Beautiful Bruises ~ Camilo Madrigal x Reader

Perfect

And then he brought his lips to yours.

You had never kissed anyone before. You used to think it would be perfect, then found it gross, then worried you would be terrible at it. You had tentatively tried it out on your arm a few times as your friend Lucía had instructed, but just ended up feeling silly.

"It's everything you'll ever dream of," Lucía had burst after her first kiss with Carlos. "It's amazing, and beautiful, and..."

The kiss was by no means perfect in anyone else's eyes.

But to you, it was.

He didn't use his tongue - his soft lips pressed against yours firmly and possessively, setting off sparks in your body as he backed you up against the wall, his heart thudding against yours. Your hands tangled through his curly locks, while his cupped your cheeks. You never wanted it to stop.

But when you opened your eyes and glanced your papa's bed, you remembered where you were. You remembered when you had peered through the doorway to see Jude sobbing on the bed clutching his bleeding face while your father shouted at him for making your mama leave. He had been 10 years old.

Your papa saw you, and you were too stunned to move. He slammed the door on your face in an instant, giving you a broken nose and nearly knocking you out. But you were more scared for Jude than yourself.

"(Y/N)! Snap out of it! Hey!"

You gasped for air like you had in the coffin, like you hadn't breathed in ages. Camilo was gripping your shaking arms, his eyes wide with fear.

"What the hell is going on? Why are you freaking out so much? Did I do something wrong?"

"I'm sorry," you said quickly. "It wasn't you, it's... this house. I need out of here. It was not you, that... it was perfect. I just... need some sleep?" It came out as more of a question and you grimaced, but Camilo nodded, carefully winding an arm around your waist and walking you to the front door.

"You don't have to apologize, (Y/N). I don't know what's going on - Mirabel was having trouble explaining it - but I remember how terrible it was for Jude in the beginning. If anyone should be sorry it's me," he added, pecking you lightly on the top of your head. "You can sleep in my room, if you'd like."

You nodded, blushing.

"I would."

Jude was sitting on a bench in town, chatting with Mariano and laughing.

How can he be so joyful? you thought enviously. How can he laugh when these nightmares and hallucinations plague him?

"Camilo! (Y/N)!" your brother called, eyeing you nervously. "So... you get it now? Why the magic doesn't work? And why I was in the vision?"

You nodded, then shook your head slowly.

"I get the magic part, but... why were you in the vision? After all, you saved the magic, you didn't destroy it."

"Yeah... that one took us a while to piece together. See, in the vision where Casita was broken, I was alive..." He trailed off, but you didn't need or want him to finish. You nodded your head sharply, swallowing hard.

"Understood."

When you arrived back at Casita, Jude gave you a final hug before wandering off to find Isabela. You let Camilo lead you to his room, struggling to stay awake.

It was pretty much the same as it had been before Casita broke, but with brighter paint and very, very few replicas of people. When you raised an eyebrow at him questioningly he shrugged awkwardly.

"I... didn't really feel up to shapeshifting after... you know."

You sighed, pulling him over to you and hugging him tightly. You let yourself stay there for a while, his arms holding you up, until you were half-asleep.

"Cariño?" he whispered, his breath tickling your ear. You fought a smile, pretending not to be awake. He scooped you up bridal-style and carried you to his bedroom, holding your head up carefully, before laying you down on his bed. He carefully drew the covers over you before leaning down and pressing a firm kiss to your lips. One of his curls fell across your forehead. "I know you can't hear me," he murmured against your lips. "But I'm going to ask you to marry me one day."

And then you fell asleep.