#mariano x bruno

[miramilocamimira]

I am my own home C4

For A Girl Unwanted

—-

Dolores has always been a smart girl. After all, she was only four when she realized why her mom didn’t treat her like Tía treated Isabela.

Mami didn’t want a baby.

She cries at night and it feels wrong.

-

When she turned five her hearing became her gift. She knew whatever people spoke. And soon she learned there were sounds she had to pretend never happened too.

A month after getting her gift, Abuela brought her to her room. Had her sit down, and told Dolores that she was to tell her Abuela about anything and everything that happened in the town.

It felt wrong.

-

When she and Isabela are six Dolores gets a brother. She teased Isa about it until after Isa got another sister.

As time goes on, she pretends she doesn’t see her mother and father dote on her brother. She pretends the resentment isn’t there.

She tells Abuela everything about the town.

It feels wrong right.

-

She is eight when abuela loses her respect. The elder had left her two year old cousin at the Guzmán’s and later as she listens in as her aunt and uncle argue with her grandmother, the woman did it on purpose.

“That… thing… does not belong here! It makes strange things happen! It’s eyes changed colors, Julieta!”

She pretends she never heard it. But a strange feeling washes over her. Abuela doesn’t want Mirabel just like Mami doesn’t want her.

From then on she always has an ear out for Mirabel.

When abuela brings her for their weekly chat, she picks and chooses what to tell her.

Abuela doesn’t notice.

It feels right.

-

As years pass Mirabel gets closer with the Guzmáns and she gets an ugly feeling.

How dare they take more of Mirabel’s time. She is a wonder. She is perfect.

Mirabel always has a smile and treats Dolores kindly. Mirabel after understanding Dolores’ ability doesn’t start being quieter but instead babbles about her day and random things whenever the younger alone.

When they meet up again Mirabel asks if Dolores liked her stories.

Dolores always does.

Bruno gives her a vision. They are both shocked at what it shows and he says to never tell “Abuela.”

Said that he, too, had a problematic vision.

But even before this she vowed she’d never tell Alma anything about Mirabel.

She keeps the vision hidden and Isabela only knows it involves her youngest sister.

She meets with Alma as usual.

It feels right.

-

Whenever she sees Mariano with Mirabel her eyes feel hazy and she wants him to go away. Whenever she hears him call out to Mirabel or talk in general, too.

And whenever she can she takes Mirabel away from him and they talk.

“I love you most Dolores!” The younger says and Dolores hugs her tight.

Being loved the most….

It feels right.

-

The day before her uncle disappeared, she figured out Mariano wasn’t going to ruin anything. After all, with her uncle’s shattered vision in her hands she can see who he would grow to chase after as well.

After he left, Dolores works with Mariano. Together they keep Mirabel safe and work hard to ensure she’s loved.

Camilo already stole their parents love. He didn’t need to steal the magic too.

Her heart feels heavy.

Her uncle hides to keep her Mirabel safe.

It feels right wrong.

-

Her mother gets pregnant again as well. She tells Mariano. After all, she knows that if he’s half as persistent as he is at keeping Mirabel safe, he’ll be family in no time.

He and Mirabel take the new baby in as well.

She still meets with Alma. She hides information about Mirabel and Isabela.

She deals with Sophia herself. After all, her cousin and best friend had a girlfriend she’s kept hidden for good reason.

-

More time passes and Antonio turns five. She does the usual routine of finding Mirabel halfway through, since Antonio came, and spending the party with her.

Mirabel giggles and talks to her like usual and all Dolores can think is how much she wants to kiss the younger.

She stops. She excuses herself and rushes away.

Why had she thought that?

She keeps walking when she crashes into someone.

“Ah! I’m sorry I wasn’t-.” She stops.

Camilo.

-

The candle hurts. It cries in its own way and as two siblings re-meet in a crash, it shows it’s cracks.

——

<<First

<Previous

Next>

#Mariano x Bruno #but not yet #madrigalcest #bruno madrigal #mirabel madrigal #dolores madrigal #dolores x mirabel #cousin incest #age different relationships #neglect

[miracles-and-butterflies]

Bruno: Madrigal kid!

Antonio: That’s me!

Camilo: You called?

Isabela: Here!

Dolores: Listening. As always.

Luisa: Yeah?

Mirabel: Yes, did you need something?

Bruno:

Camilo: Which one?

Mariano: Me.

Bruno: You’re not even a part of this family.

Mariano, kissing Dolores’ hand: Not yet.

#encanto #incorrect encanto quotes #bruno madrigal #antonio madrigal #camilo madrigal #isabela madrigal #dolores madrigal #luisa madrigal #mirabel madrigal #mariano guzmán #madrigal grandkids #dolores x mariano

[magicalmadrigals]

I think my first fic back is gonna be about what I think would have happened if the magic didn’t return following the rebuild of Casita. The family all have little occupations relating to their gifts (Julieta and Isabela kinda work together, for example, because she has a physician style occupation and the two of them come up with herbal remedies and things to help ailments) and I think exploring the family’s relationships now they have more time for each other will be so much fun. Also, a new little Madrigal is on the way which is exciting 👀

#julieta madrigal #agustin madrigal #isabela madrigal #luisa madrigal #mirabel madrigal #pepa madrigal #felix madrigal #dolores madrigal #camilo madrigal #antonio madrigal #alma madrigal #casita #mariano guzman #julieta x agustin #agustin x julieta #bruno madrigal #the madrigal triplets #madrigal triplets #the madrigal family #madrigal family #pepa x felix #dolores x mariano #encanto fanfic #encanto fanfiction

[foggyfanfic]

I liked this idea so much I had to draw it. Partially because I think it would be very in character for Mirabel to end up with somebody that most people overlook. Mostly because its funny. Ramblings under the cut, image description in the alt text.

I got a rough draft of how Mirabel ends up with Juan, but it doesn't currently have any plot and is just a series of scenes to help me get an idea of who Juan would be. I have determined that he is really into math, otherwise kinda oblivious, and learned the hard way that people won't be impressed if you brag about how smart you are. Easiest way to describe him is that his best friend is the village's quiet, autistic girl, but he is not her best friend. If it continues to interest me I'm going to make it about early twenties Mirabel grappling with the pedestal her family is on, now that she is also on that pedestal. If I do, I'll have to remember to come back here and link it.

About the picture itself, the red character in the bottom panel is Mariano (without facial hair because I forgor), I figure by this time he would be married to Dolores, and thus included in the Madrigal section. Orange is Camilo with a little mustache, because he's in his mid-twenties and will probs end up growing a goatee like all the other men in his family but right now he's got this one (1) bald patch that's holding him back. Finally, I googled 60's fashion for Isabela's outfit, I think she would be the most eager to throw off tradition and Mirabel would be all for Isabel showing up to the wedding in a more modern outfit. Originally, her and Luisa were going to be brides maids, but I googled traditional Colombian weddings, and that's not something Mirabel would be guaranteed to have. I also looked at vintage wedding photos from Colombia to try and figure out what Mirabel would look like. The same. She would look the same. Boring.

#mirabel madrigal #encanto #mirabel encanto #Mirabel x OC #la familia madrigal #bruno madrigal #pepa madrigal #felix madrigal #camilo madrigal #mariano guzman #mariano madrigal #isabela madrigal

[incorrectly-correct-encanto]

Mariano: You've seemed really distracted our whole date today, you're usually able to ignore what's going on around the Encanto on days like this.

Dolores: Oh, I'm sorry. I am enjoying our date, but Tío Bruno is performing another telenovela. It's the season finale.

Mariano: I see... Do you want to go and watch it then? I don't mind, it could be fun.

Dolores: No, it's fine. Let's just continue with our date.

Mariano: Okay, if you sa-

Dolores: HE DID WHAT?!

Mariano:

~~~

(ten minutes later)

Mariano: *sobbing* I can't believe that happened...

Dolores: The cliffhanger... Tío, how could you?!

Bruno:

Mirabel: It seems like they're enjoying their date, right?

Camilo, sarcastically: *rolls eyes* Yeah, what's more romantic than crying over a form of entertainment?

(Source: Original quote)

#encanto #disney encanto #incorrect quotes #incorrect encanto quotes #dolores madrigal #mariano guzmán #bruno madrigal #mirabel madrigal #camilo madrigal #dolores x mariano

[junosaccount]

✨Encantober #14✨ Love 💕

The two lovebirds on a date... and two old men also on a date under the cut.

(based on @madrigaljail's story 'the same boy you've always known')

#encantober #love #dolores madrigal #mariano guzman #doloriano #bruno madrigal #josé guzman (kseda) #same boy (kseda) #bruno x male oc #bruno x omc #my art #gay bruno madrigal

[justanisabelakinnie]

Questions answered by Jared Bush!

“so it could be more.” 💀 💀 💀

I CAN’T WAIT THAT LONG JARED YO ASS BETTER FESS UP AND TELL ME NOW!!!

Now that…that just depresses me. Good thing Mirabel is such a good and sisterly cousin to Antonio. In this house, we stan.

So I was right in my fic AIHY. 😕

Interesting! 😳 It’s like they always say: You don’t need a gift to have a gift!

LMAOOOO I love how everything Jared Bush confirms about this dude has to do with him being a teenager and nothing else. 💀 His entire character and personality is solely there to be the stereotypical teenage boy and nothing more and I am here for it. 🤪

Awww that is so sweet! Reminds me of my fic when the granddaughters all camp out in Dolores’ room to have sleepovers! I need to shut up about my fanfic now.

👀

And now for the unanswered ones because they are too funny not to put here.

Such as the queer ones.

*w h e e z e* I assure you, nica, that Jared is not lesbophobic in any way however and I’m positive that we’ll see her girlfriend in a sequel or series! Or musical. Or all three.

Ooh I would love that! 🤞 *winks thrice*

Omg I’ma say it right now. I used to hc Dolores and Luisa as straight but now that I think about it the bi/pan Dolores hc is starting to have more and more appeal to me and this would just be so cute! Maybe a flashback where she’s shown having crushes on girls? Omg I’d love to see it! Mariano too is definitely pan. He said it himself. “I just have so much love inside!”

I’ll answer for him: Yes. Because I’m also one. *’sup nods head at Isabela* Let ME tell you. Who needs Word of God when you have Word of Lesbian? Hmmm? 🤨

Now that that’s out of the way, moving on…

😵‍💫 wtf I thought Ranma 1/2 fans were dead. Anyway in the words of their creator: “I don’t want to think about that, and neither should you.”

Just…no comment.

Omg I would love this! And unpopular opinion but I legit think that Mariano is smarter than he looks. I mean only Mirabel seems to think of him as dumb and only she calls him a “big dumb hunk”, like not even Isabela does that. And Dolores also fell in love with him for his poetry. And his grandmother says he wrote a song for the madrigals! I’d love to see the franchise continue to show his creative and artistic side more! I feel like he’d be the heart to Dolores’ head, and that is just beautiful.

Yeah that’s it for now, bye!

#isabela madrigal #isabela my beloved #isabela is best girl #dolores madrigal #primas-hermanas #mirabel madrigal #luisa madrigal #camilo madrigal #encanto #encanto headcanons #encanto queer headcanons #isabela madrigal is a lesbian #encanto twitter #twitter #jared bush #bruno madrigal #mariano guzman #dolores x mariano #that pregnant camilo one is giving camilo shapeshifts into dolores to have sex with mariano though #like is that person a proshipper or what #agustin madrigal #felix madrigal

[wikluk]

Okay so I know Julieta’s not having triplets in your ‘something unexpected’ fic. Buuuut! Just for funsies, what would’ve been the reaction if she was?

Like Bruno’s says “congrats Juli, they’re adorable”

There’s a pause and then suddenly the whole table shouts some variation of “they! As in more than one!!?

The chaos would be epic!

Actually, gonna be honest, the thought of her having triplets did cross my mind when I was writing that chapter, though mostly to just tease Julieta and make her frozen on the spot lmao, but let's do an alteration of that chapter!

vvvvvvvvvvvvvv

“I hear a new heartbeat,” Dolores muttered weakly.

And after no longer than a second, Pepa stood up so suddenly her chair fell to the floor. “You’re pregnant?!” she roared, glaring daggers at Mariano as if she was ready to kill him with a bolt of lightning that barely missed his chair.

Julieta only blinked. So Antonio would get a baby – who cared if it was a cousin or a nephew – sooner than she anticipated–

–but Dolores suddenly shook her head, gaping at her mother in shock. “I’m not?! We never–”

“Then who?” Alma demanded sharply, her gaze stopping at Isabela and Luisa who looked equally surprised by the revelation. “Girls?”

Luisa started coughing and Isabela just stared back at her, her eyes wide, her head shaking the tiniest bit.

“Mirabel…?” Alma started hesitantly.

Julieta felt her heart racing. Surely, it couldn't be her baby girl, right– 

Mirabel choked on her sip of juice and Camilo patted her on her back so hard it sounded like all her organs did a flip inside. “What?!”

Alma wanted to repeat the question, it was clear, but at the same time Dolores slammed her both hands on the table, yelling “It’s tía!” and Bruno’s eyes went shining green at the same second.

Julieta was fairly certain her heart stopped. The wine glass dropped from Agustín’s hand and broke into three pieces on the table, spilling the remaining wine onto the surface.

But otherwise, there was silence. 

The only sound anyone emitted was heavy breathing coming from Bruno as he grasped the edges of the table and leaned over it to blink quickly a few times just a few seconds later, getting rid of the shiny glimmer that had just lit up his eyes.

Then he looked around, a little confused, smacking himself on the head lightly, and a small smile appeared on his lips. “Congratulations Juli, they're adorable.”

Silence.

Camilo was the first to recover. “They? As in more than one?”

Bruno opened his mouth to answer but Dolores beat him to it. “There are three new heartbeats.”

Pepa thundered. “Three–”

“Triplets?!”

“Santa Maria–”

“Bruno, Brunito, hermanito, what did you see?!” Pepa asked loudly.

All people at the table looked at him. He chuckled nervously. “Ah-uh, three babies?”

“Three babies!”

“Well, no babies, more like toddlers but yeah–”

“Girls, boys?! Two and one, like us?!”

Bruno smiled, his eyes wide. “Three cute girls.”

“Three new sobrinas!”

“Three hermanitas...”

“Three nietas...”

“It looks like Julieta’s doing your part of the job, hermanito,” Pepa laughed out loud. “Three! Three girls! Three oopsie girls!”

“Mami, what’s going on?” Antonio asked after giving the table a wide, confused look.

Pepa turned to him and grabbed his chubby cheeks between her hands. “Your  tía Julieta’s going to have three babies! You’ll have three little primas!”

“Three?! At the same time?!”

“Yes!”

“But I asked for one!” he exclaimed, looking in shock at Julieta. “Three?! You’re the best, tía Julieta!”

Julieta blinked and her gaze flickered to Antonio. “Mhm,” she mumbled and laughed suddenly. She covered her mouth with her hand and ignoring concerned glances sent her way, she reached for a glass of water. Her hand shook terribly and half of the liquid spilt on the table. “Dios mío...”

Agustín grabbed her other hand suddenly, his palm sweaty and his fingers trembling as he squeezed her left hand. She squeezed back, trying to root herself in place and took a sip of water. 

The silence lasted for a five more seconds. 

Then Isabela turned to them, both eyebrows raised. “That’s it? That’s your reaction to the whole situation?”

“Hey, they look shocked...”

“Shocked! They have children, they know how to make them, they shouldn’t be shocked!”

“Pa?” Luisa asked in a pitchy voice, her eye twitching. “You okay? You seem... Pale.”

“Mhm,” Agustín squeaked, his hand around Julieta’s toghtening even more, his other hand drumming on the table. “Absolutely. Perfectly okay. I’m fine.”

“Mira’s a more subtle liar,” Camilo shot them a pitiful look for what he was smacked on the back of the head by Mirabel. “Ouch! What was that for?!”

“For being stupid,” she hissed to him, before turning to look at her parents. “You’re awfully quiet mamá, are you feeling alright?”

Without any word, Julieta shook her head slowly. 

“Your heartbeats are very, very quick,” Dolores piped in quietly. “Too quick, I’d say,” she added, looking between her aunt and uncle. “I think you should go and rest...”

“A wonderful idea,” Agustín shot out of his chair and the piece of furniture fell to the ground. Julieta didn’t ever flinch but let herself be pulled to her feet. “We need a moment,” he said and took her hand, both of them walking out of the kitchen on wobbly legs. 

“I’d say no funny business but the damage is already done!” Isabela called after them.

There was silence. Then–

“Félix, help me prepare some drinks. Strong drinks,” Alma looked around the table and sighed, getting up. “We’ll make ones for Camilo and Mirabel too. We all need it–”

“Yes!” both mentioned cousins bumped their fists in triumph.

Antonio pouted. “Can I have a drink too?”

“No!” screamed everyone at the table. 

Pepa patted his head. “You’ll let some orange juice. Your tía’s absolute favourite!”

Antonio beamed at them, exclaiming an excited “okay!”. Julieta made a good bribe material these days.

#wiktoria's fanfiction corner #something unexpected #alternate chapter #TRIPLETS! #idk what i'm doing #it's just happening #julieta madrigal #pepa madrigal #bruno magridal #alma madrigal #felix madrigal #agustin madrigal #isabela madrigal #dolores madrigal #luisa madrigal #mirabel madrigal #camilo madrigal #antonio madrigal #mariano guzman #julieta x agustin

[female-hercules]

Share your Encanto unpopular opinions and I will say if I agree with them or not!

#encanto #luisa madrigal #isabela madrigal #mirabel madrigal #madrigal sisters #dolores madrigal #antonio madrigal #bruno madrigal #camilo madrigal #julieta madrigal #pepa madrigal #agustin madrigal #felix madrigal #alma madrigal #la familia madrigal #dolores x mariano #doloriano #julieta x agustin #pepa x felix

[majormillennium]

Encanto couples are something else

#encanto #mirabel madrigal #julieta madrigal #agustin madrigal #pepa madrigal #felix madrigal #bruno magridal #isabela madrigal #julieta x agustin #dolores madrigal #dolores x mariano #pepa x felix #madrigalcest #brumira #isamira

[inthishousewestanspiderpunk]

Encanto Christmas headcanons!

Hey everyone! Wow, what a year, huh? Yes, even the obvious bots that just follow for the sake of it, this is for you too! Okay, first up, I want to wish y'all a merry crisis, whatever you're doing or not doing this time of year! This year, I am in my parent's caravan celebrating with them and going to the races tomorrow which should be fun.

And seeing how it's the season of giving, I am giving you more Encanto Christmas headcanons! Last year's still remain, especially with Camilo and the church (there's a reason the priest loses his hair and it ain't Bruno!) but I wanted to write and share some more and write and share some more, I shall! Now, you may notice a name that is definitely known amongst the Encanto tumblr fandom, that being the lovely Elena who is owned by @prophetic-hijinks and has been my hyperfixation for the past week. Elena is the wife of Bruno and easily one of my favourite ocs. Having worked as a singer in a bar for years, she's heard it all and can throw back just as much as she's given, but she has such a soft and gentle side from her childhood and it is her dream to become a mama. She's a total firecracker in the best way and compliments Bruno beautifully.

So, I wish you all a pleasant holidays, be merry and bright and please be careful!

Lots of love,

Charlotte x

Alma announces that the town is to have a special visitor for Christmas. Mariano deadass asks if it's Santa as 'special visitor' and 'Christmas'. It's Father Francisco from a neighbouring church. This is based on something that happened last week to my twin sister. It was announced at her work that there'll be an important visitor and as its Christmas, she thought 'oh, Santa!'...it was safeguarding.

It is on Christmas day that Pepa finds out she's pregnant with Dolores and Julieta announces she's expecting Isabela. Congratulations all around the table but the ladies later have a laugh at the coincidence.

Dolores is desperate for a baby brother or sister. To the point that when she is three, that's all she has on her list and steals the baby Jesus at the nativity that year and refuses to give him back. Neither Pepa nor Félix imagined they'd have to put 'negotiating with a three year old over a baby that's not even theirs' on their parenting resume, yet here they were.

When Camilo is five and his first Christmas with his gift, he turns into Santa and convinces the kids of the Encanto to give him their presents. If it wasn't for Alma and Pepa interfering, then the likelihood of Camilo being the leader of a tiny cult of kids was rather high.

Julieta and Agustín find out the hard way that Agustín is allergic to mistletoe.

Speaking of mistletoe, Elena gets some from Isabela and with help from Casita, she hangs it on the doorway of Bruno's room. It takes him a few minutes for him to notice and then a few more to comprehend the meaning.

Elena pursed her lips up to the plant with the pearlescent berries that was hanging delicately above the doorway. She gazed at Bruno through hooded eyes, hoping he'd get the hint. "Huh, mistletoe." "Mmhmm." He frowned for a moment. "Um, pretty?" Elena mentally facepalmed. He is so lucky he's cute.

Favourite Christmas songs

Bruno - Santa, Baby *clutches his vinyl record of Elena's version tightly* "It's a nice song, is all," he squeaks, trying desperately hide his boner with his ruana.

Elena - Santa, Baby "I may have a few tricks up my sleeve for mi pájaro carpintero," she purrs with a wink when asked. Cue Bruno with a nosebleed not too dissimilar to anime.

Mirabel - Step Into Christmas - "How can anyone hate this song? STEP INTO CHRISTMAS, LET'S JOIN TOGETHER, WE CAN WATCH THE SNOW FALL FOREVER AND EVER!"

Luisa - Lonely Pup in a Christmas Shop *in between sobs* "The...the puppy! It needs a home!" Augustín proceeds to comfort her and reassure her that the puppy is fine and it does find a loving home at the last minute.

Isabela - Grandma Got Runover By a Reindeer "Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?"

Alma - Do They Know It's Christmas time? "It's about helping others with what we are blessed with!"

Julieta - Christmas Wrapping "MOOD."

Agustín - Mary's Boy Child Hums to it whilst prepping dinner, with Casita making sure he doesn't injure himself. Casita swears that that man will be the death of it one day.

Pepa - Christmas time (Don't let the bells end) "It helps release my emotions!" she shouts over the music as it blasts out of the speaker. Dolores tends to avoid these times.

Félix - Feliz Navidad "I wanna wish you a merry Christmas from the bottom of my heeeeeeeeart!!!!"

Dolores - All I want for Christmas "All I want for Christmas is mi amor. And some earmuffs. Oop!"

Mariano - Last Christmas "It's the perfect love story! Drama, betrayal, heart, its beautiful! Just like Dolores." Blows a kiss to Dolores and she giggles. Camilo and Antonio gag at this.

Camilo - Fairytale of New York "Where else would I be able to call someone a gusano?"

Antonio - Hippopotamus for Christmas "I love any song with animals!"

#encanto headcanons #encanto Christmas #felix madrigal #encanto thoughts #pepa madrigal #camilo madrigal #dolores x mariano #bruno x elena #elen madrigal #family madrigal

[miracles-and-butterflies]

Bruno: I asked my sisters this at breakfast and they’ve been arguing all day. I’m very pleased with the drama I caused, so now I’m gonna ask you lot. If you were in an apocalypse and you had to kill someone in your sibling set, which would it be?

Dolores: Camilo. Just for my own sanity.

Antonio: What? No! We’re a team, we wouldn’t hurt one of our own!

Camilo: You know… Mariano is basically our brother-in-law, I say we should kill him.

Dolores: …And this is why we would kill you, Camilo.

Luisa: For us it’s obviously Isabela, she doesn’t even have any useful skills.

Isabela: Well, you’ve got the most meat on you, so we should just kill you, bitch.

Mirabel: No, no, hermanas, we should just kill me.

Luisa: No, you’re the brains of the group, I’m the brawn; you need us to survive. We don’t need Isabela and her perfect hair in an apocalypse.

#encanto #incorrect encanto quotes #isabela madrigal #mirabel madrigal #luisa madrigal #dolores madrigal #camilo madrigal #antonio madrigal #bruno madrigal #madrigal grandkids #julieta madrigal #pepa madrigal #madrigal triplets #mariano guzmán #dolores x mariano

[avatarvyakara]

Encantubre: What It Means to Me

Tres: Tragedy

“Ay, Bruno,” murmurs Alma, “could you not try to give us a happier story?”

* * *

Julieta finds herself cataloguing weaknesses, not out of any desire to act upon them but in the hopes of diminishing them. Pepa can become too involved in things, feeling with all her heart. Bruno tends to back away from the point, then sink into self-caused loneliness—it’s getting worse as he grows older. Mamá has always been good at denial, Félix at being a little too blunt sometimes. Her Tino’s fatal flaw is a tendency to assume flaws won’t be fatal.

And Julieta’s? Well, if she’s flattering herself, she’d say a compulsive need to be over-prepared for the worst.

Unfortunately, she also sometimes stays a step or two back in terms of “How bad can this actually get?”

Because the encanto would stop the worst.

Right?

* * *

“She’s speaking out at her sister’s proposal,” sobs Pepa, while Bruno tucks a towel around her shoulders. “She risked everything on a single gambit, and it failed!”

“What? No!”

“I know! All that effort, and she—”

Surprisingly, when she reads stories which lead even the heavens to weep, Pepa always manages to keep the books dry.

* * *

“Seriously, Mamá,” insists Bruno, “it’s cathartic.”

“Brunito, how is it cathartic that Paola’s secret lover is actually her amnesiac uncle? In what possible universe is that cathartic?”

“…Mamá, for the love of God, do not, and I cannot stress this enough, ever visit Macondo.”

* * *

Everyone knows about Bruno’s stories. Not just his predictions, sure, everyone knows about those. But for people his age, Bruno’s stories are the clincher. When the prophet is actually out and about in town—less and less these days—he always carries a small, leather-bound notebook he got for his quinceañero. Occasionally some of the better ideas Bruno will submit to the village for production purposes; the rest he puts on himself with his pet rats.

Of course, that’s only one part of the entertainment. (Félix, personally, is a wizard at game shows.) But it’s the part that gains the most scrutiny around town, as villagers try to guess how much of his prophecies Bruno is trying to sneak in, and for whom they are intended.

After all, nobody particularly wants an unhappy ending. At least for themselves.

* * *

“You see, if everyone uses up a finite resource without proper management, the resource gets used up,” explains Agustín the amateur economist. “It could be literally anything—the air, the ocean, fertile land—but it needs checking up on and it needs some kind of regulation. You can’t use too much of it. Otherwise everyone starts getting less, maybe someone gets nothing at all, and then if someone takes too much the whole ‘commons’ just collapses.”

“Hmmmm,” says Señora Alma thoughtfully.

“Please pass the corn?” emphasizes Pepa.

* * *

“Plants die sometimes, mija,” soothes Mamá, as baby Isabela sniffles into her dress. “It’s not the end of the world.”

* * *

“So Luz is in love with Emilio, who favours Catalina, who can’t get married because her twin brother Carlos forbade her from doing so until he got married, only his fiancée ran away with a llama-herder—”

“Um, Dolores?” asks Mariano, raising a hand. “Just how does this relate to Manolo’s novia actually being his aunt who has amnesia?”

“We’re getting there, cariño. Now—”

“I can’t believe she actually remembered the plots!” squeals Tío Bruno to himself.

“I still can’t believe you trashed Dante’s character arc to make room for Joaquin!”

“Pepa, it’s been thirty-seven years—”

* * *

“—so if you all eat too much without making sure there’s time for it to grow back, you’re all going to be left with no grass,” finishes Luisa.

The donkeys stare at her. Then they look meaningfully at Antonio.

“I think they liked it!” he chirps. “I mean, Diana doesn’t think it’s possible—I…think? Something about ‘Self-matriculating dynamic resource infrastructure compartmentalization’. Whatever that means. But they think it’s a good argument for a first try.”

Luisa beams. “And how about you, cuz? What’s your side of things?”

Antonio shrugs. “I guess it makes sense. But it’s gonna be tough to explain to the fruit bats. They think it all grows on trees only for them.”

“Uh…doesn’t it?” asks Cecilio the mailman, scratching his head. “You know, grow on trees.”

“Not coconuts! They come from the sea, like fish!”

Cecilio and Luisa share a glance.

“I’m gonna tell him.”

“Don’t you dare.”

(Childhood innocence is a precious thing, and to be mourned terribly when lost.)

* * *

“Tell anyone about it and you’re very definitely dead.”

“It’s not such a big deal. So you’re sneaking Tía Pepa’s books by Candelario Obeso and reading them in the dark. So what?”

“It’s a reputation thing.”

“Camilo, it’s just poetry. It’s not going to eat you. Mariano does poetry and nobody gives him a hard time.”

“Actually this is The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Obeso’s translation is still considered the best.”

“…huh. Any good?”

“I know every single inch of a church on the other side of the world and I still have no idea what’s going on.”

“…ah.”

* * *

Mirabel, for one, is utterly perplexed by the singing goats.

* * *

The adults try not to trouble Antonio with things.

He does appreciate it, for what it’s worth. He knows it’s not the easiest, being a Madrigal, and that they’ve all had to be strong—what they thought of as strong—for ten times as long as he’s been alive. But there are little cracks in the walls they put up, and through them comes a certain kind of dark thought that honestly he wishes he never knew about.

He knows Abuela still cries for Abuelo at night. He knows Tía Julieta is worried sick about not being able to make as much food as she used to, and what that does to everyone. He knows Mami sometimes gets in a horrible funk, and it’s all Papi can do to keep her upright. He knows Tío Bruno still flinches in full daylight, or whenever someone outside the family calls his name. He knows about Dolores trying to deal with the hurt done by everyone in the village to one another, Isabela choking on the roses she’s had to make, Luisa breaking down when she wasn’t strong enough, Camilo fearing his powers make him into a monster, Mirabel being terrified that her lack of powers—at least the lack of powers she thought she had—could hurt him, hurt the family.

What strikes Antonio is that none of these things are short-term. There was something that started it off, sure, but the real sadness came in when his family, each in their own way, realized that this was their life now. In a way, a part of them gave up searching for something better. That’s the worst of it, really—if any of Antonio’s animal friends did that, he’d be worried sick that they just would give up and…and die. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be, but it had to be this way, so they’d just have to deal with it.

With the Animals, the stories are surprisingly similar. (Parce still gets nightmare about pelts.) But they have hope in him, their human friend who can understand them and, they say, make the room so much brighter. Just like he’s always wanted to do.

When his greediness caused Casita to fall down, he thought his animal friends thought him to be as good as dead.

But the thing about plays like that is that there’s always a chorus. And Mirabel’s chorus—at least that’s what Camilo tells him—is the thing that got them back their house.

(The absolute worst of it is, if he’d just been a little older, maybe he wouldn’t have collapsed Casita in the first place.)

#fanfic #encanto #encanto 2021 #encantubre #encantober #alma madrigal #julieta madrigal #pepa madrigal #bruno madrigal #100 years of solitude #felix madrigal #agustin madrigal #tragedy of the commons #isabela madrigal #dolores madrigal #dolores x mariano #mariano guzman #luisa madrigal #luisa x oc #camilo madrigal #candelario obeso #the hunchback of notre dame #mirabel madrigal #antonio madrigal #one shot collection

[sardonyxmadrigal]

So I have a Encanto fanfic idea which I have things written out about and started writing a first chapter. I was an AU writer in another fandom (you might guess what fandom based on my username) and haven’t written much or posted in over a year and I’ve lost touch in that fandom.

I call it The Girl Of Many Gifts. The story takes place 7 years after Casita was rebuilt. This is where Alisa, the daughter of Dolores and Mariano, receives a gift but she happens to get all 8 Madrigal gifts:

* Her Abuela Pepa’s ability to control the weather with her emotions

* Tío Bruno’s ability to see the future

* Tía’s ability to heal with a meal

* Tía Isabela’s ability to grow plants and flowers

* Her Mother Dolores’ super-hearing

* Tía Luisa’s strength

* Tío Camilo’s shapeshifting ability

* Tío Antonio’s ability to speak and communicate with animals

As the first child of the new generation, the Madrigal family does not want Alisa to be pressured and overworked, and dealing with everything they’ve been feeling and been treated for 45 years. They want to support her throughout the new journey she was about get into.

Alisa will learn how to control her powers and her family makes sure she isn’t forced to do anything.

This is a fanfic that I can post on here and on AO3. Also feel free to send in asks or comment to tell me what you think about this.

#encanto #encanto 2021 #encanto fanfic #alisa madrigal #dolores madrigal #mariano guzman #dolores x mariano #mirabel madrigal #isabela madrigal #luisa madrigal #julieta madrigal #agustin madrigal #camilo madrigal #antonio madrigal #pepa madrigal #felix madrigal #bruno madrigal #abuela alma madrigal #alma madrigal #la familia madrigal #casita #The Girl Of Many Gifts #TGOMG

[glitterfairy-21225]

I’m taking a hiatus from writing until at least the end of the week. But I wanna ask about an idea I have for Dolores and Bruno are besties. Change my mind. You can't. <3. Or… more like something I like to daydream about.

Dolores and Mariano (pre-canon) have to do something and they’re kind of stuck. Then Dolores groans and tells him to follow her, and says that she swore she would never show anybody this. She leads him through the portrait to Bruno.

They then go on a road trip to go get to something. Hijinks ensue. Mariano and Dolores fall in love. Bruno ships it.

The obvious problem with writing it out is that I haven’t worked out a lot of the details. What’s so important that they have to leave the Encanto? Why do they need Bruno? Why are they working together before he falls in love?

Maybe ‘saving the magic’ is different than in the movie, and without Bruno meeting Mirabel, he has a vision of there being something at the river. To keep his secret, Dolores decides to go without telling anyone, but Mariano… overhears her… somehow… I guess, and wants to help. Maybe the vision showed Bruno there so they have to take him.

Alternatively, maybe it could be a modern day au, but still with magic and encanto, where Dolores and Mariano are teenagers who can’t drive yet but they both like the same author. Said author is making an appearance at a city that’s about as close to Encanto as it can get. But Abuela forbids Dolores from going, so she gets Mariano on board as if to say she’ll have someone to protect her but no dice. Dolores then suggests to Mariano a solution, and it’s that Bruno knew how to drive before he went into the walls.

(It also means that I can use something similar to this clip, with Bruno being the kid.)

Other stories I wanna write-

Mariano finding Bruno’s hideout on accident when Dolores is in town, and having such a big heart that he wants to make visits to Bruno.

Bruno running away for realsies and Dolores getting so angry like ‘is this what everyone else feels all the time?’ And getting a horse to go after him, steam coming from her ears, and Mariano catching her and insisting on going with her.

#encanto #encanto fanfic #fanfic #dolores/mariano #dolores madrigal #mariano guzman #bruno magridal #besties #dolores x mariano #fanfic ideas

[justanisabelakinnie]

November 11

Aka my birthday fic for Felix! Dolores wants to make the best possible cake for Felix, with…mixed results. Enjoy!

“Camilo, don’t eat the frosting!” Dolores hissed. 

Camilo groaned and rolled his eyes. “Whyyyy? I just like how it tastes!” he complained as he licked each white frosted finger. 

“You’re disgusting,” Dolores hip bumped him aside. “Hands off my cake.” She continued beating the eggs and letting the yolk fall into the bowl. “Now all I need is the flour.” 

Camilo reached for the flour with his free hand, Dolores taking it. 

“You’re no fun,” Camilo huffed, glaring at her. 

“No, I’m loads of fun, actually,” Dolores protested. “I can be silly too.” She remembered the time she and Antonio were coloring on Camilo’s face as he slept, or the time when she and Mirabel humbled him and Isabela in a pranking contest that lasted weeks. “But unlike you, I know when to be serious.” 

“I can be serious,” Camilo said as he continued eating the frosting. 

Dolores snorted, pouring a cup of milk into the bowl. 

“No, I’m being for real right now. Dolores, look at me. I can be serious.” 

Dolores rolled her eyes and ignored him as she stirred. 

“You’re not looking.” 

Dolores sighed, looking at her baby brother, whose face was forced into a grim frown. 

Dolores blinked at him. “Oh my gosh, Camilo, you’re totally right,” she said sarcastically. “You’re being serious.” 

But that seriousness didn’t last long, as the two siblings burst into laughter, Camilo gripping the edge of the counter for stability, Dolores bending down to the floor as she gripped the bowl and— 

Wait, the bowl? 

Unfortunately, Dolores gripped the bowl as she was falling over laughing even though she meant to grip the counter, and it came tumbling over as she collapsed to the floor in a fit of giddy hysterics. The contents of the would-have-been cake spilling onto her head, dousing her once radiant curls, face, and blouse as she sat on the floor and her laughter ceased. 

Camilo paused, and stared at his sister. 

Dolores lifted her arms and made sure to keep them a good distance away from her body as she shook the disgusting mixture off of her skin, it splattering on the floors and cupboards. Struggling to open her eyes, she felt Camilo pry a tissue into her hands. She grabbed them and began wiping furiously at her eyes until she could see again, but the tissue was barely usable enough to wipe her whole face by the time she was done. 

She felt utterly crushed. Her cake, the birthday cake she had been making for her Papi, was all ruined. And now she’d have to start all over. 

It wasn’t long before she felt tears streaming from her eyes, as she hiccuped and croaked in agony, disgusted with herself as the salty rivers mixed in with the cake mix. 

Camilo didn’t know what to say. 

Dolores could hear her brother bending down to where she was sitting, perching in front of her on his knees as she felt his hands place themselves on her shoulders. 

“Princesa,” he said softly, uttering her pet name. 

“What?” Dolores demanded fiercely. 

“Hey, it’s okay, hermana. The good news is…” 

Dolores listened, waiting for him to say something uplifting. 

And then he began licking the cake mixture off of her face. 

Dolores’ eyes widened in disgust. 

“At least you taste good!” Camilo licked his lips and giggled before leaning in again, but Dolores wasn’t having it. She slapped him across the face with her palm before recoiling in disgust. 

“What the hell, hermanito?” Dolores roared. “The cake was ruined and it’s all your fault!” 

Camilo’s smile faded the instant he was slapped by Dolores. Still clutching his pinkened cheek, he stared up at her with widened, sad eyes. “My fault?” He said, a genuinely grim frown overtaking his boyish features this time. “But how is it—“ 

“Because, dumbass, you were fooling around while I was trying to be serious! I just wanted to make a cake for Papi that I knew he would enjoy, because he’s a total sweet tooth! Everybody knows that! But you had to go and keep up the jester attitude and couldn’t just focus on the damn cake! And then you tried eating it off my face regardless? How am I supposed to be happy?” 

“But Lola,” Camilo sobbed. “I—“ 

“Shut. Up.” 

Camilo felt tears of his own trickling down, for more reasons than one. 

“I’m done.” Dolores stomped off. “I’m taking a shower and then I’m going to my room. I’m done.” 

Dolores wasn’t done of course. She was still going to bake something for Felix, perhaps cupcakes instead of a cake? She just wasn’t going to tell Camilo or let him be in on it. 

“Lola, I’m sorry—“ 

“I said I’m DONE!” 

Camilo froze, watching Dolores storm upstairs, and sighed. 

Mirabel walked out of the bathroom to see Dolores standing there, drenched in a sticky, soft substance. “Woah, prima, are you okay? You look like you got into a fight with a pastry and lost.” 

“I’m fine, move.” Dolores shoved Mirabel aside and slammed the bathroom door. 

“Huh. Oh. All right. Rude.” 

Mirabel walked downstairs to see Camilo cleaning up the kitchen, the messy substance all over the floor, counter, sink, and cupboards looking exactly like what Dolores was covered in. Camilo placed an indigo bowl that was rolling on its side into the kitchen sink and turned on the faucet before wiping the rest of the counter clean. 

He was crying. 

“Camilo?” Mirabel said tentatively. She couldn’t stand to hear another sniffle. 

Camilo wiped his eyes and mouth with a napkin, ignoring his cool-colored cousin. 

“Camilo, are you okay?” Mirabel asked again, trying to get his attention. 

“I’m fine.” Camilo said, turning off the faucet and washing the bowl. 

“You don’t wanna talk about it or anything?” Mirabel tilted her head. “What happened with you and Dolores?” 

“It’s none of your business,” Camilo curtly replied. 

Mirabel crossed her arms. “If you did something to upset her—“ 

Camilo groaned and rolled his eyes. “Of course you take Dolores’ side without even knowing the situation. After all, I’m just a silly little clown who messes everything up, aren’t I Mirab—“ 

“But you did, didn’t you?” 

Freeze. Then Camilo sighed. “Y-yes. And so what?” 

“What happened?” Mirabel asked. 

“We were making a cake for Papi’s birthday. Well, she was making it. I was goofing off like an idiot until I made her spill it.” 

Mirabel chuckled. “Aww, I’m sorry about that, primo. Want me to help you make a new cake?” 

“Hmmm. Can you bake?” 

“Not a bit.” 

“Neither can I.” 

Mirabel sighed. 

“Well anyway I’m going to my room. Goodnight.” 

“You’re taking a nap?” Mirabel asked. 

“Why not?” Camilo said, patting Mirabel on the shoulder. “G’bye.” 

Mirabel shrugged as she watched Camilo strut off to his room. 

🧡

A few hours later, Mariano made his way over to Casita. He had been cleaning his room when he came across a sketchbook that clearly wasn’t his. Recognizing it as Camilo’s based on the art style, he was intent on giving it back to him. 

He walked up the door to Casita, but didn’t even get the chance to knock on the door or ring the doorbell before the door swung open, the tiles clattering in welcome. 

“Hola Casita,” Mariano said, waving with a smile as was tradition to do when entering the sentient house. 

He walked up the stairs to Camilo’s bedroom and knocked on the door. Flipping through the pages, he was indeed impressed at how good Camilo’s artwork was. 

The door opened, and Mariano stepped in, but quickly realized that Camilo hadn’t opened the door but that Casita had done it herself. 

He shuddered. He wasn’t scared of the house by any means, but it was going to take some time to get used to. 

He walked through the multicolored room covered in mirrors until he got to Camilo’s bedside. He saw the boy lying down on his stomach, clutching a blue pillow as he buried his face in it, his breathing soft yet ragged. 

Mariano knew not to trouble him just then, but he did so anyway. 

“Camilo?” He asked tentatively. 

Camilo’s entire body jerked up in shock as his head sprang up, and he placed a hand to his chest. 

“Mariano?” He breathed. “Oh. Hey. Wassup.” He wiped his eyes with his fingers, and Mariano realized he had been crying. “Did you come to see Dolores?” He twirled, shapeshifting into Dolores in a millisecond, and made kissy faces at Mariano while clasping his hands together. 

Mariano’s unnerved face was all Camilo needed to come back to reality. He turned back into himself. “I was just kidding man, chill out.” He laughed weakly. “I have a girlfriend, anyway.” 

“Oh, you do?” Mariano asked. 

Camilo didn’t answer, as he noticed what was in Mariano’s hands. He quickly reached and grabbed it, snatching it angrily and clutching it tightly to his chest like it was helping him to breathe. 

“Why do you have this?!” He freaked out. 

Mariano raised two hands in the air in defense. “Relax. I was only returning it to you. You left it at my house.” 

“Oh.” Camilo said. 

Mariano sat down on the bed. Camilo didn’t invite him to do so, but nonetheless he didn’t make him get up. 

“Your artwork is very nice by the way.” Mariano chuckled. “I couldn’t even begin to draw that way when I was your age. I still can’t. You have a talent, chico. Don’t let it go to waste.” 

“You mean…you looked? Without my permission?” Camilo demanded angrily. 

Mariano blinked and turned to him. “Was I not supposed to?” 

“No! If you want to look next time, you gotta ask first, man! Sheesh. This is why I don’t show anybody anything. Just because I can draw doesn’t mean I want to make a career out of it, y’know? I draw because it’s fun, that’s it. The last thing I want to do is make money from it because then it becomes all about the money and not about doing what I love. I have much better things to do with my life anyway.” 

“Like?” 

“Like none of your business.” Camilo flopped down to lie on his back, hands under his pillow. “Anyway, did you really come to see me or did you just want to see Dolores?” 

“I—“ 

“Because if so she’s already asleep.” 

“Oh. Well, since I’m here, I guess I can talk to you.” Mariano paused, looking at the book which was resting on Camilo’s stomach, moving with each inhale and exhale. “Can I see your artwork, ¿por favor?” 

“No.” 

“Oh, well, that’s okay. I respect that. So, why were you crying?” 

Camilo was silent for a long time, eyes staring at the ceiling. 

“Cami—“ 

Camilo shoved the book in his hands. “Sure, actually.” 

Mariano turned his head down towards the book, then back to Camilo, who rolled his eyes and gestured towards the book with his head. 

“What, do you, do you want me to take it back?” He stretched up from his position lying face up and reached with his right arm for the book, but Mariano held it out of his grasp. 

“No, I…I want to see what’s in it.” 

“Oh, okay.” 

Mariano took a deep breath, then flipped through the pages of the book. He was rather impressed with what he saw in it. Although he was aware of Camilo’s eyes being fixated on him, he didn’t allow himself to become too tense as he admired each and every human portrait. Camilo didn’t just draw his family and friends, but random people he saw walking about in the Encanto as well. 

“Wow, you sure do draw your sister a lot.” Mariano smiled, a blush spreading across his cheeks at the loveliest portrait of Dolores smiling and eating an arepa he had ever seen. “As well as you and her.” 

“She’s not the only person I draw, but yeah.” Camilo nodded. “I draw her a lot because she’s pretty and I love her.” 

Mariano nodded. “I agree.” 

“Of course you do,” Camilo yawned and rolled his head to the side, as well as his eyes, as Mariano continued to look through the book. He chuckled as he saw a picture of Mirabel with her arms wrapped around Camilo’s neck, biting his ear as said older cousin winced, and flipped to see a drawing of— 

Him. 

One of him smiling a dashing, bedazzling grin as hearts were scribbled around his head. 

He paused awkwardly. 

Camilo sensed his tenseness and instantly sprang up, seeing the picture. “Th-that was then!” He stuttered, squeaking. “I—I’m over…that…now! Like I said, I have a girlfriend! And I’m happy with her! Hm!” 

“Okay.” Mariano pretended that little…scenario…never happened as he continued to look through the pictures. One was of Isabela sleeping. “Did you actually draw this when she was asleep?” He asked. 

“Huh? Oh yeah. She looked so peaceful and happy. I had to capture it. I thought she would kill me when she found it, but she was very happy, actually, and gave me the biggest hug and kiss. Heh. Which was kind of embarrassing, actually.” 

“I see,” Mariano said as he continued combing through the pictures. “Oh! And is this your girlfriend?” He asked, gesturing to a picture of a cute young Black girl with her hair in a low puff, and who was sitting sideways on the floor, smiling. 

“Uh…” Camilo blushed, heat rising around his collar as he tugged it. “Y-yeah. Her name’s Emiliana.” 

“Oh? Well, she is quite lovely.” 

Camilo giggled sheepishly. “I know right, she is, I’m so lucky!” 

Mariano smiled at Camilo, who blushed and flipped his ruana to cover his face, and went right on looking. “Wow. You draw her a lot. Something tells me you really do love her.” 

Camilo smiled. “Of course I do! I wouldn’t be dating her if I wasn’t utterly in love with her. She’s the best thing that has ever happened to me in a good long while. You know, on our last date, we…” 

Camilo continued to ramble on about him and his wonderful girlfriend, Mariano pretending to listen by nodding along as he continued looking at the artwork. One had Pepa and Felix holding hands with a younger Camilo in the middle of them. Another had two random kids from Camilo’s school, another had Julieta handing Dolores a pandebono. Another had Emiliana and Mirabel. 

But the last picture was the one Mariano liked the most. A picture of Dolores, Camilo, and Antonio, each sitting behind the other. Camilo was styling Antonio’s hair in cornrows, Dolores doing the same to Camilo’s own hair. 

It made Mariano smile and wipe the tears from his eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time he did such things with his siblings. 

Camilo noticed his tearing up and sat up.“Huh…yeah, we do that a lot. You know, after we were done, I gave Dolores cornrows myself. Since after all there’s only three of us.” He awkwardly took the sketchbook from Mariano. “Aaaanyway, that’s enough of my show-stopping talent for today.” 

Mariano nodded. 

“What, are you crying? Duuuude,” Camilo giggled and bumped the man with his shoulder playfully. “There’s no need for the waterworks, bro. I’m proud of my artwork too.” 

“It’s not that, it’s…my siblings don’t…they don’t like me.” 

“Huh, how come? I mean, you’re a totally awesome guy!” 

“You think so?” 

“Well yeah, tonto! Except when you’re insecure about yourself, like you’re doing right now!” 

“Thanks, chico. But…lately my sisters and brother and I haven’t been on good terms lately the way we used to. I’m not really comfortable going into how and why this happened, but…nowadays it’s like I barely even know them anymore. And that’s part of the reason I moved out too, because literally nobody in my family wants anything to do with me except for my little sister who begged to come along, she’s my best friend, and also because my Abuela really needs someone to take care of her. So seeing you be close with your sister and brother despite the large age gap makes me so happy.” He ruffled Camilo’s hair as if Camilo were his own little brother, making him grin. “Please never, ever lose that.” 

“Awww, thanks,” Camilo smiled. “But I’m afraid I’ve already lost that.” 

“What do you mean?” Mariano asked. 

“Well…” Camilo bowed his head to the ground, staring into his lap. “We were going to make a cake for my dad’s birthday, hmm? And I didn’t really take it seriously and I spilled the cake mixture all over her and it’s all my fault.” 

“Hey, chin up, chico!” Mariano said, lightly patting his shoulder. “It’s just a tiny mistake. You can always make the cake again. Just take it seriously this time!” 

“But she said she’s done. She doesn’t want to make the cake anymore.” Camilo’s emerald green eyes glistened with tears that stung to the bottom of his eyelids and dampened his lashes. “That’s..that’s why I was crying earlier. I feel like such a disappointment, like I’m a terrible little brother. I should have helped princesa with the cake and not tried to mess everything up with those stupid jokes of mine. And now she’s mad at me. I wanna say sorry but…she won’t talk to me. And now she’s asleep.” 

Mariano gazed down at the young teen sympathetically. And that’s when he had an idea. 

“Hey,” he stood up and took Camilo’s hand. “How about you and I make a cake for your Papa? If you’re still up to it, that is. Maybe that can make up for you failing to help Dolores. While still having something for your Papa to enjoy on his birthday? That sounds like a good idea, no?” 

Camilo paused and thought about it. “I…I guess so. Sure!” 

“Great!” The two males exited Camilo’s room and shut the door behind them. 

“But we should go to your house,” Camilo said. “Because Dolores is gonna wake up any minute, now.” 

“Oh really?” Mariano asked. “How do you know?” He grinned. “Do you have super hearing?” 

“Oh no. I’m just her brother. That’s all.” 

Mariano chuckled, nodded, and then the two left.

🧡

Just as they were closing the door to Casita behind them, Dolores did wake up. 

She yawned before slipping out of bed and walking up to her vanity. Frowning at her reflection, she noticed that her hair was messed up. She had to fix that. And not to mention she wanted to do her makeup too. 

About half an hour later, she left her room to go brush her teeth and use the bathroom. Throughout all of this, there was something that she had forgotten to do, but she wasn’t sure what. 

It was only when she was absentmindedly heading downstairs that she remembered. She was going to bake something for Papa’s birthday! 

Hopefully Camilo wasn’t going to interrupt her plans. 

She got downstairs to the kitchen, which had been miraculously cleaned up and polished, with all evidence of her and Camilo’s earlier baking accident completely nonexistent. She guessed someone else must have come across the disaster in the kitchen and cleaned it up because they wanted to use the kitchen too. After all, it wasn’t like Camilo to fix what he left behind. 

“Yes!” Dolores said to herself, hurrying to get the mixing bowl, milk, eggs, white sugar, and baking powder out of the various cupboards. “This is the perfect opportunity to—“ she hiccuped. 

Crap. Dolores hated when she got the hiccups. Once that happened, it always took forever for them to go away. 

She poured herself a glass of water, and downed it all in one gulp. 

“Anyway. This is the perfect opportunity to bake something that I know Papa will enjoy!” 

She took out Julieta’s cookbook and flipped through the pages. 

“Hmmm. I think I’ll make tres leches cake. Yeah. Papa will enjoy that!” 

She preheated the oven to 175 degrees Celsius, then took out a 10-by-15 baking dish and began greasing it. Now she was ready. 

Beating the egg whites into a bowl, Dolores was happy to make this delicious cake for Papa. She was especially glad that Camilo wasn’t here to “help” her and ruin the whole thing. She was, in fact, so focused on the cake that she didn’t even know where Camilo was. She guessed he was in his room, wallowing in his misery and the fact that he wasn’t able to take anything seriously(not that that was her problem). But if she had actually listened, she would know that Camilo was at Mariano’s house and was currently taking baking a cake with him very, very seriously. 

It wasn’t long before Mirabel came into the room. “Hey, prima. What’s up?” 

Dolores didn’t acknowledge Mirabel at first, adding vanilla extract to the mixing bowl as her head stretched to look at the recipe dictated in her Tia’s cookbook, muttering and mumbling something to herself. She was so lost in focusing that she didn’t even notice her cousin was there. Mirabel almost wondered if Dolores even heard her. 

“Mmm…I should add more flower.” 

Mirabel walked over to her prima daintily and tapped her on the shoulder. 

“Go away Camilo. I don’t want to deal with you today.” 

“I’m not Camilo.” 

Dolores turned around to look at Mirabel. “You sure?” 

“I’m sure.” 

Dolores tuned in to listen to Camilo, who was entering Mariano’s house. “Oh.” 

“So you’re making a cake?” Mirabel peered over Dolores’ shoulder. 

“Yes,” Dolores said, moving so that Mirabel couldn’t see. “By myself. I’m not having Camilo help me because the last time he tried to help he ruined it. So if you don’t mind…” 

“Why can’t I help?” Mirabel frowned. 

“Because I can’t risk any more freak accidents,” Dolores stated flatly. 

“I won’t let that happen!” 

Dolores rolled her eyes as she stirred the bowl, tasted some of the cake batter, then frowned and went back to the fridge. “Needs more milk.” She took milk out of the fridge and poured some into the bowl. 

Mirabel, for some reason, continued on talking. “Please, I promise I won’t mess up! I’m not like your brother. I’m not accident-prone and I won’t mess everything up! I just wanna help!” 

Dolores sighed. “Ugh. Fine. But you must follow my every instruction to a T. Got it?” 

“Of course Dolores!” Mirabel perked up, beaming. 

“Great!” Dolores gestured with her hand for Mirabel to step over to the kitchen counter, which she did. 

Meanwhile, Mariano had invited Camilo into his house. The two were in the kitchen, ready to cook something for Felix. 

“So, what shall we bake?” Mariano asked. 

Camilo pondered, flipping through the cookbook that Mariano has provided for him. 

“Ooh!” Mariano stopped Camilo from flipping to point at a recipe for brazo de reina. “We could make that—“ 

“Can’t eat fruits.” 

“Oh. Sorry.” 

“It’s okay, man. Look, how about we make Enyucado?” 

“Enyucado? I’ve never had that…” 

“Well, of course you haven’t,” Camilo snorted in condescension. “It’s something mi Abuela on my father’s side used to make him and his siblings, and is from the Caribbean region.” Placing the book to lean upright against the back part of the counter, clearly Camilo was insistent on making this, not accepting disagreement from the older man. “Dolores and I had it all the time when we were kids and it was delicious! But I stopped because I kept getting it stuck in my teeth and it made me cry.” 

“Wait, but what about the coconuts and guava jam? Aren’t those in the ingredients?” 

Camilo blinked, then shrugged. “I guess we’re just going to have to make it without them, I guess.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah bro, I’ve been eating it like that for years.” The younger boy glanced up at his sister’s fiancé in disbelief. “Wait, have you really never eaten this before?” 

Mariano shook his head. 

“Shut up.” 

Mariano shrugged awkwardly. 

“Shut UP!” Camilo’s eyes glistened as he was on the verge of laughter. 

“I didn’t say anything.” 

“Well, anyway, you’re really missing out. So let’s start making it now!” 

Mariano nodded. 

🧡

Dolores opened the oven to take out the cake. “It’s ready Mira.” 

Mira placed her cards down—she was so close to winning!—and sprang up to join Dolores in the kitchen. 

“Is it good?” 

“Only one way to find out!” Dolores took a toothpick and stuck it into the cake. Taking it out, she was relieved to see that the cake was indeed baked properly. 

“Awesome!” Dolores celebrated. “Now all we have to do is wait fifteen minutes before we get to the best part, which is pouring the milk on the cake. 

Mirabel giggled. “I can’t wait!” 

Fifteen minutes later, the girls had mixed the cream, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk and poured them onto the cake. They then added the whipped cream and cinnamon frosting. 

“And now we’re all done,” Dolores finally stated, as she refrigerated the cake. “Wow. That was a lot of fun!” 

“It was!” Mirabel squeaked. “See, I told you I could help you make the perfect cake for Tío! He’ll be so surprised, I just know he’ll enjoy it, and Mami will too!” 

“I know, mi prima, I know.” Dolores reached out to give Mirabel a hug, which she reciprocated. “I’m sorry I assumed you wouldn’t be of any help. I shouldn’t have judged you. Without you, I wouldn’t have made the cake as quickly, and it sure wouldn’t have been as fun either. Some things are best done in a team! And a team in which both partners care about the outcomes too!” She kissed Mirabel softly on the forehead. “Thank you for helping me make the cake, I couldn’t be more appreciative.” 

“You’re wel—“ 

“Cake? What cake?” 

The girls froze and looked up. Dolores gulped. Standing right before the two cousins…was their father and uncle. 

“Oh, hey Papa!” Dolores stammered. “What’s up?” 

“Oh, I just wanted to talk to my lovely princesas!” Felix walked up to stand between them and wrapped an arm around both girls. “Is that such a bad thing?” 

“No, not at all!” Mirabel said, shaking in her boots. They had to take out the cake in an hour so that they could properly wrap it in aluminum foil, but they couldn’t do that with Felix there… 

“So, what are you girls making?” Felix asked. “I hear you two made cake! I sure do love a good slice of cake! Can I have some?” He turned to Dolores, grinning and leering closer mischievously. “Hmm?” 

“Oh, I’d love to, Papa, but umm, me and Mirabel already had the last slice.” 

“Oh, I see.” Felix removed his arms from around his daughter’s and niece’s waists. “Well, that’s a bummer. I suppose I have to wait till my birthday then.” 

This was where Dolores and Mirabel started to panic. “B-b-b—“ 

Felix frowned, looking sad. “Aww, don’t tell me you forgot my birthday, chicas.” 

“Oh no, Tío, we didn’t!” It’s just that—“ 

“It’s just that what?” Felix asked them, looking as disappointed as ever. 

Dolores was on the verge of tears. She knew she had to keep this a surprise, but how could she say no to her father’s adorable sad eyes? She almost wanted to comfort him by letting him have a peek of some of the cake. Or even a tiny slice. But then that would ruin the surprise for when his actual birthday arrived. But leaving Felix alone felt equally guilty. 

Mirabel was still trying to come up with a solution. “Well…” 

“Papa!” That’s when the door opened. 

“Yes, mijo?” Felix asked, Camilo running around the kitchen to join his papa on the other side. 

Camilo wrapped Felix in a hug, then took him by the shoulders and bounced up and down. “Oh, papa papa papa, you won’t believe it! So I was at the store today, right? And I was going through the clothing isles, and I saw—“ he paused to take a deep breath, his fingers fluttering about as he grinned In ecstasy, tears stinging around his eyes as he fanned himself. “I saw the cutest ruana I ever laid my eyes on!!! And I wanted to buy it so badly, but I didn’t have enough pesos. It’s even orange, just like the shirt you wear, Pa!” 

“Really?” Felix asked, raising an eyebrow as he grinned. 

“Really! Yes! And it reminded me of you, so I begged the shopkeeper to keep it on hold for me while I ran to get my dad, and it’s the last one in stock too so this is a really big deal! So can you please buy it for me?” 

Felix looked at the girls, who were confused but quickly nodded their heads. 

“Oh, all right, son. You seem to be the only one who wants to spend time with me, lately.” 

“Yay!” Camilo beamed, grabbed Felix’s hand, and ran away. “Then let’s go now! Because he said that if I’m not back in twenty minutes sharp he’s gonna give the ruana to the boy who was behind me in line.” 

“Oh, that can’t be good,” Felix said. 

They went out the door, Camilo winking at his sister and cousin before closing it behind them. 

And Mirabel and Dolores were nonetheless stunned. 

“Did he just…help us?” Mirabel asked. 

“Seems like it.” Dolores was frozen in shock. Finally breaking out of her catatonic state, she shook her head violently. “Ah well, he probably has some ulterior motives, you know how it is.” 

🧡

Felix walked at a quick pace behind his son who was running and panting. “Wait for me, Camilo, your father’s turning 52, his old bones don’t work like they used to.” 

“Come on, Papa, don’t be a dinosaur,” Camilo retorted. “I really want that ruana!” 

“I can tell,” Felix said. 

When they finally got to the store, Felix noticed that Camilo was sweating bullets, and not the kind that come from overexerting yourself.  

“Camilo?” Felix asked. “Are you okay?” 

“Huh? Oh, y-yeah.” Camilo gulped, wondering how he was going to get out of this lie. 

“Where’s the ruana you want?” Felix asked. 

“I-I don’t remember, I have to go find it.” 

“Okay, take your time. I’ll wait here while you go search.” Felix waited at the door, leaning against it with his arms crossed. 

Camilo nodded awkwardly and went into the clothing isle. But all he saw were…dresses? Whoops. Never mind. He was in the women’s clothing aisle. He went to the men’s clothing aisle. 

Secretly he had lied to his father about a ruana that didn’t exist. Both so that he could cover for Mirabel and Dolores and so that his father wouldn’t know he was at Mariano’s house also baking a cake that was for his birthday. What was he to do? 

All the ruanas he saw were pink, yellow, green, brown, blue, purple, and red. Not a single orange one. And he already had a yellow ruana, and he didn’t want to look like Bruno. 

He walked out of the aisle sadly, ready to tell his father that the ruana had already been bought by someone else, and that was when he saw it. 

The orange ruana. 

Camilo almost choked up when he saw it. Sure, he had lied. But fate decided to show him mercy and he was glad it did. Because that was the most beautiful ruana he had ever seen. The texture, the patterns, the size, the warmth, it was too good to be true. He had to get his hands on it. Now. 

But he was out of luck. Because the glorious, perfect ruana was already being held by someone else. Only it wasn’t a boy like Camilo had randomly claimed. 

It was a girl. Yamilet Gonzalez. Aka one of Camilo’s friends, and Mirabel’s girlfriend. 

Yamilet blinked when she saw him. “O-oh, hey Camilo, what’s up?” 

“Hi, Yamilet. Mind if I…have this?” He started to awkwardly pull the ruana out of her hands. But Yamilet pulled it away from him. 

“N-no, sorry Camilo, b-but I’m buying this ruana already. In fact, I’m…I’m about to do so now. S-so if you don’t mind.” 

“NO!” Camilo roared. 

Yamilet blinked. Her girlfriends cousin was acting a little bit…off…today. “Excuse me?” She asked. 

“That’s mine!” Camilo noticed Felix walking over to Yamilet and him and, in a panic, reached for the ruana, attempting to tug it from Yamilet’s arms. “Yami, please, just give it to me! If you were really my friend, you’d realize that this is important to me! Just…” 

“B-but Camilo, I want it, I saw it f-first, why can’t you just let me have it!” 

“You did NOT see it first, I did!” 

“No you did n-not! You did not!” Yamilet wrestled Camilo’s clawing fingers away. “The-there are so many other ruanas in this store that you can buy. Why can’t you just let me h-ha-have this one?” 

Felix walked up to the squabbling pair. “Is everything okay?” 

“No, everything is not okay!” Camilo said. “I really want that ruana but Yamilet won’t give it to me!” 

“But I saw it first.” 

“Wait,” Felix said to Camilo. “Camilo, before we left, you said that the shopkeeper agreed to let you leave the store, come back, and buy the ruana. So how come Yamilet has it? Did you tell the truth?” 

“Yes I did!” Camilo basically sobbed. 

Yamilet rolled her eyes. 

“Okay, then, go ask the shopkeeper.” 

Camilo gulped, but did as he was told. As he made his way towards the register with shaking legs, Felix turned his attention towards Yamilet. “I’m so sorry about my son, he can get a little wild sometimes.” 

“Oh, tell me about it,” Yamilet said. “Mirabel told me all about the time when he—never mind. Anyway, I really want to buy this ruana because—“ 

“What? But—“ Camilo became flustered. “You said I could come back and buy it.” 

“I never told you that, even once.” The shopkeeper shook her head. “This is your fist time coming to the store today, Camilo.” 

Camilo paused, and turned to his father and Yamilet. Neither looked pleased. 

“Hold on, I thought you said that the shopkeeper was a man.” 

“You’re probably in the wrong shop,” Yamilet said. 

Camilo glared at Yamilet. “Yami, if you don’t give me the ruana, I’m gonna tell Mirabel to break up with you.” 

Yamilet just laughed at that. Then walked up to the cash register. 

“Let’s go home, Camilo,” Felix said, but Camilo refused. 

“Fine!” He sassed towards Yamilet in a mocking manner, Yamilet pretending not to listen. “That ruana won’t even look good on you! I mean, it’s orange, after all. And everybody knows that orange doesn’t go well with purple! So you’re the one who’s gonna look like an idiot!” 

“Camilo, that’s enough, let’s go!” 

That’s when Yamilet turned around. “Huh? It’s not even for me…it’s for my sister’s boyfriend.” 

Camilo paused. “What?” 

Yamilet sighed. “H-his birthday is in two days and I still d-don’t have a gift, but I know he-he’d like…this. So I came to buy it for h-him. I mean, it’s not like I have any oth-other options…” 

Felix turned to look at Camilo disapprovingly. Camilo walked up to Yamilet and wrapped her in a hug. “Yamilet, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” 

“I know.” 

“Do you believe me? Do you believe me when I say I’m sorry?”  

“Yeah.” 

“Okay. Please…I’m really sorry. Buy the ruana. But all the ruanas you want. Make your sister’s boyfriend proud. I’ll…I’ll live.” He sniffled. “I am so sorry about my outburst, Yamilet. I was just very scared and lashed out because…” he whispered something into Yamilet’s ear that Felix couldn’t hear. “But that’s no excuse for my actions. Please promise you’ll forgive me. Promise!” 

“I promise.” 

Camilo smiled, crying tears of joy. 

“And if it makes you feel better, I can help you buy another ruana next time!” 

“That would be nice.” 

The shopkeeper cleared her throat. “Umm, excuse me, señorita, but are you still going to make an order?” 

“Oh of course!”

🧡

“Come on, Mama,” Mirabel said as she and Dolores led Julieta into the kitchen and showed her the cake. “You’ve gotta see the cake that me and Dolores made. You’re gonna love it!” 

“Okay!” Julieta said as she found her way into the kitchen. 

“Since you’re such a good baker, Tia, I decided to try my hand at it as well. And Mirabel offered to help me, and together we made torta de tres leches. Since Papa is out I would love for you to take a look and see if it’s good.” 

Dolores and Mirabel took out the cake, showing it to Julieta.  

Julieta examined the cake. 

“Do you think she will like it?” Dolores whispered to Mirabel, while Mirabel only shrugged. 

Fortunately, Julieta gave her a thumbs up. “It looks all right to me!” 

“Yay!” Mirabel and Dolores cheered as they clapped and embraced each other in a hug. 

“This is gonna be the best birthday surprise ever!” Dolores cheered. 

“Yeah, Tío isn’t expecting us to make the cake for him. He’ll probably think Mami made it or something. 

“Yeah!” Dolores turned to her Tia. “Oh. Thanks Tia Julieta,” she said as she put the cake back in the fridge. 

“No problem.” 

It was just as Julieta walked away that Felix and Camilo came in through the front door. 

“Oh, chicas, you’re still here?” Felix asked. 

“Y-yes,” they responded in unison. 

“Did you get the ruana?” Mirabel quickly made an effort to change the subject. 

Felix sighed. “Sadly, no,” he said, feeling at his hair. 

“Your girlfriend got it before I did,” Camilo said. “She said it was for her brother. Or her sister’s boyfriend. Whatever. So I let her have it because, you know.” He shrugged. 

“Wait,” Dolores remembered something. “Didn’t you cause a fit in the store because she wouldn’t give the ruana to you?! And also say that you were gonna tell Mirabel to break up with her if she didn’t?” 

“HE WHAT?!” Mirabel roared. 

Camilo turned pale, “B-but I apologized, I, Mira, hey! What’s going on, querida?” 

“DO NOT CALL ME THAT!” Mirabel hollered at Camilo. “YOU SAID WHAT TO MY GIRLFRIEND?!” 

Mirabel chased Camilo around the house. “I’m sorry!” He cried out. 

“SORRY ISN’T ENOUGH!” Mirabel seethed. 

Dolores smiled and watched an angry Mirabel chase a screaming Camilo out of Casita. Chuckling to herself, she went back upstairs to her room to wrap her gift for Felix. 

🧡

At last, it was Felix’s birthday, and Dolores was more than excited. She could hardly wait for everyone to try her and Mirabel’s cake, and most of all, Felix! 

Unlike most days, Dolores was the first to jump out of bed and get ready, running trough the halls and knocking on everyone’s doors, telling them quietly, “Get up everyone, it’s Papi’s birthday!” 

Mirabel was the first to get up. “He’s gonna try our cake and he’s gonna love it!” 

“I know, right?” Dolores squeaked. 

Pepa woke up next. “Morning, mijas!” she said, wrapping Dolores and Mirabel in a hug and a kiss and ruffling Mirabel’s hair. “Today’s a very special day, is it not?” 

“Of course, Mami!” Pepa said. “Today is Felix’s birthday!!” 

“Oh, it is! You remembered!” Pepa joked with a giggle. “Well, we’d better hurry up and get the rest of the familia!” 

And so they did, hurrying downstairs and setting the table, the rest of the family coming downstairs eventually, doing the same. 

“Is Tío coming down yet?” Isabela asked restlessly. 

“Almost!” Dolores told her prima-hermana. She listened for Felix, who was coming downstairs. “All right, now it’s time everyone!” They moved to stand in front of the stairway Felix was coming down from. “Here comes the birthday man!” 

It was then that Felix came down, yawning. “Huh, what’s everyone—“ 

“Cumpleaños feliz, te deseamos a tí, Feliz cumpleaños a Felix, feliz cumpleaños a tí! Que los cumpla feliz, que los vuelva a cumplir, que los siga cumpliendo, hasta el año tres mil!” 

“Happy birthday, Papa!” Dolores exclaimed, clapping and cheering with the rest of the family, who all looked as excited as ever! 

Felix looked surprised. “My my, you all have really done so much!” 

“And we’re just getting started!” Bruno said. “We hope you have a happy birthday, amigo!” 

Dolores and Mirabel ran up to Felix and gave him a big hug. Felix chuckled and hugged them back, kissing them both on the foreheads. 

Bruno hugged him next. “You’re 52 man, already! Pffft, making me feel so small. How’s it feel?” 

“I suppose I feel…a year older, and a year wiser.” 

Bruno laughed, Pepa giving Felix a hug and a kiss. “Happy birthday, el hombre mas guapo en el universo. I have a special birthday treat prepared for you tonight,” she uttered in a hushed seductive tone. Felix grinned and cleared his throat, while adjusting his collar, and everybody else laughed along, Dolores covering her face, Mirabel’s and Luisa’s mouths hanging wide open, Isabela squealing quietly as she covered her face with her hands and shook to and fro, and Camilo pretending to gag. Antonio didn’t know what was going on, but he laughed along anyway. 

Agustin have him a birthday hug. “You’re like a brother to me, do you know that?” 

“Likewise, hermano!” Felix said, hugging Agustin closely back, enough to even choke. 

“And we’ll always be grateful that you’re part of the family Madrigal,” Alma said, grinning widely from ear to ear at her son-in-law. 

“We sure will!” Bruno agreed. 

As they sat down to eat, Dolores of course sitting next to her father, Felix engaged in small talk with Agustin on the other side of him. While Dolores beamed with anticipation for the evening party. 

🧡

“And now it’s time for the cake!” Julieta announced. 

Everyone cheered, including Mariano, whom Dolores has graciously invited to the party. He was, after all, soon to be part of the family. It made sense to be there to celebrate his future father-in-law’s birthday. 

With an arm wrapped lovingly around his fiancée’s waist, he whispered to her “The cake you made? I’m sure it’s very good!” 

“I know it is!” Dolores hissed back. “But shhhh! Don’t tell him it was mine!” She placed a finger over his lip, and the young couple giggled. 

Tia Julieta placed the cake before Felix, who was seated in Abuela’s chair with the family around him  He blew out the candle, the family clapping and whooping as Pepa cupped her husband’s face in her hands, kissing him on the cheek, nose, forehead, and lips. A rainbow hovered over Dolores’ parents’ heads, before Pepa parted from him and allowed him to cut the cake. 

Everyone waited for him to take a bite. “Mmm! It’s good! So delicious!” 

Dolores bit her knuckle in glee, her and Mirabel exchanging an ecstatic glance. 

“Julieta, you have truly outdone yourself.”

“Agreed!” Isabela perked up obliviously. 

“Oh, I actually didn’t make this cake!” Julieta stated. “Though I’m glad you enjoy it, I simply cannot take the credit for someone else’s hard work!” 

It was silent in La Casa Madrigal. Even the floor tiles didn’t make a sound. 

Then a quiet giggle could be heard. Confused, everyone turned towards Dolores, the source of the girlish sound. 

“It was me Papa!” Dolores revealed. 

“And me, Tío!” Mirabel chirped. 

“Yeah!” Dolores and Mirabel wrapped an arm around each other as Dolores continued. “We made the cake! It’s what we were nervous to tell you! We just wanted to keep it a secret!” 

“Surprise!” The girls said simultaneously. 

Felix was elated, standing up to make his way towards the girls, he extended his arms as they too flounced towards him. “Come here, mis vidas!” The three formed a big bear hug! 

Camilo frowed, looking at Mariano, who shrugged, then at Felix. “Nice how you still made a cake anyway even though you said you were done trying to make one!” 

“I did, didn’t I?” Dolores shrugged. “Sorry about that, chiquito.” 

“Oh, I should have seen this coming. Thank you, my beautiful girls!” Felix wiped a tear from his eye. 

“You’re welcome, Papa/Tío!” Dolores and Mirabel said simultaneously. 

“Come, come!” Felix ushered the two towards the head of the table. “You girls get to be the first to have slices!” 

Dolores and Mirabel were elated, as Felix cut slices for each of them. 

He were right. It was good. 

“Wow, we did a really good job, Mira!” Dolores said, holding up her palm. 

“Indeed we did!” Mirabel said, high-fiving Dolores back. 

While all this was happening, Camilo was shoving Mariano into the kitchen. 

“What are we gonna do?” Camilo asked. 

“What do you mean?” 

“It’s just, I just realized I didn’t exactly think this through. The last thing I wanted was to try to show Dolores up, and now we have TWO cakes!” 

“Two cakes are better than one, no?” Mariano whispered. “And it’s not like we have a choice. I’m sure he’ll love your cake just as much as he loves your sister and cousin’s one.” 

“Our cake, man,” Camilo corrected as he punched Mariano lightly in the shoulder. “Take some credit. And I guess you’re right. Come on, let’s get this cake out and show it to my dad.” 

The rest of the family, meanwhile, was delightedly enjoying Dolores and Mirabel’s cake. 

“This is so good!” Pepa beamed, sunshine radiating off of her face as she pulled Dolores in for a hug with her free hand. “I couldn’t be prouder of you. You too, chiquita!” She pulled away from Dolores to give the same physical display of affection to Mirabel. 

“I love it so much, too!” Agustin agreed. “You both have truly outdone yourselves. It’s as good as Julieta’s cakes!” 

This made the girls beam, as they turned to look at Julieta. Rather than being offended, the woman merely laughed in agreement. 

“I knew it would turn out excellent, didn’t I?” 

Luisa also enjoyed her slice, feeding some of it to Antonio, who was perched like a baby canary on her lap. Seeing Dolores looking at him, the brother and sister duo made eye contact as he gave her two thumbs up. 

And that’s when Camilo and Mariano came in, holding another cake. 

“We made a cake too!” Camilo announced. 

Dolores and Mirabel froze. They had not expected this turn of events, no, not even Dolores, with her super-hearing, had even bothered to listen to what Camilo was up to at Mariano’s house the same night she was making a cake with Mirabel. And how did they get the cake into Casita’s kitchen without anyone else noticing? She guessed it just have been the night before the celebration, when even she and her ears were asleep. But either way that didn’t make her any less irritated. 

“Awesome!” Julieta said, as the rest of the family, including Felix of course, paid attention to the second cake. 

“Mariano? You helped make this?” Felix asked. 

“I sure did, señor!” Mariano huffed with pride. 

Felix grinned. “That’s wonderful! I always knew you were a family man!” 

“And it’s Enyucado!” Camilo added. “Your favorite from when you were small!” 

“Oh, yes!” Camilo found himself buried in an avalanche of his father’s affections very quickly. “Mi chico guapo, you know me so well!” 

“I do.” 

Felix wrapped Mariano in a hug as well, not willing to let his contribution go unnoticed. “Thank you as well, Mariano!” 

“You’re welcome!” 

That’s when Dolores cleared her throat. “How nice of you to make Papa another cake behind my back after dramatically flunking the one we were going to make together.” 

Mirabel snorted. 

“Hey, it was Mariano’s idea!” Camilo said, pointing at him with both index fingers. “If you’re looking for someone to be wrongfully mad at, blame your future husband. And besides, you said you weren’t going to make another one. How was I supposed to know you were lying?” 

“Whatever, hermanito.” 

The two shot each other daggers across the table as Felix cut himself a slice and bit into it. 

It was now or never. 

Felix finally swallowed, and everyone awaited his decision with bated breath. 

Then he said. “Mmm! It’s delicious!” 

Camilo’s eyes lit up, as Dolores’ eyelid twitched. “Wow! Really? You think so?” 

“Of course, mi corazon! Great job, both of you. Here, have a slice!” He gave a smiling Camilo and Mariano two plates and cut them slices of the cake. 

Mariano winked at Dolores, Dolores forcing a smile back. 

Upon biting into his slice of the cake, Camilo beamed. “Wow, it really is good!” 

“Agreed,” Mariano murmured through a full mouth before clearing his throat and swallowing. “It’s delightful. I’m so glad we made this, Camilo.” 

Dolores disagreed. 

“Me too. Thanks, man!” Camilo said, giving Mariano a hip bump. “I really couldn’t have done this without you.” 

Mariano chuckled. Normally the sound of her love’s joy would make Dolores feel serene and content, but she was too distracted. 

“They can’t both be equally good, though. Papa, which one is better?” 

“Lola, it’s not a competition!” Camilo condescended, pretending to sound more mature. “Although…if I had to pick, it would be mine.” 

“Liar!” Dolores exclaimed. “There is no way your cake is better than the one mi primita and I made. Just accept it, Camilo!” 

“Well, I suppose your cake is…okay, at best. But ours is clearly better? Isn’t it, Mariano?” 

“Umm.” Mariano chose to stay out of this sibling squabble. And wisely so. 

Dolores chuckled darkly, without mirth. “Oh, so you think you can betray me and join forces with my boyfriend to make a cake that will be better than the one I made with Mirabel?! You got another thing coming, Camilo.” 

“Oh yeah, well—“ 

The two started bickering back and forth, the rest of the family watching the drama unfold, Mirabel shrinking away to go stand beside Isa. 

“ALL RIGHT!” 

Both kids fell silent when Felix spoke. 

Felix cleared his throat. “I’m being honest when I say this. And it’s my birthday, so let me be the judge. I think both your cakes are equally delicious. I promise you!” 

Dolores blinked. 

Camilo blinked. 

Then they went back to squabbling with each other. 

Felix sighed and rubbed his temple in irritation. He had had enough. 

“Children—“ Alma said, but for once, the two were too deep into their arguing back-and-forth to listen. 

“Did you even try each other’s cakes?” 

Dolores and Camilo both came to a screeching halt just then. 

Dolores awkwardly gulped. “Umm, no, Papi, we didn’t. Hm!” 

Felix rolled his eyes and chuckled, finding it hard to stay mad at his adorable princesa and chico guapo for long. “Well, here ya go.” He handed them each extra plates. “And that means you too, Mirabel and Mariano.” 

Mirabel and Mariano exchanged a glance before coming forward to also take slices of each other’s cakes. 

Dolores bit into the Enyucado. “It’s not that bad.” 

Camilo bit into the tres leches cake. “It’s edible, at least. That’s always a good thing.” 

Felix sighed. 

Mirabel, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear. “Mmm! This brings back memories!” She swooned. “I remember when Camilo used to give me his leftover slice because he didn’t like it! It’s delicious. Great job, guys!” 

“Thanks, Mirabel!” Mariano said. “And I like how milky and sweet Your and Dolores’ cake is. Which is only to be expected, because its tres leches cake. But still. It’s very sweet and buttery and nice. You both truly outdid yourselves.” He grinned at Dolores, a sparkle in his eye. “It’s great. Really great!” 

Dolores blushed. “Thanks, Mariano!” 

“Yeah, Mariano, thanks!” 

“You’re welcome.” 

Felix raised an eyebrow at his eldest children. “Now, is there anything you two would like to say?” 

Dolores grumbled and rolled her eyes. “I love your cake too. It’s good. But only because Mariano helped make it.” 

“I love yours too, Dolores. But only because of Mirabel,” Camilo added. 

Felix sighed, realizing that was the best acknowledgment of each other’s talents that they were going to give. 

“All right then,” he said. “Back to the party!” 

The awkward yet amusing situation had finally passed, and the Madrigals spent the rest of the night giving Felix gifts, dancing, playing games, and just overall enjoying themselves. 

Dolores enjoyed herself too. But more importantly, she was glad that her father had enjoyed the cake she made for him. 

Mirabel waltzed up to her while the rest of the family was dancing, shimmying and lightly bumping their hip. “Hey,” she teased. “I guess it paid off in the end, huh? The whole first cake being ruined thing.” 

Dolores shrugged, staring into her glass of wine, but didn’t answer. 

“By the way, and I never got to tell you this before, but that was the funniest thing I had seen from you in a long time!” 

“Shut up!” Dolores snickered, giving Mirabel a light shove. 

“Hey,” Mirabel shoved back. “Don’t blame me, blame Camilo! Or maybe don’t, since now we have two cakes and they’re both equally good!” 

Dolores shrugged with a grin. “I guess you’re right.” 

“I know I am!” Mirabel beamed and waited for Dolores to finish her glass and set it aside. “Anyway, prima, you wanna dance?” 

Dolores pondered for a minute, then took Mirabel’s hand graciously. 

“I’d love to!” She agreed. 

The two girls giggled as they ran to the center of the floor with the rest of their family, dancing together and having fun. 

The End

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