// ᴇɴᴇᴍʏ // ᴄ. ᴍᴀᴅʀɪɢᴀʟ //

// ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 6 //

The little boy's face was soft and caring, and he pulled his hands back when he saw that (f/n) had looked back at him.

"Excuse me, could I hang out with you guy-", he was cut off by Camilo's peppy remark.

"Awesome, hermanito! Here, come meet my new friend, (f/n)."

The fact he already considered them a new friend made (f/n) smile in surprise, they had hit it off with him, it was now confirmed.

Camilo ushered him over to them, patting his side. "Say hi", he whispered into his ear, pushing him along, causing the young boy to slide along the tiles of his floor. He waved shyly with a nervous smile.

"Hi." He muttered quietly. Camilo pulled him back before resurfacing to the conversation, this time with Antonio chiming in with a couple of his own comments.

---

"And then, I scared my sister so bad, water came outta her nose! Haha!" Camilo chortled, slapping his knee and Antonio's back.

"Ow."

"It was so funny, but Dolores didn't find it funny at all. She chased me around the house for half an hour with a chancla in her hand. That part definitely wasn't funny." He met (f/n)'s gaze again and placed a hand on his hip.

"Well, it suddenly seemed funny to me, with how you were screaming for help." Another unfamiliar voice spoke. They turned their heads only to find Dolores, with an amused look on her face. Speak of the devil.

Both boys' demeanor suddenly brightened, knowing that their sister had chosen to join them.

"Hey sis!" the brown-haired youth exclaimed, "Come! Join us! I was just telling (f/n) about my best pranks."

"I figured."

He kept talking and telling stories, most definitely grabbing the attention of the young (l/n). What a fun guy he must be, he was a prankster, but the good kind. And he clearly loved his family more than anything.
—-
The afternoon passed faster than (f/n) had expected, them having spent it talking to Pepa's side of the family for the whole time. They did have to admit, they had a great time talking and sharing anecdotes. They were currently about to step outside the walls of Casita, having bid goodbye to everyone just before that. The house waved as they stepped out, but was immediately pulled back in.

"Whoa!-"
They stumbled, taken aback by the sudden sheer force, and flipped their body around only to see Mirabel.
"Hey, (n/n)! I know we haven't talked in the whole night and I don't really wanna be around my family right now so come with me!-" With how fast she had said it, (f/n) could barely comprehend it, but was nonetheless dragged away by Mirabel to the house's kitchen area.
She held a tight grip on their poor arm, I must say. Held it hard so that Mirabel could've safely darted away from the entry to a completely different area without losing them in the progress.
As they arrived, Mirabel swung her arm around and let go, timed perfectly so that the (h/c) teen would just trip onto a nearby chair.

They yelped out, while Mirabel took her sweet, sweet time to properly settle down on a chair close to her - and scoot close. She smacked her hands on their shoulders harshly, staring straight deep into their (e/c) eyes, "(F/n), you believe me, right?"

Pressing more force onto their clavicles, she spoke again. "I mean, I saw it with my own eyes! I can't believe it would just... disappear like that!" She let go in disbelief, thrashing her arms up. "Y'know what, I bet Casita's playing a prank on me.." She exhaled, frustrated, and fell back into her seat. (f/n) walked to her side. They placed their hand on hers and stared her in the eye. No words were spoken, but she knew they were there for them at that moment. Her frustrated demeanor wasn't going anywhere, and her best friend walked to the water pump and gently filled a glass with fresh water. Pushing it into her hands, they smiled. 

"Here. You need a drink."

Without sparing a glance, she chugged the water in one go and slammed it onto the kitchen counter. 

"I just- I wasn't lying, I.. I didn't mean to interrupt Antonio's big night, I'm not petty like that, you know me. You believe me, right, (f/n)?" 

Her voice was tense as it had been when she had seen the walls crack and crumble. she stumbled over her words, desperately trying to get out a plausible sentence. 

(f/n) spoke slowly, as if not to upset her in her fragile state of mind.

"Mira, you're my best friend. I'm going to believe whatever you say, always, whatever the situation. I've chosen to place my trust in you. It's just- This whole ordeal is making it hard for me to believe. It just sounds a bit too... Impossible." They leaned against the wall alongside her, not taking an eye off their friend. Mirabel sighed.

"You're right - I can't expect you to believe something without any proof regarding it", she slumped down, muscles relaxing. " How about we go back out there and chat with my cousins for a bit? I know some of them have been wanting to meet you."

Mirabel knew, that they were the only ones in the family who wanted to get to know the young (l/n), everyone else had tuned her out after the incident. The majority wanted nothing to do with them.

"No thanks, Mira. I've already talked to them enough for the night. Boy, Camilo sure is a chatterbox, isn't he?" They chuckled softly. "I know you don't want to be around your relatives right now. How about you come with me and stay at my place for the night? I'll give you time to say goodbye to everyone." The Madrigal's dark curls bounced when she nodded. She gave a comment of approval and promised to be at their house in no more than 15 minutes.

---

And with this, (f/n) returned home, kicking their shoes off immediately into some random corner of the corridor before slumping into their couch. They reached over to their feet and rubbed circles into the bunions, massaging them.

"Por dios... No deberia haber llevado esos zapatos tan incomodos." They flipped onto their belly, groaning into the soft material of the cushioned pillows. 

The sound of an opening door is what made them look up, only to see Mirabel with a stack of clothes in hand. When they saw a glimpse of her signature sheepish smile in the corner of her lips, they knew her mood had brightened, even if it was just by a bit. They sat upright and pat the spot next to them on the couch, waiting for her to side beside their figure. The presence of jasmine filled her sense of smell, the aromatic flower that was right set aside at the entrance of the house. She dropped her clothes onto a hardwood table and set herself on the sofa. They scoot closer, and faced them, turning to one side. "Want me to make you a hot drink? Maybe a little treat, I'm sure there's some leftover buñuelos from earlier today," she asked, sympathetically.

Mirabel shook her head 'no'.

"No thanks, I'm good. I'm kinda tired. Might head to bed earlier than usual. Causing a scene in front of dozens of people can really tire you out, y'know."

(f/n) sighed, "Mirabel..."

"It's fine, really! I just figured I'll go to bed early. Speaking of, I might just drift off right about now."

She plopped her head onto the pillow and began fake snoring. They rolled their eyes at her gesture, going to change into a pair of pajamas. 

---

And then, in their silken pajamas, they tucked themselves into the comfort of their mattress, falling into a deep slumber, still thinking about their friend. They were worried about what she would get from her family the day after, as they stumbled and turned back and forth in their bed.

//Word count : 1310//

//got lazy at the end, haha//

//but seriously, i think i owe you guys an explanation as to why i barely update//

//when i first started this book, i was technically still on hiatus and unmotivated and i had school going on.//

//but, but, BUT, now I'm motivated, off hiatus, and back on track in school. So now I'll be updating for good!//

//I'll probably post my schedule on here so ya'll know when to expect an update//

//oh god, I'm praying Camilo is still popular and so is Encanto bcus i had a rlly good story with adorable moments planned but im scared its not a trend anymore and it won't get any recognitionnnn//