Beautiful Bruises ~ Camilo Madrigal x Reader

Just Another Villager

"I- uh..." you managed to mumble, your hand brushing his accidentally. You both quickly stepped back, faces red. Your waist tingled where he had held you, the feeling of his fingers digging into your hips remaining.

"What the heck are you doing here?" he accused. "Why the hell didn't you get out of the way when that rock fell?" He sighed, running his hand down his face. "You almost died, (Y/N)."

"It was my fault," Mirabel mumbled sheepishly from where she was sprawled on the sand, her hair coated with it. "I asked her to help me - I didn't think it would be this dangerous."

"Why were you in there, anyway?" he asked, his eyes darting between you. Mirabel exchanged a look with you, and you nodded slightly.

"We're trying to save Casita," she explained. "We found some glowing green shards, and we're going to find out what they mean so that we can save the miracle. Luisa told me to explore Bruno's tower, and it worked." She paused, sitting up to look at him. "Are you in?"

Camilo hesitated, then turned to look at where you stood, sand covering you.

"Ugh. I don't really have a choice, do I?"

Mirabel tilted her head at him quizzically.

"You'll kill my Cariño if I'm not around to protect her," he said with a smirk, brushing some sand off your head. When Mirabel raised an eyebrow at him, he quickly elaborated. "She's a villager, after all. It's the Madrigal's job to protect Encanto's citizens." You scowled, pushing his hand away angrily, but your stomach twisted with butterflies at his touch.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that? And I can take care of myself, tonto(fool). I don't need protection." With that, you spun around to walk for the stairs, but instead found yourself walking straight over the edge of the rock. You gasped, trying to back up before you tipped, but then you felt Camilo's unmistakable hands grip your shoulders and pull you into his chest.

Your heart was racing - you could hear the smirk in Camilo's voice as he spoke behind you.

"What was that?"

You shook your head angrily, walking away from him. Mirabel was smiling softly, but she was all business once again as the three of you headed for the long stairs once more.

"All right, so... Camilo's in. We need to figure out what these pieces are when we get back down," she instructed, sounding like a teacher.

"You'll be a great mother one day," Camilo mumbled, rolling his eyes, and you turned around to punch him in the shoulder. It stung your hand, and you quickly spun back around, holding your gloved hands in front of you. Camilo noticed - you saw the glint of anger in his eyes, anger directed at your papa, even though he didn't know it - but he didn't say anything, probably because Mirabel was there.

Luckily, Mirabel didn't hear his snipe. She held her hands out, and you handed the emerald shards to her, watching as she pocketed them.

"I should probably get home after this," you said. "It's nearly time for dinner, and I don't want to be late."

Mirabel nodded.

"You can stay if you want, but I would advise against it. It's Isabella's big night," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh?" you asked, confused. What did that mean?

"Oh, everyone knows by now. Mariano's proposing to her."

"Will she say yes?" you asked, frightened. This would certainly hurt your brother.

"Duh. It's perfect Isabela, marrying the perfect man. Then they'll grow up to have five perfect children." Mirabel groaned. "She's not even that pretty."

You drew closer, stepping so that you were next to her instead of behind her, and gave her a big hug. She froze up a bit before hugging you back, patting you on the head.

"Thank you," she whispered, so only you could hear.

Camilo sauntered past you quickly, rolling his eyes.

"You guys coming or not?"

When you reached the main house once again, Mirabel embraced you briefly before running off to go puzzle out the emerald pieces. That left you alone with the dreaded chameleon boy.

"I'll walk you out," he offered, and you nodded. You walked in a tense silence, you refusing to meet his eyes, knowing what he would talk about. When you made it to the end of the path leading straight to the village, you remembered something.

"Um... I left my glove here the other day, and... it's kind of important to me. Can you grab it? Please?" you added when he started to talk.

"I'll get it if you tell me who did this to you," he said, his eyes searching your face for any hint, any clue.

"I told you once, and I'll tell you again - I slipped in the river," you insisted, staring straight back at him. You didn't like lying, but it came to you surprisingly easily.

He sighed, reaching out and taking your gloved hand. You froze, heart in your throat, as he slipped the glove off. You couldn't do anything to stop him, like your body had been turned to stone in his presence.

He traced gentle fingers over the bruises and marks, his other hand that held your glove clenching into a fist. He tore his gaze away from your hand to look at you.

"I will find out who did this, with or without your help. And I'll make them pay. You're not just another villager to me, (Y/N)," he said, placing the glove back in your hand gently. "I'll go get your glove. Wait here."

When he turned around, you finally felt like you could breathe again.

You're not just another villager to me...

You stared after him, hope blooming in your chest. This Madrigal boy might just be the one to save you from your papa.

But then a voice, hard and cold, squashed those thoughts.

"I thought I told you to stay away from the Madrigals."

You turned slowly to reveal your papa, your single silk glove dangling in his hand. His face was a calm mask, barely betraying the fury underneath.

"You lost your mama's glove, and outright disobeyed me. You know what's coming." He grabbed your hand purposefully rather than your arm, making you whimper as he pressed hard on the slowly healing wounds. He began to drag you back, towards your house, towards a beating. One twice as bad as last time.

You twisted desperately, your eyes searching for the boy in the yellow rauna.

And they found him, just as he turned around at the front door, his confident smirk fading when he saw what was happening.

And then you were pulled around the corner of a building, out of his sight.