Beautiful Bruises ~ Camilo Madrigal x Reader

Forever

"I saw it all."

Your eyes widened as Camilo's tio revealed this, and you stepped forward eagerly, hardly noticing as he anxiously backed away.

"Saw what? What's going on?"

He shook his head slowly, raising his hands to stare at them like he didn't trust himself.

"Everything is..." He paused, before pointing to the kitchen and then his ear. Dolores will hear.

You nodded and followed him as he crept away to a strange door you had never entered - Dolores' room. He crept inside quietly, Camilo shutting the door silently behind the three of you. You observed Bruno's mistrustful glance at Camilo as he ushered you over to a small couch. Everything was misty and unclear, and every step you took seemed muffled and too loud all at once.

"Dolores can't hear us while we're in here - her room is soundproof."

Camilo's knee bounced up and down in the silence that ensued, waiting anxiously for Bruno's explanation.

"Well? What did you see?" he finally exploded, standing up quickly and starting to pace. You certainly didn't envy* Camilo's tio, who was in for an interrogation. Bruno's features softened as Camilo strode around the room, and he looked at his nephew with sadness in his eyes.

"You, too, Camilo? Aye... I suppose I had better tell you." He sighed, drawing a hand over his gently lined face. "Something akin to a sickness is spreading among us. I don't know what it is, exactly, but it's spreading quickly - too quickly for us to stop. It turns us rabid, unrecognizable. And it will kill us." You inhaled sharply at the words, reaching for Camilo's hand. He gripped it tighter than usual, and you winced but didn't move. "We will kill each other."

Wake up, you thought desperately to yourself. But you didn't - you couldn't. This was no dream.

"What will it do? How do we stop it?" Camilo asked quickly, stepping forward and pulling you to your feet beside him. "How does it spread?"

"Oh, um... it spreads by contact. Simple as that. And trust me, Camilo, if I knew there was a way to stop it, I would have by now." Bruno drew back into the shadows, slipping over to the door. "Now if you don't mind, I'll be leaving before I manage to catch this and cause any more harm than I already have."

"Wait!" Camilo cried, leaping for him, but the mysterious man had disappeared. "Agh!" Camilo grit his teeth, pacing around the room and holding his head in his hands. His steps pounded against the wooden floor, louder with each passing moment even in the oddly quiet room.

"Camilo, it's all right," you said, stepped forward and placing your hand on his shoulder.

"No it's not!" His arms flew away from his head, smacking your wrist and sending you scrambling. Hot terror flooded through your veins like liquid lightning, electrifying your brain and setting your nerves on end. His eyes were wide, his hair wild from running his hands through it in frustration. Your back smacked against the wall, and you desperately tried to catch your breath.

It was an accident. He's not trying to hurt you. It's over. Everything that happened is over. You repeated these thoughts to yourself like a mantra in your head, fingers pressing painfully into the jagged stone wall behind you. Blood poured from your ears to the tips of your fingers, dripping and pooling on the floor below.

Stop it, you thought angrily, shaking yourself out of the short hallucination and looking up to see Camilo's horrified face. His eyes scanned your body before landing on your eyes, and he hurried over to you in three long strides.

"(Y/N), I..." You pulled away, rushing to the door and struggling not to trip over your skirt in your haste. "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened! I'm so sorry... I promised I wouldn't do that again, I..." He once again buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking slightly. "I just want to keep you safe, but the only person hurting you is me. It's like I'm going insane and I can't control it. Like - like something's in my mind. I'll stay away from you." 

You hesitated, fingers brushing the doorknob.

You took a few careful steps.

"Camilo?" You touched his shoulder gently and he raised his head, regarding you with tearful eyes. "It's alright."

You pulled him into your arms, blankly staring into the mist as he desperately drew his arms around your shoulders, racked with sobs. You had to do something, and he wouldn't like it. If he was infected, as you suspected, it would only make it worse. 

"I'm sorry, Cami," you breathed, and he pulled away, features drawn together in confusion.

"What?" he asked uncertainly, and you pecked him on his freckled nose.

"I can't put you in danger." You gently pushed him away, before closing your eyes and focusing. His arms flew out and dragged him to the far wall, pinning him to it by force. He grunted, straining to pull away, but you hurriedly sent him flying on top of the large chandelier. 

"(Y/N)!" he shouted, his voice barely carrying to where you stood below. His features were contorted in anger, and you knew he wasn't healthy. "Let me down!"

"Jude will get you!" Your brother's ability to teleport would make it simple for him to rescue Camilo - he wasn't foolish enough to attempt to jump. "I promise you'll be safe, Camilo." You hesitated as you stood just outside the room. "I love you forever, tonto." And you shut the door.