Welcome Home

~Camilo's P.O.V.~

I sat there in my seat, watching in silence as (Y/N) excused herself from the table.

As she made her way out of the dining room, I caught a glimpse of her tear-stained face, which carried a look of grief.

I couldn't help but feel terrible for her. The unimaginable things she's had to experience and suffer from.

Standing up, I pushed in my chair and also excused myself.

"I'm... gonna go check up on her." I said, letting out a nervous chuckle.

Exiting the dining area, I looked down towards the tiled floor.

"Is she okay, Casita?" I asked, the floor tiles flopping up and down in response.

"Yeah," I nodded slightly. "I wouldn't know either."

I sighed, walking out the front doors that Casita had opened for me.

Looking around, I tried searching for (Y/N), but it was difficult considering that it was getting dark out.

I heard the sound of water nearby, which was a bit peculiar, and I went over to where the sound was coming from.

Not too far from the house, (Y/N) sat by a tree, playing around with a blob of water.

"Whoa." I whispered. "She wasn't kidding." I gazed at her from afar, completely mesmerized by her gift.

As I continued walking towards her, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and stepped on a twig.

The loud snap had caught me off guard, frightening both me and (Y/N). So much for being stealthy...

~~~

~2nd P.O.V.~

You sat leaning against the base of the tree as you played around with the water.

As you were in the moment, your mind wandered about whilst also not having a single care in the world. That's when you heard a twig snap from behind you and your head perked up.

The water assumed the shape of a spear, and freezing it, you directed it into the face of the person.

"Who's there?" You asked, still keeping the spear at a threatening distance between the person's face.

"Whoa, whoa, (Y/N), chill. It's just me." The voice said. You recognized the voice to be Camilo's.

"Ah, Camilo, sorry." You laughed nervously, transforming the ice back into water. You directed the water back into the canteen and placed it back in your satchel.

He walked over and sat down right next to you with one leg up for his arm to rest on his knee.

"That was pretty cool, you know." He complimented, referring to your powers. "You weren't kidding when you said you had powers."

You let out a soft chuckle and nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. "Thanks. And yeah, I guess it is pretty cool."

Sitting there in silence for a moment, you looked up at him, only to find that he was already staring at you.

"What?" You laughed, slightly furrowing your brows.

"Nothing." He shrugged, laughing along with you. "It's just that... I can't believe that you're actually here, after all these years."

"Yeah, me neither." You sighed, turning your head to look back at the horizon.

Although you had looked away, Camilo never took his gaze off of you.

Since it wasn't entirely dark yet, the faint glow from the setting sun had cast some light in the world before it left.

The remaining sunlight radiated a light glow, which illuminated your face. And it made your features stand out even more.

Camilo only continued to stare at you, the delicate light from the sun enhancing his view on you.

Your skin glowed softly in the sunlight, and your eyes... Your eyes seemed to have caught his interest.

They weren't like other eyes, though. They appeared dull, colorless, and... dead.

For a second, there was a light breeze, in which your hair blew along with the wind.

Gosh, everything about you was enticing.

"Um, Camilo? Hello?" You called, waving your hand in front of his face.

Snapping out of his immersive thoughts, he blinked a few times before coming back to reality.

"Oh, sorry." He apologetically rubbed the back of his neck. "Kinda got lost in thought."

A small giggle escaped your lips. "No worries." You sighed.

"So..." You began. "I realized I never really got to catch up with you. It's been so long."

He nodded in agreement. "It has, hasn't it?" He leaned back on his arms.

"Hey, don't you have somewhere to be? Why did you come out here?" You asked genuinely, adjusting your sitting position.

"I just wanted to come check up on you, you know, to see if you were okay?" He said, playing with the grass.

You looked at him and smiled. "Aw, thanks, 'Milo. You're too sweet." You smirked, lightly pinching his cheek.

"Hey, oww." He whined, sitting back up to hold his cheek. "What was that for?" He asked, his eyes meeting yours.

You chuckled lightly at his reaction.

"But, yes," you said, returning to the previous question. "I'm okay, thank you."

"You know, it's been forever since we've last seen you. We all missed you..." He told you. "Especially me..." He whispered.

You giggled softly when you heard what he had whispered. "I missed you guys, too." You admitted. "I don't know why my parents wouldn't let me visit anymore."

He shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. But hey, as long as we're here together again, that's all that matters."

A light blush and a smile formed on your face. "Yeah, you're right." You hummed. "Well, whatever it was, it probably wasn't good if it meant we couldn't visit anymore."

Camilo nodded, letting out a sigh.

You guys sat there in silence for a bit longer, enjoying each other's company until you got up and broke the silence.

"Well, it's getting late and you should head back inside." You told him.

"Me?" Camilo questioned. "What about you? Where will you be staying?" He asked.

"Hm, good question." You said, thinking about it for a moment.

"Yeah, don't worry about me. I'll find a place to stay." You gave a reassuring smile, but doubt that he saw it.

"You sure? You can just stay in my room or something. I'm sure Abuela would allow you to stay at our place." Camilo insisted.

You finally gave in and accepted. Nodding, you said, "Alright, fine, then. I guess I'll stay at your guys' place for now."

"Great choice, madame." He bowed down in front of you.

You laughed, looking away flustered. "No. Don't call me that. Like, ever." You sternly told him.

"Why not? It's very fitting for a queen like you." He said.

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but I am not a queen." You hummed, walking side by side with Camilo back to the house.

"Well, in my eyes, you are one." He complimented, looking towards you.

Rolling your eyes, you elbowed him. "Oh, yeah?" You chuckled, walking through the doors of the house that opened up.

"Thanks, Casita. And, yes, yes you are." He confirmed.

Dolores' eyes shot towards the door, seeing you and Camilo enter the house. She eyed you both suspiciously before scurrying over to you.

"(Y/N), there you are. We were all so worried." She said, squeezing you in a tight hug.

"My bad." Your strained voice said. "Sorry for kinda losing it on you guys." You apologized, hugging her back.

"Nonsense." Tío Félix disagreed, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. "You don't have to apologize."

Dolores' eyes averted from you to Camilo suspiciously.

"Was my brother bothering you out there? 'Cause if so, I-" You cut her off.

"No, no, of course not. He wasn't bothering me. I actually enjoyed his company." You smiled, turning towards Camilo.

"Yeah, we were having a tea party. It was fun. You should've been there." He said, crossing his arms.

Dolores gave him a look, which gave him a clear reminder about her gift.

Camilo's eyes widened, and he looked away, embarrassed. You suppressed a laugh and elbowed his arm once again. Oh, how you missed his humorous jokes. Spotting a small smile on his face, you snickered lightly.

"Oh, right. (Y/N) was gonna stay here for the night, since she doesn't really have anywhere else to go." Camilo mentioned.

"For the night?" Tía Julieta asked. "And then where is she going to go after that?"

She had a good point. Where were you going to stay?

"She can just stay in the nursery with me and Antonio." Mirabel suggested, shrugging her shoulders.

"Will Abuela allow it, though?" Isabela questioned.

"Allow what?" A voice boomed from behind the group.

Turning around, you all saw Abuela coming down the stairs.

"Oh, Mamá, hi." Tía Pepa greeted. "We were just talking about where (Y/N) was going to stay."

"Yeah, and Mirabel suggested that she'd stay with her and Antonio in the nursery." Tío Agustín said.

Looking at Abuela for approval, it looked as if she was conflicted by the situation.

But humming in response, she said, "Of course, (Y/N) can stay with Mirabel and Antonio. We are talking about just for the night, right?"

"Actually, we were thinking about her staying here... permanently." Dolores said, forming her lips into a straight line.

Abuela looked around. The idea seemed to trouble her. But she then came to a conclusion.

"That is... fine. (Y/N) can live with us from now on." She smiled, which hid all the nervousness and uncertainty behind it.

"Woo-hoo!" Mirabel laughed, high-fiving you.

You, and everyone else, cheered about the idea of you being able to stay and live with the Madrigals.

It was like a dream come true, for some specific someone, of course.

You then addressed that you were going to go take a shower since you so desperately needed one.

Ah, you couldn't wait to catch up with the Madrigals.

~Meanwhile, with the Madrigals~

The Madrigals were in the kitchen, clearing and cleaning the dinner table. Everyone was giddy, especially Mirabel and Camilo.

"This is so exciting!" She exclaimed. "(Y/N)'s come back and I get a new roommate!"

Camilo, who smiled and nodded, walked over to the sink and placed his dish in it. That's when Abuela approached him with her hands clasped in front of her.

"Camilo." She said with a stern look on her face.

"Si, Abuela?" He asked, turning towards her.

"Come with me. I need to speak to you." She told him, gesturing for him to follow her as she walked out of the kitchen.

"I'm... not in trouble or anything, right?" He questioned, following her to the courtyard.

Abuela shook her head. "No, of course not."

Camilo sighed in relief. "Okay, then. What did you need to tell me?"

"You have a job to do. I want you to monitor (Y/N) every hour of the day, every day of the week, every week of the month, and so forth. Watch her for me." She instructed him.

He tilted his head slightly. "Huh? Why?" He asked.

Abuela couldn't tell him the real reason. If she revealed the truth about you and your origins, he and the entire family would freak out. So to prevent that from happening, she had to lie to him.

"Abuela?" Camilo called, waving his hand in front of her face. "Hello?"

Blinking a few times, she snapped out of her thoughts and came back to reality.

"(Y/N) will need someone to show her around the house, to—to accompany her." She explained. "Will you do that for me?"

On the outside, Camilo shrugged, but on the inside, he was writhing with joy. "Sure thing, Abuela."

"Thank you, Camilo. Now, go. It is late and you need your rest."

"Alright. Later, Abuela." He turned around, walking up the stairs and to his room.