⠀⠀⠀⠀A boy with curly dark auburn locks peered through the gap of a slightly opened door. His juniper-green hues caught the sight of a certain (h/c)-haired boy, who was knocked out unconscious—he hasn't shown any signs of regaining his consciousness yet.

⠀⠀⠀⠀He sighed before closing the door, but jumped slightly as his attention was diverted to the ginger-haired woman in front of him, who was none other than his mother, Pepa Madrigal. Pillows of gravel-gray clouds forming beneath her head as she anxiously fiddled with her curly auburn locks that were styled into a braid. She gazed at her son as she inquired, “Is he awake yet?”

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo's lips curled into a small smile as he spoke in a gentle manner, “No, mami. Don't worry so much, he would wake up soon,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀The older woman casted a skeptical glance towards the boy, his statement didn't seem to relieve her as she seemed to be even more troubled, “Agh! Camilo, why did you even do this in the first place? Ahora, tenemos que esconderlo de todos. ¿Y si sus padres venían a buscarlo?” The clouds over her head began to form into a larger one as she grew anxious.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“We'll...” Camilo trailed off before an idea came to his mind, “We'll just say we haven't seen him, and pretend to help find him. They would just dismiss it as a case of a missing person,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀Pepa took a deep breath whilst muttering reassurance underneath her breath, clearing the clouds beneath her head before she spoke, “Okay,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀A smile began to form on Camilo's lips once he heard an agreement coming from his mother.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“I'll go ahead and talk to the others about this. Camilo, wait for him to wake up, and please, don't freak him out,” Pepa explained before she made her way towards the ascending staircase, Camilo took note of his mother's expression—she was still stressed regarding this.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo exclaimed, “Okay, mami,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀Once Pepa was out of his line of sight, Camilo pulled his bedroom door open. His green orbs widened as he saw the (h/c)nette was now conscious, he didn't expect him to wake up soon although he wasn't complaining. Gently closing the door behind him, Camilo walked towards the boy who was holding his head whilst wincing. He didn't seem to react to Camilo approaching him.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“(Y/n), you're awake,” Camilo started, sitting himself down on the bed; next to the said boy.

⠀⠀⠀⠀(Y/n) shifted his attention to anywhere but the boy sitting beside him—staring sightlessly at a wall—as he stayed silent. His head was throbbing, hell, it felt like the world around him was spinning. It made him wonder, what the hell happened? Did he black out? If so, how did he black out?

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo examined the other boy and almost immediately noticed that he was experiencing headache, a terrible one at that. Camilo frowned, his face showed genuine worry as he asked, “Do you want me to get you something?”

⠀⠀⠀⠀“What happened?” His voice was hoarse nevertheless Camilo could perfectly comprehend what he had said.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“You passed out,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀(Y/n) shot a cold glare towards Camilo's way, sneering, “I know that. I was asking how did I pass out,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo paused, he was unsure of what he should say to him—should he lie and say he passed out because of overwhelming stress or should he be honest and admit that he was the one who knocked him out?

⠀⠀⠀⠀No, that would freak him out, Camilo thought.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“You... kind of freaked out and fainted,” Camilo quaked, he paused for a brief moment before he continued; in an attempt to shift the conversation, “But, are you okay? Is your head hurting?”

⠀⠀⠀⠀(Y/n) narrowed his eyes, it was obvious Camilo was lying. There was another reason as to why he blacked out, however it seemed like Camilo didn't wish to say it. The (h/c)nette sighed, he was too exhausted to argue with the boy beside him hence he diverted his gaze onto the firmly closed window as he muttered, “Yeah, my head hurts,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀“I'll go ask tía Julieta if she has some arepas left,” And with that, Camilo exited the room, leaving the other boy all by himself.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo leapt excitedly as he arrived at the kitchen, he had assumed that his tía would be there as her gift required her to cook. Though, Camilo certainly did not expect the kitchen to be so crowded. He noticed that almost everyone was there—except for his little brother, Antonio. And once he set his foot on the kitchen floor, every set of eyes were set upon him, it made him rethink every single action he had done in his life.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“Camilo, mijo,” Félix, Camilo's father, started which earned a frown from the said boy. He glimpsed at his father before he replied with a short, “¿Qué?”

⠀⠀⠀⠀Félix stole a glance at the anxious woman with auburn locks, the woman peered back at him before she nodded—as a signal for something Camilo didn't quite catch. Félix inhaled for a moment before he proceeded, “Mijo, about the (Y/n) boy,” The older man seemed to thought out his words carefully, it was as if he didn't want to offend the younger boy staring rather confusedly at his father.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“We thought it was best to let him go,” Félix stated.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo's face immediately scrunched in displeasure, his eyebrows furrowed, his body becoming tense by each second. “What?” He made his way towards the older man whilst exclaiming out protests, “But mami had already agreed with me earlier!”

⠀⠀⠀⠀“I didn't say I agreed with you!” Pepa thundered, stepping towards her son before she spoke once again, “I told you, I was only going to discuss it with the rest of the family,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀Dolores, who was standing beside her mother, rubbed her mother's back gently—trying to soothe her temper—whilst she murmured, “Calm down, mamá. Don't be so harsh to him,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀“Camilo, you have to understand. If we kept him here without his willingness... that would be very immoral,” Félix searched his juniper-green hues before he continued, “Not only that, it is also very risky,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo didn't seem on planning to back down anytime soon as he barked back, “But, if we were to let go of him now, he would tell the townspeople, rumors would spread like a fire, and the whole encanto would know,” His eyes peered at his abuela who seemed to reconsider her choices upon his statement, and he spoke in a much softer tone, “Isn't that even more risky?”

⠀⠀⠀⠀His statement caused silence to take over, it seemed like the whole family—well, except Antonio—were rethinking their choices, stealing glances at one another once in a while. Even Alma seemed like she doubted that letting (Y/n) go would be the best choice to make.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo peered at his sister who quickly averted her gaze, it was obvious she didn't want to deal with her younger brother's disturbing behavior any further—the fact that she let his obsession get off the hook was already bothering her; she was starting to regret not stepping up to her younger brother.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Whilst everyone still seemed unsure, Alma took a step forward and declared, “Camilo made a great point,” Her statement earned surprised glances from her family; even Camilo didn't expect for his abuela to give in to his suggestion very soon, “We cannot risk it. If (Y/n) was let go, he would surely tell his parents, and his parents would believe him more than they would believe us,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo's tía, Julieta Madrigal, placed a hand on her mother's shoulder gently, inquiring, “Mamá, are you sure about this?”

⠀⠀⠀⠀Alma spared a glance towards Camilo, gulping before she stated sternly, “Yes, we should keep our family's reputation safe over everything,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀(Y/n) gazed around the room, there wasn't much for his eyes to feast on—really, the room was filled with a great amount of mirrors, he could only see multiple reflections of himself.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Sighing, he took this moment as a chance to reflect upon his current situation. So far, he would assume that Camilo kept him in his bedroom—he didn't show any desires on forcing him to stay, but considering how he reacted when (Y/n) attempted to escape, he figured Camilo would absolutely hate to see him try—and Camilo was the one who put him into slumber which he unfortunately couldn't recall how he did so.

⠀⠀⠀⠀His (e/c) hues fell onto the unlocked bedroom door, it was truly tempting to just open the door and run towards the exit with all his might. But (Y/n) knew better than to do that, he had learnt that if he wanted to escape, he should be tactical and not just carelessly dash towards the exit.

⠀⠀⠀⠀However (Y/n)'s train of thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the sound of Camilo's bedroom door opening to reveal Camilo, himself, holding a plate filled with three pieces of arepa con queso along with a glass of water. A wide smile painted on his face which caused the other boy to furrow his eyebrows.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“What?” (Y/n) asked which earned a puzzled look from Camilo who retorted with, “What do you mean, what?”

⠀⠀⠀⠀He rolled his eyes, his tongue clicking in annoyance, “What got you smiling like that?”

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo made his way towards the other boy before he sat himself on the bed, next to the (h/c)-haired boy. (Y/n) narrowed his eyes rather suspiciously at the curly-haired boy who was pushing the plate against his chest.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“I'll tell you if you eat it,” said the shapeshifter.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Reluctantly, (Y/n) took one of the arepas off the plate—as much as he hated to admit it, it looked delicious; he had eaten Julieta's arepa occasionally and he absolutely adored her cooking. He bit into the arepa before he mumbled with his mouth full, “Now, tell me,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo chuckled, “¡Dios mío! Don't your parents teach you not to talk with your mouth full?” He then set his gaze onto his foot before he added, “Abuela decided that you're going to stay,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀As soon as those words left Camilo's mouth, (Y/n) choked on his food, coughing as he frantically reached for the glass of water sitting comfortably on the nightstand beside him.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“(Y/n)! Are you okay?” Camilo cooed, gently poking on the (h/c)nette's back who was chugging on the glass of water ever-so desperately.

⠀⠀⠀⠀The said boy gasped as he adjusted his breathing, he was still taking in the unpleasant information he had just received. His mind was racing through endless possibilities and what-ifs. He thought about his parents, his friends, his life, his future, everything. What was he going to become if they forced him to stay at this hell of a household?

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo's skillful hand rubbed his back, comforting the seemingly sorrowful boy, “Oh, cariño,” he started, “Don't worry so much. It would be okay—I'll make sure everything would be okay,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀Though no reply came out from the (h/c)nette's lips rather than shaky hiccups. Camilo certainly didn't expect that (Y/n) would react this way—he didn't wish to upset him to the point he teared up, he hated the thought of being the cause of his tears. And before Camilo could murmur some sickly sweet reassurance, (Y/n)'s lips had already mustered out a quiet, “Why?”

⠀⠀⠀⠀(Y/n) wasn't upset because Camilo had forced him to stay—he had already guessed Camilo would make him stay—instead, he was distressed by the fact that the Madrigal family had came into an agreement to make him stay—it would mean there was nobody he could reach out for help to. Isn't it disturbing how they prioritize their family's reputation over a human being?

⠀⠀⠀⠀“I—... I'm sorry, (Y/n). You'll have to stay because, well, abuela doesn't quite trust you to roam around freely after... witnessing somethings,” Camilo almost choked on his breath once he noticed his words were doing no good other than upsetting the (h/c)nette even further, “Don't be sad, querido, you don't have to do anything around here. I'll take care of you—you just have to stay here with me, okay?”

⠀⠀⠀⠀“But, Camilo,” he quivered, “I can't stay here forever. What about my parents? What about my friends—”

⠀⠀⠀⠀“What about me?” Camilo suddenly interjected, his juniper-green irises examined the other boy's face, “(Y/n), I know you're going to run away the second I set you free. I'm not an idiot,” he sucked in a sharp breath before he continued, “And I can't imagine living without you. I don't even want to imagine you hurrying away everytime you see my face because... you're afraid of me,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀His statement caused a frown to appear on (Y/n)'s face as he spoke, an edge of bitterness underlining his words, “But you're okay with me trapped here? Even though it would only make me despise you even more?”

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo diverted his gaze onto the ceramic-tiled floor, his heart felt even heavier as he whispered, “Yes,” he collected himself back on his feet, mumbling, “I couldn't take any chances, I'm sorry,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀(Y/n) watched as Camilo headed towards the door, his hand was placed onto the doorknob yet his guilt refrained him from twisting it and leaving the (h/c)-haired male all alone once more. Camilo understood he was upset hence he wanted for him to have some time to himself, but still, he'd much prefer holding (Y/n) in his arms whilst comforting him.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Though the guilt seeping his heart was immediately replaced with anguish once (Y/n) finally opened his mouth, “I hate you,” melancholy laced his tone, his lips trembled as he murmured once more, “I hate you so much,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀The shapeshifter found himself biting his lower lip, sucking in the painful feeling of his heart breaking, “I know,” his hand twisted the doorknob whilst pulling the bedroom door open, he couldn't afford to stare at the other boy yet his lips gave out another answer, “You didn't have to tell me twice,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀And once again, (Y/n) watched as Camilo left him all by himself, allowing the room to be filled with nothing but the despairing sound of his cries.

a/n: surprise! did you like the pain? no, but, fr i wasn't going for a sad ending. i was going to make camilo more aggressive but i couldn't imagine him like that, so here you go.

⠀⠀⠀⠀The sound of sobbing rung throughout the room as a (h/c)-haired male laid weakly on the tatami flooring—he curled his body into a ball, trying to endure the throbbing pain coming from the back of his head and his stomach. His sobbing only seemed to get louder once he sensed blood pooling from his head, staining the once clean tatami floor—the sickly metallic scent coming from the crimson red liquid filled his nostrils, it almost made him puke. He wished he had at least a bit of strength left in him to get back on his feet, though even moving the slightest bit was painful for him.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“Weak,” (Y/n) could hear footsteps approaching closer to him, though the footsteps came into a halt once they stood close enough to the male who was quivering underneath them. “All it takes was two punches to your face and your stomach, and you're already writhing like a pitiful worm,” (Y/n) recognized that voice anywhere, after all, that person was none other than his captor—Obanai Iguro, the person who claimed that he was deeply in love with him yet didn't hesitate to raise his hands against him when he attempted to escape.

⠀⠀⠀⠀(Y/n) didn't reply as he coughed, blood spilling out from his mouth whilst he weakly dragged his body away from the other male. He was frightened of Obanai—he had always been unpredictable; (Y/n) could never guess what he had in his mind nor predict his actions. The only thing he could tell was that Obanai is an extremely emotional individual—one minute he would caress his (h/c) locks lovingly whilst murmuring about how much he adored him, and the other minute Obanai would try to seek something to pin the blame on the other boy. His behavior disturbed him.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“The only way you'll escape is if you kill me, do you really think you have that in you, darling?” The (h/c)nette could feel Obanai's piercing heterochromia orbs gazing at him. Scoffing, the Serpent Hashira knelt down in front of the trembling male—his eyes taking in the sight of his darling whimpering whilst he desperately tried to cover himself, shielding his poor body from taking another hit. The Hashira certainly didn't expect any reply coming from the other male as the only sounds that seemed to leave his lips were hiccups—it was almost like he didn't expect the slayer would lash out so horribly to him.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Obanai grabbed the (h/c)nette's chin, forcing him to lay his gaze upon him—his heterochromia hues meeting with his glossy (e/c) ones. “(Y/n), you know I absolutely hate hurting you—but I've already warned you that any attempts on escaping won't go unpunished,” The said male could only stare at him in fear, he was worried that he would hit him again. One wrong move and maybe Obanai would finally make up his mind to get rid of him.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“I've done nothing but provide everything for you—I spoiled you a lot. I gave you everything you wanted; food, clothes, I've even showered you with my love and affection. I've been patient with your rebellion because I understand that moving into a new unknown environment is scary,” he paused for a moment as he brought the (h/c)-haired male's face closer to his. “But I think I spoiled you way too much that you just become ungrateful. Is it true? Should I just start treating you like this?” Obanai's eyes searched his face—anticipating an answer from the quivering male in front of him.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“No, Iguro... I'm... I'm sorry,” (Y/n) pleaded in between his sobs, the words that left his mouth were almost incomprehensible which left Obanai dissatisfied with his apology.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“Speak up. I can't hear what you are saying,” he spoke, his tone was sharp and mocking—(Y/n) knew he had crossed the line whenever Obanai used that tone; the ebony-haired male was always soft-spoken and talked with such kind words unless he was furious.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“Iguro... I'm sorry,” This time, the words that left his lips were much more comprehensible.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Obanai's gaze scanned his face—as if doubting his apology was sincere. “And what are you sorry for?” He inquired once again.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“I'm sorry f—for trying to escape,” muttered the (h/c)nette nervously—gulping once he noticed how intense the pair of heterochromia irises were glancing at him.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“And?”

⠀⠀⠀⠀His breath hitched whilst murmuring, “And for being... ungrateful,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀The Serpent Hashira seemed satisfied at his answer—his gaze visibly softened as he finally let go of his grip on the (h/c)-haired male's chin. “Isn't it way nicer like this, (Y/n)? All you have to do is remain obedient and I'll give you everything you want—I'll make you happy,” he hummed, there was a brief pause between his words before he proceeded, “After all, you're completely and utterly useless, you can't last one second without me,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀Obanai noticed that (Y/n) had remained silent—which was odd, usually if he were to degrade him, (Y/n) wouldn't waste any time to bark back at him; the (h/c)nette had always been hard-headed and prided his ego more than anything hence why it confused the ebony-haired male. Maybe he had a change of heart, the thought of it sent a sense of euphoric feeling within Obanai.

⠀⠀⠀⠀He placed his hand upon (Y/n)'s forehead before he gently wiped off the blood dripping down his face. “I'm sorry for hurting you, love. Wait here, I'll patch you up—”

⠀⠀⠀⠀Obanai got back on his feet—he was about to grab the medkit he had kept in case of situations like this—only to be stopped by his darling's hand wrapped around his wrist. It took Obanai by surprised when his eyes caught how his (e/c) ones were glancing at him—the Hashira had always noticed how (Y/n) would glare at him with hatred burning in his eyes but this time, it was different, his eyes seemed much softer and the hatred seemed to melt away from his gaze.

⠀⠀⠀⠀“Iguro...” he mumbled, pulling his body closer to the said male, “Don't leave me,” Obanai noticed his (e/c) irises were becoming glossy once more, he could tell the boy was on the verge of crying again.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Though his attention was focused on the sweet words that left the (h/c)nette's lips, Obanai almost couldn't believe his ears. Did I break him?, he thought as he raised his hand to caress his rosy cheeks, No, that's not it... It must be that he has come to realize that he loved me as well, a smile crept up his lips whilst gently sweeping his thumb below his eyes, wiping a tear that was threatening to fall down from his beautiful eyes.

⠀⠀⠀⠀He knelt down before placing a quick kiss on (Y/n)'s forehead, “I won't ever leave you, sweetheart,” He glanced at the (h/c)nette who seemed to be flustered by his loving gesture, asking, “How about we take a nice bath together and then I'll treat your wounds?”

⠀⠀⠀⠀(Y/n) stared away in embarrassment, nodding his head lightly as he murmured, “Y—Yes please,”

⠀⠀⠀⠀His timid behavior brought a wider smile upon Obanai's lips as he gently scooped the other male in his arms, causing him to yelp in surprise though the (h/c)nette showed no signs of resistance.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Carrying the male away towards the bathroom, Obanai snuggled his face against (Y/n)'s cheeks, purring, “Rely on me as much as you wish, my love. And I promise, I will make you happy for the rest of your life,”

a/n: fun fact: this was supposed to be a sandy (brawl stars) fic but i changed it at the last second!

⠀⠀⠀⠀It was a daily occurrence. Every morning, Camilo would pay (Y/n) a visit, barge into his room and nag him to visit him at his casita. Then, (Y/n) would groan, pulling his blanket over his face before he murmured, "Cinco minutos más," Knowing Camilo, he won't give up until he successfully managed to tug (Y/n) away from his bed, and after annoying him in the morning, he would take his leave and do his usual service work for the village.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Honestly, (Y/n) couldn't understand why he would do that, and more importantly, why his parents even let Camilo come inside to ruin his morning. Though as annoying as it was, there were some benefits to his habit as well—such as: getting up earlier in the morning, and... actually, that was it.

⠀⠀⠀Hence here he was.

⠀⠀⠀Yawning whilst rubbing his eyes, he headed towards casita. Then, the (h/c)-haired boy halted before la casita's front door, he dusted off his long-sleeved shirt whilst he raised his arm. He was about to knock on the front door, but instead, stumbled on his feet as the door unexpectedly opened. His eyes caught the sight of the shorter boy who had curly dark auburn hair, and his contrasting yellow ruana.

⠀⠀⠀⠀A teasing smirk made its way on the curly-haired boy as he caught the taller boy, "Buenas tardes, (Y/n),"

⠀⠀⠀⠀The said boy sighed in slight annoyance as he collected himself back onto his feet, "It's buenos días. It's still nine o'clock in the morning," His (e/c) hues met with Camilo's juniper-green ones, "Gosh, you really should ditch this annoying habit of yours," (Y/n) proceeded to grumble though his foot brought him towards Camilo's room, "Why do you even wake me up if you're just going to let me continue sleep in your room?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo trailed behind the (h/c)-haired boy, small leaps in between his steps as if to show he was excited, "Why not? You look funny when you sleep,"

⠀⠀⠀⠀(Y/n) stared at him in annoyance—it wasn't because he hated nor disliked Camilo, they were friends for as long as he could remember, rather it was because he wasn't a morning person, at all. And Camilo knew, he knew the taller boy was snappy and grumpy in the morning hence he didn't let his irritable attitude bother him.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"I'm just joking, señor grumpy-pants. You can go ahead and sleep in my room, I still have some tasks to do!" Camilo chirped playfully as he strutted away from the other boy, heading to the village to do—which (Y/n) would assume—his service work.

⠀⠀⠀⠀(Y/n) sighed as he lightly pushed the door to Camilo's room before he entered his room, unaware at the motive behind his actions.

⠀⠀⠀⠀The sound of the door creaking rang throughout the room, shooking the (h/c)nette awake. Yawning, he stretched his arms as he collected himself up on the bed. He fluttered his eyes open slowly, allowing them time to adjust to the blinding string of light coming from the opened door. He groaned as he held a hand close to his face, avoiding to stare directly to the source of light.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Had a nice sleep, bella durmiente?" (Y/n) immediately identified the owner of the voice, of course, it was none other than Camilo Madrigal. He could tell just by hearing his usual playful tone.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Mhm," (Y/n) scratched the back of his neck, it was quite obvious he was still collecting his consciousness. He coughed a bit as he spoke, "Camilo, can you get me a glass of water? Por favor?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀"One glass of water coming right up!" He exclaimed as he dashed towards the kitchen, the (h/c)-haired boy could only chuckle as he shook his head lightly whilst watching his friend's silly demeanor.

⠀⠀⠀⠀(Y/n) pulled his leg along the bedside, he was about to get back on his feet when he unexpectedly hit his feet on something that was placed underneath the bed. He raised his eyebrows in confusion, he always visited Camilo's bedroom but he never saw anything under his bed. He always suspected Camilo as the type of person with not much secret, but maybe he was wrong.

⠀⠀⠀⠀He leaped off the bed. His curiosity got the best of him and he decided to peek to see whatever-it-was-underneath-the-bed. And sure, he saw a wooden

box with a padlock that was already unlocked. It seemed like Camilo was being careless and left it around.

⠀⠀⠀⠀(Y/n) contemplated his choices—he respected Camilo's personal boundaries, but on the other hand, he was curious as to why he kept a box underneath his bed, and more importantly, what was inside the box. Though once again, his curiosity won as he pulled the wooden box out of the small gap under his bed.

⠀⠀⠀⠀His (e/c) irises eyed the box carefully as he thought that surely, whatever he kept in the box couldn't be that bad. Knowing Camilo, it was probably just a bunch of items he could use to prank people with. (Y/n) muttered an apology underneath his breath as he pried the box open.

⠀⠀⠀⠀As he had finally opened the box, (Y/n) could feel his heart skipped a beat. His eyes widened in surprise—it wasn't a pleasant one rather it was a terrified one. Inside the box was a great amount of his pictures. There was a picture of him talking to another person in the village though the other person was crossed out with a red marker, and there was a picture of him helping his mother in her garden—which he could remember that it happened only three days ago—and lots of others he didn't wish to go through. And the most horrifying one was the picture of him sleeping in his room, judging from the shirt he wore, the photo was taken last night.

⠀⠀⠀⠀His trembling hand held the polaroid photo as his mind raced. Was this what Camilo has been up to? Since when did he start doing... this? Wait— what if...?

⠀⠀⠀⠀Hurriedly, he rummaged through the box and as he expected he found a collection of pictures of him sleeping inside Camilo's room. His breath hitched as he saw that he had been touching him while he slept—Camilo didn't went far as he was only seen touching his face and hugging him though it was still unsettling. (Y/n) flipped the polaroid pictures to find messy writing scribbled on the back of every each one of it.

(Y/n) is so cute!

I love when he's asleep, he's so vulnerable.

I managed to convince him to sleep in my bedroom again! Next time, I'm going to convince him to move in with me. I'm sure abuela won't mind.

Mine.

⠀⠀⠀⠀With (Y/n) who was still processing what he had just found, the door swung open to reveal the last person he would want to see right now—Camilo, with a cup of water in his grip. The grin on Camilo's face dropped as he saw the scene unfolding in front of him, the (h/c)nette who was sitting on the floor—a fearful look plastered on his face—with polaroid films scattered around him. The boy's attention diverted on the curly-haired boy, the horrified look on his face was something that couldn't go unnoticed. Though, the boy stayed silent, he was still speechless upon his discovery.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Well," Camilo started, placing the glass of water to the cabinet beside him, "Do you like those photos of you? I have a lot more," He smiled. Camilo knew the boy was going to view him as a horrible person so why not make the most of it?

⠀⠀⠀⠀The (h/c)nette could feel his heart pounding loudly on his chest as Camilo trudged closer to the boy. He seemed to inspect the photo the other boy was holding. Noticing it was the one of him sleeping, he spoke, "I watched you sleep last night. You were adorable, cariño,"

⠀⠀⠀⠀"How..." (Y/n) trailed off, he gulped before he added, "How long have you been doing this?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo sat himself down in front of the boy, the smile never left his face as he spoke, "I'm glad you asked," His attention fell to the polaroid pictures surrounding them, "Hmm... I think it was two years ago,"

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Two... years?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo laughed, "No! I'm just messing with you," Once his laughs were calmed down, he spoke again, "To be honest, I don't remember exactly when. I think it was a few weeks before I start letting you sleep in my bedroom,"

⠀⠀⠀⠀The statement didn't bring relief upon (Y/n), instead it frightened him even further. How long had he been oblivious to this? How did Camilo's weird... obsession got off the hook? And most importantly, what was he going to do now?

⠀⠀⠀⠀(Y/n) tried to calm himself down, pushing away the violent thoughts running through his head as he thought about the best way to react. Should he pretend this never happened? Should he pretend he was alright with Camilo's disturbing behavior? Or maybe, he should risk it and try to escape, at least, casita first?

⠀⠀⠀⠀"You know," Camilo suddenly spoke, he was trying to fill the silence, "I never wanted you to see all of this so quickly, because I knew you would react like this," He brought his hand near his face before he swiped the sweat rolling down the other boy's face, "You look so scared,"

⠀⠀⠀⠀(Y/n) almost couldn't believe what he heard—was Camilo blaming him for reacting to this badly? Who on earth would want to discover that their friend was actually a creepy stalker?

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Of course I'm scared!" He paused before he quivered, "You... you were stalking me,"

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo's eyebrows furrowed, "Stalking? Querido, it's just a collection of pictures, you're just being dramatic,"

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Dramatic?" Camilo's words seemed to enrage the (h/c)nette as he pulled a certain polaroid photo on the floor, shoving it in front of the curly-haired boy's face as he yelled in frustration, "What would you do if you found a picture of you sleeping?!" His breathing became erratic as he mumbled, "You even admitted to watching me sleep... How am I supposed to react?"

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo extended his arm as his intention was to place it upon the other boy's shoulder, "Calm down, cariño—"

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Don't touch me!" The taller boy jerked his body away from his hand, earning a heartbroken look from the shorter boy but he couldn't careless. "Stay away from me, creep! I don't want to see you anymore!" As he said that, (Y/n) booked it.

⠀⠀⠀⠀He didn't know what he was thinking, hell, he wasn't even sure if it was the best choice to freak out in front of him, insult him, and then attempt to escape. But, considering how loud he was, someone in casita should be able to hear him, and they should've helped him. Especially, Dolores. She should've been aware of her little brother's behavior and yet, she never warned (Y/n) nor informed anyone about it. Maybe Camilo had already begged her to keep her mouth shut regarding this. Either way, it was disturbing how she let her little brother ascended into the worst version of himself.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Shooking away his thoughts, (Y/n) almost sighed in relief when his eyes saw the entrance door. Only to be disappointed as he couldn't pull the door open. He was desperately tugging onto the door handle whilst begging, "Please, casita!"

⠀⠀⠀⠀It was then he realized how much the Madrigals—maybe casita as well—valued the family over anyone else.

⠀⠀⠀⠀(Y/n) immediately gave up on trying to escape through the front door as he heard Camilo strutting from his room as he exclaimed, "(Y/n), please, let's talk this out,"

⠀⠀⠀⠀Instead of answering, the said boy searched around the courtyard, frantically looking for a place to hide. As soon as he spotted huge closet, he ran towards it as he prayed that the closet was empty or at least has enough space for him to fit into.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"(Y/n), where are you?" Camilo cooed in a sing-sang voice, he knew (Y/n) didn't got away—he couldn't, after all, he had requested casita to keep any possible exit shut—hence why he didn't seem shaken at all.

⠀⠀⠀⠀The (h/c)nette, on the other hand, was terrified. He had nowhere to run, his only hope was hiding in the closet until somehow Camilo gave up looking for him and let him be. And so, the boy entered the closet—thankfully, it was empty and spacious enough for him to fit inside.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Mi príncipe, why are you hiding? Is this a game, are we playing hide and seek? Okay, well, when I find you I get a prize!"

⠀⠀⠀⠀As soon as those words left Camilo's mouth, (Y/n) could feel his heart skipped a beat. He was doomed. He thought maybe Camilo would feel discouraged that he was hiding from him, but poor (Y/n), he forgot how excitable Camilo really was.

⠀⠀⠀⠀(Y/n) could hear Camilo moving around the house, from room to room as he shouted, "I've already thought about the prize I want! And once I find you, you're not allowed to deny it,"

⠀⠀⠀⠀The sound of doors opening then being slammed shut when Camilo couldn't find the (h/c)nette was slowly driving him crazy. His heart wouldn't calm down and his mind was racing through the endless possibilities of what Camilo wanted.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Surely, it couldn't be that bad. Surely, he wouldn't dream of hurting the person who he was deeply obsessed in. (Y/n) reassured himself as he adjusted his breathing. He tried to calm himself down but nearly jumped when he heard Camilo approaching closer and closer.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Oh, mi cariño,"

⠀⠀⠀⠀(Y/n) could hear him. He was so close, hell, he was convinced that Camilo was right in front of the closet he was in. He placed his hands over his nose and his lips, in hopes to cover the sounds of his erratic breathing.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"I'll be generous to you. If you come out now, I won't ask for so much,"

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo didn't move from his spot, he knew. He knew exactly the boy he was looking for was in the closet right beside him, he could hear his breathing and some movements.

⠀⠀⠀⠀The dark auburn-haired boy smiled. How clumsy, just like he always was, he thought.

⠀⠀⠀⠀And Camilo was indeed being nice. He let the boy have some time to contemplate his choices—and if he still wouldn't come out, he would take that as a sign that he had rejected his offer, and force him out.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"I'll count to three,"

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo eyed the closet standing beside him, he was sure the pressure from the countdown should be enough to push the boy to make a decision.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"One,"

⠀⠀⠀⠀Still, no reaction from the boy within the closet.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Two,"

⠀⠀⠀⠀This time, the closet shook a little, and Camilo knew the boy was panicking. After all, he was cornered, there wasn't much he could do other than to give in.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"And,"

⠀⠀⠀⠀Camilo pulled the closet door open, his juniper-green orbs met with his (e/c) ones.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"Three,"

⠀⠀⠀⠀His lips curled into a somewhat distorted smile as he watched the boy's facial expression quickly turned into the one with terror.

⠀⠀⠀⠀"¡Te encontré! Ahora, en cuanto a mi premio,"

a/n: honestly, picking the right layout for this oneshot took way more time than writing it :cries: