White Canvas || A Camilo Madrigal Fanfiction

Chapter 4

"Pepa!"

Pepa brightened up, "Its been years, and you're looking quite young still." Constanza laughed as she welcomed them inside.

"Pepa, Felix, welcome!" She waved at the young Madrigals, "Well, hello there to you, little ones."

With Constanza's invite, the Madrigals went inside, taking her polite hospitality. Camilo was looking at her as he let Antonio down. She waved at them as she closed the door and Camilo noticed the colorful paintings all around the area. He touched a wall before Constanza smiled, "Mi nena loves to color the walls with mi vida, so you can see time to time, the corridors are filled with various colors."

Camilo looked up and saw small doodles of lizards. He grinned, pointing it up to Antonio, like a little kid. "Look, Tonito, there's a lizard." The little brother stared and made a woah sound.

Constanza chuckled at this as Pepa hooked her arm with hers, "We'll be staying for two nights, Consta, will that be fine?" The school teacher nodded and bumped her hip, "You know it will never be not fine for you to hang out with us."

Pepa smiled warmly as she pinched her shoulder. Constanza laughed before leading them upstairs. Dolores looked around and noticed some vines, "Tia Constanza, your house is really lively, the flowers and vines are pretty."

"Thank you, Dolores, I designed it myself, all the plants here are all mine to care," Constanza looked around, showing them the flowers as they go up. Camilo couldn't help but to ask why there are a lot of rooms.

"Well, Camilo," as Constanza slowly let go of Pepa's arm, showing the second floor, "Our home is the place where new people from the outside come to stay." She looks up to the stars on the open area, "We offer homes for those who lost theirs, comfort for those who needed, and some refuge to those who didn't deserve to leave what they worked hard for."

"And once they settled in Encanto, they can go and resume their life in the town."

"Hence why," Felix added, grinning as he twirled his Pepa, "Your Tia is well known to most but never shows up because she is busy giving after cares, if anything, she-" As he winked, "Has her own little gift."

Constanza waved her hand around, shyly averting their gaze, "Anything I could do for this town, is for the safety of it. It's the only thing I can return for your family saving me back then."

"Anyways, here are your rooms!" Constanza showed them their room, "We only have eight rooms, five of them being vacant." She explained before clapping, "I'll be cooking our dinner, so please help yourselves in your rooms-"

As they heard a door opening downstairs, "Mi cielaaaaa, Abuela Maria told me Peps and Fels are here-" Constanza rolled her eyes playfully. "Give them few minutes to settle in, mi amor, they will join us for dinner so don't step in the kitchen!"

For the record, without the super hearing magic, Dolores somewhat found the noise to be a little comforting. It wasn't too loud as before, but she noticed Constanza to be speaking softly, especially if Dolores was beside her.

"There's a bell in your rooms that will ring if dinner is ready, so for now," Constanza slowly walked away, holding the stairway, "Rest well and no one's here to expect so much of you." She smiled warmly that reminded Camilo of something, or someone.

°•°•°

"Oh, hey, Peps," a long haired lady, the same age as Pepa and Constanza, greeted Pepa who was going down the stairs, "Had a nice rest?"

Pepa nodded as she was wearing one of the prepared dresses in Constanza's house, "It's been a while since I last thought of going here with Julietta and Bruno..." She whispered, "We were so caught up of working our best to help the town and please Máma's expectations..."

"Who knew our little hide out turned to be this big."

Constanza was cooking on the pot, sighing softly, "You know, sometimes you do need to get out of your home to get a quick breath of yourself. You can't help everyone without helping yourself first," as she fed the lady beside her, "Does it taste okay, mi amor?"

"Mhmn, perfect as mi ciela~"

Constanza chuckled before going back to Pepa, "You can express your emotions here with us, after all, our house," as she points at the flowers and plants around, "Does need your rain," she teased.

Pepa laughed at this as she went to wear an apron, "Let me help. I didn't expect you to keep our apron like this, and this doesn't have a fern before though-"

"Ah, mi amor here learned sewing for our mi nena," Constanza hummed, giving space for Pepa to help them, "She wants to put designs on their clothes."

Pepa raised her brow, tilting her head, "Their? You have more children?" Constanza blinked and smiled, "Nope, just one. And we love them."

°•°•°

Camilo and Dolores couldn't help but to sit on the stairs to listen in the conversation. The house was a whole open space so after the stairs, there was a counter bar that shows the kitchen.

"Them?" Camilo whispered to his sister, who whispered back to him, "I once heard about it, it means someone prefers to be referred as no gender, or neutral." Camilo raised his brow before nodding, listening more because they simply don't know what to do in the house that isn't theirs.

Constanza sighed with a smile at Pepa's reaction, "Our child doesn't want to be referred in the box, Pepa. Feminine or masculine, they want to be their own self," Pepa nodded, listening to Constanza- with Camilo and Dolores listening as well- "They don't feel comfortable with being placed in a cage of restrictions, as they don't like labels and want themselves to be free, right, Frieda?"

Friedamour chuckled, pulling a thumbs up, "Right you are, mi ciela, and speaking of them-" She pointed with her thumb to the door, "They're here."

As if on cue, the door opened. Camilo and Dolores, curious to the newcomer, went to peaked from the stairs and once again...

Camilo was breathless.

"Ah, you're home, our little Omi!" Constanza squealed, letting go of the pot, and leaving Friedamour frantically holding the pot that almost fell.

His eyes never left as they were wide. Dolores noticed him slowly standing and walking. She nudged and tried to pull him to make him snap back.

He didn't.

"Ah, Pepa, this is our child," Friedamour introduced Pepa, "Omilietta Sanchez."

You.

He finally found you.

Pepa glanced over the stairs, going back to look at you before looking back at her son, "Hijo! You're here, and why are you standing still there- hijo? Camilo? Camilo!"

Camilo found himself in front of you, you tilted your head as you were holding a basket full of fresh dandelions you found on the way, "I didn't know you're one of our guests today, pequeñin. How's your stay-"

"There you are, I've been looking for you," the young lad of La Familia Madrigal held his chest, holding out the other, as if he was offering it to you, "Camilo Madrigal."

You stared at his hand before placing a few of the yellow dandelions on his hair and accepting his hand.

"Omilietta Sanchez," you whispered your name, ignoring that little bit of weight in your chest, "A pleasure to meet you officially, C. Madrigal."

Camilo showed that mischievous smirk, contrasting the polite and careful kiss he placed on your hand.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Sanchez."

°~°~°~°~°

Helloooo!! Your name has been revealed, finally Camilo is in peace! And yes, from now on, the narrator will use they/them pronouns for the reader if its in third person. Remember, the narrator is not reliable :> Also look at how smitten Camilo is, he literally forgot there are others in the room haha.

Don't forget to vote! Need some fuel to be motivated, just optional though! Have a nice day~

Slight changes oops, hope you like the chapter!