Chapter Text
Aureliano's POV
It could have been a minute or an hour or a day. Time seemed nonexistent the moment his gentle jade eyes found mine, scorching parts of my soul even the fire inside me dared not reach. Every part of me was so completely transfixed by the melodious tone his voice gave, watching him pronounce each word with a knowing surety, as if the truth were a weapon he wielded with pride. I hadn't thought to pay attention to what he was actually saying and found myself floating adrift in his sea, staring blankly ahead at him. My mind slowly fogged over more with each passing second, watching his lips mouth words my fuzzy brain couldn’t piece together. He was saying something to me, surely I should be paying attention. I swallowed and allowed myself one last glance at his irresistible smile before finding his eyes, dazzling me with a look that could rival a thousand suns.
That’s it. That’s what he was. Pure sunshine. I felt the tug at the corners of my own mouth lift and reach my cheeks, the realization filling me with some of his radiance.
Each fiery shade from the setting sun behind us that fell on his face carved out more tiny details of his features, where I found myself once again drifting back to his crooked half smile.
Mierda.
Was he smirking at me?
"See –" His charcoal gray gingham cuffed jacket fluttered at his wrist as he gestured below us, where I finally noticed the icy river rippling at my ankles, just a few feet past the magical barrier. "Wasn't that hard, like I said… Although —" I flinched slightly sensing what he might say next. Por favor, for the love of God, don't let him have noticed me staring at him a moment ago, I prayed to myself.
"Although, you know, my má has this saying." His smirk inched higher up his cheeks, touching a section of skin that seemed to be flushing rose colored. "If you're gonna stare, at least give me a compliment."
Puta madre.
"I – uh. Wasn't." I rubbed my nose with the side of my index finger, hoping it wipes away some of my nerves with it.
Of course he caught me. Quickly dropping my gaze down to count the waves from the river below, I held my breath waiting for his response. The silence was making me question how I could have let myself slip up that noticeably.
"Mhm." His sing-song voice chirped through the quiet, bouncing off the water's surface and creating the most sweet-sounding chorus within the canyon.
"What?! I wasn't!" The harshness from my words faltered as my smile slowly danced unintentionally out to him, giving away my joking sass. He saw right through it, reflecting my own grin back at me.
"Guess we’ll see about that, Auri."
Even against the splash coming from the low tides at my feet I heard each syllable take flight as he spoke, saying my name like it was some precious breakable object rolling off his lips.
"Well are you coming or nah?"
His dark brown wavy mess of hair landed with a bounce at his shoulders as he peered back at me where I still stood, the chilly river steadily sending pins and needles over my skin. Really what option was left? I hadn't actually thought about what I'd do once I arrived. It was a shot in the dark hoping this place wasn't the myth everyone told around a campfire or stories at bedtime, the kind my papá loved to whisper to us in the night like a special little secret.
Adjusting the pressure from the leather satchel strap across my chest and bringing the body of my Abuelo's guitar closer to my waist, I wadded carefully behind him through the stream. His maroon pants were soaked, not even attempting to hold them up as he seemingly floated ahead of me. Should I say something? Make small talk? No. He might pry into why I'm here then. I shouldn't open up that door and invite any questions through it.
"I'm guessing you're staying at Lo's? Or?"
That adorable half crooked smile was back with a vengeance and a curious head tilt added to the effect. His fingers jerked and hesitated in his palm before swiftly shoving them into his oversized coat pockets. It was hard to tell if he was nervous or if my own emotions were wishing that's what I was seeing, hoping to not feel as alone in my nerves.
"I guess. Unless you have a better suggestion." Instantly my throat clenched the moment the sentence left my lips. That sounded way too much like I was inviting myself into something. The hell is wrong with me? Joder. I felt my cheeks burn as I reached him and took his side on the shore.
"If you were able to tolerate Lorenzo for a few days on the ride here, you'll be fine. Just avoid him when he starts singing, trust me." One playful eyebrow pulled up where his head tilted towards me and somehow I had a feeling Lo plus tequila plus singing would make for an interesting encounter.
"Hmm.." A hum rumbled out of me as I pondered that thought. Still better than sleeping on the streets, I figured.
"Come on then!" Diego’s laugh flirted out, infectious and ever the bit as playful as his smile that watched me. His hand reached back with his words and I startled not expecting his touch, where lean strong fingers wrapped around my elbow, giving it a tug.
My brain felt so fried from lack of sleep I momentarily thought I imagined the hold he had on me until I felt the forward momentum of his pull and tripped over my own two feet in the daze. My left shoulder hit his first, followed immediately by my chest bumping into his as he turned to witness this mortifying moment head on.
"Puta madre." Rolled off my tongue as I blinked into his eyes, a mere blade of grass away from my own. The tiniest of silver starbursts flecked over the jade color in them, so close it could have swallowed me whole. What a way to die that'd be.
"Sorry. I uh— Yeah." Stammering for any excuse as to why I just threw myself at him but coming up empty.
When his hands squeezed my shoulders it snapped me out of my trance and I realized almost all of my weight was still resting half over him where he supported us up.
Idiot idiot idiot… I rocked my body back, pushing off my toes and landing on the balls of my feet in the sand.
"No offense intended but you are the weirdest guy I've met.” I paused watching some sort of realization creep over his expression. “My dad's going to love you." He beamed, not trying to hide his excitement in the slightest. How could he be so casual while I wanted to dig myself a giant hole? And did he say dad? He can't be serious right now.
"Thanks?" I shrugged, confused if I should take the compliment or not.
"It is." Diego chuckled while scooping up my guitar from the sand and tipping it upside down, shaking the grains out. The sound it made reminded me of an old instrument my Abuelo once had that gave off the sound of rain when you turned it side to side.
"What is?" I grasped the dreadnought shape out of his outstretched hand while asking.
"A compliment. In case you were wondering." He gestured his head towards the road to town, probably not wanting to risk startling me again by tugging on me. Better off that way since it was a small miracle I didn't accidentally hurt him in the process to begin with.
Be more careful. Be more careful. I pounded the warning into my head as I followed Diego's steps up the slope.
"Is your gift mind reading?" I joked, peering up at him where he walked an arms reach ahead.
"No but that doesn't sound half bad. On the other hand, that could get pretty annoying fast." His tone was serious, mulling on the idea. It was just a joke, I rolled my eyes thinking to myself.
As I trailed behind him I noticed the few remaining people on the street seemed to give us faint nods as we passed, directed to Diego. It was barely noticeable but after embarrassing myself to the ultimate a minute ago I turned my mental switch on, forcing myself to pay better attention. Walking past one of the last market stalls on the stretch of road a high-pitched squeak piped out beside the merchants stand, coming from a fair skinned woman with flaming red red hair, in an equally bright dress. She caught the squeal with her hands, cupping them tightly over her lips before spinning her back to us.
Was she afraid? Could they tell just from looking at me?? I ran my free hand through my hair, checking to see if my dead giveaway was on display for all to behold and felt nothing. Not a strand of hair out of place, no sensation of heat to be found anywhere. Sighing into the creases in my palm as I rubbed my face, I looked back out again at the street and choked back a cough at what I saw. All their eyes on us felt like it was suffocating me, making it harder for me to breathe with every step. They know. They can tell. That's it. They know what I am. This was stupid. What was I thinking??
"Auri?"
I hadn't realized my vision went black, my eyelids locked tightly as I breathed through a straw. Diego's muffled call was breaking the smoke around my lungs, barely. He should leave me here to choke on the demons of my past. It’s what I deserved.
The kindest voice whispered closer, "Auri, we can go around the back way. It's okay. Inhala… Exhala." I felt the press to the side of my arm in the darkness, not a nudge or a force but a piece of strength waiting patiently beside me. It didn't budge or falter as I leaned into it, whisking away some of his power.
“Hey, come back to me. You’re okay. I'm right here with you.” More of his tender words attempted to free me from the smog surrounding my soul and I felt as a patch of heat began to work its way closer to the side of my face.
No no no, he’s going to see what I am now. I wheezed what little air my lungs could get through my tightly pressed lips, beginning to feel lightheaded. The warmth crept closer and suddenly skimmed the skin of my cheek, cupping it delicately.
It wasn’t the devil in me losing control and letting my so-called gift seep out, no…
The heat that had a hold of my face was comforting, welcoming and incredibly gentle as a thumb soothingly stroked across my cheekbone. The realization that he wasn’t running from me and instead chose to comfort me, someone least deserving of such kindness, was more than a breath of fresh air. He’ll never accept who I really am and I pray he’ll never find out.
Taking a deep breath in and holding it I squinted out the sliver of light from my lids and was met with his green galaxies looking worriedly back at me again. “There you are…” His smile sent another wave of air into my oxygen deprived chest.
"Thanks.." The word rushed out with the breath I had been holding onto.
Having a full blown panic attack in the middle of the street with onlookers was a surefire way to quickly become the talk of the town. I frowned down at the dusty path, staring at my own two feet, embarrassment washing over me.
Real nice. Well done Aureliano.
"It's okay. Really." He pressed into the side of my arm harder, motioning us towards a backstreet. "My má used to get them all the time before." He continued calmly while guiding our sluggish bodies between a row of narrow houses where the invisible force from all the sets of eyes from the market lifted off of me. The last fallen embers of light chased themselves down between the cracks of the packed alleyway as he nudged himself closer with each step. I couldn’t stop my body leaning in towards it like a moth to a flame, finding his energy somehow more comforting by the second. As I let the exhaustion weigh me down nearer to him our fingers lightly brushed each other in passing, sending a tiny spark over me and instantly waking me up again. Diego’s eyes flickered over to me before he sucked his lips in as if he was holding back something wanting to explode out of him.
Great. I flushed, trying to think of something to say, not wanting the awkward silence to grow any further.
"Umm.. So is that why you're here? If you don't mind me asking. You don't have to answer. It's none of my business. Sorry." Diego burst out at record speed.
He was rambling away to himself and I felt the shake in his body where our shoulders touched. I guess it was partly the reason I was here. I don't have to tell him why. But it's not exactly a lie either. I chewed on the inside of my cheek and gritted my teeth, "Yeah, it's alright Diego. It is. I heard a story that there's a healer here that can cure any illness. So… Yeah." I watched as his eyes darted off to the side, fidgeting with something in his palm again.
Just as I started to get used to the comforting sensation of his body beside me it jerked away as he made a sharp right turn while I was preoccupied with my thoughts, leaving me wobbling in place. I needed to get it together before every soul in Encanto starts whispering about the weak newcomer, barely able to walk a straight line. They won’t know that I haven’t properly slept in days or that the last decent meal I had could pass as cat food by the best of standards.
"Julieta Madrigal." His eyes stayed fixed off to the side of the dirt path as he said the name. Hearing him say the name felt different, lacing it with a tinge of worry, furrowing his brows as he said it.
“And she can’t —” He cut himself off, squinting at the section of dirt he had been staring a hole into and a quiet sigh hushed out of him before continuing. “Okay, sure. Worth asking, if that’s what you want. I can take you to see her tomorrow.” None of what he said sounded hopeful and I couldn’t wrap my mind around why. He just confirmed that she was real and here so what’s with the long face?
I dragged my feet beside him, matching his pace as we walked past house after house, directly opposite a neverending stretch of jungle. Each home the same as the next, stonewash outside with bright terracotta roofs lined the entire side. The jungle across from us was eerily silent, only breaking the quiet with a few faroff chips within it. I studied a denser section that seemed to rustle as we neared it and gasped so hard I managed to choke on my own spit the moment I saw it.
“Did you see that?!” I croaked out between coughs, not taking my eyes off the patch of ferns.
“It’s nothing Auri. Don’t worry about it.”
“So you saw it??” My voice trembled, glaring to the left as we strolled by the section of jungle that had just blinked back at me. Two luminous amber eyes flickered on in the dimly lit vegetation for a split second before snapping shut again. I was sure of it.
Putting the patch of jungle behind us I huffed and finally glanced over at Diego, who showed not an ounce of care, keeping his calm pace forward. He pinched his lips together, wiggling them side to side, clearly debating something to himself. It was sort of cute, not that I’d admit that out loud.
Mumbling under my breath, “I’m glad I decided not to sleep outside.”, I watched his pinched mouth relax and a tiny grin pull up one side. Yeah, I guess he heard me and that was probably pretty lame sounding. Nice, I rolled my eyes to myself.
“Well we’re here.” His voice sang out.
My jaw dropped, eyes adjusting to the sudden change of light, not expecting what I was looking at. Bright orbs danced in my vision as I squinted at what could only be described as a mirage, oddly out of place like finding an oasis in a vast desert. The only house I’d seen so far, unlike the others. Same burnt orange roof tiles but nearly every vacant patch from the wooden window shutters had been colored a pastel emerald green with finely hand painted cream lilies and vines adorning the top. No two paintings were alike, intricitaley brushed on with care. Even the planted flowers around its sides blended thoughtfully with the home, echoing its quaint charm. The light show that had blinded me came from the zigzagging string of lights hung in the backyard, leading from a wide open set of double doors and reaching a rather cozy set up nook. It was difficult to see from the side angle, where a thicket of shrubs blocked my view but I could make out voices speaking happily over each other, laughing in between whatever excited conversation they were having.
“You could catch flies with that thing.” My chin suddenly snapped shut as Diego’s two fingers gently tapped it, chuckling to himself.
“God. I’m so weird.” The words slipped out before I could stop them, luckily mumbled at a fraction of my normal intensity.
“Sometimes family weirdos just get a bad rap.” He winked at me, catching the look of embarrassment on my face.
Quickly changing the subject before my cheeks caught fire, I scolded myself and coughed into my hand. “Lo lives here?!” Sounding surprised cause I honestly couldn’t imagine such a burly man living in something so small and lovingly decorated. But who am I to judge?
“Lo?! No!” Diego clutched his side, holding in a laugh. “Lo’s place is next door. This is my house.”
What? I blinked five times at him before turning to take in the view again. “Oh. Right. Makes way more sense. Would he even fit in there?” I pointed my thumb at the emerald gem of a house next to us, smirking at my own joke and watched the line hit Diego’s face as he burst into laughter. He let out a little snort between laughs, arms hugging his stomach tightly and I had to admit seeing him that amused by something I said felt nice.
The sounds of his laughter raining down on us broke as a higher pitched voice called over his, “DIEGO PEDRO MADRIGAL!” A slender woman shouted through a smile while stalking over to us, whipping her waist long sandy waves behind her that cascaded down her back.
Wait wait wait… Madrigal?? Him? Why was that name so familiar? I stared at the side of his face that was fixed ahead.
“I refuse to be the human buffer between you and Benjito! You two can fight it out over dinner if both of you are going to be late. And don’t even think about running up to tías pantry mijo! So help me –” She ranted a mile a minute, similarly to Diego’s little ramble earlier. Mijo? So….
Diego’s face twisted as if he just bit into a sour lemon, cringing harder the more this fierce woman waved her finger through the air, beating it with her threats. She reminded me so much of my own madre and the thought stung white hot in my chest.
“Má –” Diego gritted his teeth, plastering a smile over his face, trying to wipe away the panic but it slipped through, showing in his eyes. He pleaded with his dazzling jade embers at her and I couldn’t help but stare on at the show. Should I go? I could just creep off to the side and disappear. It was beginning to feel awkward while I plotted my escape when suddenly a raspy tone halted her mid sentence. “Mi reina.” Shuffling my feet and leaning to the left past her curvy figure I locked eyes with a pair of nearly identical green orbs like Diego’s, only more vivid. Were they pulsating? Nah, I shrugged the thought off, wiping at my tired baggy eyes.
The man’s fingers reached out and lightly skimmed her arms, snacking under them and grabbing her by the waist. I half expected the same amount of energy to surge out of her and give him a wicked back hand but the moment he pulled her back into his chest she melted. Her face softened instantly as she finally looked between me and Diego. Is she really just now noticing me?
“Sorry about that. Spitfire this one.” The man hugged her tighter, jostling her wiggling body and making her giggle before giving Diego a sly wink and dragging her back towards their yard.
An almost inaudible “But Bruno…” could be heard coming from her hushed voice.
“Thanks pá.” Diego mouthed at the man’s back as he hugged her the whole way til they were back out of sight.
Pá? I tilted my head, taking in Diego’s appearance again. Yup, I grinned. That slick side smirk and sly wink, they were cut from the same cloth, those two, maroon pants and all.
“Uh. So. Lo’s?” The tension could have been cut with a knife as I tried to divert the topic back on track. My body ached, my head throbbed, my stomach knotted. All I wanted was some rest at this point, barely hanging on by the thinnest of threads.
Diego rubbed his face, sending his hand through his hair with his eyes still closed. “It’s right next door. The backside is always open so you can go straight in. It’s part of the training center and guard detail but nobody will question you. If someone stops you tell them I sent you over. Ask for Luisa or María if you need help.” He measured what he was saying, slowly almost rehearsed, spitting out the instructions. “The rooms are on the top floor and you can pick any of the open ones. They are pretty bare bones but better than the street, like you said.” He smiled as he said the last part.
“You can come by tomorrow if you still want me to take you to Julieta.” His eyes roamed over my face, lingering on something in my hair and then falling down to my Abuelo’s guitar in my hand. What was he looking at?
A full minute passed before I realized I hadn’t answered him as I pondered every place his eyes had wandered over me, probably flushing my cheeks red. “And if you aren’t here at least I know your name now. I can embarrass us some more by going around asking for you.” I smiled jokingly. That name was really nagging at me as I stared at his dark wavy hair that framed his face, trying to place it.
An audible gulp resounded from him, widening his eyes at me and his face lit up a new shade of dragon fruit. “I’d uh– I’d like that.” Stammered out of him.
Heading for the front of the house, hoping to avoid any more embarrassing parental confrontations, I took one last look around the corner and saw Diego balling his right fist repeatedly before sprawling it open and gazing at something in his palm. The dim lighting made it hard to pick up any details but he looked to be deep in thought at whatever it was, touching his thumb to it.
‘Sometimes family weirdos just get a bad rap.’ Echoed in my mind as I watched him. Definitely weird. Cute weird?
I shook the feeling off that began to bubble up inside me and headed straight for the ginormous building that sat a stone's throw away from Diego’s home. My mind blanked seeing the sheer size of it but it somehow felt welcoming knowing in a few short minutes I could have my face buried into a fluffy pillow. God, how I’ve missed pillows.
When I blinked again I was staring at a wooden door, half ajar in a dark hallway. The only light that illuminated from within it was tinted a glowing blue from the moonlight. Did I space out in my delirium and manage to make it inside? Fantastic, I growled under my breath, tapping the door open with my foot. The creak it let out had me ducking, half expecting someone to shout at me from their room.
“Hmm..” I shrugged, surprised no one scolded me for waking them. My hermana would have jumped at the chance to yell at me for this. The memory of her voice hollering my name in the dark ached in my chest. I could still hear the sound she made when she huffed, taking in a massive breath before shouting at me with a huge smile on her face.
It hurt but it would hurt more if I forgot what her voice sounded like entirely. I sighed and pushed the door shut behind me quietly, clicking in place. The room was exactly like Diego said, bare bones and more than lacking any personal touches. But definitely better than sleeping outside, remembering the amber glare that studied me from in the depths of the jungle.
“Yeah, no thanks.” I shuddered and tossed my satchel onto the bed, carefully laying my guitar beside it.
The luminous blue shine that casted its stary shadows onto the wooden floorboards was another reminder of home, squeezing my heartache further. From the open window of my room I could almost see my padre’s favorite constellation, where Orion’s bow was visibly glowing brightly as a faint guitar strum vibrated nearby in the cool night air.
“The Hunter.” My eyes burned, smiling up at the beams of light that dotted its shape as a part of me broke into a million pieces.
“I made it papá. I’ll make it right. I promise.”