at it as well. And Mirabel offered to help me, and together we made torta de tres leches. Since Papa is out I would love for you to take a look and see if it’s good.”

Dolores and Mirabel took out the cake, showing it to Julieta.

Julieta examined the cake.

“Do you think she will like it?” Dolores whispered to Mirabel, while Mirabel only shrugged.

Fortunately, Julieta gave her a thumbs up. “It looks all right to me!”

“Yay!” Mirabel and Dolores cheered as they clapped and embraced each other in a hug.

“This is gonna be the best birthday surprise ever!” Dolores cheered.

“Yeah, Tío isn’t expecting us to make the cake for him. He’ll probably think Mami made it or something.

“Yeah!” Dolores turned to her Tia. “Oh. Thanks Tia Julieta,” she said as she put the cake back in the fridge.

“No problem.”

It was just as Julieta walked away that Felix and Camilo came in through the front door.

“Oh, chicas, you’re still here?” Felix asked.

“Y-yes,” they responded in unison.

“Did you get the ruana?” Mirabel quickly made an effort to change the subject.

Felix sighed. “Sadly, no,” he said, feeling at his hair.

“Your girlfriend got it before I did,” Camilo said. “She said it was for her brother. Or her sister’s boyfriend. Whatever. So I let her have it because, you know.” He shrugged.

“Wait,” Dolores remembered something. “Didn’t you cause a fit in the store because she wouldn’t give the ruana to you?! And also say that you were gonna tell Mirabel to break up with her if she didn’t?”

“HE WHAT?!” Mirabel roared.

Camilo turned pale, “B-but I apologized, I, Mira, hey! What’s going on, querida?”

“DO NOT CALL ME THAT!” Mirabel hollered at Camilo. “YOU SAID WHAT TO MY GIRLFRIEND?!”

Mirabel chased Camilo around the house. “I’m sorry!” He cried out.

“SORRY ISN’T ENOUGH!” Mirabel seethed.

Dolores smiled and watched an angry Mirabel chase a screaming Camilo out of Casita. Chuckling to herself, she went back upstairs to her room to wrap her gift for Felix.

🧡

At last, it was Felix’s birthday, and Dolores was more than excited. She could hardly wait for everyone to try her and Mirabel’s cake, and most of all, Felix!

Unlike most days, Dolores was the first to jump out of bed and get ready, running trough the halls and knocking on everyone’s doors, telling them quietly, “Get up everyone, it’s Papi’s birthday!”

Mirabel was the first to get up. “He’s gonna try our cake and he’s gonna love it!”

“I know, right?” Dolores squeaked.

Pepa woke up next. “Morning, mijas!” she said, wrapping Dolores and Mirabel in a hug and a kiss and ruffling Mirabel’s hair. “Today’s a very special day, is it not?”

“Of course, Mami!” Pepa said. “Today is Felix’s birthday!!”

“Oh, it is! You remembered!” Pepa joked with a giggle. “Well, we’d better hurry up and get the rest of the familia!”

And so they did, hurrying downstairs and setting the table, the rest of the family coming downstairs eventually, doing the same.

“Is Tío coming down yet?” Isabela asked restlessly.

“Almost!” Dolores told her prima-hermana. She listened for Felix, who was coming downstairs. “All right, now it’s time everyone!” They moved to stand in front of the stairway Felix was coming down from. “Here comes the birthday man!”

It was then that Felix came down, yawning. “Huh, what’s everyone—“

“Cumpleaños feliz, te deseamos a tí, Feliz cumpleaños a Felix, feliz cumpleaños a tí! Que los cumpla feliz, que los vuelva a cumplir, que los siga cumpliendo, hasta el año tres mil!”

“Happy birthday, Papa!” Dolores exclaimed, clapping and cheering with the rest of the family, who all looked as excited as ever!

Felix looked surprised. “My my, you all have really done so much!”

“And we’re just getting started!” Bruno said. “We hope you have a happy birthday, amigo!”

Dolores and Mirabel ran up to Felix and gave him a big hug. Felix chuckled and hugged them back, kissing them both on the foreheads.

Bruno hugged him next. “You’re 52 man, already! Pffft, making me feel so small. How’s it feel?”

“I suppose I feel…a year older, and a year wiser.”

Bruno laughed, Pepa giving Felix a hug and a kiss. “Happy birthday, el hombre mas guapo en el universo. I have a special birthday treat prepared for you tonight,” she uttered in a hushed seductive tone. Felix grinned and cleared his throat, while adjusting his collar, and everybody else laughed along, Dolores covering her face, Mirabel’s and Luisa’s mouths hanging wide open, Isabela squealing quietly as she covered her face with her hands and shook to and fro, and Camilo pretending to gag. Antonio didn’t know what was going on, but he laughed along anyway.

Agustin have him a birthday hug. “You’re like a brother to me, do you know that?”

“Likewise, hermano!” Felix said, hugging Agustin closely back, enough to even choke.

“And we’ll always be grateful that you’re part of the family Madrigal,” Alma said, grinning widely from ear to ear at her son-in-law.

“We sure will!” Bruno agreed.

As they sat down to eat, Dolores of course sitting next to her father, Felix engaged in small talk with Agustin on the other side of him. While Dolores beamed with anticipation for the evening party.

🧡

“And now it’s time for the cake!” Julieta announced.

Everyone cheered, including Mariano, whom Dolores has graciously invited to the party. He was, after all, soon to be part of the family. It made sense to be there to celebrate his future father-in-law’s birthday.

With an arm wrapped lovingly around his fiancée’s waist, he whispered to her “The cake you made? I’m sure it’s very good!”

“I know it is!” Dolores hissed back. “But shhhh! Don’t tell him it was mine!” She placed a finger over his lip, and the young couple giggled.

Tia Julieta placed the cake before Felix, who was seated in Abuela’s chair with the family around him He blew out the candle, the family clapping and whooping as Pepa cupped her husband’s face in her hands, kissing him on the cheek, nose, forehead, and lips. A rainbow hovered over Dolores’ parents’ heads, before Pepa parted from him and allowed him to cut the cake.

Everyone waited for him to take a bite. “Mmm! It’s good! So delicious!”

Dolores bit her knuckle in glee, her and Mirabel exchanging an ecstatic glance.

“Julieta, you have truly outdone yourself.”

“Agreed!” Isabela perked up obliviously.

“Oh, I actually didn’t make this cake!” Julieta stated. “Though I’m glad you enjoy it, I simply cannot take the credit for someone else’s hard work!”

It was silent in La Casa Madrigal. Even the floor tiles didn’t make a sound.

Then a quiet giggle could be heard. Confused, everyone turned towards Dolores, the source of the girlish sound.

“It was me Papa!” Dolores revealed.

“And me, Tío!” Mirabel chirped.

“Yeah!” Dolores and Mirabel wrapped an arm around each other as Dolores continued. “We made the cake! It’s what we were nervous to tell you! We just wanted to keep it a secret!”

“Surprise!” The girls said simultaneously.

Felix was elated, standing up to make his way towards the girls, he extended his arms as they too flounced towards him. “Come here, mis vidas!” The three formed a big bear hug!

Camilo frowed, looking at Mariano, who shrugged, then at Felix. “Nice how you still made a cake anyway even though you said you were done trying to make one!”

“I did, didn’t I?” Dolores shrugged. “Sorry about that, chiquito.”

“Oh, I should have seen this coming. Thank you, my beautiful girls!” Felix wiped a tear from his eye.

“You’re welcome, Papa/Tío!” Dolores and Mirabel said simultaneously.

“Come, come!” Felix ushered the two towards the head of the table. “You girls get to be the first to have slices!”

Dolores and Mirabel were elated, as Felix cut slices for each of them.

He were right. It was good.

“Wow, we did a really good job, Mira!” Dolores said, holding up her palm.

“Indeed we did!” Mirabel said, high-fiving Dolores back.

While all this was happening, Camilo was shoving Mariano into the kitchen.

“What are we gonna do?” Camilo asked.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just, I just realized I didn’t exactly think this through. The last thing I wanted was to try to show Dolores up, and now we have TWO cakes!”

“Two cakes are better than one, no?” Mariano whispered. “And it’s not like we have a choice. I’m sure he’ll love your cake just as much as he loves your sister and cousin’s one.”

“Our cake, man,” Camilo corrected as he punched Mariano lightly in the shoulder. “Take some credit. And I guess you’re right. Come on, let’s get this cake out and show it to my dad.”

The rest of the family, meanwhile, was delightedly enjoying Dolores and Mirabel’s cake.

“This is so good!” Pepa beamed, sunshine radiating off of her face as she pulled Dolores in for a hug with her free hand. “I couldn’t be prouder of you. You too, chiquita!” She pulled away from Dolores to give the same physical display of affection to Mirabel.

“I love it so much, too!” Agustin agreed. “You both have truly outdone yourselves. It’s as good as Julieta’s cakes!”

This made the girls beam, as they turned to look at Julieta. Rather than being offended, the woman merely laughed in agreement.

“I knew it would turn out excellent, didn’t I?”

Luisa also enjoyed her slice, feeding some of it to Antonio, who was perched like a baby canary on her lap. Seeing Dolores looking at him, the brother and sister duo made eye contact as he gave her two thumbs up.

And that’s when Camilo and Mariano came in, holding another cake.

“We made a cake too!” Camilo announced.

Dolores and Mirabel froze. They had not expected this turn of events, no, not even Dolores, with her super-hearing, had even bothered to listen to what Camilo was up to at Mariano’s house the same night she was making a cake with Mirabel. And how did they get the cake into Casita’s kitchen without anyone else noticing? She guessed it just have been the night before the celebration, when even she and her ears were asleep. But either way that didn’t make her any less irritated.

“Awesome!” Julieta said, as the rest of the family, including Felix of course, paid attention to the second cake.

“Mariano? You helped make this?” Felix asked.

“I sure did, señor!” Mariano huffed with pride.

Felix grinned. “That’s wonderful! I always knew you were a family man!”

“And it’s Enyucado!” Camilo added. “Your favorite from when you were small!”

“Oh, yes!” Camilo found himself buried in an avalanche of his father’s affections very quickly. “Mi chico guapo, you know me so well!”

“I do.”

Felix wrapped Mariano in a hug as well, not willing to let his contribution go unnoticed. “Thank you as well, Mariano!”

“You’re welcome!”

That’s when Dolores cleared her throat. “How nice of you to make Papa another cake behind my back after dramatically flunking the one we were going to make together.”

Mirabel snorted.

“Hey, it was Mariano’s idea!” Camilo said, pointing at him with both index fingers. “If you’re looking for someone to be wrongfully mad at, blame your future husband. And besides, you said you weren’t going to make another one. How was I supposed to know you were lying?”

“Whatever, hermanito.”

The two shot each other daggers across the table as Felix cut himself a slice and bit into it.

It was now or never.

Felix finally swallowed, and everyone awaited his decision with bated breath.

Then he said. “Mmm! It’s delicious!”

Camilo’s eyes lit up, as Dolores’ eyelid twitched. “Wow! Really? You think so?”

“Of course, mi corazon! Great job, both of you. Here, have a slice!” He gave a smiling Camilo and Mariano two plates and cut them slices of the cake.

Mariano winked at Dolores, Dolores forcing a smile back.

Upon biting into his slice of the cake, Camilo beamed. “Wow, it really is good!”

“Agreed,” Mariano murmured through a full mouth before clearing his throat and swallowing. “It’s delightful. I’m so glad we made this, Camilo.”

Dolores disagreed.

“Me too. Thanks, man!” Camilo said, giving Mariano a hip bump. “I really couldn’t have done this without you.”

Mariano chuckled. Normally the sound of her love’s joy would make Dolores feel serene and content, but she was too distracted.

“They can’t both be equally good, though. Papa, which one is better?”

“Lola, it’s not a competition!” Camilo condescended, pretending to sound more mature. “Although…if I had to pick, it would be mine.”

“Liar!” Dolores exclaimed. “There is no way your cake is better than the one mi primita and I made. Just accept it, Camilo!”

“Well, I suppose your cake is…okay, at best. But ours is clearly better? Isn’t it, Mariano?”

“Umm.” Mariano chose to stay out of this sibling squabble. And wisely so.

Dolores chuckled darkly, without mirth. “Oh, so you think you can betray me and join forces with my boyfriend to make a cake that will be better than the one I made with Mirabel?! You got another thing coming, Camilo.”

“Oh yeah, well—“

The two started bickering back and forth, the rest of the family watching the drama unfold, Mirabel shrinking away to go stand beside Isa.

“ALL RIGHT!”

Both kids fell silent when Felix spoke.

Felix cleared his throat. “I’m being honest when I say this. And it’s my birthday, so let me be the judge. I think both your cakes are equally delicious. I promise you!”

Dolores blinked.

Camilo blinked.

Then they went back to squabbling with each other.

Felix sighed and rubbed his temple in irritation. He had had enough.

“Children—“ Alma said, but for once, the two were too deep into their arguing back-and-forth to listen.

“Did you even try each other’s cakes?”

Dolores and Camilo both came to a screeching halt just then.

Dolores awkwardly gulped. “Umm, no, Papi, we didn’t. Hm!”

Felix rolled his eyes and chuckled, finding it hard to stay mad at his adorable princesa and chico guapo for long. “Well, here ya go.” He handed them each extra plates. “And that means you too, Mirabel and Mariano.”

Mirabel and Mariano exchanged a glance before coming forward to also take slices of each other’s cakes.

Dolores bit into the Enyucado. “It’s not that bad.”

Camilo bit into the tres leches cake. “It’s edible, at least. That’s always a good thing.”

Felix sighed.

Mirabel, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear. “Mmm! This brings back memories!” She swooned. “I remember when Camilo used to give me his leftover slice because he didn’t like it! It’s delicious. Great job, guys!”

“Thanks, Mirabel!” Mariano said. “And I like how milky and sweet Your and Dolores’ cake is. Which is only to be expected, because its tres leches cake. But still. It’s very sweet and buttery and nice. You both truly outdid yourselves.” He grinned at Dolores, a sparkle in his eye. “It’s great. Really great!”

Dolores blushed. “Thanks, Mariano!”

“Yeah, Mariano, thanks!”

“You’re welcome.”

Felix raised an eyebrow at his eldest children. “Now, is there anything you two would like to say?”

Dolores grumbled and rolled her eyes. “I love your cake too. It’s good. But only because Mariano helped make it.”

“I love yours too, Dolores. But only because of Mirabel,” Camilo added.

Felix sighed, realizing that was the best acknowledgment of each other’s talents that they were going to give.

“All right then,” he said. “Back to the party!”

The awkward yet amusing situation had finally passed, and the Madrigals spent the rest of the night giving Felix gifts, dancing, playing games, and just overall enjoying themselves.

Dolores enjoyed herself too. But more importantly, she was glad that her father had enjoyed the cake she made for him.

Mirabel waltzed up to her while the rest of the family was dancing, shimmying and lightly bumping their hip. “Hey,” she teased. “I guess it paid off in the end, huh? The whole first cake being ruined thing.”

Dolores shrugged, staring into her glass of wine, but didn’t answer.

“By the way, and I never got to tell you this before, but that was the funniest thing I had seen from you in a long time!”

“Shut up!” Dolores snickered, giving Mirabel a light shove.

“Hey,” Mirabel shoved back. “Don’t blame me, blame Camilo! Or maybe don’t, since now we have two cakes and they’re both equally good!”

Dolores shrugged with a grin. “I guess you’re right.”

“I know I am!” Mirabel beamed and waited for Dolores to finish her glass and set it aside. “Anyway, prima, you wanna dance?”

Dolores pondered for a minute, then took Mirabel’s hand graciously.

“I’d love to!” She agreed.

The two girls giggled as they ran to the center of the floor with the rest of their family, dancing together and having fun.

The End

29 notes · View notes

justanisabelakinnie · 1 year

Text

December 28

(It’s Camilo’s birthday! Aka the one day in which I can simp for this fantastic kiddo! You didn’t think I’d forget our beloved shapeshifter’s birthday too, now did you? I have something very special in mind for him, but you have to wait until the end to see. Also I had to throw my ship in here, I’m sorry, I just had to. Anyway, sit down, buckle up, and prepare for an exciting and hilarious ride, because today is also Holy Innocent’s Day, aka the equivalent of April Fool’s Day in Colombia. Enjoy!)

It was the middle of the night when Mirabel felt a pair of knees destroying her abdomen.

Wincing at the unbearable pain, she opened her eyes to find herself being attacked, smothered to death by some crazy person as she was unable to wrestle free due to her body’s lazy, sleep like state.

So all she could do was stare wide-eyed into the blackness as whoever was trying to murder her—or kidnap her, perhaps—continued to giggle like a maniac.

“Mmfmmpppphhh—“ was all she could say as the arms tightened around her neck and she found herself smothered by this person’s shoulder. “Mmmpphhfffpphfffhmmm! Mmmm!”

“It’s my birthday, Mirabel! Can you believe it! It’s my birthday!”

Why would she need to know that?

“I’m finally sixteen, Mirabel! And you’re still left behind. Sorry. But I’m just so excited!” Cue the relentless giggling.

Mirabel was enraged. “Camilo?”

Camilo giggled, sitting up and finally crawling off of her to make himself welcome as an unwanted guest on Mirabel’s bed. “Yeah, I…stayed up all night to count down until my birthday. You know like New Year’s. I can’t wait to see the presents you all give me!!! It’s gonna be the best birthday ever. Even better than the last. You know sometimes I wish I were a girl so I could have a quince, but…”

Camilo continued to ramble on and on excitedly about his birthday. But Mirabel was not listening. What she was doing was gripping her head with her hands as she tried not to let it roll off.

“And remember when I was ten years old and asked Isabela to make me a flower crown? Those were the days. But—“

“Camilo?”

“Yeah?”

“Go. back. to. SLEEP!!! GODDAMN!”

Camilo should have been deterred. “Can’t I sleep with you—“

“No,” Mirabel moaned with a sob. “Just—goodnight, primo.”

“It’s not night, it’s morning. And it’s my—“

“I know, I know. Happy birthday Camilo. Goodbye.”

Mirabel felt a kiss plant itself magically on her cheek before Camilo finally left her in peace. Thank goodness.

She flopped down on the bed and tried to go back to sleep. Which she did soon enough. But goddamnit if it wasn’t hard.

Still, a twitching smile stretched out upon her face. Camilo was gonna have the birthday of his life when he woke up that morning. She was sure of it.

💛

“Cumpleaños feliz, te deseamos a tí, Feliz cumpleaños a Camilo, feliz cumpleaños a tí! Que los cumpla feliz, que los vuelva a cumplir, que los siga cumpliendo, hasta el año tres mil!”

Camilo blew out the candles. All sixteen of them. He giggled. Everyone clapped. It was a beautiful day, and he was happy!

“Why did you choose to have your birthday party in the morning and afternoon instead of at night, Cami?” Luisa asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Easy! So that I can spend the evening with my lovely girlfriend, of course!” Camilo’s chirped, beaming up at his older cousin.

“Ooo-ooooh!” Isabela, Mirabel, Antonio, and Bruno lilted, Camilo blushing and looking down.

“But anyway—“ Camilo started, but he was cut off.

“You have a girlfriend?” Antonio bounced up and down. “Ooh! Who is it?”

“Quiet down Antonio,” Mirabel urged. “But it’s Emiliana. My best friend. You know, the girl who falls asleep a lot?”

“I like her, she’s pretty and nice! Are you gonna get married?”

“I never thought about that,” Camilo answered, his blush betraying him.

Bruno opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it.

A storm cloud appeared over Pepa’s head. “No funny business, Camilo. I mean it. Because if you get up to something you know you’ll regret—“

Mirabel chuckled, Isabela bounced her eyebrows, and Luisa and Dolores looked like they didn’t want to be there. Camilo glared at Isabela and Mirabel.

“Ugh, I know Mami. Just because I’m sixteen now doesn’t mean I’m suddenly—anyway, can I open my presents now, please?”

“Sure, Cami, and I have the first one!” Dolores said, picking up her present off of the table and walking up to him, outstretching her hands for him to take it.

Camilo opened it. “Thanks sis!” He took it out. “Oh…it’s one of those…whatchamacallits, I forgot…”

Dolores had given him a tiny box with a handle at the side that, according to Dolores, he had to turn in a circular direction. So he did. And he was so confused and focused on that that he didn’t see Dolores grinning and covering her ears.

And then a giant face sprang out from the box and scared Camilo shitless. He screamed and ran for cover. Just kidding. He only threw the box in the air and jumped to hide under his chair.

“What is that thing?!” He shrieked.

Dolores smirked and tilted her head to the side. “Hm! It’s a…a…jack-in-the-box?”

“I haven’t played with one of those since I was a kid!”

“Sorry,” Dolores shrugged. “I thought you’d like it, but…”

“No, no, it’s not that I don’t like it,” Camilo took it from Dolores with a grin. “It’s just…a surprise. That’s all. Hehe. Thanks big sis!” He hugged his beloved older sister. “You are the second best pranker in the family!”

“Second?” Dolores raised an eyebrow.

“Second?” Mirabel smirked, hip bumping Isabela.

“Oh come on,” Camilo snorted. “You don’t actually think you’re a better pranker than me.”

“We’ll see about that,” Mirabel murmured.

“My turn!” Antonio ran up to Camilo with a wrapped present in his hands. “I made this for you myself big brother! I hope you like it!” He cheered jumping up and down.

“Oh, and what is this, hombrecito?” Camilo bent down and took the present from Antonio’s hands. Opening it, he tried not to chuckle at the cute(stick figure) drawing of a yellow figure, clearly representing himself, with big squiggly circles for hair and a square around his torso symbolizing his ruana, standing between a tall red figure with a filled-in circle on her head and a big bow, a triangle shape resembling a dress, and a short orange figure, their arms crossing through the yellow figure.

“See, that’s me,” Antonio was saying, pointing at the orange figure. “That’s Dolores,” he pointed at the red figure. “And that’s you!” He pointed at the yellow figure in the center. “And our arms are like that because we’re giving you a hug, because we love you!”

Camilo smiled at the picture, especially since it was oh-so cleverly captioned with the words “te 💛 Camilo” in big sloppy multicolored letters.

“Oh, it is just the sweetest, hermanito!” Camilo cooed, bending down to pick his brother up and kiss him all over his face. “Te amo mucho mucho mucho, awww!”

Antonio giggled. “Put me down big brother, your lips are tickling me.”

“Oh, okay, cosa linda.” He put the grinning little pipsqueak down, and Pepa and Felix came forth with their gifts.

“It’s a book!” Camilo gasped, almost wanting to jump out of his chair. “A book of all the greatest plays in the last century! I…how did you know I wanted this?”

“It’s all you ever asked for, chico,” Pepa said with a smile.

“And you deserve it,” Felix added, giving his son a manly hug.

“Thanks, familia!” Camilo grinned as his parents hugged and kissed him.

The rest of the family then gave their gifts. Mirabel gave Camilo a new ruana that she had sewn herself, it was blue with yellow squiggly stripes and even had embroidery, which Camilo loved, so much so that he nearly scooped Mirabel up hugging and kissing her. Isabela got her cousin a book as well, except it was about fairytales and mythology. Knowing how much he loved princesses, Isabela knew Camilo was sure to appreciate it. Which he did. And Luisa got him a lanyard bracelet that she had made herself, knowing that her primito was allergic to jewelry. Julieta gave Camilo a new and colorful football to replace the one he had torn. Agustin gave Camilo some cologne. Bruno gave him a football trophy that he himself won when he was sixteen. Like uncle like nephew, he had said with a wink. Which made Camilo smile.

“Who’s next?” Camilo asked, although he knew the answer.

“I believe that would be me, chico.” Alma winked.

“Ooh, okay!” Camilo rubbed his hands together. “So umm what do…or what did…you buy me for my birthday?”

“Oh,” Alma started feeling around her pockets, searching for the gift, until finally she pulled it out with a smile.

Camilo stared. “A comb?”

Agustin wheezed.

“Why yes!” Alma said with a smile. “So that you can comb that big beautiful hair of yours early in the morning. And tonight on your date with your girlfriend too!”

Camilo blinked, while Mirabel covered her grin with her mouth.

Finally, Alma burst out laughing, and the rest of the cool-colored family(and Bruno) with her. “Oh, I’m just teasing, lindo.”

“Good one, Abuela!” Isabela choked up, and Camilo couldn’t even resist the urge to grin. He’d never have guessed that he got his pranking ways from his grandma of all people!

“Here is your gift!” She clapped her hands expectantly. “Casita?”

The tiles click clacked against the floor, and Camilo gasped.

“A BIKE?!” Camilo squealed, causing Dolores to cover her precious, sensitive ears.

“Why yes, of course, a bike!” Alma nodded her head and laughed. “Why, when I was your age, me and my sisters would spend days learning how to ride a bike—oh?”

She never got to finish telling her story, before Camilo leapt at her in a smothering hug.

“Thank you, Abuela,” Camilo whispered tenderly. “I always knew you were the best grandmother ever and wanted me to be happy, want all of us to be happy, not just Isabela.”

Alma paused, then hugged Camilo dearly back. “You’re welcome, hermoso.”

“Oh!” Isabela perked up, dragging Dolores to her side and linking their arms. “Me and Dolores will teach you how to ride, that’s what we agreed on, how does that sound?”

Camilo smiled at them, breaking from the hug as he did so. “That sounds amazing. Thank you, primas-hermanas!”

The primas-hermanas grinned back.

“Ahem, anyway,” Bruno changed the subject. “I think it’s cake time, I’m starving.”

“Oh yes, so am I, hermanito,” Pepa agreed.

“And then it’s time to PARTY!”

Felix laughed as he patted Bruno on the shoulder blade. “It sure is.”

💛

“Oooh, Camilo, someone’s at the door for you!” Mirabel cooed in a flirtatious manner.

“Is that who I think it is?” Camilo sprang up.

“It sure is!” Mirabel giggled. “Come and greet your lady!”

“Yeah, go hombrecito,” Bruno encouraged with a jerk of his head in the direction of the door.

Camilo smiled at his Tío before shoving his primita to the side and opening the door to greet his beautiful sweet girlfriend Emiliana.

“Hey, sweet cheeks!” Camilo smiled from ear to ear as he tightly embraced the love of his life.

“Hi,” Emiliana giggled. “Can I come in?”

“Oh, of course, why wouldn’t we let you in?” Camilo walked his girlfriend in. “Oh, Im sure you’ve met my father and uncle, right? Because it would be pretty embarrassing if you hadn’t.”

“Hola, mi chica bonita!” Felix greeted Emiliana with an energetic handshake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you! And a pleasure to see you dating my son!”

Emiliana grinned. “Oh, thank you, Sr.—“

“Felix,” her boyfriend’s father said with a smile. “Call me Felix.”

“Oh! Okay Felix!”

“And you already know me!” Bruno said with a wave.

“Of course!” Emiliana said, giving Bruno a fist bump. “Hey Bruno!”

“Hey kid! So, where are you taking my nephew?”

“I can’t tell you yet, it’s a surprise!”

“Oh, silly me! I shouldn’t have asked. Well you two enjoy your date, and if you need anything, well, you can always count on us!”

“Thank you!” Emiliana turned to Camilo. “So anyway, umm, shall we go?”

“Oh sure!” Camilo waved at the men before leaving. “Tell the rest of the family that I said goodbye!”

“We will!” Felix and Bruno said with a wave, but soon Pepa and Julieta came down, along with Agustin.

“Oh, Emiliana!” Pepa said with a wave. “Bye, querida! Goodbye!”

“Goodbye Emiliana! ¡Adios, Camilo!” Julieta said with a wave.

“Have a happy date, the both of you!” Agustin said with a thumbs up as Emiliana smiled and waved her departure. “Oh, and sobrino, remember what your mother said—“

“Yes, yep!” Camilo flushed with embarrassment. “Bye!” And shut the door behind them.

“What did your mother say?” Emiliana asked.

“Oh nothing.” Camilo shrugged. “Just to have fun. A-anyway, we’re alone now, baby, what do you wanna do?”

“Well, like I told Bruno, I can’t reveal it yet. But you’ll love it, just you wait and see.”

“Oh, okay,” Camilo said as they walked, hand in hand, through the village. It was a peaceful and beautiful evening. The sun was slowly setting, the sky an array of bright, beautiful colors, and a half-moon could be seen in the sky along with the setting sun.

Overall, the perfect occasion for a lovely romantic date between a pair of enamored teenagers.

“So your family actually let you go on a date with me?” Camilo asked, breaking the peaceful silence.

“Huh? Oh yeah.” Emiliana swatted a hand. “Come to think of it, they probably just want me out of the house because my quince is a week after yours and they’re trying to prepare. I just promised them that nothing bad was going to go down tonight and that you were treating me right. Don’t worry about it.”

“Of course not, baby, I love you!” Camilo promised, patting his heart with her hand. “Plus, I’m kinda scared to death of your oldest sister.”

Emiliana laughed. “Aren’t we all? But enough about me, let’s talk about you! So how was your birthday?” she asked him.

“Oh, it was perfect!” Camilo said. “Everyone enjoyed themselves and got me such perfect gifts. For example, Abuela got me a bike, my prima got me a storybook, my Tío got me cologne—“

“Is that why you smell so good?” Emiliana flirted.

“U-uh, yeah, and mi hermano drew me the most adorable picture.”

“Aww, he takes after his big bro.”

“Hehe, yup.”

“What about Dolores?” Emiliana inquired, wanting to know what her friend’s present for her love had been. “What did she get you?”

“Oh, this really weird…jack-in-the-box? It’s nothing special.”

“Nothing special?” Emiliana balked. “Camilo, it’s your birthday, and she got you something silly she thought you’d love! Show some gratitude!”

“I do love it, it’s just—“

“It’s just what?”

“Well…”

“EMILIANA! CAMILO! COME QUICK!!!”

Both teens were shocked as they looked up at Camilo’s eldest prima, screaming her head off as she ran towards them. Upon reaching them both, Isabela placed a hand down on each of their shoulders and lightly shook.

“I-I…it’s Mirabel. I didn’t mean for this to happen but I—“ Isabela burst into tears before she could finish, and an entire garden sprouted on her head. It would have been amusing to watch normally, but not this time.

“Woah, slow down, Isabela,” Emiliana soothes, placing a warm arm on Isabela’s shoulder as the older girl wept, her head in her hands. “Tell us calmly. What happened? Ooh!” She plucked a few grapes from Isabela’s hair and threw them in her mouth, chewing.

“We…we went to this art shed one of Luisa’s friends had set up, she said she and the rest of us girls could use it any time we wanted. So Mirabel, Luisa, Dolores and I went there after you and Camilo left for your date. We were just spraying things and having some fun, until one thing led to another, Mirabel and I got into a fight—“

“As usual,” Camilo snorted.

“And somehow I ended up turning her into a flower statue! I-I just feel so hideous and stupid, why, why, why?!” Isabela started crying heavier as tiny potatoes grew from her scalp and rolled from her hair onto the floor. “I’m an AWFUL big sister!!! Oh—“

Emiliana hugged Isabela tightly, and Isabela hugged back. “It’s, it’s okay, Isabela. It wasn’t your fault, and you’re a great big sister!”

“I am?” Isabela sniffled.

“You are!” Emiliana beamed. “Mirabel tells me all about you all the time.”

“No she—“

“Anyway,” Emiliana cut her boyfriend off. “Take us to the art shed and we’ll find a way to fix your sister! Right, Camilo?”

“B-but what about our date?” Camilo squawked.

“Our date?”

“Y-you don’t care about your cousin!” Isabela whined before wailing again. Emiliana sighed, exasperated.

“All right, Isa, that’s enough, I think he gets it,” Emiliana whispered in her ear. Isabela wiped her eyes daintily with a pink handkerchief, trying to maintain her composure and settle down a bit to think logically about what is going on.

“Camilo,” Emiliana placed both hands on her boyfriend’s shoulders. “Do you believe that I love you?”

“Yes.”

“Exactly! And do you believe that our date isn’t going anywhere and that the moment we save Mirabel we’ll go back to our little romantic night out?”

“Yes?”

“Good!” She kissed him on the nose. “Let’s go-WOAH WOAH WOAH!”

Isabela had swooped both Emiliana and Camilo in the air with her vines and both soared over the entire Encanto—or at least that’s what it felt like to Emiliana—before settling down safely in front of the art shed.

Emiliana beamed, jumping up and down. “Oh, that was so much fun! Yes!” She whooped, thrusting a fist into the sky. “I never told anybody, well, except for my sister Victoria, but I’ve always wanted to do that.” She wrapped her arms around Isabela’s waist and squeezed. “Thank you, Isabela, for not killing my boyfriend and I—“

“You’re welcome,” Isabela choked.

“Anyway, Mirabel, right, operation save Mirabel.

The three of them walked into the shed, which was dim, empty, and a little bit dark.

“I don’t see anything,” Camilo said.

And then the lights flew open.

Camilo took a shaky breath. “Well, that was kind of creepy—“

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!”

“Babe?!”

Emiliana pointed in horror at the plant statue of Mirabel that was right in front of her. Frozen in terror, Mirabel had the most horrifying look on her face as her eyes were wide open, her mouth rounded in a silent scream, her hands held up in front of her in defense as Isabela took her life and breath away. Her best friend took a shaky inhale.

“I know,” Isabela’s voice trembled as she spoke. “Dolores, Luisa, and I were just as fear-stricken when we saw what I had done as well.”

“How can you DO that?” Camilo exclaimed, gesturing to flower-Mirabel. “Remind me not to mess with you ever again!”

“I don’t know!” Isabela wailed in agony. “I was very angry, and got very emotional! But you’ve gotta fix it back, Camilo!”

“Oh, so you created this mess but you can’t get my cousin out of it?” Camilo pressed, a hand on his hips as he rotated his neck. “NUH-UH, prima, that is NOT how we work around here!”

“It’s okay, Isabela, Camilo will fix it, I have faith in him!” Emiliana said, cowering behind her boyfriend. Even though he was shorter and weaker than her.

“Hold up, why me?”

“Because I love you, Camilo,” Emiliana said, nudging Camilo towards the eerie and tragic figure of Mirabel.

“Girl—“ Camilo hissed his teeth, but reluctantly moved closer to the statue, while Emiliana moved closer to Isabela, both clutching each other’s hands and staying out of harm’s way.

Camilo gulped in fear. He didn’t want to do this. But he had to. For his cousins. For his girlfriend. For himself.

He reached forward, finger trembling, in terror of the statue, before poking it ever so gently with his finger.

And it exploded.

The next thing he knew Camilo was covered in a huge splatter of thick, wet, sweet-smelling substance.

And Emiliana and Isabela exploded too, with laughter.

“What the—“ Camilo shook the creamy contents off of him in frustration as he stared aghast at the bits and pieces of green and pink flower petals he saw scattered across the floor of the shed. “Huh? Did I kill Mirabel?”

This only made Emiliana and Isabela wheeze harder, stomping their feet as they were barely able to contain themselves. Camilo stared at them, his brain almost but not quite catching onto the situation at hand.

Before both girls yelled “SURPRISE!!!” at him.

To make matters worse, Dolores and Luisa came out of their hiding spot through a back door as well. And with them was a perfectly intact and alive Mirabel who most definitely was NOT made of green and pink flower petals!!!

“That. Was. HILARIOUS!” Mirabel shouted before bending over, wheezing with glee.

Luisa laughed out loud, clapping her hands. “You can’t say we didn’t get you Camilo.”

“Indeed,” Dolores sputtered. “You should’ve, you should’ve seen your faHAHAHAHAHA!!!!”

Camilo stood there, covered in cream-like goodness as he was made a mockery of by the five girls surrounding him, all were laughing their asses off as they took glances at Camilo, only to look away as they laughed even harder.

Isabela slapped Emiliana’s hand in a high five. “You go, chica. We got him!”

“Thanks for letting me be a part of this!”

“And thanks for helping!”

Camilo, meanwhile, was not happy. He was seeing red. “Was this…was this a PRANK?!”

“It was!” Isabela admitted with watery eyes as she hiccuped.

“We hope you like custard!” Dolores said with a wink.

“I-I-I can’t beLIEVE YOU!” The custard monster roared. “You…you were supposed to be my favorite cousin, Mirabel, you had me worried for your life when Isabela came crying to me that she killed you, all for—and Emiliana, you were supposed to be the love of my life! I trusted you! And Isabela, you started putting on a performance with your crocodile tears when it turned out all along to be some sick JOKE?! And—“ he glared at Dolores and Luisa while licking custard off his face. “I don’t even have anything to SAY to you two! I thought you were sweet and gentle, but clearly I was wrong! I…I am just so disappointed!”

But being reprimanded by a guy covered head to toe in custard? That only made them laugh harder. They couldn’t take it seriously!

“Hah, what a night huh?” Emiliana got up and walked towards Camilo. “What a night. Anyway, we went through all this trouble, so we may as well see how you taste.” She licked some of the custard off her boyfriend’s cheek. “Mmm! Yummy! Sorry about your cologne though.”

“Ooh, let me try!” Mirabel ran up to her cousin and wiped some of the custard off his other cheek with her finger. Licking it off. “Wow! That is delish!”

“Lemme!” Isabela took some off of the nose. “Wow, this does not disappoint.”

“I have to agree,” Dolores said as she took some off of Camilo’s forehead.

“Hey, don’t look so downhearted, kiddo,” Luisa said with a grin as she too ate custard out of Camilo’s hair. “At least you get to be a delectable delicacy! Don’t worry, we’ll clean you right up!”

“Yes we will!” Emiliana agreed. “Now gimme your hand.” She picked up Camilo’s hand and ran her fingers along its palm, gathering up custard and putting it in her mouth.

Camilo sighed as the girls rubbed their fingers on him and ate the custard off his body and clothes. They were so busy eating him that they barely even noticed the door opening as one of Luisa’s friends stepped in—and quickly stepped out after realizing what was going on.

But they didn’t care. They were having too much fun. And now that Camilo thought about it, this joke was pretty clever. Even though he was utterly humiliated that day in the worst way imaginable, he knew he would laugh about it someday like his father always told him. Today just…wasn’t that day.

He turned to his girlfriend. “So, umm, sweetie pie. About that date…”

“Yeah?”

“Where did you plan on us going?”

Emiliana’s face paled as her eyes shifted and she giggled awkwardly. “Oh, well, about that…”

The End!

Until next time! 👋🏾

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justanisabelakinnie · 1 year

Note

10 + Monabela and 14 + Emicami pls?

You got it!

10. Monika’s love language is probably quality time. She loves spending time with her girlfriend Isabela! Also words of affirmation to make her feel validated! While Isabela’s love language is most likely physical touch and gifts, I feel like that’s how she shows affection and how she is used to others showing affection as well. 14. Well I think Emiliana likes to go all out while the same is not true for Camilo in the slightest 😅 but he feels like the type to steal her dresses and shit which she doesn’t mind. Emiliana’s probably worn Camilo’s ruana at some point too but idk if it’s a thing they do. Also her favorite color is pink while his is yellow but he likes pink too!

#hey thank you!#isabela madrigal #isabela my beloved #isabela is best girl #encanto #monika ortega #monabela #camilo madrigal #emiliana jimenez #emicami #encanto ocs #puffer’s otsp ask game #afrolatinozuko

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justanisabelakinnie · 1 year

Text

Happy Birthday Emiliana Jimenez!

Doin’ it right this time. Today is my OC’s birthday! Happy birthday to our beautiful princess!!! 🎉

#emiliana jimenez #encanto #encanto ocs #black female ocs #birthday #oc birthday #what else can i queue

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justanisabelakinnie · 2 years

Note

During the road trip Bruno was driving, it was to noisy and his was twitching. Finally Bruno snapped and told them to be quiet. The whole car ride was quiet.

"Eep." Dolores said.

"Dolores, he said to be quiet," Camilo said a little harshly, cut-eyeing her.

"But Emiliana just told her mom that she's sick of being ignored and excluded by her family for so long!" Dolores said. "I feel so bad for her...I wish she were my little sister, oh, but then you two couldn't da--"

"Tio Bruno?" Camilo interrupted. "When are you going to make Dolores shut up?"

"Never," Bruno answered. "Dolores is my favorite sobrina, so only she is allowed to talk." Camilo groaned.

#bruno madrigal #dolores madrigal #camilo madrigal #emiliana jimenez #encanto #encanto ocs #oc #encanto headcanons #not isabela madrigal #fanfic prompts #encanto fanfic prompts #lilacschild

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justanisabelakinnie · 2 years

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All these “overprotective Felix/Bruno/Camilo don’t let Dolores/Mirabel have boyfriends” fandom content that I see going around irritate the shit out of me as you all already know and they also make me want to write one in reverse, where Pepa is overprotective of Camilo and doesn’t want him to get a girlfriend, but I have too much respect for Emiliana to even try that. The truth is Pepa thinks Emiliana and Camilo are beautiful together.

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justanisabelakinnie · 1 year

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2, 24, and 27 for the OC ask! 💕

Yay finally my first one!

2. My favorite is definitely Monika! She's just so cute, and she's a lesbian, and she is shipped with Isabela! Plus her being mute makes her unique in a sense, since she can't talk I have to find other ways to make her express herself!

24. Probably Emiliana, she just seems so sweet! And reminds me of my little sister(well duh that's obvious!).

27. Don't think so?

Thanks for this sm @escapadefemme! I hope to get more from others!

Next time though I encourage everyone to send the question along with the number so that I don't have to continue going back lol.

#yetanotherocmeme #monika ortega #emiliana jimenez #encanto #oc #encanto ocs #black female ocs #isabela madrigal #monabela #escapadefemme

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justanisabelakinnie · 2 years

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Thought you all deserved to see what Emiliana looked like, same as Monika from before.

#emiliana jimenez #encanto #encanto ocs #oc #black female ocs #not isabela madrigal #picrew #sushicore #why is it even called sushicore

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justanisabelakinnie · 2 years

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Camilo's Transformation~Part II

Part I here

Also known as Camilo's Revenge.

I had a lot of fun writing this, and it was inspired by a dream I had last night, so don't hate me, hate my dream, lol.

Anyway, enjoy!

“Mirabel?” Isabela peeked into Mirabel’s now expanded and much more personalized bedroom.

“Hmm?” Mirabel looked up from her needlework.

“Any idea what’s up with Camilo?” Isabela asked. It’s been months at this point, and Camilo was still slipping into the “Carlos” persona every once in a while. During this time, he refused to answer to a name that wasn’t “Carlos” or short for Carlos, such as “Carl”. Only Mirabel and Dolores refused to call him such a stupid name. Bruno was the only one who seemed to enjoy this Transformation of his, and every now and then would join his sobrino by pretending to be “Hernando” or “Jorge”. It was all too much for the family to handle, and not even Alma could to anything about it. Eventually, they just rolled their eyes whenever it happened and let the freak show duo be.

Mirabel shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t even know anymore. It’s like he’s a totally different person. He refuses to talk to me, he refuses to get makeup tutorials from Dolores, he refuses to pet Antonio’s animals or play princesses with him…its like…I dunno. I just miss my friend.”

“Me too, hermanita, me too.” Isabela hugged Mirabel and kissed her on the forehead.

The worst part about Camilo being “Carlos”(for Camilo at least) is that the kids didn’t care. They weren’t intimidated by the town babysitter’s faux-edgy persona and consistently roped him into their adventures. If the kids wanted him to transform into somebody for their amusement, he had no choice but to comply. If they wanted him to be a pirate, he was a pirate. If there was a baby that needed coddling and the parents were busy, well then, that was Camilo’s job. It was exhausting. He liked kids, but they weren’t even willing to call him Carlos! For a bunch that ought to have such a big imagination, they refused to play along with his make-believe and see him as anything else other than Camilo, no matter what color his ruana was. Granted, at least he wasn’t overworked like he was before Casita fell and got rebuilt, but still.

Maybe the parents thought that if he spent more time around kids who didn’t entertain his nonsense behavior, they could wring the Carlos out of him.

Like that was ever going to happen.

Fortunately, Carlos came in handy one day.

Mirabel walked the busy streets, searching for her best friend Emiliana. Where could she be? Knowing her, she was probably asleep on a bench somewhere, Mirabel wouldn’t doubt it as a possibility. Practically everyone knew of Emiliana’s rather unfortunate sleeping condition. The poor girl had narcolepsy during the day and insomnia during the night. Worse yet, it appeared to be genetic, perhaps even hereditary as her father had the same condition, so Julieta’s food couldn’t cure her.

Mirabel came across a bench in the town square, as townspeople buzzed around it, acting as though nothing unusual was happening. Because it wasn't at this point. And sure enough, a young Black girl wearing a pink dress with pillow-shaped embroidery adorning it was there, lying down on the bench as she slept peacefully.

Mirabel stood there, waiting for the girl to wake up. Emiliana was her best friend along with Camilo, after all. She would wait as long as she had to, if she had to.

Fortunately, she wasn’t forced to wait for long. Emiliana’s beautiful brown eyes fluttered open as she yawned and stretched her arms. Mirabel rushed towards her to help her up.

“I’m sorry, Mira,” Emiliana giggled groggily. “It happened again.” She bonked herself on the head playfully. "What's the matter with me?"

“It’s okay,” Mirabel assured her, taking the seat next to her on the bench and hugging her friend before adjusting Emiliana's glasses for her. “You always manage to pick the best sleeping spots, I don’t know how you do it. Umm…” she picked something out of Emiliana’s hair.

“Oh, thanks,” Emiliana smiled lazily at her friend.

“You’re welcome,” Mirabel said. “So, umm, any idea what happened with Camilo?”

“How would I know?” Emiliana shrugged.

“Well, because he’s your boyfriend. And lately he’s been acting up.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen it. He hasn’t been doing it with me, though. He’s always so normal and sweet around me! I really am lucky.”

“You are!” Mirabel agreed, almost squealing but maintaining her composure. She cleared her throat. But then again, who wouldn’t be happy that their two best friends—whom she loved more than anything else in the whole world—were dating each other? “Maybe you can talk some sense into him.”

“I’ll see,” Emiliana considered, shrugging. “So, is that the only reason you came to see me? To talk about my boyfriend?” Eyebrow arched, she waited for a response.

“Of course not!” Mirabel denied. “I always have time for my best friend! So anyway, how’s life been?”

“Pretty good,” Emiliana lied. She looked at her feet in avoidance of Mirabel’s poignant gaze.

“Pretty good, huh?” Mirabel parroted, absolutely not buying it.

“Yup.” Emiliana forced herself to look back and Mirabel, who returned her look with an air of skepticism. “Okay,” she finally admitted. “Maybe not the best. My sisters still don’t talk to me and my mom doesn’t do anything about it. She says that because they’re triplets, they’re supposed to be closer to each other than they are to me. Granted, sometimes they do still talk to me, but…” she sighed. “It’s like they don’t have time to be my older sisters anymore. I wish Dolores was my sister. Well, not really, because…you know. But…you know what I mean.”

Mirabel couldn’t believe her friend was being treated like this. Though they weren’t related, she was just as much Mirabel’s best friend as Camilo was. So being excluded from her birth sisters just because she wasn’t a triplet was absolute garbage.

“I know what you mean,” she said after a long pause. “And I know how you feel, too. Isabela and I are closer than ever before, but it hasn’t always been that way. It was partly my fault anyway for only seeing her as perfect, but all I’m saying is that I understand.”

Emiliana nodded.

“You still have your father though, right?”

Emiliana nodded. “I do, and I am so grateful. I love my father a lot, but I just wish I could be close to my sisters…! And that they didn’t constantly make fun of me while my mom did nothing about it.”

Mirabel wrapped her best friend in a hug. “I understand,” she soothed. She knew she was being repetitive, but what more could she say? It was no wonder Mirabel and Emiliana were best friends. They both went through similar struggles in their families.

The hug went on for a while, Emiliana shedding tears lightly, until they heard a snicker above them.

“Oh no,” Mirabel groaned in Emiliana’s ear.

“Please no,” Emiliana gripped Mirabel’s back tighter. “I am not ready to deal with him today.”

But it was too bad for her, because Andre was ready to deal with them.

“Are you done with your little sob fest yet?” Andre sneered, clapping slowly to emphasize his sarcasm. “Wonderful. You chicas really put on a good performance there. You deserve an award for it, really.”

“Go away, Martinez,” Emiliana glared, regretfully breaking the hug with Mirabel. “And quit bullying me, I’m not afraid of you.”

“Hey Mirabel,” Andre ignored Emiliana. “Can you give me a minute with your amiga mejor, ¿por favor? You can play around with your gift in the meantime. Oh wait!” He laughed at Mirabel’s dejected and offended expression, before grabbing Emiliana by the arm, yanking her up out of the seat on the bench, and wrapped an arm around her as they walked a tiny distance from Mirabel.

“Why would you say that to her? Take it back!”

“Whatever, ojos mocosos,” Andre mocked, and Emiliana rolled her eyes, shoving the mean boy off of her.

“Don’t call me that!” Emiliana seethed, but Andre only laughed. He is so annoying, Emiliana thought.

“But it’s exactly what you are! Maybe if you slept when you were supposed to sleep, you wouldn’t look so disgusting!” He eyed her up at down, before shaking his head in mock shame. “I don’t know what he sees in you.”

“Don’t you dare bring up my boyfriend!” Emiliana defended, getting all up in Andre’s face and poking him in the chest with her fingernail. “Or else.”

“Or else what?” Andre rolled his eyes. “You know, that’s actually what I came to talk to you about. Now that I think about it, he doesn’t see anything in you after all! I just thought that as your closest friend—“

“You are NOT my closest friend!” Emiliana growled. “Mirabel is.”

“I should tell you that your novio’s got some wandering eyes.”

“Liar. Camilo would never cheat on me!”

“Are you sure about that?” Andre chuckled, examining his nails. “Because from what I know, it’s a different story. You’re not ready to hear this, mujercita, but…Camilo showed up at my house last night.”

“…He did not!!!”

“He did! And let’s just say we had a lot of…" He wiggled his eyebrows for flirtatious effect. "...fun…together. Mmm-hmmm.”

Andre grinned at Emiliana, before he received a damaging blow to his face.

Andre staggered back, clutching his face for dear life. He could’ve sworn that a tooth was broken, even though he lost all of his baby teeth years ago.

“Are you lying about getting with my boyfriend? To my face?" Emiliana roared, the clench of her fist tightening. "And you expected me to believe that lie?!”

Andre coughed up something red before answering, “I just…thought you deserved to know.”

“Save it.” Emiliana turned her back to him. “You’re a disgusting and disgraceful human being. Come on, Mira, let’s go—wait, Mira? Where are you?”

“Aww, so your best friend fled!” Andre taunted with a snicker. “I guess she doesn’t really care about you after all!” He gasped. "Or maybe super speed is her real gift!" Laughter again.

But he realized pretty quickly that Mirabel had left for the exact opposite reason.

From a distance, Mirabel could spot where Emiliana was being bullied and picked on by Andre. She yanked her cousin’s ruana, pointing in their direction.

“Is that him?” Camilo demanded.

“Yes.” Mirabel said decisively.

“Good.”

Emiliana looked to where Mirabel was standing, only this time, she had her cousin with her.

Uh oh. Andre felt himself sweating rapidly as he realized this was very bad news for him.

Some of the townspeople noticed what was happening too, and needless to say, they had a lot of opinions on it.

“Is that Camilo Madrigal?” Little Alejandra piped up, yanking on her Mami’s dress. “I love him! He’s so nice and he’s my best friend!”

“He doesn’t look so nice right now though, primita,” Lilli said, standing beside her prima and Tía as they looked on in confusion.

“What’s up with that outfit of his?” Sra. Pezmuerto judged, eyeing his differently colored ruana. “And why is he holding a rock?”

Camilo, seething with rage, glared at the boy who was bullying his girlfriend with the heat of a thousand suns.

“Hey you!” He yelled. “Who do you think you are?!”

But he didn’t give the boy time to answer as his arm stretched back.

"DON'T MESS WITH MY GIRLFRIEND!!!"

And with that final threat, he hurled the rock at the other boy with all his might, it hitting Andre square in the mouth.

As Andre cried out in pain and Sra. Pezmuerto led her daughter and niece away, Mirabel and Camilo made a beeline towards Emiliana.

Camilo wrapped his girlfriend in a hug. “Mi amor! Are you all right?”

Emiliana just giggled. “I’m fine!”

“Oh that’s a relief.” He gave his girlfriend a sweet peck on the lips. Behind him Emiliana saw Mirabel grinning from ear to ear but trying and failing to hide it. “I’m so sorry about what that bribón did to you. But don’t worry. I’m sure after this he won’t bully you anymore. Also I’m sorry if I caught you off guard.”

Emiliana only laughed. "It's okay. I'm happy you stepped in. Really."

"Yeah, I told mi primo what was going on," Mirabel informed, placing a hand on Emiliana's shoulder. "You really think I'd let my best friend get harassed by that idiota?"

"Of course not," Emiliana hugged her amiga mejor. "You're always there for me!"

"That's right I am!" Mirabel hugged back.

"Come on, Bella Durmiente," Camilo said. "You can come over to me and Mirabel's house if you want!"

"Of course I want to!" Emiliana eagerly replied, and they walked off, ignoring Andre as they left him writhing and moaning on the ground beneath them.

~*~

"I don't know why your sobrino hates me, Sra. Madrigal!" Andre cried like a baby as Emiliana and Camilo eyed each other suspiciously. "All I did was try to befriend his girlfriend! But he got mad at me and lashed out with unprovoked physical violence because he's possessive, toxic, and controlling!"

"Oh, and now he's making me out to be an abusive boyfriend!" Camilo yelled, pointing at Andre angrily. "I'm telling you, Mama, don't heal him!"

"I thought she was your tia--"

"Shut up."

"Why is he even here?" Mirabel asked.

"He's here because your cousin doesn't know how to control his impulses," Julieta said, giving Camilo a look.

"But he deserved it, Mama!" Camilo explained.

"Then explain why Sra. Pezmuerto doesn't want you around Alejandra anymore."

"I would never hurt a kid!"

"I'm fourteen years old, so technically I am a kid!" Andre idiotically reasoned.

"If you don't stop talking, I will make you bleed again," Camilo threatened. "Do you understand me?"

"Camilo, that is enough!" Julieta ordered. "This is why you are no longer allowed to pretend to be Carlos! This character of yours has proven to be a bad influence!"

"A bad influence on who?" Camilo asked. But Julieta was right. Pepa and Felix had taken away Camilo's burgundy ruana and forced him back into his normal yellow one. They also didn't allow him to wear his hair covering one eye and also banned him from wearing makeup. All because he defended his girlfriend from a boy who was bullying her and lying about him cheating on her. As if he would ever be romantically or sexually involved with Andre of all people. Yuck.

"Mami, do you know what he did?" Mirabel asked. "He mocked Emiliana and her sleep disorder, and also made fun of me for not having a gift!"

"That's not true!" Andre protested.

"You told my girlfriend that I slept with you!" Camilo barked, clearly enraged.

Julieta looked from her daughter to her nephew to the random boy sitting in the chair, before turning to Emiliana. "Is this true?"

Emiliana only nodded shyly. "Yes, it is true."

Julieta just looked at her for a little longer, then sighed. Turning back to Andre, she made a final decision. "I will heal you," she said. "But only if you promise to never harass my daughter or my nephew's girlfriend ever again."

"But--"

"Do you promise? Otherwise you can walk right out the door with that bloody lip of yours."

Andre paused, looking at the three scowling teens, before sighing reluctantly. "I...promise." he murmured.

"All right," she shoved an arepa in his mouth. "Eat up."

Andre swallowed the arepa, and instantly his lips stopped bleeding and his teeth were all aligned. "Hooray, I'm cured!" Andre cheered. "Thank you, Julieta!"

"That's Sra. Madrigal to you, young man."

Emiliana couldn't help but giggle at this. When she had first met the Madrigal family, she had addressed Julieta in the exact same way that she demanded to be addressed by Andre. Only difference is, her response and been for her to call the older woman Julieta. And that made her happy.

"Thank you, Sra. Madrigal."

"Now apologize to Mirabel and Emiliana."

Andre didn't need to be told twice. With a huff, he turned to the two girls. "Mirabel, I'm sorry you didn't get a gift--I mean I'm sorry I made fun of you for not getting a gift. There is nothing wrong with not having a gift. And Emiliana, I'm sorry I called you 'ojos mocosos', I'm sorry I told you that Camilo sees nothing in you, and I'm sorry I told you that Camilo was cheating on you with me. Please forgive me."

"Well, I accept your apology, but it's going to take me a long while to forgive you," Mirabel stated bluntly.

"Me too," Emiliana chimed in.

Andre nodded. "I guess I'd...better leave."

"You'd better," Camilo agreed snidely. "Thanks to you, I'm not allowed to be Carlos anymore! Are you happy with yourself?"

Andre just rolled his eyes at Camilo, but Emiliana could tell that he felt fear, and walked out the door, never once looking back.

~*~

"Hey, Camilo!" Isabela peeked into Camilo's room, the young boy looking sadder than ever. "Wanna go get some coffee?"

Camilo didn't respond. His head was down at the table as he stared at the metronome as it ticked methodically. He didn't even play the piano anymore, and yet for some reason he still had it.

"Cami, are you okay," Isabela walked delicately over to Camilo, and crouched beside him. "Did you and Emiliana break up?"

"Never!" Camilo gasped in offense, shaking his head. "I love her!" He went back to his emotionless expression as he continued to watch the metronome, almost as if he didn't say anything in the first place.

Isabela paused. Well, this was awkward. "Well, then what's the matter."

"I can't be Carlos..." he said, voice quivering as he was on the verge of tears. "All because I threw a rock at this one jerk."

It was true. Not only that, but Bruno had stopped being Hernando and Jorge. At least when Camilo was around. No matter how many times Camilo told his uncle he had nothing to do with this, Bruno still felt like he had maybe been a bad influence on Camilo by encouraging him. Maybe he thought that Camilo would throw Jorge's spackle at someone.

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm impressed by you," Isabela answered honestly.

Camilo looked up. "You are?"

"Yes!" Isabela chirped. "That boy totally deserved it. He, what, tried to make your girlfriend think you were a cheater? You're the best boyfriend Emiliana could possibly have! That Andres or whatever his name is can absolutely get lost."

Camilo giggled. "I can't believe you said 'get lost'."

"What, like it's weird for me to say it?" Isabela laughed along, nudging Camilo in the side with her elbow. Seeing Camilo writhe, she got an idea. Wiggling her fingers, she let the tips trail up and down his waist, as he continued to squirm.

"Stop it," he exhaled, but Isabela didn't stop it. Her fingers moved to his stomach, then to his back, then to his shoulders and neck, and the next thing Camilo knew, he was on the floor, wriggling like a worm as he laughed hysterically, Isabela also laughing as she tickled her primito to death.

Isabela stopped once there were tears in Camilo's eyes and he began coughing. "Feeling better?" she said.

"Better," Camilo said, tucking in his shirt. "But no more raspberries. The belly button is uber sensitive territory."

"Got it," Isabela giggled. "Come on, let's go to the cafe."

She helped Camilo up and they linked arms as they left his room, before leaving Casita.

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justanisabelakinnie · 1 year

Text

Thief in the Night

(aka a random Emicami fic because I fucking felt like it. Prepare for some wholesome, adorable, and hilarious fluff. Enjoy!)

Mirabel skipped over to the dinner table and sat herself down, right next to her sister Isabela. “Hey, Isa!” she chirped. “How ya doing?”

Isa turned to her and smiled. “Oh, hi, Mirabel! I’m good. How are you?”

“Good, thanks for asking. I like your dress, what did you do with it?”

Isa looked down at her dress, a vibrant yellow and green with assorted mixtures of pink, brown, purple, red, and orange here and there. “Oh, I just thought of spicing it up here and there, is all.”

“Well, I like it!” Mirabel said.

“Thanks, I knew you would!” Isabela smiled and hugged Mira.

“You’re welcome!” Mirabel said, hugging back. She started to whisper something else in Isabela’s ear, but a finger tapped Mirabel’s shoulder, forcing her to turn around.

“Umm, Mirabel, excuse me, please. I wanna sit next to my prima-hermana.”

“Oh, of course, Dolores.” Mirabel nodded at her smiling prima as she slowly got up. “As long as I get to still set next to my favorite cousin, of course.”

Dolores giggled, then turned to Isabela. “Mariano’s little sister…” and just like that the two were enveloped in their typical gossip.

Mirabel turned to see Luisa sitting across from her, talking to Julieta. She sighed.

“Whatever, I’ll just talk to Camilo,” she said, turning to the seat on the other side of her from Dolores. But there was no Camilo in sight. “Camilo? Wait, is he even at this table?”

A toucan flew down out of nowhere and landed itself on Mirabel’s shoulder. It was funky, but everyone else was used to it by now. They all knew where it had come from.

The toucan squawked. Mirabel nodded in confusion. “Uh huh…” she murmured, pretending to understand. “Help, somebody translate it for me.”

“Camilo’s in his room!” Antonio chirped as he showed up out of nowhere.

“Oh, well, I’ll go get him, then,” Mirabel pushed back her chair as she walked towards the stairs.

“Mirabel, where are you going?” Alma said.

“I’m going to go get Camilo,” Mirabel explained.

“Oh, okay mi vida.” Alma turned back to talking to Pepa.

Mirabel walked up the stairs to Camilo’s room. Opening the door, she walked through the mirrors to find Camilo sleeping in his bed, cuddling up in his blanket with his teddy bear. Snug as a bug in a rug. He looked cute as an Angel when sleeping. But Mirabel knew that she had to wake him, even though she was going to regret it.

“Camilo…”

Camilo continued snoring and ignored her, drooling on the teddy bear’s eye. Yuck.

“Camilo…” Mirabel bent down to Camilo’s level and shook him gently. “Camilo, Camilo wake up.”

“Not now Dolores…” Camilo slurred as he licked his lips, his eyes still closed. “I’m trying to eat an empanada.”

“Camilo. Camilo, it’s Mami!” Maybe if Mirabel pretended to be Pepa, Camilo would awake. She tickled him playfully, and kissed him on the cheek. It didn’t work. Camilo even wiped the kiss away while still asleep! How did that work?

Mira sighed. The only one who could wake Camilo up with a kiss was Antonio. No one else could do it.

“Eeerrruhh, you leave me with no other choice.” Standing up, she took a deep breath, and then yanked the pillow from under Camilo’s head violently, smacking him with it brutally. “CAMILO! CAMILO WAKE THE HECK UP!!!”

A groggy yawn escaped Camilo’s lips, and sure enough, he opened his eyes. And when they landed themselves on Mirabel, fire was within them. Uh oh.

Camilo slowly rose up from his bed, and Mirabel took a few, a LOT, of steps back, keeping the pillow between the two as a shield.

“I’m so—“

“I thought I told you.”

“Camilo I’m sorr—“

“I thought I told you.”

“CAMILO I’M SORRY!!!”

“I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU!” He snatched the pillow from Mirabel, who screamed and ran away, but she didn’t get far before the pillow hit her back with an oomph. “NOT! TO WAKE! ME UP! WHEN I’M! ASLEEP!!!” Each exclamation was punctuated by Camilo hitting Mirabel roughly with the pillow. “EVER! WHAT PART OF THAT DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?!?!?!”

“I—“ Mirabel kept getting hit by her primo until she tripped over an untied alpargata and collapsed to the floor. “I can make it up to you! Please!” Camilo slapped her face with the pillow. “Ow! Umm, I’ll give you all of my arepas! All of them! Just, please, have mercy!” Tears spilled from her eyes, and she folded her hands with her fingers interlocked and pleaded from her position on the floor. “Please…” She was going to cry.

GODDAMIT. Camilo could never resist Mirabel’s puppy dog eyes. He tried not to look at them, but there they were, begging him, so big and cute and full of sadness. He still remembered the first time she had tried this trick on him. When they were four and she wanted to use the green crayon. And so, he reluctantly…relented.

“Fine.” He grumbled. “And you’re lucky, too, because I was just about to kill you. But you’re so cute and sweet and are my best friend in the whole wide world, so I probably would’ve just thrown your entire wardrobe out the window while you were asleep in any event—oops.”

The tips of Mirabel’s lips wriggled.

“Oh, you think this is funny?”

Mirabel tickled the inside of her cheek with her tongue, trying not to laugh.

“You think it’s a joke? Do you see a smile on my face?” Camilo bent down to her level. Mirabel nodded. “Really? Does it look like I am laughing?”

But he barely even finished his sentence before he started laughing as well.

As the two laughed, Camilo dropping the pillow in the process, Mirabel snatched the pillow that was off the floor before he could pick it up again, placed it next to her, and then grabbed him by the ankle, yanking him down next to his primita. Not to worry, though. He landed on the pillow.

Camilo took a long exhale before turning to Mirabel. “You’re a firecracker, you know that?” He said, poking her dimples.

Mirabel giggled. “I know.”

“But I’m serious. Please don’t wake me up when I’m sleeping!”

Mirabel gulped and nodded. She never wanted to see Camilo that mad at her again. “But what if the house is burning down? What do I do then?”

“I would already be up by then, mi vida. So anyway, your reason for pissing me off?”

“I wanted you to come downstairs for dinner.”

“Oh. Well, can I go use the bathroom first?” Camilo asked.

“Sure,” Mirabel said.

Mirabel followed Camilo and waited for him to use the bathroom and brush his teeth. When he came out, they went downstairs to dinner together.

“Welcome,” Alma said. “You’re just in time to eat.”

“I saved you a seat next to me,” Mirabel whispered.

“Awesome,” Camilo whispered back. “Why are we whispering?”

“I dunno.” Mirabel stopped whispering as she turned back to Tío Bruno. “Sorry, Tío. I promise I’ll sit next to you tomorrow night.”

“It’s fine.” Bruno patted Camilo on the back as he placed himself between his uncle and cousin. “I’m always happy to be next to my oldest sobrino.”

“Thanks Tío.”

“You’re welcome.”

The family ate quietly as they chittered and chattered amongst each other, before finally Mirabel spoke up.

“Oh, and guess who’s coming to dinner tomorrow night?” she said. “Emiliana!”

Camilo choked on his vegetable juice. “What?” He continued coughing.

Mirabel and Bruno awkwardly patted his back.

“Emiliana?” Isabela’s lips wiggled.

“Emiliana?” Dolores said with a grin.

“Emiliana?” Luisa asked genuinely.

“Who’s Emiliana?” Antonio asked.

“Mirabel’s best friend!” Camilo rushed to say as his face turned pink. “That’s it!”

“Only the love of Camilo’s life!” Dolores said to Antonio as if her other brother hadn’t talked. “He has such a huge crush on her, he won’t stop talking about it!” Dolores told the entire family as Camilo burned with embarrassment. “In fact, I think they’re dating!”

“I know they’re dating!” Isabela butted in unnecessarily. “Have been for over a month now! She is just so sweet and caring, I hope Camilo’s being a good boyfriend to her.”

“Aww, that’s nice,” Pepa said.

“Yeah, it is,” Mirabel affirmed. “They had their first kiss on the bridge at—“

“Okay, nice, now can we please change the subject!” Camilo hissed. “Geez.”

“Wait—“ Felix waved his hands in an effort to clear up the air. “My Camilo kissed a girl? This is news to my ears.”

“Papa—“

“No, I want to hear.”

“Papa we really don’t have to—“

“Well, Emiliana told me all about it!” Mirabel cooed against Camilo’s wishes. “You see, I was the one who encouraged Emiliana to confess her undying love to Camilo, as a good best friend ought to do. And I also told her to kiss him. But as a matter of fact, he was the one to kiss her!”

“That’s great!” Felix said. “I am so proud! See, what was in that to be ashamed of, Camilito?”

“Everything,” Camilo snarked as he banged his head on the table. Unfortunately, he forgot that he was at the table eating dinner, and wound up with a face full of arroz con pollo.

“I’m gonna go clean myself up.” He got up and left the room.

“Yeah,” Mirabel called out after him as he left. “Make sure to do the same thing tomorrow for when your girlfriend gets here!”

“Shut up!” Camilo shouted from the stairs.

Mirabel giggled, the other girls giggled along with her. She gave Dolores a high five.

💖💛

“Mami?” Emiliana tentatively whispers, praying that she hasn’t caused much of a ruckus.

Silence.

Emiliana sighed. “Mami?”

More silence as her mom ignored her. Emiliana rolled her eyes.

“MAMI!”

Finally, her mother put down the fork and glared. “Who are you yelling at?” She demanded.

“I—I’m sorry Mami, I was just trying to get your attent—“

“What do you want?!” Her mother aggressively demanded.

“I-I just wanted to go t-to…Casita. You know, Mirabel and Camilo’s house. Can I go? Please?”

“Hmm…I know Mirabel, she’s the giftless one.”

Emiliana winced. “She’s my best friend mama.”

“But Camilo…he’s your boyfriend, right?”

“Yes, Mama, you remember!”

“Since when?” Oh. Emiliana guessed that maybe her mother hadn’t remembered.

“Since always,” Emiliana answered vaguely.

Her mother sighed. “You love him?”

“Oh yes, Mama, I do!” Emiliana chirped. How could she not love Camilo? He was just the cutest, sweetest, kindest, most empathetic, and most handsome guy on the entire planet!

“Pffft,” her older sister Valencia snickered.

“Is something funny?” Emiliana demanded. “I don’t recall making a joke.”

“Nothing,” her sister said. “It’s just funny how overjoyed and passionate you are about a puppy love fling that clearly isn’t going to last.”

“He’ll get bored of you in an instant,” Veronica, Valencia’s triplet, added.

Emiliana’s eyes widened as tears prickled from them. “How could you say that?” she said emptily as she lowered her head to her plate. “So disrespectful.”

“Enough.” Thank goodness. Emiliana’s dad had intervened. “Quit picking on your little sister, mijas. I have had enough of hearing it.” He turned to Emiliana, with kindness in his eyes. “Emiliana, don’t listen to their harsh words. Your parents and I met when we were younger than you and Camilo.”

“How old were you two?” Emiliana asked, although she already knew the answer.

“Eleven years old,” her father replied, and Emiliana beamed as her sisters rolled their eyes. “Trust me. The two of you might not last, sure, but you have a chance.”

“I guess this is where you expect me and Veronica to apologize now,” Valencia snarked.

“You guessed right.” Their dad glared. “Apologize. Now.”

Valencia and Veronica rolled their eyes. “Lo siento, Emiliana.”

“I forgive you, but it’s not okay.”

“What does that even mean?” Valencia and Veronica murmured to each other.

Victoria, the third and youngest triplet, sat still and quiet, not hearing a word that went on due to being Deaf. She turned to her triplet sisters and signed, “What were you all saying?”

Veronica rolled her eyes and signed in response. “We were just trying to knock some sense into Emiliana’s thick head, but Papa decided that he’d rather we keep her naïve and oblivious.”

Oh. Victoria nodded her head.

“That’s not what happened at all!” Emiliana yelled, enraged, signing it at the same time.

But Veronica grinned. “Oh come on, Victoria. Who are you gonna believe?” She then wrapped an arm around Victoria and grinned.

And Emiliana just knew, that despite the sympathetic look that Victoria was currently giving her, as she always did, she would eventually take their side, as she always did.

She groaned.

💖💛

“Camilo, your girlfriend’s here!” Isabela shouted before laughing out loud.

“Time for dinner!” The rest of the granddaughters sang before giggling. Yes, including Luisa, which hurt Camilo very much; where was the middle child solidarity? At least he had his mother, who was also a middle child.

Camilo stormed out of his room. “I’m gonna kill you, Isabela. I mean it.”

“If you do that, you might scare off your girlfriend. And we don’t want that, do we?” Isabela patted Camilo’s head. “Now go downstairs and greet your sweetheart.”

Camilo grumbled as he came down the stairs. He saw the rest of the family setting the table. Amongst them were Dolores and Luisa, who were talking to each other, the former winking at Camilo, who ignored it.

“Emi!” Mirabel was hugging Emiliana like there was no tomorrow. “I am so glad you’re here!”

“Thanks, so am I! Thank you for inviting me!”

“My pleasure. Oh, come in, we were just about to have dinner.”

“Emiliana?” Dolores popped up out of nowhere. “Welcome back!” She opened her arms and Emiliana basically leaped into the hug. “How’ve you been, hermanita?”

“I’m happy now that I’m here and away from my crazy family,” Emiliana said, making the “coo-coo” motion with her hand next to her ear. “I mean, Victoria and my dad are all right, but…you know.”

“I know.” Dolores winked. “But it’s all right. We’re all happy to have you.”

Camilo felt himself sweating bullets. He could not do this right now. Not with all of his cousins and sisters making it more embarrassing for him and his girlfriend, sure to make his anxiety surmount. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t.

He ran up the stairs.

“Oh, and Camilo especially has just been dying to see you,” Mirabel added.

“He has?” Emiliana blushed.

“Of course he has, Emi, he loves you. Just watch.” She ran up to the stairs. “Camilo, your—huh, where did he go?”

“He never came down.” Isabela shrugged. “So much for my little prank, am I right?”

Emiliana nodded at her, then suddenly her eyes widened. “Hey! You’re Isa! Mirabel’s sister! You grow flowers and plants! That’s so cool!”

“You think so, thanks!” Isabela beamed.

“And I love your dress!” Emiliana complimented. Indeed, Isabela’s dress was a deep pink with assorted jacarandas, bromeliads, sunflowers, and carnations in it, the blue, purple, and orange dye on it popping out, as well as the sunflower and pink streaks in her hair. “So imaginative and creative, I’m jealous.”

“Gracias!” Isabela giggled. “But you don’t have to be jealous, I like your dress too.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Emiliana chuckled.

“Oh, and even better, I don’t just create flowers anymore, I can create cacti, Venus Fly Traps, sundew, trees, and all kinds of vegetation!”

“Ooh, show me show me show me!“

“Your wish is my command!” Isabela linked arms with Emiliana as they walked away to talk about all the plants that Isabela could grow.

“Actually, he did come down,” Dolores said to Mirabel and Luisa. “He just ran up to his room because he was nervous for some reason. I should go check up on him.”

“No, I should.” Luisa ran up the stairs before anyone could disagree.

Luisa climbed up the stairs until she got to Camilo’s room, and knocked on the door.

“Camilo?”

“Go away,” her primito hissed.

“Camilo, open this door now.” Demanding was not Luisa’s color. “Please.”

“Why? So you can make fun of me in front of my girlfriend?”

“I won’t make fun of you, I promise.” Luisa sighed. “Look, I’m sorry about how you feel, but it isn’t that bad.”

“Yes it is!” Camilo whined.

“Just let me in. Please.”

Camilo sighed, a doorknob appeared on the door, and Luisa opened it.

Camilo frowned at her. “Spill.”

“Spill what?”

“I—“ a series of angry stuttering sounds. “Aren’t you going to apologize for making fun of me?”

“Making fun of you? We were—Camilo, did you think we were serious? We were only joking! Hello?”

“Well, it’s not funny! It hurt my feelings! So there!” Camilo grumbled, leaning against the wall and sliding down so that he was sitting, frowning as he crossed his arms and pouted.

Oh dear, Camilo was not making this easy.

Luisa sighed as she sat next to Camilo. “Hey, we’re sorry, Camilo. Well, I’m sorry, at least. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I just thought it would be fun, that’s all.”

“Uh huh.” Camilo sighed.

“But at the same time, it’s not like you don’t also make fun of your primas and their romantic relationships. You mess with Isabela and Monika all the time. You joke about Mirabel and Yamilet constantly. Why is it suddenly not funny when it’s being done to you?”

“I mean, yeah I do those things, but not when Monika and Yamilet are there. And I still want them to be together.”

“And you think we don’t want you and Emiliana to be together? You think we want you to break up? No! If she’s the girl who makes your heart skitter, then you to deserve to be together for as long as possible.” Luisa wrapped a protective arm around Camilo’s shoulder. “Look cariño, we love you and our teasing comes from a place of love too. Don’t actually think we mean anything by it. But if you want want, I can tell Dolores, Isa, and Mira to tone down the teasing. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good. Are you ready to go downstairs and greet your love?”

“I am!” Camilo piped up.

“Great! Let’s not keep her waiting!”

She stood up, helping Camilo up as well, and the two went down the stairs together.

“Hey Cami!” Emiliana grinned. “Your prima was just telling me about all the different plants she can grow. Did you know that she can make stink lilies?”

“Oh, I know preciosa,” he rolled his eyes. “She uses them to wake me up in the morning when I oversleep.”

Emiliana giggled. Her giggle was so adorable and sweet to Camilo’s ears, like the delicate tinkling of a triangle, and it made his heart speed up just hearing it. He remembered why he had fallen in love with this girl. “Well, I hope it works.”

“Oh it does,” Isabela said to Emiliana, and the two laughed like they were sharing an inside joke.

“And she also gave me a flower to put in my hair,” Emiliana said, showing him the pink carnation. “It’s pink, my favorite color.”

“Isa, why are you giving my girl flowers? Last time I checked, that was my job.”

Isabela smirked. “Well excuse me for wanting to make your girlfriend feel welcome while you ran away to gripe in your room.”

Camilo laughed awkwardly. “I was just kidding, yoooo.” He cupped Emiliana’s face in his hands and kissed her nose affectionately. “It’s beautiful, mi amor. But not as beautiful as you.”

“Awww,” the grandkids blushed, Mirabel jumping up and down and squealing. Her two best friends were soulmates and she couldn’t be more ecstatic.

“Thanks, sweetie,” Emiliana smiled and blushed.

“You’re welcome—“

“Time to eat!”

They all went to the dinner table.

“Emiliana sit next to me!” Mirabel squealed. “Camilo can sit on the other side of you.”

“Sí,” Camilo said, pulling out her chair for her to sit.

They all started eating.

“So Emiliana,” Pepa was the first to speak, giving a warm smile to her son’s girlfriend. “When did you first realize you were in love with my son?”

Emiliana blushed, Camilo did the same, putting down his fork with tingling hands.

“Ay, hermana, don’t ask her that!” Bruno defended. “You’re embarrassing her!” He turned to Emiliana. “Don’t worry, amiga, you don’t have to tell us anything you don’t want to. Unless you do want to, that is. Not that we’re forcing you to or anything.” It was clear that Bruno wasn’t on Emiliana’s side as much as he pretended to be.

Julieta sighed. “Anyway, Emiliana, what’s your favorite food?”

Emiliana thought this over. “Hmmm, probably ajiaco.”

Julieta nodded. “The next time you come over, I’ll make you some!”

“Thanks!” Emiliana grinned.

“You’re welcome,” Julieta said. “You know, you and Mirabel are such good friends! She talks about you all the time. It’s good to have a girl her age that she can be close with.”

“Yeah,” Emiliana agreed. “I am glad I met her. There’s not really anybody in my family that I can talk to besides my dad and my youngest older sister. And my cousin, occasionally, when he comes over.”

“You have sisters?” Bruno asked. “And a cousin? What are their names?”

“My sisters are Valencia, Veronica, and Victoria, and they’re all older than me.”

“How old?”

“Eighteen. And my cousin is named Marco. He’s the same age as me but a couple months younger, but he’s like a brother to me.”

“Mmm.” Bruno nodded and fished food into his mouth.

“So you’re staying over for the night?” Pepa asked.

“Yeah, I am!” Emiliana said. “Thanks to Mirabel!”

“She can sleep in my room,” Camilo piped up as he patted his girlfriend’s hand, but eventually realized her mistake when a stunned silence fell across the room and all the adults’ eyes fell on him. Except for Abuela’s, the old woman snorting into a napkin.

“She can what?” Julieta asked.

Still not realizing what he had said, Camilo stupidly dug a whole deeper. “Sleep…over, you know. In…my…room—“

“Absolutely not,” Pepa said.

“WHAT? But Mami, why?”

“Are you really asking me that?” Pepa demanded. “You two are boyfriend and girlfriend, is that not correct?”

“Well, I mean, we are, but what does that have to—“

“Exactly. And that is exactly why I don’t trust you two.” She wagged a finger. “Well, it’s more so that I don’t trust you, Camilo. I respect young love, but you still have an obligation to be responsible.”

“Responsible how?” Camilo asked. Emiliana wanted to shrink into her seat. She of course loved Camilo, that would never change, but although she’d never say it out loud in front of him there were times where he could be really…what’s the word…dense and oblivious. As if her countless attempts to get his attention before they started dating weren’t evidence enough of this fact.

Pepa sighed. “Camilo, don’t make me explain it. Emiliana can sleep in Mirabel’s room or Dolores’ room if they so prefer. Would you like that, Emiliana?”

“I mean, it doesn’t really matter to me,” Emiliana shrugged, forcing herself to look down at her arroz con pollo. This was a lie of course. She wanted to sleep in her beloved boyfriend’s room. But she didn’t dare say this out loud.

It was then when Bruno spoke up. “I think they can sleep in the same room no doubt, Pepa. Just relax. So long as they aren’t in the same bed, I think they’ll be okay.” He grinned at the young couple.

“Well, I did bring a sleeping bag with me,” Emiliana piped up shyly.

Pepa sighed reluctantly. “Well then, I suppose it is okay. But no silly business,” she said to her son. “Understand?”

Camilo nodded awkwardly, not understanding at all.

💖💛

After dinner, Bruno was happy to put on a rat telenovela for the family and Emiliana.

“Oh, Hernando, please, don’t leave me!” Princesa Lavinia wept, as her knight in shining armor’s eyes slowly fluttered shut. “I can’t bear to live in a world in which you are not by my side. Without your love to nourish me, I am empty, I am weak, I am broken like a damaged china cup. Please, our wedding ceremony is in two days. Don’t do this to me, please!”

“Oh no!” Emiliana covered her mouth, eyes widening in agony as tears spilled from them. “Poor Lavinia. Please, Hernando, live, please!”

But Hernando lay coughing and wheezing on his death bed. “My love. You know it pains me to see you suffer so, to see your beautiful eyes clouded with misery, to leave you behind in the land of the living. But Death beckons me to the other side, and I have no choice but to go with him, to bend like a plant in the wind to the forces of nature.” Now it was Isabela’s turn to cry. “You must promise you will find someone else to love. Someone much more deserving of your heart than me, my princess. For now I must go.”

“Oh, Hernando, no!” She gripped Hernando’s paw hand in hers, feeling the warm sensation thereof slowly disappear.

“Goodbye my love. We shall meet again, in another life…time.” And with that final statement, Hernando closed his eyes. Two other rats came onstage and carried him away.

“HERNANDOOOOOO!!!!” Lavinia let out a primal scream toward the heavens above, raging at the angels that dared take her beautiful prince away. She dropped to the floor, and wept bitterly until no tears were left in her. Once her eyes had dried, she came to a cold resolution, drawing a sword from her leather scabbard. “I shall desire the love of no man in this world nor the next, none but my sweet and gorgeous Hernando! Goodbye, cruel world! I shall release Death’s grip on me by taking my fate into my own hands, just as Death has taken my would-be husband.”

Dolores squeezed Emiliana’s hand. “You might wanna look away. Hm!” She whispered to her.

“So driven by despair at the loss of the brave and loving knight who adored her more than words could establish, more than any other human being in the world ever would, the heartbroken young princess plunged her sword into her—“ but the rat playing Lavinia scurried off. Bruno sighed. “Seriously? It was only a prop that resembled a tiny sword.” The rat shook her head. “Oh well. Anyway, that’s a wrap, folks!”

“That was a lovely story!” Emiliana said as she hugged Bruno.

“Wow, you really think so?” Bruno said, hugging back.

“I know so!” Emiliana chirped. “It was nice. I’m at least glad the princess didn’t die in the end. It’s a shocking twist of events. I hope she found someone else.”

“Me too, Emiliana. Me too!” He patted her shoulders. “All right then! It’s time you head off to bed. Tomorrow there’ll be another telenovela!”

“Oooh really?” Emiliana bounced up and down. What will it be about? Tell me tell me tell me! Pleaaaase?”

“It’s a surprise,” Bruno winked.

“Aww,” Emiliana giggled. “Fine. But thanks again for the show. And for being such an awesome uncle. Mirabel, Dolores, and Camilo have told me lots about you!”

Bruno smiled back. “I’m glad.”

Emiliana flounced away. Not seeing the tears of joy that filled Bruno’s eyes as he wiped them. He couldn’t help it. Every time someone told him that he was a great uncle, brother, son, what have you, and that they were glad to have him back, it made him count his blessings and feel so much relief that he came out of the walls. And he had Mirabel to thank for that.

Emiliana especially made him appreciate the random night time vision he accidentally had. He didn’t tell anybody of course. But he couldn’t wait for it to come to fruition.

💖💛

“So where do I sleep exactly?” Emiliana asked Camilo. “There’s only one bed.”

“I thought you said you brought a sleeping bag,” Camilo said as he ran around closing the curtains on all the windows.

“I…I actually forgot it, but I was scared to tell anyone.”

Camilo paused, blinked, and stared at her.

Getting flustered, Emiliana covered her face. “I’m sorry! I didn’t do it on purpose, I swear! I would never lie about a thing like that, it wasn’t a trick, I promise.”

“I didn’t mean it like that, sweetie,” her boyfriend said as he continued closing the windows. “Sorry, I just hate the cold. Anyway, I forget those things all the time, so you’re good. No need to worry. Although you are super cute when you worry.”

“Thanks, I guess.” Emiliana shrugged.

“And besides, we can share a bed.”

“Wait, but didn’t your Mami say—”

“Who cares what my Mami says?” Camilo said to her. “It’s not like she has to know.”

“C-Camilo, I’m flattered, but I don’t think…I wouldn’t want…I’m sorry but I just…won’t!”

An awkward silence hung in the air.

Camilo laughed.

“Excuse me, Camilo, why are you laughing?”

“It’s just, ahaha, you didn’t think I meant it, did you?” Camilo laughed, hoping Emiliana really did think he was joking. “I…I just wanted to see your reaction, you can sleep on the bed, I’ll sleep on the floor. Since you’re the guest and all. Aahahaha, Ay Dios Mio! See what I mean, baby?” He stepped closer to her until they were nose to nose, pinching her cheeks and squeezing them. “You’re cute when you’re—hey!”

In an instant, Camilo found himself roughly shoved on to the bed by Emiliana, who towered over him with a pillow in hand.

“Cute when I what?” She demanded. “Huh? Cute when I WHAT? CUTE WHEN I DO THIS?!” She whacked him as hard with the pillow as she could.

“Hey! You take that back!” Camilo grabbed another pillow and whacked her back with it, the two laughing and squealing like toddlers as the pillow fought. “And you know what? I changed my mind! The winner gets the bed!”

“You’ll regret challenging me!” Emiliana boasted as she and Camilo continued beating each other with the pillows.

The pillow fight went on for a while until eventually, Emiliana was the victor.

“I won!” She jumped onto Camilo’s bed and raised both pillows in the air. “I AM THE QUEEN OF PILLOW FIGHTING!!! And I get the bed too!” She let herself trust fall onto the mattress below with a heavy sigh.

“Whatever,” Camilo wheezed as he struggled to get up. “I let you win.”

“Sure, chico. And you know what else?” She sat up. “As the winner, I think I deserve a victory kiss.”

“Really? You’re bribing me with kisses now? That’s how this relationship is gonna work?”

“Yes it is,” she took him by the shoulders. “Pucker up.”

Camilo hissed his teeth and rolled his eyes. But of course, secretly he was happy to kiss his girlfriend.

But in the middle of their smooching session, the door suddenly swung open.

The teens’ lips parted in shock.

“We were only kissing!” Emiliana squealed in defense.

“And nothing more! I swear!” Camilo agreed, crossing his heart.

Dolores’ eyebrows furrowed. “I just came to wish you both goodnight,” she said. “I’m not gonna rat you out or anything. But if I’m interrupting something, then oh well.” She closed the door.

“Phew!” Emiliana said. She turned to Camilo, giggled, and placed another kiss on his forehead before lying back down and pulling the sheets over head. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

“Buenas noches.”

Emiliana saw the lights turn off. A pit of dread opened up inside her stomach as she wondered how she was going to make it through the night. At her house, she would walk about the halls, maybe enjoy a glass of water, although enjoy was an overstatement.

But at least Camilo would think she was asleep.

And if she kept her eyes closed for long enough, she’d think she was asleep too.

💖💛

Emiliana was not asleep.

Three hours had passed. Or was it four. Or five. Whatever. It didn’t matter.

Emiliana wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and join the synchronized snoring of the rest of the sleeping residents of Casita.

But instead her eyes were splayed open, bloodshot and filled with tears as she looked at the ceiling.

The stress building up inside her only made her more unable to sleep. She was tired. Dead tired. So why wouldn’t her body do what she wanted it to? Why was she still awake.

Turning in her sheets to look at Camilo, bundled up between blankets on the floor beside her, she frowned when she saw that he indeed was asleep. He looked so cute like this.

She felt a pang in her heart when she realized that Camilo would never get to say the same thing about her.

She turned to lie down on her back as she buried her face into a yellow pillow to muffle her cries and hiccups.

She hated herself for not being able to sleep, for never being able to sleep. She hated herself for being an inconvenience to others during the daytime. She hated that she had even agreed to this sleepover in the first place.

It was after a while that Camilo woke up to the sound of his sweet girlfriend crying.

“Emiliana?” He sat up straight in his bed. “Emi, dulce, what’s wrong?”

Emiliana hiccuped.

Camilo sat up and knelt beside the vet so that he could see her. “Hey hey hey, tell me what is wrong with you, please?”

Emiliana sighed and turned her head to see Camilo. A tiny trickle of a tear slithered down her cheek. Then she spoke.

“I…can’t sleep.”

“…”

Emiliana looked down.

“That’s not a reason to cry,” Camilo said, a hand snaking around her shoulder. “Maybe you’re just homesick. It’s okay. Just close your eyes and dream of—“

“NO!” Emiliana screeched, her tone throwing Camilo off. But she was pissed. “How could you even say that, you…just be understanding for once!” She took his hand and moved it from around her shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Camilo stammered weakly, his voice quivering. “I just—“

“I can’t sleep. I literally can’t sleep. Ever.” Emiliana cut him off angrily. “And it takes a toll on my fucking mental health. I’m not homesick, Camilo, quite the opposite in fact. I’m…oh god, I don’t wanna tell you. You’ll break up with me.”

“Why would I ever break up with you, Mi Bella?” Camilo said gently, peering down at her but not initiating any more physical contact. “I love you dearly, more than anything, hermosa. You complete me. And nothing will ever change that. You can tell me anything, I promise.”

“Are you sure?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“I…” she took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers. “I have…insomnia.”

“…”

Say something, she thought.

“What’s that?”

“What’s what?”

“What you just said. Insomnia. Isn’t that when you fall asleep all the time?”

“You’re getting that mixed up with narcolepsy. Insomnia is a sleep disorder in which you can’t sleep at night, no matter how hard you try to…and that’s how it works for me.”

“Oh…is that why you fall asleep all the time during the day?” Camilo said.

“Yes.”

“I see…so you’re like, an owl?”

“No! I’m not a damn owl, Camilo! It’s a condition that I have no control over. And trust me when I say that it’s not a fun condition to have…” Emiliana bowed her head and face planted into the pillow. “I just wish I could sleep normally like most people. But instead I’m cursed with this. My dad has the condition too. And I think I learned it from him. But that doesn’t mean I like it, I hate it.”

“Wow…do you really not sleep at all?”

“If I’m lucky I get like, an hour or two, but that’s of course not enough. But…yeah.” She paused, afraid to go on. “Some days my insomnia is so bad that I wish I was dead.”

Camilo felt tears clouding his vision as he looked at his girlfriend sadly. He felt enormously guilty. He had no idea she suffered like this. And he had no idea how to help either.

“I’m sorry,” he said, knowing it wouldn’t do much.

“It’s not your fault.”

“I know, but I’m sorry I wasn’t as understanding before. I love you, Emiliana. I would never wanna make you feel bad.”

“I forgive you.”

“You don’t have to forgive me.”

“I know. But I do. Anyway you might wanna get back to bed. I’d hate to keep you up because of me.” Her eyes fluttered shut, although Camilo knew she wasn’t actually asleep, her mouth in the shape of a grim line.

And so Camilo had an idea. “Scoot over.”

“Huh?”

“Please?”

Emiliana scooted over, and Camilo crawled into the bed next to her. He hugged her warmly.

“What are you doing?”

“I just wanna be there for you, that’s all.” He said, kissing her head warmly as he stroked her delicate brown coils, which were twisted up for the night. “You don’t deserve to go through this alone.” he whispered tenderly, his warm breath tickling her forehead.

Emiliana smiled. “Awww, thanks Cami. This is why I love you.”

“I love you t—“ he was cut off by Emiliana locking lips with him once again.

They went back to cuddling together, Camilo falling asleep soon enough as Emiliana lulled herself with the sound of his slow, gentle snores. And he never once let go of the arm wrapped around her.

She closed her eyes, once again trying to force herself to sleep, but to no avail. She felt her heartbeat quicken and fought back every single nerve in her body causing her to snap and panic. But Camilo served as her anchor, as she hugged his soft body lovingly.

Outside, she heard the sound of someone walking outside. Two people in fact, their footsteps echoing in the halls even without their shoes.

And then she didn’t hear any footsteps at all.

💖💛

Delicately embracing her boyfriend, Emiliana smiled at the warm feeling between her and Camilo.

Shortly after, however, he got back up again. Emiliana felt downhearted, gripping at his clothes, she was desperate for him to come back.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, gently removing her hand.

Emiliana just closed her eyes. Her head felt beyond heavy, like it took Luisa’s strength to lift it.

Camilo left his bedroom, and sure enough, came back.

And that’s when she heard a scream.

Emiliana opened her eyes. “Camilo?”

She sat up straight. “Camilo?”

She looked around frantically. Nobody was in the room but her.

“CAMILO!” She screamed as she ran towards one of the windows. Opening it frantically, she looked outside. In the pitch black might, she couldn’t see anything. But she could hear Camilo screaming in horror.

“HELP ME! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!”

“HANG ON CAMILO, I’M COMING!!!” Emiliana put on the nearest shoes she could find—whatever, she couldn’t see—and ran out the door.

She began banging on the doors to people’s rooms. “MIRABEL! WAKE UP! CAMILO HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED! YOU GOTTA HELP ME SAVE HIM, PLEASE!”

But there was no answer. And when she tried to open the door, it was locked.

Aggravated, she rushed towards Isabela’s door next. “ISABELA, PLEASE HELP ME! YOUR COUSIN WAS KIDNAPPED IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE AND…AND…HE COILD BE DEAD FOR ALL I KNOW SO PLEASE HELP HIM PLEASE!”

But Isabela ignored her, of course. And the door to her room was locked too.

She ran to Dolores’ room. “DOLORES! PLEASE HELP ME SAVE MY BOYFRIEND HE GOT TAKEN AWAY! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME DOLORES YOU’RE LIKE A BIG SISTER TO ME LOLA PLEASE LISTEN TO ME AND HELP ME SAVE YOUR BROTHER!!!”

But her room was also locked as Emiliana’s attempts to get Dolores out were in vain.

And so Emiliana ran all throughout Casita, trying to wake every single last member of Camilo’s family up in an effort to save him. Luisa, Pepa and Felix, Julieta and Agustin, Bruno, even Antonio. But none of them answered.

“Well fine! If no one cares enough to help me, I’ll just leave myself, so don’t say I DIDN’T WARN YOU!” Emiliana shouted as her hollers echoed through the entire house. Finally, she left, racing out of the sentient house. “BYE, CASITA!” She yelled as Casita waved back with her door.

Emiliana ran out of the house and down the streets, panting all the way as she did so. She could see a shadowy figure running ahead of her and just knew that this was the person responsible for taking away her Camilo. She started running faster now in an effort to catch up to the kidnapper.

“YOU!” She hollered. “GET BACK HERE AND GIVE ME BACK MY BOYFRIEND!”

The person noticed her, but didn’t even look back, continuing to run. Farther away, she saw an even taller figure running while carrying Camilo over her shoulder, the poor boy screaming his head off in shock and fear.

Emiliana came to a slow, grinding halt. She searched around for the kidnappers, before noticing that they were running into the woods.

“I won’t let them get away with this,” she said to…herself, before chasing the boyfriend-snatchers into the forest.

Camilo cried out in pain as he was tied to a large, sturdy tree with vines, tears streaming from his eyes.

“I think we’ll stop here,” the taller one said. “Hopefully she hasn’t followed us this far.”

“Yeah,” the shorter one said. “Though it would he useful to have—AHHHH!” She screamed in horror as Emiliana came running and pounced on her, tackling the kidnapper to the ground.

“GIVE ME BACK MY BOYFRIEND!!!” Emiliana yelled at the top of her lungs until her voice was raspy and horse. “OR ELSE!” She raised a fist in the air to really knock some lights out, but was came to a halt when the girl took off her black hood.

“Mirabel?” Emiliana quickly got up. “What the heck are you doing?”

Mirabel stood up and brushed dirt and grass off of her cloak and dress, which was similar to her normal one, but black and embroidered with skulls. Meanwhile, the taller girl also took off her cloak’s hood, and was instantly recognized by her gorgeous black ensemble adorned with white roses, and a streak of red in her hair, along with a rose matching its shade.

“Isabela?!” Emiliana gawked. “You…what is even going on?”

“What do you think?” Mirabel asked.

“I think you kidnapped my boyfriend,” Emiliana snapped. “And, I don’t know why, and I don’t care either, but I’d like him back.”

Isabela and Mirabel looked at each other, their grins widening as they held hands and squealed like infatuated schoolgirls.

“We did it!” they rejoiced. “It worked! Our plan worked!”

“Umm, no it did not, you literally tried to take my man away from me, and now I’d like him back…”

“We know, tonta!” Mirabel wrapped an arm around Emiliana’s shoulder. “And that’s the point!”

“What do you mean that’s the point?”

“We wanted to see how much you really cared about Camilo,” Isabela explained as she slowly unraveled the terrified teenage boy from the tree. “Not that we don’t already trust you, but we wanted to make sure that you were good enough for our primo.”

“Yeah, Isabela gets a little bit protective over Camilo sometimes and wants to make sure that he gets with the right girl,” Mirabel added on. “And together we decided that the best way to do that possible was to put you to tue test! So we kidnapped Camilo from his room in the hopes that you would chase after us and get him back.”

“…”

“We just wanted to see how far you’d go for the person you love,” Isabela winked. “If you truly do love him, that is. And you succeeded, so, woohoo Emiliana! You’re clearly good enough for—“

“Are. You. SERIOUS?!”

Everyone turned to look at Camilo, whose irate expression was aimed squarely at Isabela and Mirabel. Uh oh.

“You kidnapped me in the middle of the night, while I was sleeping, while I was helping my girlfriend with her insomnia, all so that you could force her to roam the streets looking for me in the middle of the night and PROVE her love for me is true?! And you don’t see anything WRONG with that idea?”

“Not really, no,” Mirabel said bluntly with a shrug, while Isabela looked actually apologetic.

“Camilo, we didn’t mean it like that—“

“I don’t want to HEAR what you did or didn’t mean!” Camilo sassed. “How low do you think of my lovely girlfriend that you think she needs to risk her life fighting for me in order for YOU to decide she’s good enough to date me?! Do you not realize how condescending that is? If anything, I’m the one who’s not good enough for her! You should be very ashamed of yourselves for making her have to do this, as if she has anything to fucking PROVE to either of you!” He turned to Mirabel just then. “And Mirabel, you KNOW she has insomnia. You know! And you still did this. Are you for real, primita?”

Mirabel lowered her head in shame.

“Anyway, you’d both better apologize to her right now.”

“We’re sorry Emiliana,” Mirabel said.

“Yeah, we’re sorry,” Isabela echoed. “We never should have done that. We just thought it would be fun. But clearly we were wrong.”

Mirabel nodded. “We’re still best friends though, right?”

Emiliana had to force herself to nod. She was too flabbergasted to speak.

“And me!” Camilo demanded.

“We’re sorry, Camilo,” they said in unison.

“Good.”

“Anyway, let’s go home, come on, Mira,” Isabela grabbed Mirabel by the waist, summoned a vine, and swung away with her baby sister in tow.

Camilo ran towards Emiliana. “Emiliana, are you okay?”

Emiliana blinked back tears. “I’m okay. I’m sorry about what happened to you, what with getting kidnapped and all.”

“Yeah, I think it’s safe to say that Luisa is my favorite cousin,” Camilo said with a snort. Then he hugged her. “I’m so sorry about what they did to you, baby.”

“It’s okay.”

“But rest assured that it won’t happen again.”

Emiliana smiled at her boyfriend, before noticing his confused glance downwards. She stared at him, puzzled, head tilted.

“Babe, are those my sandals?”

Emiliana blinked a few times, before looking down and realizing he was right.

“Crap.” She facepalmed.

And the next thing she knew she was back in her room.

Opening her eyes to realize she was still inside Camilo’s bed, she immediately sat up straight to see if Camilo was inside the room.

“Camilo?” She panicked upon realizing she was alone. “CAMILO!!!”

The door gently swung open, and Camilo came in, carrying a glass of water.

“Camilo?”

“I…was thirsty. That’s all.” He drank the water in one large gulp. “Why? Do you want some too?”

“Okay.”

“Good, imma go get you some.” Then he left again.

Emiliana collapsed back onto the sheets, confused and tired.

When Camilo came back, she took the water from him and drank it.

“You okay?” He yawned. “You slept for like, an hour. It was peaceful actually. And cute!”

Emiliana flushed at the praise. “I was waiting for you to tell me that!”

Camilo smiled back. “Anyway you wanna go back to bed?”

“I guess so,” she laid herself down and he lied down next to her.

Emiliana snuggled up to her boyfriend, before he fell asleep.

💖💛

Early the next morning, Camilo slithered out of his bed and onto the blankets upon hearing Mirabel say “I’m gonna go wake Camilo and Emiliana up.”

She opened the door quietly to see Emiliana on the bed and Camilo on the floor. “Morning Emiliana! Morning Camilo!”

Emiliana hissed her teeth. Another day of being relentlessly tired. According to Camilo, she had only slept for one hour. And she wanted to sleep for much much longer.

“Morning Mirabel.” Camilo got up to leave with Mirabel out the door. But not before planting a kiss in Emiliana’s hair, making her smile.

The moment Camilo came out after Mirabel, Pepa was there, crossing her arms.

“CAMILO!”

“Yes, Mami?”

“Did you have a nice sleep?” Pepa asked.

“Yes, Mami.”

“Did Emiliana have a nice sleep as well?”

“Oh of course!” Camilo beamed with a giggle. Pepa didn’t like that giggle, her glare intensifying, and Camilo realized he had made a grave mistake.

“You’d better not have done anything you know you’re not supposed to last night! I wanna trust that you know how to control yourself, young man!”

“Anything like what?” Camilo whined. “For the last time, I don’t—“

“Ugh, get over here.” Mirabel grabbed Camilo and whispered in his ear, watching his face turn pink.

“Ohhhh,” Camilo slowly realized. About time. “Mami, you know I’d never do that! Honestly! I’m…I didn’t, I swear!”

“Good.” She walked away, giving Camilo the “I’m watching you” hand gesture.

Camilo gulped. “Why would Mami think that me and Emiliana would do…that? I mean…”

“Hey, relax,” Mirabel said. “She’s just looking out for you both. Pepa’s just overprotective. Although she is happy for you and Emiliana she’s also afraid to see you growing up so fast. At least, that’s what she told me. Anyway are you gonna wake Emiliana up?”

“No, I think she deserves to sleep.” Camilo shrugged.

“Okay. Come on let’s go eat!”

They walked down the stairs.

Isabela was also down there, along with Luisa, and Pepa, who were setting the table. Today, Isabela had opted for a violet gown that was more modest and less showy than the dresses she normally wore, with simple green carnations adorning the hem and sleeves and tiny petals sprinkled across the blouse and skirt itself, like glitter. Nonetheless, she looked absolutely stunning in this outfit, although Emiliana wasn’t up yet to compliment her on it this time.

“Oh hey you two,” Isabela said. “Where’s Emiliana?”

“She’ll be down in a minute,” Mirabel answered.

“Yeah,” Camilo said as he yawned. He had stayed up longer than he needed to, just to watch his precious girlfriend sleep and make sure she was getting the rest she needed. Of course it didn’t last long, but still.

They sat down after helping to set the table, and a few minutes later, Emiliana came downstairs.

Camilo, of course, was the first to greet her. “Look who’s up,” he said with a smile as he gazed at her with lovesick eyes. “Hey baby.”

“Good morning Emiliana,” Pepa said. “Got a good nights sleep?”

“Good morning, Camilo and Camilo’s mom, hold on a minute,” Emiliana said, she sat down next to Camilo and across from Mirabel. “I have to talk to you,” she said fiercely.

“Sure?” Mirabel looked confused as her eyes darted from her sister to her other sister on either side of her.

“Why did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Mirabel, don’t play dumb. You know what you did.”

“What did I—“

“YOU KIDNAPPED CAMILO!” Emiliana roared, rising from her seat and slamming both hands on the table.

Everyone blinked at her in confusion. Even pepa was shocked.

“Whaaaaa?” Camilo slurred.

“N-no I didn’t—“

“YES YOU DID! OH, AND NOW YOU WANNA PLAY DUMB!”

“Emiliana, please, listen to me, I didn’t kidnap your boyfriend.”

“I literally had to leave Casita and chase you and Isabela through the woods! And you’re gonna tell me ‘I didn’t kidnap your boyfriend’ Mirabel?!”

“What do you mean mis sobrinas kidnapped tu novio, querida?” Pepa asked, tilting her head to the side. “Explique, por favor.”

Emiliana sighed. “All right, so here’s the story. In the middle of the night, Mirabel and Isabela somehow snuck into one of Camilo’s bedroom windows, kidnapped him, and ran away with him. I was awake when it happened! And then as I started chasing them, they ran into the woods and tied Camilo to a tree with Isabela’s vines. I didn’t even know it was them until I pounced on Mirabel! And then they explained to me that they kidnapped him in the hopes that I would rescue him! They had the nerve to say that they were putting MY love to the test in an effort to prove that I deserved Camilo! And then Camilo chewed them out. Tell me I’m not supposed to get angry at that.”

“Honestly that sounds like something I would do,” Camilo said under his breath with a grin, which Emiliana didn’t hear.

Pepa, meanwhile, burst into laughter.

“Hey! What’s so funny?” Emiliana questioned her.

“I swear, Emiliana, I’m telling the truth! I was asleep all night.”

“Then whose footsteps did I hear outside last night?” Emiliana demanded from her best friend.

“That would be Mami and I,” Dolores explained as she walked downstairs and entered the kitchen to sit next to Emiliana. “I had a nosebleed and Mami was helping me.”

“Oh…well…” she turned to her boyfriend, her only defense. “Camilo, mi amor, surely you’ll defend me.”

“I can’t,” Camilo replied curtly, shrugging. “Baby, that never happened.”

And that’s when Emiliana realized she really wasn’t getting enough sleep.

Pepa only laughed harder when she heard this. “Lord have mercy on my soul…” she cried into her hands. “Mijo, your girlfriend’s hilarious. She’s a keeper!”

“Thanks,” Emiliana muttered in aggravation. Sitting down in disappointment, she wondered how she could be so dumb as to mistake what were clearly fictional events that took place in a dream for reality. And she caused an even bigger storm than Pepa usually did while doing so. “Can you please not laugh?”

“I’m sorry, mija.” Pepa wheezed as she tried to control herself.

Emiliana sighed. “I’m sorry, Mirabel and Isa.”

“Hey, it’s okay!” Mirabel chirped.

“Yeah, it’s cool, amiga,” Isabela affirmed. “That was an entertaining story.”

“Yeah, that was even better than the telenovelas!” Bruno piped up as he spontaneously appeared in the kitchen.

“Hey Bruno.”

“Hey kid. Mirabel, you ready to practice our telenovela tomorrow afternoon?”

“I’m ready,” Mirabel affirmed.

“Cool, hey, tell you what, Emiliana, next telenovela mi sobrina and I do, you can be a part of it! If you want to, that is, no pressure or anything like that. Heh.”

Emiliana paused, then looked up. “Really?” She asked.

“Yup!” Bruno agreed.

“Yay, that sounds like fun!”

“I knew you would agree. Who’d resist a good telenovela?”

“Certainly not me.”

Abuela came downstairs soon after, as did the rest of the family. And they ate.

“It’s time for another rat telenovela!” Bruno announced after the morning meal, as everyone cheered happily.

Sitting down with the rest of the family, Emiliana was excited to see this afternoon’s rat telenovela, as she took a seat next to Camilo. “Break a leg Mirabel!” She whispered to her best friend.

Mirabel gave her a thumbs up and a wink. Emiliana giggled.

The play started soon enough, and as Emiliana watched, she couldn’t help but notice her head feeling awfully heavy, as her body felt drowsy and weak.

No, this couldn’t be happening again. But it was.

She rubbed Camilo’s hand. Camilo didn’t get the hint and merely smiled warmly, rubbing back, but kept his eyes focused on the play.

Until Emiliana said “Baby, it’s happening again…”

Of course, Camilo didn’t know what she was talking about, and turned to look at her in confusion.

And that’s when Emiliana’s eyes slammed shut, and she passed out cold right there on Casita’s couch, her head in Camilo’s lap.

💖💛

It felt like hours when she finally did wake up.

“Emiliana? Querida, please open your eyes!”

Emiliana’s groggy eyes forced themselves open as she rubbed them with her knuckles. She could barely make out Pepa crouching down in front of her.

“Are you okay, mi vida?”

“Yeah!” Emiliana’s eyes traveled down. “I fell asleep?”

“Yeah,” Pepa said, nodding her head and tilting it diagonally, looking sympathetic.

“So I…missed the play?”

“You did, sadly,” Mirabel said. “It ended twenty minutes ago. But we all decided to give you some space. Except for Camilo, of course.”

“I’m kinda cramped,” Camilo whispered to Pepa and Mirabel with a hand cupping his mouth, clearly too afraid to tell Emiliana this.

“Let’s get you up, Emiliana!” Pepa said, gently lifting her by her sweaty armpits and raising her up off of Camilo’s lap.

“I’m I’m so sorry!” Emiliana forced out. “I have narcolepsy, it’s not my fault.”

“Finally!” Camilo kissed Emiliana on the cheek before getting up and running out of the room. “I really have to go to the bathroom!”

The moment he left, Emiliana buried her face in her hands. “I’m so sorry once again. It’s my dad. I get it from him. I’ve been a terrible guest…”

“It’s perfectly fine, mi vida,” Pepa said. “And you don’t need to apologize. You did nothing wrong. Oh, here, have a tissue.” She handed her a tissue, and Emiliana wiped her eyes before blowing her nose in it.

“Thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome my dear. And trust me. Don’t worry about it. No one here is mad at you.”

Emiliana smiled. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, darling,” Pepa replied before giving Emiliana a hug and patting her back gently.

When they broke up, Emilina said “I think it’s time for me to go now. My mama will be expecting me.”

“I understand, Emiliana.” Pepa smiled. “And we were happy to have you over, and would love to have you again.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really!” Pepa’s eyes lit up. “Especially Camilo.”

Emilina giggled. “I thought you didn’t want us together.”

“Why would I think that?” Pepa asked. When Emiliana gave her a suspicious look, she giggled. “Well, I can see why you would think that. But truthfully, I just worry about my hijo sometimes. I can’t help but be overprotective, I’m a mother, it’s what I do. But I wasn’t just looking out for him. I was looking out for you too.” She placed a hand in the younger girl’s. “And I know you’d never hurt Camilo. You clearly are the right girl for him.”

Emiliana giggled. “Thanks so much, Sra—“

“Oh, there’s no need for that. Call me Pepa.”

Emiliana was speechless. But in a good way, of course. “Okay, Pepa!”

“Come on, Emiliana!” Mirabel called out. “I’ll walk you home!”

“Oh okay! Umm, bye Pepa!” Emiliana waved at Pepa.

“Bye Emiliana!” Pepa smiled and waved back.

But as Emiliana was leaving, Julieta came out, Luisa walking behind her.

“Emiliana, cariña, can I give you something?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“It’s for your condition.” Julieta sighed. “I might not be able to cure every disease or ailment. But I can still help ease it somewhat. Here.” She placed in Emiliana’s hand a container of small fruit-flavored gummies. “These will help you with your insomnia and narcolepsy. Take two pills in the day and two in the night and they’ll improve your sleep so that you don’t have to fall asleep during the day.”

“Wow! Oh my gosh! Thank you, Julieta!” Emiliana beamed and wrapped her best friend’s mom in a hug.

Julieta hugged back. “You’re welcome.”

“Wait!” Dolores ran down the stairs, Isabela following her in confusion. Dolores wrapped Emiliana in a hug. “Bye Emiliana!” She said, giving her a soft and affectionate kiss on the forehead. “You’ll always be my honorary hermanita.”

“Awww, thanks, Dolores!” Emiliana smiled and hugged back. “I love you too!”

Finally breaking up from the hug, Emiliana saw Isabela smile at her. “Take care, chiquita,” she said as she gave the girl a high five.

“I will. Anyway, bye everyone,” Emiliana waved as she walked out the door, arms linked in Mirabel’s. “And thanks for having me, you’re all very hospitable and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

“Bye Emiliana!” They all waved back.

“Camilo!” Luisa called out. “Your girlfriend’s going home. Don’t you want to catch her before she leaves?!”

Camilo came out of the bathroom just then. “Oh, she’s leaving? Bye bella durmiente.”

“Is that your new nickname for me?” Emiliana snickered.

“Sure is.” Camilo winked.

Emiliana smiled. Rushing up to him and pecking him on the cheek, she grabbed Mirabel’s hand and raced out the door, Mirabel skittering behind her.

And just like that, she was gone.

💖💛

As Emiliana and Mirabel walked, Mirabel asked her, “So did you enjoy your stay at Casita?”

“Of course I did!” Emiliana perked up. “It was fun. Especially the rat telenovelas! My favorite part was when the rat playing Lavinia ran away at the end.”

“Mine was when Hernando proposed to her.” Mirabel replied. “But the whole thing was fun and I’m glad she didn’t die at the end.”

“Me too. The dessert Julieta made was delicious too. Plus Casita is friendly and funny! And I really wish I could have slept in your room, but I promise next time I come over, I will.”

“Hmm…” Mirabel pondered. “No you don’t.”

“Huh, what do you mean? Of course I promise.”

“No, not that, I mean no way do you wish you slept in my room! You were happy to sleep in my cousin’s room, weren’t you?”

“I-I…” Emiliana felt her cheeks getting hotter and hotter. “No I wasn’t.”

“Oh? But you really enjoyed kissing him, didn’t you?”

“It’s not like that!” Emiliana screamed and ran away, covering her ears. “How did you know?”

“Dolores told me!” Mirabel laughed as she ran after her best friend, giggling. “You’re in loooove!” She cooed loudly in a singsong voice. “You’re in love with my cousin! You’re dating my cousin! You like kissing my cousin! You even wanna marry my cousin! Admit it Emiliana!” She made kissing sounds with her lips.

Other people in the town stopped what they were doing to stare at the childlike display. But Mirabel didn’t care.

“Stop it, Mirabel! Emiliana sobbed, tears of laughter streaming. “I can’t believe Dolores betrayed me like this.”

“Well, we slept over in her room that night, and that was when she told me.” Mirabel gave a thumbs up. “She supports though! And so do I. And the rest of us!”

“I know,” Emiliana said.

Mirabel smiled and linked arms with Emiliana.

“But it was still nice to have you regardless,” she said.

“Yeah, thanks,” Emiliana said. “It’s nice to spend some time with my best friend. Oh! And next month my dad is taking me and Victoria to my cousin’s house, he said I could invite two people, so I invited you and Yamilet. Do you wanna come?”

“I would love to come!” Mirabel perked up. “And I’ve never really talked to your cousin before? So I’d love to get to know him!”

“That’s awesome! And hey, maybe you can stay over for a little while and we can arrange a sleepover for another date! After all, I couldn’t not repay the compliment!”

“Yay!” Mirabel squealed. “I’m so excited!”

“Me too!” Emiliana said, and the two walked on home, eagerly chatting about their plans to hang out together as best friends, of which there were multiple.

The End

hope you liked it! and tell me whatcha think!

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