#camilo madrgial imagine

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Imagine being the first person to tell Camilo he doesn’t need to constantly use his gift to be loved.

At first you didn't realise how difficult being a Madrigal could be. Having powers sounds all fun and games but when your worth is assigned to them it can quickly become toxic. Your self-esteem becomes attached to how useful you can be and when your gift literally gives you the ability to change every little thing about yourself...well that's an identity crisis waiting to happen.

You noticed Camilo used his gifts the most out of all his family. Whenever a situation could benefit however marginally from his powers he was there, volunteering without even needing to be asked. He did this for anyone, a stranger, family members and his friends which included you. You'd been friends since you were little and you couldn't think of a time Camilo hadn't volunteered to help you. As a child if you were sad Camilo would transform into a teacher and do silly things to make you laugh. When you had bad social anxiety as an early teen he offered to go to your classes as you and take notes. When you first got a job he transformed into several different customers and gave you glowing reviews to your manager. Camilo was always ready to give and change himself for whatever anyone needed and while you loved that quality about him it did make you worry.

You knew how important a person’s identity was and wondered how Camilo’s had developed when he was constantly changing who he was to benefit others.  You knew Camilo loved his gift but you’d also seen him when he let the mask slip. Camilo put on a brave face, after all he was the jokester of the family so what else could he do? But you’d seen first hand his self-esteem issues and how little he thought of the true version of himself. You wish he could see himself as you saw him and worried as you got older his identity problems get worse and worse. You couldn’t just let that happen, you had to try and help so you approached the topic with Camilo. 

"Have you ever gone a day without using your powers?' You asked one day as you were making your way to Camilo’s home. Already on the trip from town he’d used his gift 4 times for other people, largely unprompted. Camilo laughed "a day? I don't think I've ever gone an hour". You smiled but you couldn't bring yourself to laugh "does it ever get...tiresome?" you asked him. Camilo shrugged "sometimes...I mean I wish I didn't have as many chores and could just be a regular teenager". "No I mean the transforming. Do you like becoming other people or would you prefer to just be Camilo?". "Why on earth would I just want to be me?" Camilo asked and your heart broke. Camilo saw your reaction and rushed to explain "don't look upset all I meant was if I was me all the time I couldn't help people. But with my gift i can become taller or stronger, i can help calm crying babies or make people forget their worries for a bit with a laugh". You nodded "yes and that's all great but your purpose in life isn't just to help people...you deserve help too". Camilo blinked surprised and you genuinely don't think anyone had ever told him that. "I...I know that" he said finally but his voice sounded shaky. "However" he continued "I can help people and so I'm going to help as many as I can". You didn't say anything but Camilo could tell you were disappointed. "What's wrong?" he asked "don't you like my gift or something?". "No of course I do but I like you more" you said blushing. "Me? The plain me?" Camilo asked in shock. You shook your head "not the plain you, the authentic you. The original version, the perfect version" you smiled caught up in how much this boy meant to you. "When I look at you like you are right now I see the person I'm closest to in the world and so of course I wouldn't trade that for the strongest or tallest person alive. I don't need anything extra because you're Camilo. That's good enough for me". Camilo stared at you dumbstruck and you blushed. When he didn't say anything for a while you waved a hand in front of his face '"Camilo?" you called "did I break you?". Camilo blinked rapidly as if coming out of a trance and he looked at you "huh? Sorry i’m fine I was just thinking". "Have I upset you?" you asked "I didn't mean to insult your gift just let you know you're so much more than what you can transform into". Camilo smiled "of course I'm not upset I really appreciate what you said. Nobodies ever told me that before" he said placing a hand on top of yours "thank you y/n". "You're very welcome" you smiled and hugged him. Camilo's hand was still on your when you pulled away and you both looked at it before blushing.

After that something changed between the two of you but in a good way. When Camilo saw you he'd get a slight blush on his cheeks remembering what you said. He became more affectionate, not that he wasn't an affectionate friend before, but now he'd sit closer to you and you'd catch him watching you with a small smile on his face. He'd always panic when you caught him, blushing adorably and he'd look away only for the same thing to happen minutes later. Another important difference was Camilo's powers. Following your talk he stopped transforming around you as much. He typically always made himself slightly taller than he actually was and also changed his hair so it was calmer. However, you noticed he stopped doing that when you were alone. He was 100% his natural self and you thought he'd never looked more beautiful.

You both felt the change in our relationship from friendship to...something more and the tension built up between the two of you. Whenever you were alone you could feel it in the air as if it was palatable. Camilo’s family noticed it too. You were over at Camilo’s for an event the family threw every year and like usual you were by Camilo’s side. You were sat in the garden in your favourite spot which was hidden away from everyone and was like your own separate world surrounded by plants and flowers. You were chatting and laughing and even flirting a little. That was a new thing you and Camilo had been doing but you liked it and every time the two of you got bolder. When you were talking you noticed a petal had landed on Camilo’s beautiful curly hair and so you told him to hold still. You leant forward to pluck the petal from his hair carefully and smiled “there” only to realise Camilo was staring at you. You were only inches away from him and you felt glued there under his gaze. The two of you stayed frozen, looking at one another before Camilo’s gaze drifted to your lips and his cheeks turned even redder. He went to speak when you were interrupted. Someone knew about your hiding place. 

“What’s going on?” Isabela asked and you and Camilo flew apart, rushing to explain nothing was going on but the eldest Madrigal grandchild wasn’t having it. “Yes there is, something’s been going on between the two of you for a few weeks now. You’re totally different around one another and I can’t work out why...are you dating?”. You both went scarlet and Camilo jumped up “okay goodbye Isabela” and he escorted/pushed her from the room. He slammed the door shut and leant against it, breathing out in relief “thank god she’s gone”. You chuckled rather nervously and agreed “my thoughts exactly”. 

You and Camilo kept talking but you now felt like the tension was an unavoidable elephant in the room and figuring things couldn’t get any more uncomfortable Camilo had something he wanted to say to you. "Y/n I've been thinking lately" Camilo said and you looked up at him "yeah?". Camilo looked at you and his cheeks went pink again. "About what you said the other day...about my gift not defining me and how I'm enough and I just want to thank you. You have no idea how much your words have comforted me and they've been on my mind most days...as have you" he said watching you for your reaction. You blushed, smiling "I've been thinking about you a lot too Camilo". "That's good" he said encouraged and he continued. "The things you said about me...well I didn't just like them because they were kind things I needed to hear but well I liked specifically that you felt those things about me. That you saw me in that way and hearing you say all those things made me feel something". You felt a shiver run down your spine and you could hardly wait for Camilo to keep talking "ow?". "Yeah" he nodded "you're my closest friend too, the person who knows the most about me and is always there for me. Hearing that you like me just the way I am...well it's convenient because that's exactly how I feel about you. I like you y/n" he said finally "and I want to be more than friends with you". You smiled and Camilo smiled back hesitantly "okay a smile is a good sign I think". "Of course it is!" you cried "I like you too and honestly think I have for ages but just never worked in out until recently. I tried to be subtle about it this week but when it came to telling you how much I like the real you I failed miserably". Camilo laughed smiling "Yeah but in a good way. I've never heard you talk about anyone like that and it got me thinking and hoping...then this week every time I saw you my heart sped up and I got this tingling sensation. I knew I had to do something about it or I'd explode and so here we are". "Here we are" you smiled tracing his hand and Camilo took in the beautiful scenery of his home and village to the wonderful girl sitting in front of him. You both leant in at the same time and met in the middle, you really were a lot alike.

All evening the two of you stayed on your balcony listening to the party below. Camilo had his eyes closed and rested his head on your shoulder. You leant your head against his and traced his hand over yours. Camilo was the most relaxed you'd ever seen him and he wasn't trying to be anything but himself. He was just being and you loved it. "Y/n" Camilo said suddenly and you nodded "yes?". "Tomorrow I'm going to tell my family I want to take a step back from my duties. I want to work out who I really am and what my identity is. Does that sound...stupid?". "Not at all!" you said protectively "I think it sounds like a brilliant idea and I'll help you in any way I can". Camilo smiled leaning into you more “obrigada meu amor" he said, his voice slightly muffled as he nuzzled into you. You laughed and enjoyed the sensation. "You never need to thank me, I can't wait to go on this journey with you and whatever we discover, I just know it's going to be great". Camilo was very nervous but hearing your words made him feel more confident and above all reminded him he wasn't alone. He had you by his side and you could go on this journey of self-discovery together.

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So we all know Camilo has identity issues right? Well whenever I find out a character has trauma I always invent a character to help them process it because I hate people suffering so ta dahhh!

Camilo is so sweet, did you know in the original verion he was going to be a moody jerk cousin? So glad they changed that into the quirky charming Camilo we have today.

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