#Agustin's little lulu

[achitka]

Change is Good?

Chapter 21: Change is Good?

Summary:

This is a excerpt from my fic "Doors" I have a bit of a toothache and focusing is an issue so since this part of that Chapter (La Señora de Los Dolores) has to do with Luisa (whom I adore) and I'm messing with her Gift...I decided it could be here as well. Camilo found his way in there too...Good on him. Hope you don't mind.

Luisa ran through town only stopping long enough to get her father and Tío's attention. When they reached the house, they were joined shortly by her mother, Camilo, Tía Pepa, Mariano and Abuela. Alejandra's mother was also there, she was very close to being frantic. As the other parents arrived, the doctor spoke with them and asked them to move a little further down the street, to give the workers room. They protested at first, but her Abuela stepped in and after a few minutes was able to persuade them to do as the doctor asked. Luisa, her father Camilo and Tío Félix stepped through the unfinished doorway and called out to the children.

There was no answer so she said, "Dolores, are we in the right house?" *yes* Luisa blinked; it sounded like Dolores was right next to her. She turned to her Tío, "Dolores says this is the right house." He was giving her a look and she added, "I'll explain later how I can hear her."

Her Tío nodded and someone handed him a flashlight. He looked at it and a voice behind them said, "Just push the switch." It was the doctor, so her Tío did and was impressed with the amount of light the gadget gave off. He pointed it up and they saw a portion of the roof had collapsed. He followed it down until he saw a small shoe. He peered behind it and grunted. "They're here." He waived to Luisa and asked her to gently lift but not move aside the large piece of ceiling.

Luisa moved very carefully as her Tío shined the light on the most problematic spot and she saw that the roof over the kids was barely holding. She needed to brace that so she put one arm under the roof above and with her other arm, slowly lifted the part blocking access to the children.

"A little higher, Lulu," her Tío said and Luisa nodded and put her foot under the raised portion using that to gently lift the stone higher. She continued this until she heard a cracking sound and she froze. The slab in her hand had snapped where she was holding it and it terrified her that the rest of the roof would come down on them. "I don't think I can move it higher, Tío."

"I'll fit," it was Camilo and he shifted to a third of his normal size and slid under with only a little trouble.

She heard Alejandra mumble as she appeared head first from under the slab.

"I got you," she heard her father say as Camilo passed her under the wall to him. Next was Cecelia, she wasn't making any noise. Last was Juancho, he was wide awake and clearly terrified. Camilo shushed him saying it was going to be okay and he was proud of how brave he'd been, keeping his friends safe. Just a little longer. Just gotta get out here first.

"Okay, Luisa. Camilo is clear, let it down slow," her Tío said.

"I will, but it's not gonna hold. Have everyone get out, it won't hurt if it falls on me."

"Right."

From the door she heard her father say, "Okay Luisa. Gently now."

Luisa knew when she set it down the wall would split in half where her hand was. That crack was why she'd stopped moving. She let go of both pieces at once and the roof finished collapsing with a crash of breaking tiles and rock. Luisa pushed a rock off her leg and went outside. A cheer went up from the gathered crowd and Luisa just blushed and waved. She took a few steps and felt a twinge. Then her mother was there, frowning, looking at her leg at the same time handing her a buñuelo. Luisa looked down and saw there was a long gash along her calf and she was bleeding quite a bit.

Luisa popped the sweet into her mouth and the skin and muscle began to knit themselves together leaving behind, nothing. Not even a line to show where the rock hit her.

"Please be more careful in the future, Luisa," her mother said.

"I'm sorry Mamá, guess I'm out of practice," Luisa said. Normally she wouldn't have felt anything. But it was a new miracle...had her gift changed?

The doctor came up then, his clothes were torn in places and there was blood on his shirt but there was no sign of injury. "The other two children are waking up Señora Madrigal."

"Please, call me Julieta," she said.

He nodded, "As you wish it, Julieta," he said and guided her further down the street where the children were arranged with their parents.

Camilo was gone and Luisa's father came up then and said, "You all right Lulu?" He asked this as he took her arm. She nodded. Luisa did feel a bit fatigued. More changes? Or was it because she'd not tried to maintain her strength. There was concern on her father's face when he said, "Let's get you home, Lulu." She nodded and she allowed herself to be led away from the crowd.

[gamerbearmira]

WOO WOO THE WHISTLE BLOWS

Ok. I decided to wait until today to post this (and totally not because I fell asleep) BUT LIKE. HERE'S THE FLUFF <33 POLSR EXPRESS AU❗❗❗

And a little animatic i put virtually no effort in the night before but. I gotta do SOMETHING to make up for what I posted last night 🥸

LEA GET IT

-----

Agustín was checking the time, his whistle in his other hand. The Polar Express was set to take off in only 10 minutes. Mirabel was excited, as it was her first time helping conduct the main cars. At first, she was only following Agustín around. But now, she could finally help conduct like he did.

Mirabel stood next to her father, giddily jumping in place. Agustín looked down at his 14-year-old daughter, smiling. "Excited hija?"

"Very!" Mirabel exclaimed happily, clutching his arm. "I get to finally work like you do!" Agustín laughed and ruffled her hair.

"Well we'll be heading off soon, so don't worry," he said, turning to walk inside to check the schedule. Mirabel stayed outside, excited. All the other kids the Encanto had already boarded, and she knew because she was the one who greeted and guided them, as well as gave them candy canes; like she did every year.

As Mirabel waited, she saw Casita's doors open. She saw Antonio rushing down the hill and to the train. He giggled as he held one of his teddy bears in his arms.

"Mira!" He smiled, the four-year-old hugging her youngest primo.

"Tonio! You're here!" Mirabel said, cuddling with him. She then showed him her hands, then reached behind his head, and pulled out a candy cane. As Antonio put it in his mouth, Agustín walked out, smiling at the sight of his sobrino.

"Hola Tio!" Antonio greeted and Agustín pinched Antonio's cheeks, eliciting a playful giggle from the boy.

"Hola Tonito. Are you excited about the Polar Express this year?" Agustin asked and Antonio enthusiastically nodded.

"Yeah! I can't wait to get to the North Pole," Antonio said, sticking the candy cane back into his mouth. The boy looked back at Casita, pausing, before taking it out and looking at his tio. "Tio?"

"Si?" Agustín said, half paying attention to Antonio, the other at his pocket watch.

"Can Isa, and Lola, and Lulu and Milo come?" Antonio asked, rattling off the names in excitement. Mirabel's eyebrows raised, and she looked at her father hopefully. She knew he was rather strict when it came to the Polar Express and how it ran but...she wouldn't lie, it could be fun.

Agustín quirked an eyebrow, looking at the pocket watch in his hand. He tapped his foot "I don't know..." He mused.

"Please papá? It's been forever since it was all of us! Plus, Antonio won't have to worry about being alone in the car anymore!" Mirabel pleaded.

Agustín pressed his lips together, looking at the watch, then Mirabel, then Antonio. He stepped back, looking into the car, then up and down the train. He sighed heavily, and Mirabel and Antonio lit up.

"5 minutes. You have 5 minutes to go back and get them. We're on a tight schedule, so don't be late," Agustín said. With an excited giggle, Mirabel rushed back to Casita, while Antonio waited alongside Agustín, his small hand gripping Agustín sleeve.

Mirabel rushed into Casita, scrambling up the stairs. "Casita, help me wake up my sisters and cousins!" She whispered. Casita gave an affirmative flip as she rushed off to Luisa's room.

Opening the door, she rushed into the stone room, running up to her sister, who was in bed. She shook her awake, and Luisa groggily looked at Mirabel.

"Mira? What are you doing?" Luisa asked, blinking away the sleep.

"Do you wanna go to the North Pole with me and papá?" Mirabel asked.

Luisa stared at Mirabel, processing what she said before shooting up. "Of course I do, let's go!" Mirabel was launched off the bed, but Luisa caught her, snatching her robe off the hook and slipping on the nearest pair of shoes.

Luisa left the room, Mirabel in her arms. Isabela was rubbing her eyes, her shoes and robe on. Dolores yawned, and Camilo was standing next to her.

"What's going on?" Camilo asked, noticing Luisa's excitement.

"We get to go to the North Pole!" Luisa said excitedly, placing Mirabel down and rushing out the door.

"Wait, the Polar Express is here?" Camilo said wide-eyed, and he was hot on Luisa's heels, barely clinging to his robe.

"What? The Polar Express isn't real, it's just a kid's story," Isabela said and Mirabel shook her head.

"Come on Isa, just trust me! You don't remember it, but it is real!" Mirabel grabbed both Isabela and Dolores's hands, practically dragging them out of the house. The two were protesting until they got outside. Their eyes widened as they saw the bright lights that lit up the cars of the large train that waited for them.

"It's real?" Dolores mumbled and Mirabel rushed down the hill with Isabela and Dolores in tow. Antonio had gotten on board in the car that was designated for Madrigals. He waved to Dolores from the window, still eating his candy cane.

Mirabel handed candy canes to her sisters and cousins, urging them onto the train. She checked her watch, it then struck 11:55 right as she got Isabela into the cart. Pulling out her whistle, she looked up and down and noted that all the doors were closed.

"Dolores, cover your ears!" Mirabel called and Dolores hastily did as her prima said. Mirabel blew her whistle, and the train started up, the train's own whistle going off. Mirabel hopped on, closing the door as the train chugged along the tracks that had magically appeared.

Antonio kicked his legs as he sat next to his brother, who was excited to be there as well, though probably not as much as Luisa, who was like a little kid on Christmas, unironically. Isabela and Dolores held their candy canes, looking around the cart.

As Mirabel wrote something on the schedule, Agustín walked into the car, a big smile on his face. "I see you made it in time!"

"Papá? It's...it's real? It's not a story?" Isabela said in shock and Agustín nodded. "Of course it's real! And we're going to the North Pole to see your tio."

"Papá Noel is our tio?!" Luisa said, her eyes lighting up, and she almost fell out of her seat, barely catching herself and her candy cane.

Agustín laughed and nodded. "Yes, he is. Mi hermano mayor. We just don't see him often, he's very busy," he explained. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see the rest of you this year as well, hm?"

"PAPÁ NOEL! OH MY GOSH!" Luisa screamed in excitement, crushing the candy canes in her hand. Dolores covered her ears, but easily understood Luisa's excitement. The other laughed at how excited she was, and honestly cpuldn't help but feel the same.

-----

WOWOWOWOWW❗❗❗ So cool, so fluff <333 I kinda wanna write more. Might be more active today since I visited family yesterday!! And. You can clearly see how excited Luisa is. She loves it because she gets to feel like a kid again and she's not working or anything. And she just like Christmas 😭

And I got new iPad!! LETS GOOOO❗❗❗ That's why I've been drawing with my finger <333

Anyway MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYYYYSSSSS <3333

[thefandomwarriorlexy]

Descendants Headcanons/Wickedverse Guide

Some of these aren't so much "headcanons" as things I'm using in my post-canon universe, named the Wickedverse. Me and my sister share this universe, so she has a lot of influence with some of these. Will get updated as I add/change ideas.

Lore

Centuries before Auradon was formed, there was a great war between the kingdoms. After years of fighting, they made an agreement on territory and everyone closed their borders. This lead to kingdoms/cities to develop at different rates, due to different resources. Many years later, all the fairytales/stories happen over the course of seven years or so. Then, Auradon is formed.

The formation of Auradon (and the Isle) created the Age of Goodness (AOG). Upon it's creation, was year 1.

Since Descendants takes place twenty years after the AOG, it is year twenty

The first Isle book takes place in the July before Descendants. Descendants occurs in September-October (as Ben's birthday is in October), and Wicked World happens in November. The second and third Isle books take place in January of year 21. Since D2 takes place six months after D1 it occurs in March of 21. The fourth Isle book takes place in May of 22. D3, taking place after the older have graduated, occurs in June of year 22.

Some other Disney properties are included that aren't specifically mention in canon: Frozen, Frozen II, Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (TV series), Encanto, Big Hero 6, Raya, and definitely more.

Mal and Ben's wedding is on the 13th of April, almost a year after D3.

Sometime after D3, the Isle of the Lost is renamed the Isle of the Found.

Family

Uma and Freddie are twin sisters, having been separated after Dr. Facilier and Ursula broke up. Freddie and Uma were unaware of this, and found out in the events of Never Knew I Lost You (coming soon).

In addition, Celia has a different mother, an OC named Lauren.

This is also why Facilier seemed to dislike Freddie (though, her abuse portrayed in the Wickedverse is probably worse than it is in canon), as he dislikes her mother. Whereas he favored Celia, since he likes her mother. Also why Ursula didn't care much about Uma, having become despondent after losing her partner and daughter.

King Philip has three sisters, Brigitte, Bianca, and Marya, taken from the book A Twisted Tale: Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell. Bianca is Ariana's mother and Marya has a daughter named Naomi.

Lumiere is married to Fairy Godmother, and is Jane's father.

Evie and Dizzy have the same father, Hans, making them half-sisters.

Doug's mother, named Clarita in this universe, is from Encanto. Agustin is her maternal uncle, making him Doug's great uncle.

Jay's mother was a woman from Agrabah named Lulu. She dealt in some shady business, thus why she was sent to the Isle. She died from an illness when Jay was five.

The sea witches mentioned in the first Isle book are Morgana's daughter, and Uma's cousins, instead of sisters.

Hadie's mother is an OC named Lian Teng. She is the sister of one of the Huns that survived the avalanche. He was all she had, so she followed him to the Isle. She worked in Hades's Souvlaki and her and Hades had a brief relationship a while after his break up with Maleficent. Hadie is three years younger than Mal.

Harriet, Harry, and CJ's mother is a woman named Red Jessica from Jake and the Neverland Pirates TV series. However, she is only the same character; her role and relationship with Hook is different in the Wickedverse than the cartoon.

Carlos's father is Bruno Madrigal from Encanto (inspired by @silverloreley 's headcanon and discussions). Bruno had a bad vision about Cruella and went to warn her about it. They had an unexpected connection, and one thing led to another.

Melody (from the Little Mermaid sequel) and Zephyr (from the Hunchback of Notre Dame sequel) are married and have a (currently unamed) child.

Friendships

Prior to the events of Wicked World, and possibly D1, Jordan and Ally become best friends after Jordan helps Ally out of a bad relationship.

Jane and Freddie become best friends during the events of Wicked World.

Likewise, Uma and Audrey become best friends sometime after the events of Descendants 3.

Because of the discovery of Uma and Freddie being twins, they start spending time together. To not leave Jane and Audrey out, the four of them hang out together often, forming a friend group similar to the Core Four.

A few months before the Bal wedding, Lonnie and CJ meet and become best friends.

Characters

As a reason for why Carlos was not at Mal and Ben's wedding (and why the rest of the Core Four were sad about it), he develops COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and goes into a coma a couple weeks before the wedding. He wakes up a few weeks afterwards.

Some last name headcanons:

Dwarf last names are from gems and the Seven Dwarves' last name is Lazuli, from lapis lazuli. This makes Doug's full name Doug Lazuli.

Maleficent and Mal's last name is Dragonheart, making Mal's full name Maleficent "Mal" Bertha Dragonheart.

Ben's last name is Leroi, meaning "the king" in French (taken from @hitchell-mope)

Evie's last name is Grimhilde, mostly taken from the fandom.

Jane's last name is Faery, and Fairy Godmother's real name is Joan.

Audrey gives up her birthright to rule Auroria, deciding that isn't the path for her. Naomi will rule Auroria instead. (Which was also what they were planning to do when they thought Audrey would be queen of Auradon).

Uma becomes leader of the Isle after D3, with Harry, Gil, and her crew acting as her advisors/council/soldiers.

OCs

Varian and Cassandra (from the Tangles series) are married and have two kids, Caelan and Valeria.

Anna and Kristoff are married and two sons, Alaric and Kade.

Raya has a son named River.

Maleficent has a younger brother named Kaveh, who comes to Auradon a few years after D3 to help stop a new threat. He previously lived in the Moorlands, the ancestral home of dark fairies and Maleficent's homeland.

Ally has a (currently unnamed) older brother.

Snow White and Prince Florian have a (currently unnamed) child.

Scar (who was turned into a human before being put on the Isle) has a daughter named Safiya.

Mirabel is married to a man named Rico and they have two kids, Anabel and Matteo. Others from Encanto also have kids, but most are currently unnamed.

Ships

Ben X Mal -- also known as Bal

Doug X Evie -- also known as Devie

Jane X Carlos -- also known as Jarlos

Jay X Lonnie -- also known as Jonnie

Harry X Uma -- also known as Huma

Chad X Freddie -- also known as Chaddie

Gil X Ally -- also known as Gilly

Hadie X Audrey -- also known as Hadrey

Zevon X CJ -- also known as Zelista

Maleficent X Hades (after Maleficent's redemption) also known as Mades

Some other ships that aren't as focused on:

Anthony X Harriet (Anthoniet)

Jade X Diego (Jadiego)

Li'l Shang, Celia, and Dizzy are shipped with OCs:

Li'l Shang is shipped with Safiya

Dizzy is shipped with Alaric

Celia is shipped with Caelan

We also refer to (some) best friend pairs with combined names:

Jordan and Ally are Jolly

Mal and Evie are Mevie

Jane and Freddie are Jaddie

Uma and Audrey are Umdrey

Lonnie CJ are Lonista

Not a name combination, but Uma and Freddie are Shell Sisters

[moprp]

im no baby, im a big brave girl! (and big girls dont cry!)

Eyy I’m finally done! This fic is dedicated to our dearest (and my favorite) authors, @wikluk and @adabofblessings!!! Since this is for said authors, I added small easter eggs for each. If u know, then u know ;)

Summary: Following her disastrous gift ceremony, little Mirabel thinks she isn’t allowed to sleep in the nursery anymore because she had her fifth birthday and that’s when the kids leave the nursery. Since there’s no other (her own) room for her, she feels the need to leave Casita, so she packs her things and tries to do so but she’s caught by Julieta/Agustin/both of them. Read to find out ;)

Word Count: 7178

(pls view the tags, they’re at the end of the post)

Happy reading! (constructive criticism is welcome!)

...

As soon as her big and pure eyes welled up with shiny tears, Julieta practically snatched Mirabel away, swiftly taking her to the nursery as whispers emitted from the courtyard. Something unexpected had happened; her door had dissipated into nothing, leaving a confused five-year-old looking to her parents for guidance. The event had shocked the whole Encanto at that very moment, and Pepa may or may not have thundered a couple of times, Julieta didn't notice, however, as her focus was locked on her youngest and her youngest only.

People are going to talk and she knew it, all of them did. But Julieta couldn't bring herself to care, all she could bring herself to think about is her Mirabel – her sweet and precious little mariposa that deserved every ounce of happiness.

As soon as she shut the door behind them, the tears that hung in Mirabel's eyes suddenly burst out, her body wracked with sobs as she cried into the fabric of Julieta's clothes. She clenched her mami's dress like a lifeline, her tiny knuckles turning pearly white. Julieta chewed at the inside of her cheek as she held her baby close to her chest, walking over to the bed meant for toddlers.

Mirabel, being a premature baby – although it's still slightly concerning on Julieta's part – had its perks. Fortunately, one of the said perks is being able to cuddle with her mamá on a single bed because of her smaller size.

As Mirabel and Julieta curled up together on the nursery bed, muffled sounds of Alma coaxing everyone to leave could be heard as well as what could possibly be the next hurricane started brewing, the temperature dropping significantly. Soft and barely audible squeaks were heard beyond the door and por dios, who knows what kind of nonsense rumors Dolores was currently hearing. The little voices of Isabela and Luisa bombarding their papá with questions about their hermanita made Julieta's heart constrict by an inch or two.

No one had answers right now.

Not that she minded, chasing Mirabel's sadness away is her mission at the moment.

"Mami?" her raw voice broke the older woman out of her thoughts as she sniffled quietly.

"Yes, mi vida?"

"Why didn't I get a gift? Did I do something wrong? Is Abuela mad at me?"

She ignored the feeling of her lungs ceasing to function. Just the fact that her hija's mind is currently raising with such thoughts gave her an unsettling sensation in the pit of her stomach. 

"I have no idea, corazón. Your Abuela could never be mad at you, she's simply just as surprised as the rest of us are." she stroked her curly locks with her fingers, eyes never leaving her glossy ones.

"I thought maybe Abuela's angry with me and that's why I didn't get a gift."

Mirabel and transgression do not mix. How could a toddler be capable of committing a horrible mistake for the miracle to reject her? It's simply implausible, especially when she seems to have a special connection to Casita more than anyone else in the family.

"You did nothing wrong, amor. You did everything you were told. Your papi, Isa, Lulu, and I are so proud of you for being brave out there." she booped Mirabel on the nose, making her tears momentarily halt as she gave a small smile.

Good.

She's still smiling despite the circumstances.

"I was?"

"Sí, mi vida, you were mi valiente bebé!" she gave her daughter a tight hug, driving out some giggles from the toddler.

"I'm no baby, mamá! I was a big brave girl out there!"

"Ay mi vida, bebé or not, you're still our brave little mariposa." she attacked the young girl with smooches to the face, eliciting loud and hearty squeals.

Julieta internally smiled wide as Mirabel stopped crying, her focus was now on her dress, tiny fingers tracing every detail of embroidery on her clothes. She had always been interested in these kinds of things, the healer couldn't help but wonder if her youngest would grow up to be a tailor, just like her papi. Once Mirabel began dumping her mamá with questions about yarn and such, she released a breath she didn't know she held. Her hija was here, she was fine. She was able to chase the sadness away this time.

The failed gift ceremony would awaken something else within the family, she knew. Based on mamá's reaction alone, it had already started. The way her warm expression flashed multiple emotions in such a short duration could make anyone who had witnessed it stutter. Warmth, confusion, horror, stone-cold, professional, it was almost terrifying. She kept her gaze on Mirabel and wished the stars that she wouldn't be faced with any more burdens. She may have dodged the burdens of having a gift, but she knows it won't stop there. This time, she’ll be forced to carry the heavy weights of being giftless.

All alone too.

Because she is the first. The first to be centered in an unimaginable light. She's the only Madrigal who was born into the family only to not receive a blessing from the candle. Had the candle deemed her unworthy? Did they simply have to retry the whole ceremony to get a gift? Or did the candle truly just have other plans for Mirabel?

Too many questions and none to be answered, sadly.

"Mira?"

"Yes, mami?" she looked up to her madre, an innocent glow in her eyes.

"Promise me you'll be my strong amor. Stand tall and be proud of who you are, be brave no matter what happens. Because gift or no gift, you're just as special as anyone else in this family. Do you understand?"

Mirabel smiled brightly, the twinkling of her irises unfading at the newfound strength. "Of course mami, I promise!" she held up her pinky and Julieta followed as their fingers curled against one another. "I pinky promise!"

Her heart swelled with affection and she couldn't hold back the maternal instinct that flooded her entire being at that moment. For the millionth time today, she showered Mirabel with kisses as she squirmed. "Bien. ¡Ay, te amo mi cosa linda!" she exclaimed between the spray of smooches.

The toddler's squirms died down as soon as Julieta hummed her a soothing lullaby. She'd always favored this tune, even when she was an unborn baby living in her womb. She recalled Mirabel was a restless baby, always making her mamá's heart flutter with each movement she made. Whenever she heard the voice of someone she liked, she'd kick and maneuver with double enthusiasm. Once, Agustín had been talking to a very awake Mirabel as Julieta lay resting on the bed, listening to the conversation her esposo started with the baby about how chocolate is created. Out of nowhere, Mirabel unknowingly kicked Julieta's spine and had her bedridden for a good week, but her hija didn't need to know that. She followed her soft singing with gentle strokes on her back, hoping to ease any remaining traces of pain her mariposa was feeling.

As if on cue, the door to the nursery echoed with a soft knock, followed by a creek. Agustín peaked his head in the small crack, followed by Isabela and Luisa. "Hey mis amores, are we interrupting anything?"

Mirabel perked up, eyes wide and clear with excitement. "Papi! Isa! Lu!" she gently released herself from her mother's grasp before speeding to the door, letting all three of them in.

He chuckled as he watched all of his hijas hold each other in tight hugs, their chubby cheeks colliding together from the side. "I'll take that as a no." he ruffled Mirabel's hair as she giggled. "Doing good, Miraboo?"

"Yes, Papá!" She moved to hug his legs and was surrounded by her sisters in a second. She let go and faced them, only to bring them both into another embrace. The sweet display warmed the parent's hearts, possibly faster than some of Pepa's mood swings. Julieta stood up and regarded Agustín, hand automatically reaching in to hold his big and warm one as they looked at the scene before them.

"We were worried about you, Mira." Isabela quietly admitted and with a wave of her hand, she created Mirabel's favorite flower as she tucked it between her brown strands.

"Yeah, I thought something bad happened. I was ready to fight for you!" Luisa said, pulling her little sister off her feet and setting her on her shoulders while securely holding her thighs, making Mirabel shine bright and squeal in surprise.

"I'm okay, hermanas. Mami said I was a big brave girl out there!" she said with as much smugness she could muster. She glanced at her mother with a smile before diverting her attention back to her sisters.

"Mami said I'm brave too, you know." Isabela piped in with a playful roll of her eyes.

"Uh-huh, were you brave when you found an ant living in one of your flowers?"

"Hey! At least I didn't scream as loud as Luisa did when a butterfly landed on her finger!" she retorted.

"I want no part in this conversation." Luisa inquired with raised eyebrows.

"You don't like butterflies, Luisa? You make me sad." she feigned offense.

As the light-hearted conversation turned into some ordinary sibling bickering, Julieta instinctively squeezed Agustín's hand tighter as the latter reciprocated the action. She hoped this bond between their girls wouldn't change despite the events earlier.

At some point in the night, the girls had somehow squeezed themselves into Mirabel's bed without one of them falling off as they drifted into a peaceful slumber together.

Julieta looked on, her tilted head slightly; she couldn't help the toothy grin and contented sigh that slipped out.

Agustín bumped her hip with his. "We raised tres niñas pequeñas properly, didn't we?"

She hummed in response, her eyes never leaving the relaxed expressions of their daughters. He's right; Isabela, despite sealing herself off ever since her gift ceremony, is still the same bebé they had held in their arms after her birth, always so thoughtful and sweet. And Luisa, oh their adorable niña. She'd had unfortunately taken her overworking habit after her madre, though that didn't stop her from being equally loving and caring to everyone. Lastly, Mirabel. Ay, this child, such a young soul, and yet she's already gone through too much for her age. But even after being rejected by the candle, she kept a brave face. The way Mirabel's eyes welled up with tears as she looked longingly at her parents. The way none of those tears spilled until she was alone and in her mother's arms is a sight Julieta wouldn't forget anytime soon. The image will be permanently drilled into Julieta's skull, as well as Agustín's, despite his absence during the first half of their little get-away circle in the nursery.

It was getting rather late, however, Agustín didn't want to have to leave their side, especially not so soon after what had happened. It seemed like Julieta read his mind, for she felt the same, the idea of leaving her niñas right now could fall down a well, for all she cared. Suddenly, an idea popped up in her head and she glanced around the room.

"Casita?" the wooden floor flipped in response.

"Could you fetch me a double mattress, pillows, and a blanket por favor?” Julieta asked, “We would like to sleep here for the evening."

And just like that, with another flip of the wooden floorboards, a mattress came into frame, along with the pillows and blankets she'd asked for. Considering everything had come from under the floorboards, Julieta was utterly surprised when she noticed that none of the items were dusty or molded. Their magical casa truly works wonders, as her mamá said.

She smiled and patted the wall, hoping to convey the message that she was grateful. "Gracias, Casita." The house repeated its earlier actions, but this time, it bounced a roll of blue yarn up and down in response to Julieta.

They both settled down, pulling one another close as they pondered today's happenings. Today had been hectic indeed, from making sure the food and decorations were well-prepared, to fretting over Mirabel, the parents were expecting a perfect day, but today was far from perfect. Instead, they got themselves a bittersweet day.

They weren't blind to the misery of the Madrigals, no. They could see it in themselves, but also others. The way Pepa would walk around with a looming cloud threatening to spill water, almost like her own tears. The way Félix would follow his esposo around to bring comfort and whisper sweet nothings to her ear. The way Dolores winces when someone claps or shouts, hell, she even approached Julieta to ask for something that'd make her sensory overload fade. Camilo is still in the early stages of being a Madrigal, eventually, he will have a crisis too, despite their dismay about it. The way Bruno would shy away from basically anyone in fear of being called ‘Bad Luck Bruno’ like the town claims him to be. The way Isabela looks to her Abuela for approval, when, in fact, she doesn't need it. And finally, the way Luisa could never just say no. Behind closed doors, the miracle is both a blessing and a curse. It's tied to every Madrigal, unfortunately.

"I'm scared for her, Agustín. I'm afraid of what she might experience just because she's different."

"Lo sé, me too. All we can do is be there for her, amor." he ran his long fingers through her thick and curly hair as she stifled a yawn. This, however, did not go unnoticed by Agustín. "Sleep now, corazón, you need energy for tomorrow, we'll take it one day at a time."

Right, one day at a time.

~~~~

As Mirabel opened her eyes, she noticed one figure cuddled up next to her, Isabela. She knew based on the flower scent and the soft snoring alone, though as she looked to her left, she frowned once she noticed Luisa was gone.

Ay Lulu, Mirabel figured she was probably already in town overworking herself and as she slowly sat up, she climbed off the bed, careful not to accidentally hit Isabela and wake her up. She took her green glasses and gingerly put them on, watching as the world around her sharpened. Only then had she realized that next to the bed was a huge mattress where her papi slept alone, snoring softly against the pillows. Her mamá was nowhere to be seen, probably already in the kitchen cooking breakfast for the family. Her insides jumped with glee at the idea of getting to spend the morning with her mami, despite it practically being a personal ritual for the pair. Everyday since she could walk, Mirabel would wander into the kitchen and babble to Julieta nonstop until the food was fully prepared. Today was no different as she quietly exited the nursery and silently walked down the stairs, intending to surprise her madre as soon as she entered the kitchen.

However, instead of the soothing sounds of chopping and light sizzling, the voices of Abuela and her mamá were heard and none of them sounded happy.

Mirabel knew eavesdropping isn't good, in fact, she was about to turn around and give them some privacy when she heard her name in the conversation. Why are they talking about her? Is it because of her ceremony? But as people say, curiosity killed the cat, she couldn't help but listen in.

"Mija, have you perhaps talked to Mirabel about redoing the ceremony? She was originally supposed to get her gift, however, it failed." Abuela said, her voice laced with worry.

"What are you implying, mamá? That Mirabel isn't perfect without a gift? She'll do completely fine without one." Woah, she wasn't expecting her Mamá to have such a thick and aggressive tone in contrast to her usual voice, which was the exact opposite; soft and comforting. If her mama sounds upset, it must be bad.

"That's not what I meant, Julieta. I asked because the nursery is meant for Madrigals before their ceremony, not afterward. Shouldn't she have her own room instead of the nursery?" Abuela tried again, though Julieta was having none of it.

"Nothing's wrong with mi hija staying in the nursery, we can decorate it according to her desires" she said sharply as sounds of something being swiftly chopped made itself audible to her ears.

"Julieta, I know our magic is strong. It wouldn't just reject Mirabel so easily."

Julieta sighed, she seemed to want to bite back with something else, but held her tongue instead, almost as if she sensed another presence listening in on their conversation.

"Mamá..."

"We have to redo the ceremony, mija. I've asked Bruno for a vision. He still hasn't come up with something, so it's better to act now, just in case."

"No Mamá, I will not have my Mirabel do it again."

"What if it works this time?"

The healer said nothing. Yes, normally she'd let things slide when it comes to her madre, however today, she had hit a sore spot that made Julieta jump into action with zero hesitation. Mirabel wondered what could've been so sore about redoing the whole ceremony. Abuela was right, there's a chance it would work the second time! But since she'd eavesdropped, she could only wait for one of the adults to approach her with the idea to avoid being outed for listening in on someone else's conversation.

Then, it dawned on her: big girls don't sleep in nurseries after their ceremony, that's when they sleep in their new room.

But since she hadn't gotten her new room, where would she stay? Her mami and papi's room seemed the most appealing, although she couldn't bring herself to burden her parents. Besides, she's a big brave girl that can take on anything, as her mamá had said! Being brave meant keeping your burdens to yourself, and so, she did. She'd find a way around the issue eventually, for her familia.

What broke her out of her little daydream were heavy footsteps approaching the main area of the casa. She scurried away from the kitchen, ducking behind a giant vase that towers over her. She peeked around the corner just in time to see Abuela muttering a prayer of some sort while walking up the stairs, shutting the door behind her. Once she knew the coast was clear, she hurried to her mamá and greeted her with a warm smile.

"Buenos días, mamá!" she hugged her legs from behind, earning a soft chuckle from the older woman.

"Buenos días, mi amor. Did you rest well?" she watched as the five-year-old carefully climbed on the stool provided next to her.

"Sí, papi and Isa were snoring," Mirabel said with a fake pout, Julieta couldn't help the sudden urge to pinch her chubby cheeks. As expected, Mirabel grimaced and attempted to wrestle out of her mother's grasp to no avail.

"Don't let Isa catch you saying that."

"I'm not scared of a few cacti and a flower punch to the face, mami!"

At that, the healer momentarily paused before resuming her task of cutting vegetables and laughing lightly. "Ay Mira, do you think more gray hairs would do your mamá any good?"

Mirabel vigorously shook her head and gave an innocent smile as she watched Julieta continue with her work with a contemplative look on her face.

"Why don't you wake the rest of the familia up? Breakfast is almost ready."

With a quick sí mamá and a peck on the cheek, Mirabel rushed out of the room to fulfill her newfound task. She slowly trotted up the stairs and scanned her surroundings. Taking in the exchange between Abuela and her mami from earlier, it did make sense to her. If not the nursery, then where would she sleep tonight? She pondered her options: mami and papi's room is the most appealing idea, but she's a brave girl! And brave girls don't sleep in their parent's room. Isabela's room? No, it smelled of too many flower scents, it was almost nauseating and Mirabel wouldn't be able to handle it for long. Luisa's? Maybe. Based on the four times she had been in her hermana's room, she knows there's a huge pile of stuffed animals that resides in one of the corners. She could use that as a bed, although her room is known to be cold during the evening and slightly damp in the wee hours of the morning, and her mamá would fret over her if she catches something as small as a cold, so maybe not. Camilo's room? Too many mirrors, it's enough to give anybody a headache. She wonders how her primo manages to stay in his room without his head spinning. Dolores' room? Too soundproof. Besides, Dolores' room is her safe haven where no noise could be heard, so having a sleepover with her prima would be a nuisance. Tia Pepa and Tio Félix? If Mirabel has been observing them correctly, there hasn't been a day where her Tia Pepa hasn't drizzled at least once. The idea of wet clothing at some point in the night made Mirabel quickly throw the thought away. Anyways, she wouldn't want to be a witness to something possibly gross, especially when Tia and Tio seem to always be making those goo-goo eyes at each other. She grimaced and moved on to the other options. Tio Bruno's room is full of sand and stone, her little feet wouldn't be able to take walking up and down for meals and chores. Abuela's room is naturally off-limits, so scratch that.

Huh.

She frowned once she noticed the options weren't in her favor. If not inside their Casita, then...

She'd sleep outside! Where? Maybe in Señora Guzman's place. Wait no, if she went to anybody from town and asked to have a little sleepover with them, someone in the family would know about her top-secret plan and she couldn't risk her cover being blown, so she quickly erased the woman from the picture.

In the forest? Yes! She remembered the countless camping stories from her papá that the outside world of the Encanto was beautiful, full of plant and animal life, not to mention the number of butterflies and animal species that have yet to be discovered! The comfortable grass and giant banana leaves would do as bedding, she'd just have to bring a blanket and a lamp to scare off any predators. She could be resourceful with what she had!

Forest it is, then.

With her mind set on her big girl plans, she spent the rest of the day contemplating the best way to execute her plan flawlessly. From picking out the bag she'd use, to the amount of food she'd have to steal as midnight snacks (she internally apologized to her mamá for the sin she was about to commit), to how many stuffed toys she'd bring with her. It's just one night though, she'd come back in the morning with gifts for her familia!

Evening rolled around and greeted them with a cold breeze through the dimly-lit casa. Mirabel snuck out of dinner as soon as she devoured all her food and stayed in her room, the next step to her plan calls!

The whole day, she'd held her tongue, knowing if she did as much as mutter it, Dolores would hear her and tell everyone. Big brave girls don’t let their top secrets be known to others! In her mind, the plan was perfect. However, if anyone else from the Madrigal family found out – excluding Julieta, she'll probably go into a frenzy – they would shoot her worried glances and whisper to one another because, in the eyes of others, this plan is less than ideal. Worried glances and brave girls don't mix, in Mirabel's vocabulary.

~~~~

Mother's intuition, they say.

Julieta attempted to shake off the growing uncomfortable feeling in her stomach as she rinsed the dishes clean, her sleeves rolled up and several hair strands escaping her loose bun.

Something seems off about Mirabel.

The way Mirabel had acted today was incredibly suspicious; very unlike her. As she was preparing breakfast, the way her brows scrunched together in deep thought for a good 10 minutes caused her to frown slightly. Usually, her little mariposa would be talking about nothing in particular, each passing minute with no brakes. Every moment with her is never silent, especially for more than five minutes. Even the way she walked up the stairs seemed unusual. Her steps were slow and faint, very brow-raising for her normally bright and loud self, typically running up the stairs in fits of giggles – cackles even.

Once dinner had rolled around, instead of dishing up right after the prayer, she focused her attention on her youngest, who sat directly across the table with Camilo to her right, and Luisa to her left. As the rest of the family took their fair share of the meal (except Camilo, since 7 arepas had already been stacked on his plate), Mirabel's eyes locked with hers. Her eyes held fear for a split before being replaced with the brightest of smiles. Julieta returned a warm grin, taking a personal note to check in with her hija later in the evening. In all her years of living, she could tell the difference between a genuine smile and a masked smile. Hell, her eldest and middle child have been wearing it ever since their ceremonies. Mirabel's was uncharacteristically incomplete, lacking the glimmering effect in her eyes that's present each time she shows her baby teeth.

She did find it somewhat comforting to watch Mirabel gobble up all of her food, like a hungry wolf that hadn't eaten in days, ever so slightly muttering a gracias mama.

At least her appetite is favorable. It's only been a day since the failed gift ceremony, and that, without a doubt, drained Mirabel out. Maybe she's just imagining things, she'd have more time to observe other changes in the days to follow.

Healing the pain on the inside is her ideal wish, even if it sounds like such a pipe dream. If only her gift worked in her favor, allowing her to heal literally anything then she wouldn't have to worry much, wouldn't have a bunch of gray hairs at the unripe age of forty.

Actually, that's a lie, Agustín would probably force all her hair to go white before she even hits sixty, with all his accident-proneness.

She completed the dishes and wiped her hands on her apron, more than ready to head upstairs and give out smooches to her bebés. As if summoned, slender arms snaked around her waist, locking her in place as the scent of someone familiar entered her nostrils.

"Good evening, mi amor." he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, nuzzling her hair and inhaling the unmistakable smell of herbs.

"Hello, to you too, mi vida." she chuckled and cupped the side of his face.

He hummed as they remained still for a while, sulking in the comfortable silence that befell them. Taking in the state of his wife; her hair is messier than usual, forehead lines are more defined, and her eyes look distant as if her head is far, far away. Somehow, an unspoken language was heard on his end.

"You're concerned," he concluded, "What about?"

She released a shaky sigh. "It's Mirabel. Something seems... off about her since this morning, I'm confused as to what it is." Agustín hummed, he seems to have the same thought, at least she knows it isn't all in her head. "If she had caught infection, it would've been healed since breakfast and lunch, but she still seems quiet. I can't wrap my finger around it, Tíno."

"You're right about that, Juli.""Have you checked on her?"

"Not yet, I thought I should get my wrist healed before doing so." With that, Julieta whipped her head around only to be greeted with her husband's beat-up sight. His hair was ruffled, his head bruised in some areas and just like his description, his wrist was broken and swelling red, she'd been so caught up in her thinking that she hadn't even noticed the limp hand dangling around her waist! "Mirabel wouldn't want to see her papá in such a state."

"Ay, Agustín." Exasperated, she snatched a hidden supply of arepas from her apron and shoved it into his mouth, patting him on the cheek like she always does. With a gracias corazón, she spoke again. "What happened to you?"

He gave her a sheepish grin. "I slammed face-first into a wall."

"How did that break your wrist?" she sputtered at the absurdity.

"Your guess is as good as mine."

She raised her hands in the air and turned, walking to the kitchen door. Agustín internally cursed at the loss of contact from his esposo. "I'm going to check on her."

She took a step, two–

"I'm coming with y – ACK!" he tripped over – literally nothing in particular, just the air – and landed with a hard thud on the concrete floor.

She turned and sighed, hands on her hips. It's not even 10 in the evening yet he's gotten into 6 accidents tonight. Walking over to his frame, she assisted him in standing upright, not even bothering to see his injuries over. She handed him another snack before taking him by the hand, anything to ensure this silly man doesn't get himself hurt again, and shutting the kitchen lights off.

Ay.

Unexpectedly, the tiles under their feet began to shuffle as Casita ushered them out of the kitchen faster. The casa seemed determined to complete its mission, so she didn't protest. Instead, she made sure her esposo wouldn't fall flat on his face again as they glided across the floor.

"Casita?"

~~~~

In the five years Mirabel has been living in Casita, wrestling with the house isn't one of the things she ever thought of doing over a packing session. At least her prima had already turned in for the night, so she didn't have to worry about being heard as she caused a ruckus in the nursery.

"Casita, I'm about to go on a trip tonight. Help me out!" she huffed when the house bounced her back on her bed, hiding the items she'd been secretly planning to take with her.

Her bedro–the nursery is currently in such a messy state, clothes strewn everywhere rooting from her–the dresser, tiny shoes scattered and missing pairs, her blankets hanging atop some of the tall furniture to keep her from leaving.

"Casita, this is for the best! I'll return tomorrow morning and the days to come will be filled with surprises for mi familia! That way, everyone will be happy with me again.

"The house responded by moving the windowsill disapprovingly.

Mirabel bit her lip as she thought of ways to convince the casa to set her free.

Camilo!

Even before his ceremony, he's got one of the best convincing skills out of everyone in the whole Encanto! She remembered the way he'd showcase his adorable puppy eyes at Tia Pepa, scrunching his brows and pouting, resulting in him getting his way, or when he'd use his words to manipulate her mamá into giving him another serving of his favorite food.

Tia Julieta, would you want your sobrino to go hungry? I'm a growing boy with growing needs!

To which her mamá would respond with a just one, don't tell your mamá then she'd ruffle his hair and send him off as if nothing had ever happened. Maybe, just maybe, it'd work with their live casa too.

"You wouldn't want me breaking the rules, would you? The nursery is for babies, and I'm no baby! I'm a big girl who can handle herself, especially after my gift ceremony.

"Another low shuffle, but this time, of the floorboards.

"Abuela said I can't sleep here anymore. Shouldn't we follow her orders?" She tried her best to impersonate Camilo's cutesy eyes at the house, internally crossing her fingers that it'd be enough to convince the house.A beat of silence.

Before she knew it, her bags were being pushed out from the walls and set neatly at her feet with everything she had packed inside. She smiled wide and kissed the wall. "Gracias Casita!"

It actually worked.

She made a mental note to use this method whenever she wanted to play with Isabela or Luisa, or if she wanted her papá to continue with another song on the piano, if she wanted her Tia Pepa to make another rainbow or if–She shook the distracting thoughts off. Focus is what she needs! Focus!

The house, although incredibly reluctant, responded with another shift of the wooden floor as Mirabel carried on with her packing. She wouldn't need much, just the necessities for one night. Blankets, socks, a small pillow, extra clothes, and of course, her butterfly stuffed animal. All she needed now were healing snacks. Of course, finding them wouldn't be a problem. The only issue is that her mamá is known for staying in the kitchen to clean up and prepare for the next day, even late in the evening. Dodging her will be a challenge, knowing her mami would freak out if she ever got caught and found something suspicious in her mannerisms.

Her eyes gleamed when a small hatch in the wall opened, revealing a little box neatly packed with arepas and jugged milk. "Gracias!" she squealed, before shoving said box into her bag.

Now, all she had to do was ensure nobody was outside, and slip outside the front doors. Easy.

Is this considered running away? Well, maybe. But it’s different because she’s coming back! Besides, she's doing it for a good reason! Abuela had a point; Madrigal children aren't supposed to stay in the nursery after their ceremony. Sadly, getting a darn gift was the only way to make her Abuela proud, and yet it had failed, she had failed in making her familia proud. Yes, she's a little terrified of leaving at night, especially when her mamá repeated to her time and time again not to, since that's when mosquitoes are most active and she might get bitten by a bug carrying some sort of disease. But this little camping trip could be another way to make them happy after the public humiliation they had faced during her ceremony, to fulfill her promise to her mami of being a strong and brave girl! She inhaled deeply.

For la familia Madrigal.

With that, she ever so gently creaked the door open and peaked left, then right.

Clear.

No sounds were heard, except the loud echoing of crickets around the house. Shutting the door behind her, she camouflaged herself with the teal and lavender flowers Isabela had grown a while back, looking down into the courtyard for any figure to avoid. It was dark, only being lit by a handful of candles in the corner along with the welcoming moonlight. It was on moments like these when she'd thank her mami for giving birth to her early because that resulted in her small size. If not through vision, the only way to spot Mirabel is through sound, easy enough. Casita moved some tiles as if to tell her to be careful.

"I'll be okay, Casita. I'm a big girl now," she whispered as she quietly slipped down the stairs, mindful as to not make a peep despite the coast being clear. She's super close, she can't mess up now! Not after her huge mistake the previous night.

Finally, finally, she reached the front door. Her ears ringing with bells, she thought about what the next morning would bring. This is it, when she comes back the next morning, her family will be here to greet her and cheer for her bravery. Tomorrow, she'd be given a tight hug from everyone with proud faces instead of concerned and anxious ones. She can already feel the sweet taste of victory coursing through her veins, giving her a giant sense of control. She wasn't able to control herself during her ceremony, but now, with this big decision, she's able to! With her slowly widening smile, she reached for the golden doorknob and felt a rush of déjà vu, like when she touched her doorknob. The single action that could've given her a gift, if done right.

"What do you think you're doing, young lady?"

~~~~

Gripping her now healed husband's hand with great determination to prevent him from tripping, they exited the kitchen as the tiles underneath suddenly came to a halt at the side of the courtyard.

It's either her eyes were playing tricks on her or she's just incredibly exhausted, either way, she's pretty certain that a ball of curly brown hair appeared in her peripheral vision to her left for a short moment.

She craned her head in the direction of where she thought the weird encounter was and froze, squeezing – maybe even breaking – his hand as she clutched him tight. Agustín thankfully didn't react and seemed to sense her instant rigidness.

"Amor?" he softly called out to her, his facial features writing concerned and matching her vibe as he turned to what she had her gaze on.

Then, he saw it.

Their five-year-old hija carrying a bag half her size and reaching for the door. On any day, this wouldn't seem irregular, mainly because their little Mirabel loved playing outside and chasing mariposas with some snacks from Julieta. The sight would never stop melting their hearts. Still, it doesn't change the fact that everyone in the family has a curfew. Nobody is allowed to leave their casa after dinner, to avoid wild animals and diseases being transmitted. But seeing Mirabel slowly turn the knob – with no lamp to scare off possible predators – snapped them out of their little awe-struck moment, Julieta was the first one to recover.

Putting her hands on her hips, she channeled her rarely-used inner strict voice and spoke. "What do you think you're doing, young lady?"

Mirabel jumped, turning in their direction in an instant and accidentally dropping her bag. The piece of fabric hit the tiles with a soft thud as the well-packed food escaped the folds, exposing the other items within her sack. Their eyes traveled over Mirabel, then to the scattered things on the floor, then back at her. Piecing together what could be their worst nightmare.

Mirabel? Running away?

Agustín almost choked up at the mere thought and without even looking over, he could tell Julieta was willing herself not to cry.

They understood now that she had been trying to get away, to somehow correct the non-existent mistakes she made during her ceremony, the regret creeping in like snakes slowly slithering behind their prey. It further confirmed their suspicions when a box with Julieta's specially baked food slipped out, revealing the additional goods stuffed inside the sack Mirabel was carrying. The items that she’d bring to her dangerous voyage outside and at night.

As they stood frozen in silence, Julieta was the first to break it, transitioning from a strict mami to a comforting mami. She ran over to Mirabel and enveloped her in a tight embrace as Agustín joined them in a millisecond. "Ay, mi vida, you don't have to leave just because you're different."

That seemed to hit a sensitive spot, as Mirabel collapsed into their warm arms, her sobs muffled by Julieta's thick apron. "I'm s-sorry m-mamá, papá. I thought I w-was making you p-proud." she heaved and shook, clutching onto both of their clothes.

"Mira, we're already proud of you. You have nothing to prove." Julieta held her in a death grip, hoping she wouldn’t accidentally crush her mariposa.

"But Abuela said that I shouldn't sleep in the nursery anymore because I'm a big girl and I already had my ceremony and that I should sleep somewhere else and you said I was brave so I thought I could sleep outside to be your big brave girl!" she practically rapped and sobbed, dropping the forgotten bag on the floor.

Ah, so she had heard.

"Mi amor, listen to me." Julieta pulled back and stared straight into Mirabel's puffy red eyes as Agustín remained unmoving, still clutching her despite the shift in motion. "Being brave – which you already are –" she emphasized her point by lightly tapping her nose, earning the smallest of smiles. "doesn't mean running away and endangering yourself. We don't do those two things, okay?" a nod. "Not everything your Abuela says is right, she's human too, she has moments where she's wrong. Venturing into the wilderness to search for your own room isn't a good idea, corazón. Since you didn't receive your own room, the nursery is all yours. Do you understand?"

Mirabel looked up at her from under her eyelashes as her lower lip wobbled again, water gathering at her eyes once more. "Lo s-siento." she dove back into both her parent's loving embrace and let all the emotions pour out, all the stress, all the pent-up emotions in just one day.

She's got a long road ahead.

"Está bien, mi bebé. Don't cry."

~~~~

As they tucked in for the night, Julieta glanced over to her right, where Mirabel had been asleep on the nursery bed for a good duration, snoring ever so slightly. Ay, the snoring from all her babies is definitely something they took after her esposo, without a doubt. But she wouldn’t change that for the world; she adores all of them equally. She thought about today's events and smiled once her hijas question echoed in her head again.

Can you sleep with me again, mamá y papá?

To which they agreed without a second thought. Another sleepover with one of their hijas? They wouldn't miss it for anything.

"What's your mamá going to think once she finds out you gave Miraboo full ownership of the nursery?"

"What is she going to do? Kick Mirabel out? She isn't that heartless, mi vida."

He let out a laugh. "You did it, Juli. You didn't even need my help when talking to our mariposa back there." Agustín held her hand from under the sheets, meeting her eyes with a soft smile before gently meeting her lips.

She smirked. "It was mother's intuition."

"Hey! What about father's intuition? I was the one that forced you to leave the kitchen just in time to catch Mirabel."

"Did you trip on purpose just to guide me out of the kitchen?" she looked appalled, her brows raised.

He gave a light-hearted chuckle. "Well, yes. It's what I've been doing since we got married. Besides, Casita indirectly helped me out too!"

"You're banned from setting foot in my kitchen, including my bedroom.”

Which is ironic. Julieta's room is basically a personal kitchen with extra comfortable furniture.

One, two, three-

"Amor, your room doesn't count!"

Ay Agustín.

...

Thanks for readingg

[needs-to-stop-looking-at-valves]

Birthday sex for Agustin? I know his birthday has passed but would be great to read something from you about it 😁 (only if you want of course)

Hey, better late than never!

"No...no mimis."

Agustín chuckled at his little girl. He had been on his feet all day, doing things his girls wanted to for his birthday. A picnic, a dance routine they made up for him (he had difficulties reading Isa's notes for the piano, but he managed), gifts, shots (in the form of apple juice. Isa had a HIGH tolerance it seemed), and of course, co celebrating Father's day with his best friend, and brother in law. He was tired, and he was waiting for little Luisa to finally pass out. We had Isa, his little party girl, already in her bedroom, now he needed Lulu.

"Shhh. It's okay. Mi bebé is tired. Mimis, ya."

He put her in her bed, covered her up, and patted her butt, until he knew absolutely and for sure that she was down for the count. He left the room quietly, shut the door quietly, and quietly saved a vase from falling onto the floor. Geez he did so much work on his birthday. Not that he minded, he loved his family. He made it to his room, and stretched as he made it to the all too familiar bed. Julieta's bed was the best in the house. Soft, smelled like spring water and herbs.

"Mi vida! I just put the girls to bed!"

"Seriously? Even Isabela?"

"Isabela was easy, LUISA fought me. Oh it was so cute, she said she already missed me, even as I held her. I love her. I love ALL my girls!!"

He cried out to her as he started to take off his clothes. He usually had night time pajamas, but he felt like just going in underwear for tonight. It's late, but still his birthday, he got to have that, right?

"You already in bed?"

He tried not to sigh. She wanted him to do something. He couldn't complain, he loved her, but damn was he just tired.

"Not yet! What's up?"

"I have one more birthday surprise for you! Siéntate! And close your eyes!"

Agustín did as she said, and he felt her weight as she sat on the bed next to him. He heard a flicker of what sounded like a lighter, before she nudged him.

"Go on. Open."

He opened his eyes, and on a cute plate, was the world's cutest little cake, all for him. It was blue, with little purple flowers on it. He chuckled, letting his wife lean against his shoulder.

"You made this for me? Aw, mi amor."

"I felt bad that you didn't get to eat any cake, and that it was a flavor you didn't like to begin with. So, I made you a little one while you were having your picnic. Figured I'd sing you happy birthday without being interrupted."

"Go on. You know I love your voice."

She cleared her throat dramatically, making him chuckle. She was such a card sometimes.

"Cumpleaños feliz, te deseamos a ti, cumpleaños, Agustín, cumpleaños feliz~...happy?"

"Very. With you, I ALWAYS am."

He leaned down to kiss her, relishing how soft and tender her hand was against his face. She gently parted, eyes focusing on his lips.

"Do you smell something burning?"

"That's my heart, mi amor."

"No I'm serious, what is...oh my god your hair!"

He saw a bit of fire, right on the tip of his hair in front of his face, and he was about to panic, when his wife licked her fingers, and snuffed the flame on his hair, sighing in relief.

"Ay Agustín. Make a wish before you give me a heart attack."

"I wish to be this happy forever. Or to be fire proof."

He blew the candle out quickly, and watched as her little finger swiped a bit of frosting for herself. She looked so cute with something in her mouth.

"Sorry, couldn't help it."

"Funny. That's what I say when I see you."

He couldn't help himself. He leaned in for another kiss. Then another. Then another. Her hand wandered up his chest, making it's way to his lips and breaking their kiss.

"How about I give you just one more gift?"

"Your presence is enough. Buuut I won't say no if you happen to come up with something."

She rolled her eyes playfully at him, before kissing his forehead, and excusing her to her dressing room. He watched her as she walked on, before he leaned back, enjoying his cake. It was sweet, detectable, just as much as she was. He leaned up to put the empty plate on the night stand, just in time to see her. And holy. Shit.

"You're staring. Is that good or bad? It's new, Pepa said it looked good on me but I think it's sort of...small?"

She turned her back towards him to pick at her blue panties, trying to keep it from giving her a wedgie. She definitely needed a size bigger, but he definitely liked it. It squished her frame in all the right places, and her breasts were damn near spilling out of the bra. Ever since he's known her, she's been a THICK woman. Thick thighs, hips, and breasts. God her breasts were perfect.

"I think it looks perfect on you. But, if you want me to get a closer look."

He did that eyebrow wiggle that always made her smile. He did that right when they started dating, and neither of them have grown sick of it yet. She walked over to him, and made a show of sitting on his lap, wrapping her arms and legs around his frame.

"Mmm...You're already hard, Agustín."

"Can you blame me? I have a beautiful, caring, compassionate wife who has me wrapped around her finger and...ugh, you know I hate it when you do that."

She was starting to grind herself against her clothed erection, and you'd be crazy if you said you didn't like such a big ass rubbing against you. She chuckled, fingers strumming through his hair as she kissed his face.

"You love it. Now, it's your big day, what is it you want?"

"I could stand to hear a few ideas."

"You just want me to talk dirty to you."

He shrugged, trying to feign innocence.

"Me? The birthday boy? Never. I just like your opinion on things."

She gave him another roll of her eyes, before bringing her lips up to his ear, kissing his earlobe a few times as she kept grinding.

"Alright. I could do many things. I could suck you off, with your dick right between my tits, since I know you like making a mess. I could have you lay back as I milk all of that cum out of you, shove your face into my chest. I could let you fuck my ass, since I know you like it so much. Or, if you want to feel absolutely pathetic, I could grind on you, just like this, and make you cum in your underwear. Then, I could sit on that pretty face of yours while you touch yourself, and I MAKE you cum again for me."

Agustín could short circuit. His wife was usually so sweet and almost prudish, but every once and while she'd get...raunchy. And he really, REALLY liked raunchy Julieta. He gulped loud enough for her to hear it.

"Hijole- where did you learn to talk like that?"

"It's a secret. Now pick. Knowing your dick is ready for me is making me Impatient."

God he loved this woman so much. He thought about it for a second, before finally making a decision.

"Milk me. Please."

"Good choice. Now, sit back for mami,"

She pushed him onto his back with surprising strength, peeling off her panties and exposing her pussy.

"And let me do all the work."

He was going to say something, when she planted her underwear right on his face, keeping it firmly planted against his face. He should've thought it was gross, it was underwear for God's sake. But the soft feeling of the fabric, the smell of her wet cunt forced against his nose. It made his now exposed cock absolutely throb for her. He tensed up as she slowly sank down onto him, and he was seeing stars as his entire cock fit into her, all nice and snug.

"You cum whenever you want, Agustín. You won't get to stop till mami's ready. Understand?"

He nodded at her, words mumbled by the fabric. Then she rode him. It wasn't gentle at first, like usual. She used his cock to her satisfaction, filling the room with the wet sound of cock fucking pussy, and the sound of two sweaty body's skin smacking against one another. She was gorgeous, taking what she wanted. Her face flushed, her hair messy, her breasts bouncing as she moved.

"You're so good to me Agustín. I love this. I love you. I love this cock, I love how it feels inside of me. You're so pretty when I'm using you. Your own birthday, and you want me to take you. You like it when mami is a little heavy handed with you, don't you?"

She put a little more weight onto him, making it just a bit harder to breathe. Not that he minded. He just held onto her wrists, as if begging for some sort of mercy. He was throbbing, he was already close.

"Go on, cum. I won't stop. I need you, Agustín. I need the father of my children to feel empty. I need him to know his wife loves him so much. So much, she wants another baby from you. Dios, I've wanted you all day, watching you with our girls. I've been so WET for you-"

She didn't get to finish as he came. He tried to hold it, but he was never really good at that. He pumped seed into her, and she kept riding him, anything to squeeze more out of him. She was greedy, tongue sticking out of her pretty mouth as she refused to stop.

"You interrupted me. Bad, bad Agustín ~"

He was bad, and she was going to teach him to be good. By making him cum. Again. And again. She herself finally came at his fourth orgasm, and she clearly wanted to go again, but his poor body was aching, he had to gently pat at her arm to get her to finally grant mercy on him. She slid off of him and landed at his side, leaving them weak, and his cock throbbing painfully, as if screaming for a break. He put one hand over her frame, and the other kept the underwear to his face. He couldn't get enough of it. He took a deep inhale, before looking at his wife.

"H...happy birthday to me."

She snorted against his shoulder, clinging to his side like the cutest little snuggle bunny.

"I'm sorry, was that too much for you?"

"No, no. It was just. A lot. Hijole, best gift ever."

She leaned up to kiss his cheek, before sighing and closing her eyes.

"Good. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I love you."

"I love you too. Uh, question though."

"Hmm?"

"Where did you come up with the underwear thing? That feels like something you'd find gross."

She shrugged, drawing little circles into his chest.

"'Of Demons and Desires', third volume, chapter three."

"What?"

"Er, I mean. It was just. Something I thought of. Now get some sleep while you can, we have kids."

"Oh my god we do. I love them. Except the part where they hate sleep. Hate that part."

She chuckled, giving him a bit of a squeeze.

"We should have another."

"We should. Maybe a girl."

"Maybe a boy."

"Maybe twins?"

"Oh don't you even."

Agustín leaned down to kiss her forehead, before resting his chin on her head, and having one thought as he slowly fell asleep.

His family was the greatest gift of all.

[droppingdonkeys]

◆ (My Agustin (i know he's a by request muse but... he wants to hug his daughter!!))

Send a symbol for your muse to gently touch mine by: 

◆ : wrapping your arms around them from behind @thelostmadrigals

It’s almost midnight. And it’s dark out, so 12-year old Luisa (who is still scared of the dark) has lit up a candle, and is at the dining table, trying to do her homework. It’s very often now that she is pulled early out of school just so she can help in the village. While she is happy to help out (it’s almost a year since tío Bruno went away), she is regrettably getting behind in schoolwork. It’s not that she struggles with the subjects, it’s just... There’s so little time in one day.

And so she scribbles away in the candle light, when she hears someone coming down the stairs, a hasty “Miercoles!” and a thud. She gets up and takes the candle. “Pá?”

“Lulu! Why are you up still, mija, it’s a schoolnight.” Agustín gets up from the floor, dusting his pyjamas off and setting his glasses straight.

Luisa looks sheepish to her toes. “I’m doing my homework, papá. I had to leave at noon to help the Perez family.”

“Why don’t you let me see, mi hada.” his nickname had her smile, a smile that only turned bigger once she had turned around- and he hugged her, head against her back.

“Pá...!”

“You’re so big already. Let me at least help with the homework, Lu. You don’t have to solve everything on your own.”

[vexing-imogen]

together in this world

Behold! the widower!Agustin/widowed!Julieta/single parents au that’s been bouncing around in my head since this post came across my dash

@daliceus this is for you, thanks for the inspiration!

As he navigates his way through the train station, Agustín is infinitely grateful that Luisa is a deep sleeper. It’s chaotic and noisy and crowded, and yet the seven month old doesn’t stir from where she’s strapped to his chest, drooling on his shirt. His mother and tías and sister-in-law all rave over how easy of a baby Lu is. How she’s already sleeping through the night, how little she fusses, how little she cries. That familiar knot of grief sticks in his throat. He’d gladly take his daughter being the most difficult baby in the world if it meant Angie were still here with them.

His heart lurches in his chest as he stumbles over something on the ground. Luckily, there’s a pillar nearby that he catches himself on, saving him from faceplanting on the ground and on top of his daughter.

Agustín breathes a sigh of relief. “Close call there, Lulu,” he whispers, kissing the top of her head. She slumbers on, oblivious.

He picks up the offending object; a plush toy of that godawful snowman from Frozen, nearly as big as Luisa. The tag on the bottom of the toy has the initials I.M. written on it, and there’s a pretty golden locket clasped around its neck, engraved with the name Isabela. He takes it with him, figuring he can give it to one of the train attendants. Surely the station must have a Lost & Found.

He’s on the train platform when he hears it, a gentle voice trying to reason with a sobbing toddler. “Isa, mi flor, I’m sorry that I can’t find Olaf, but we have to get on the train.” There’s a note of desperation in her voice. “Don’t you want to see Abuela and Dolores? And Tío Bruno?”

If there are actual words in the little girl’s garbled response, he can’t understand them. Theresa assures him that he’ll be fluent in toddler speak some day, but today is not that day.

It isn’t hard for Agustín to find the source of the voice; a woman about his age, her dark hair tied back in a braid, kneeling on the ground, wiping away tears from a little girl with equally dark pigtails. He approaches them cautiously. He knows he doesn’t cut the most imposing figure, but she’s still a woman alone with a small child, and he doesn’t want to scare her.

He clears his throat to get her attention. “Excuse me, señora?” he says, holding out the snowman. “I think you dropped this.”

The girl squeals out a joyous, “Olaf!” claiming her toy, and jumping around in a circle. Her mother looks up at him, her momentary shock quickly replaced by a wave a relief.

“Oh my god, I could kiss you,” she says, both hands covering her mouth when she realizes what she’s said.

He just chuckles. “I’m happy to help,” he says, holding out a hand to help her up. “I’m Agustín, by the way.”

“Julieta,” she says, giving him a smile that doesn’t quite meet her warm brown eyes. She looks about as tired as he feels, and more than a little frazzled. He’s sure the meltdown over losing Olaf didn’t help.

Isabela is now bouncing in place beside her mother. “Mami, Mami, can we get on the train now?”

“Of course, Isa.” As Julieta starts to gather their things, he sees her biting her lip, starting to get overwhelmed.

“Would you like some help with that?” he offers.

She shakes her head. “You don’t have to do that. I can manage,” she says. “Besides, I’m sure you need to get back to your family.”

“It’s just us,” he tells her, nodding down at Luisa. “And I travel light.” He gives her a gentle smile. “You look like you could use the help.”

She lets out a long, shuddering sigh, tries to discreetly wipe away a tear. “Some help would be nice.”

~~~

They end up seated next to each other, by sheer coincidence. Julieta gets Isa settled with her blanket and some snacks, and then pulls out her phone to call Pepa.

Her sister answers on the first ring. “Hey, you on the train?”

“Hello to you too, Pepi,” she teases. “And, yes, we are. Should be pulling out in about ten minutes.”

“Good, good,” Pepa says. “Oh! Mama wants to know when you’ll be arriving tomorrow.”

Julieta sighs. “I already told her between noon and one.”

Pepa hums. “She has meetings all afternoon, so I’ll probably be picking you up. Just text me when you’re getting close, alright?”

“I will,” she says. “Te quiero, Pepi.”

“Te quiero, Juli.”

In the time she’s been on the phone, Agustín has settled his still sleeping daughter into a baby seat, which he is gently rocking.

“What’s her name?” she asks softly.

“Luisa,” he says with a fond smile. “After her abuelo.”

“That’s lovely,” she says, and his smile widens. “How old?”

His eyes glaze over with an emotion that she recognizes all too well. “Seven months,” he says, his voice thick, his smile tight.

“Mami?” Isabela’s little voice breaks the tense silence. “Can we watch a movie?”

“Why don’t we read a book instead?” she offers, reaching for Isa’s backpack. “It’s getting close to bedtime.”

Isabela perks up. “Can we read the one about Anna and Elsa?”

Julieta sighs, and she swears she can see Agustín trying not to laugh out of the corner of her eye. “Of course, querida.”

~~~

She’s halfway through the book, Isabela dozing off in her lap, when she notices that Luisa is awake and is staring at her with big, brown eyes.

“Looks like I have a captive audience,” she murmurs.

Agustín chuckles. “I think she likes the sound of your voice.”

It shouldn’t make her blush, but it does.

“Mami,” Isa whines, “keep reading.”

She does.

~~~

Agustín has a six hour layover in the middle of the night while he waits for the train to Encanto. To his surprise, Julieta follows him off the train, and they set up camp by one of the walls in the station.

“You’re going to Encanto, too?” he asks as she settles down with a snoring Isabela.

She nods. “We’re moving back in with my mother,” she says, a hint of shame coloring her words. “What about you?”

“New job,” he says, sighing. “After losing Angie, the city just doesn’t feel the same anymore.”

She nods. “Your wife?”

Tears are spilling before he can stop them. “She died giving birth to Lu. I’m doing my best, but...”

She squeezes his hand gently. “Isa’s father died just after her first birthday,” she tells him, her eyes shining. “We were doing okay for a while, but then I lost my job, and everything started to spiral from there.”

They sit like that for a while, holding hands and quietly grieving. Eventually, he looks over at her with a wry grin. “We make quite the pair, don’t we?”

She falls asleep on his shoulder, and he wonders if the strangers passing them by think they’re a family.

~~~

“I just realized, we never did thank you for returning Olaf yesterday.”

Agustín almost says something stupid about how her company has been thanks enough, but he stops himself. “Like I said, I’m happy to help.” He lowers his voice. “As long as that thing doesn’t talk. Please tell me it doesn’t talk.”

Julieta purses her lips. “Well, he used to,” she says, her voice taking on a feigned innocence. “Until the battery died and I lost the voicebox while trying to replace it.”

“You’re an evil genius.”

~~~

It’s bright and sunny when they arrive in Encanto, and Julieta can’t help but grin at Agustín’s childlike wonder as he takes in the scenery.

“You grew up here?” he asks, awestruck.

A wave of melancholy washes over her. “Yeah.”

Before they separate in the train station, she stops him. Feeling unusually bold, she writes her name and phone number on a scrap of paper and gives it to him. “If you ever need someone to talk to.”

He tucks the paper into his wallet with a smile, then takes her pen. “I don’t have any paper,” he says apologetically, writing his number on the palm of her hand. “If you ever need a friend.”

Agustín walks away, leaving her dumbstruck. Isabela grabs her hand, jumping up and down. “Mami, look, Tía Pepa’s here!”

Julieta turns to face the music as Isabela and Dolores happily reunite. Pepa wraps her in a tight hug before pulling back and holding her at arm’s length. “Welcome home, hermana,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“It’s not like that, Pepa,” she protests as they gather the girls and lead them outside.

“Uh huh. You keep telling yourself that, Juli.”

(Two years later, Julieta and Agustín take a train to Cartagena for their honeymoon.)

[cutepastelstarsalior]

WIDOWER AGUSTIN AU

Base off of @wikluk widow Julieta idea

————————————————————

Luisa is 5 year old and she didn't have a mom. But that's ok. She doesn't need one, she has her Daddy. He's smart and brave and can play the piano and he's silly.

But.......

Luisa look on as the other children get pick up from school by their mommy. She can see them getting hugs and kisses and can see the beautiful women with their long hair and pretty dresses.

Why? Why don't I have a mom? The question burns at her mind. Every time she try to ask her dad that question she stops. To nervous or scared. Once she saw her daddy crying over a photo, she was supposed to be in bed but she had to use the bathroom and she saw him. Her dad keep repeating a women's name and keeps playing with the ring that on his finger.

Luisa didn't want to her see her dad cry again.

Luisa is still looking over at the groups of children being pick up. There, a blurt of pink and purple rushes past her.

Isabela Madrigal.

That girl is older than her AND is a first grader, she smart and older and so pretty. Luisa watches as the girl run over to her mom and fling herself to the older women. Julieta Luisa thinks. She's pretty.

Luisa think that if she could have a mom it would be Isabela's. Her mom is kind and pretty and smart. Isabela's classroom is next door to hers and sometimes she sees Julieta bringing Isabela and her classmates cupcakes and cookies. She smells like bread. She's look soft, like bread.

As Luisa watches she sees her dad! She gives a gasp and bounces on her toes and rushes to meet him. Once she does she accidentally collided into him, knocking them over.

"Ay Agustin, same as always right?"

Luisa look up, she's on her dad's lap. She sees Julieta laughing, trying to hid it behind her hand. She frowns, why is she laughing at her dad?! Turning to face her dad, she stops. Her dad look........odd. He's red and smiling. Why?

"Well I do have to left feet! But now you don't have to worry about patching me up blueberry-" her dad starts to say then stop. His face turns red and she look away.

"Mom? Your red! Are you sick?"

Luisa turn to face the voice, Isabela. She look up and yep, Julieta is also red. Weird..

"Blueberry? Oh, you have call me that since we were teens honeycomb."

Her dad makes a strangled noise, the. He gently lift her up and stands, placed her into his hip. Well, try to, she slip, can't seem to wrap her legs around him. Julieta laughs.

"We're are you heading to? I....I didn't realized you had a daughter.."

Before her dad can explain Luisa piped up; "I'm Luisa Rojas! I'm 3."

Julieta smiles then she puts her hand onto of Isabela's head. "This is my daughter Isabel Madrigal, she's 6."

Julieta then takes her hand off of Isabela's head and slips in into Isabela's hand. "Isa and I were going to the park......Care to join us?"

Luisa can feel her dad's heartbeat, thump, thump, thumping. "Ah, we, we were actually going there as well. I promise Lulu to take her there today."

Luisa worms her way out of her dad's arms, jumping down she reaches into her backpack and pull out her toy, a unicorn-donkey name BooBoo.

"Isa! This is BooBoo, he's a unicorn and a donkey! Want to play with him?" She ask, lightly shoving the toy into the older girl's face. Isabela wrinkled her nose then look up at her mom, who just gave a sharp look.

"Ok.....But he needs flowers. He's ugly and flowers will make him pretty. I know flower do you have to follow my lead ok?"

She nods and grabs Isabela hand, leading them in front of the adults.

"Isabela, behave. Luisa is younger than you, be nice."

"Not so rough Lulu! You don't want to hurt Isabela."

The two adult chime at their children. The girls just shot an "ok!" Before rushing a bit further down the sidewalk and started talking.

That left Agustin and Julieta alone. Together.

As the they walk Agustin keep giving little glances at Julieta. It's been what, 8? Maybe more years since they last seen each other. While Julieta looks the same, little differences where there. No wedding ring being the biggest. Or rather, the it was the indent of one once being there that was the biggest. Agustin felt himself frown at that. Why didn't she have her ring on?

"It's been a while...How have you been Gus?"

Agustin jump a little at Julieta voice. It was still soft and sweet, but sound sad. That didn't fit the Julieta he remembers, the girl that sang and who's voice spoke with a gentleness. Agustin caught Julieta's eye. She keep making side glances at his hand, at his wedding ring. He noticed.

"Who's the lucky lady?" She ask, gesturing with her head to his hand. He chuckled, sadly.

"My Rose.....She's, she's gone. Fire." He explained. He watch as Julieta stop walking and turn toward him. She grab his hand, his non-ring one and squeezed it. She also look sad.

"My Pablo.....He's gone as well. Car crash. How...how long was it ago? Ay, for me it was 2 years ago. Isa.....Isa only as a few memories of him."

Agustin squeeze her hand back, he felt his eyes go misty. "3 years. Luisa was a newborn, Rose just got back to work at the hospital when the fire......It, it's been rough. Luisa never got to meet her mom, or rather remember her that is. How's Isabela handling things? Are your siblings helping?"

Julieta let go of his hand, she brought her hands toward her chest and shrug, not answering. She look back toward the children. "We better caught up to them..."

"Yeah....We should."

The two still stood there, lost in thought. "Dove?"

Soft brown eyes look into his, "yes?"

A ghost of a smile was on Agustin face. Even after all these years Julieta still answered to that pet name. His pet name for her.

"Do you still have my number? Since the girls are close in age maybe....maybe they can have play dates. And....And we can get some coffee? Or tea. Ginger and lemon, your favorite right?"

Julieta gave a soft smile, "I do. I have it I mean. And your correct. You prefer black coffee, right? And, yeah I think the girls playing is a wonderful idea."

The two started to walk again, catching up to the girls who were now on the grass playing with the flowers. The two adults found a bench and decided to share it. They were close enough to lay their heads together, but neither one dare to. It felt odd, to be so close to a person you once love, but don't have that same connection anymore. It was something different now. Something sadder.

The two stay that way until the sun started to set and the girls got to tired. With once finally look and a longing stare the two apart.

Hopefully they can see each other again.

[gamerbearmira]

Hi! Remember that heart of six au we talked about? It’s ok if you don’t but I wanted to be more in depth about it. Also, still deciding whether I should make this a royal/monarch au or not.

-

Thirty seven hours, a full thirty seven hours of labor and Antonio was finally born. If it weren’t for anesthetics hurricane Katrina would’ve swept through that village in under an hour. The little baby boy was perfectly healthy and so was the mama. After about three weeks of keeping him coddled up in her room, she introduced him to the family. 

“Ninos, this is Antonio” Pepa held him up for all the grandkids to see. His little dark curls shining under the lights as his little eyes opened just a teensy bit. 

All of them looked at him and smiled big. 

“He’s so cute” Mirabel beamed with sparkles in her eyes

“And so pudgy” Camilo giggled

“And tiny” luisa cringed into herself. Her immense strength made her fear hurting Antonio if she was asked to hold him…which she hoped would not happen. 

“Can we hold him?” Isabela asked with hopeful eyes

“Of course, but Dolores, why don’t you hold him first?” pepa looked at Dolores, who nodded so fast she could get whiplash. 

Dolo held her arms in the same position as her mother and pepa placed the sleeping babe in her arms. The little baby wiggled a bit but as far as that he was completely fine. Dolores looked down at him and kissed his little forehead. In return Antonio gave a small little smile and on the inside Dolores was screaming with joy. 

Next up was Camilo. He made the same arm position she did and Antonio was softly placed in his arms. The ten year old opened his mouth and spoke softly, “Hey Hermanito, I’m your big brother! It’s nice to finally see you now…um…I can’t wait to play games with you and make you laugh. And I can already tell I’m gonna be your favorite”

“In your dreams” Dolores nudged him.

Then Isabela took him, she couldn’t contain her excitement and hopped just a little bit. “You are even cuter than I thought you were gonna be” she quietly squealed and cooed. She gave him a small kiss on the forehead and rocked him a bit. 

Now it’s luisa’s turn-

“NO! Nope, nope, nope! I’ll hurt him!” Luisa backed away from them and fiddled with her hands. 

“Mija you’ve been practicing how to hold babies since the announcement of him” Julieta walked toward her and put her hand on her shoulder. 

“I know but-”

“No but, Isabela, come here” Julieta kindly demanded. Isabela slowly walked over to the two and Luisa was sweating bullets. Julie took the baby, “thank you Isa, now Lu, put your arms in the position I showed you”

Luisa hesitantly put her arms in the cradling position and watched as Julieta placed tonito in her arms. Lulu’s body went completely stiff as she looked down at him

“Remember Luisa, babies feel what you feel. If you’re nervous, you’ll make him nervous” Alma made known.

The tween girl took a deep breath in and a deep breath out. She looked down at Antonio who simply looked up at her through tiny eyes and yawned. All the nervousness Luisa turned into pure happiness. 

“He’s so cute!” Lulu babbled and rubbed his curls a little. 

 “Come on, come on, come on I wanna turn” Mirabel whined

“Noooo, he’s mine! My baby!” Luisa said defensively and stepped back

Pepa snickered in the background and thought to herself, ‘if that’s so then why did he come out of me?’

“Mira, wait your turn” Agustin patted his youngest on the head. In return earned an angry pout and a huff from Mirabel. After a minute or two of Luisa twirling around and chanting “my baby” she finally gave him to Mira. 

The little girl stuck her tongue out at her and looked down at her new primo. She rocked him as Isabela did and twirled like Isabela. 

“MY baby! My little tonito” Mirabel giggled and kissed his forehead.

“No! He’s my baby” Isabela glared

“He’s mine! At least I’m related to him” Dolores glowered

Camilo crossed his arms, “We’re all related to him…but he’s mine!” 

Julieta sighed and took the baby from Mirabel, “pepa, please take this child before he’s not yours anymore” 

“I think that’s already been established” Bruno chuckled

And that’s how Antonio became the grandkid’s kid in less than 30 minutes. For the first month or three Pepa or Felix would let one of the kids that was closest to look after Antonio when they had work to do. Isabela, Dolores, and Luisa didn’t need too much supervision while watching him but Camilo and Mirabel did through the first months. Agustin was usually the one to guide through what they needed to do. 

When they would take him, they would dress him up in their family’s colors. Take the blue sisters for example: Isabela hated the colors pink and purple but only wears it for abuela’s sake, so, in a small way of rebellion, she’ll dress Antonio up in her old dark violet onesies she wore as a baby. 

Abuela never took notice of it so she kept doing it. Luisa did the same, she found whatever dark blue onesie she had and put it on him. Mirabel would do the same and put him in her old teal blue onesies. Some of the onesies were a little feminine but it’s not like Antonio really noticed.   It was completely adorable anyway and the adults didn’t mind too much. 

About 5-6 months in they started bringing him outside more often but holding him became a hassle when they had to hold something so slings came into the mix. Each grandkid had their own designated sling for their baby. 

Isabela’s was dark violet with splashes of colorful pollen on it (think of her new canon dress by the end of the movie) and “Flower mama” written on the front. 

Luisa’s was of course dark blue and embroidered with her dumbbells. On the front is written“Strong mama”

Mirabel’s was teal blue with lots of embroidery and “Butterfly mama” written on the front.

Dolores’ was red with sound waves all around it, written on the front is “Whisper mama”

Camilo’s was yellow with chameleon designs all over it, and of course, “Chameleon mama” was written on the front. 

“So? I still make a pretty good mama if I do say so myself” 

Let’s be clear, Luisa would never look after him if she had heavy stuff to carry. She would only take him on days where she had very VERY small things to carry, something to push, or something she could simply move with her pinky. But she absolutely refused to have him near anything that could topple over. 

And on days she really doesn’t feel like lifting anything she can use the excuse that she’s babysitting if anyone asks why she isn’t doing chores. All through watching him on her “days off” she would mostly talk to him and read stories she loved it when he would babble back. 

Out and about, Isabela mostly took him on her daily chores. Making flowers for the people here and there, deciding flowers for birthdays/weddings, or simply sprouting flowers around the Encanto. Antonio loved the visuals and would clap and/or giggle every time she made a flower grow. He made her days of sprouting flowers a little bit better and less annoying. On the plus side, she has someone there that likes her for her, not her perfection. 

When Mirabel would take she would do her daily errands. Either fixing up holes in the family’s clothes, cleaning casita with her father, going into town for sewing supplies, going to music class, or she would babysit other kids with Camilo. 

Antonio rarely ever cried and was mostly a calm baby, so when she could, Dolores would snatch him up into her room or just walk around the village and listen for any danger or something important. Other times she would just sit with him in the grass near Casita for a small picnic. 

When Camilo has him he’s usually babysitting some town kids or playing safe games with his friends. The little ones he babysits absolutely love him and call him hermanito when he’s around. As for games, Antonio loves it when Camilo plays soccer, he likes seeing the ball be passed around and kicked.  The little man will be giggling and squealing the entire time and his “chameleon mama” couldn’t be more prideful in knowing he’s making his hermanito soldado (baby brother soldier) happy.  And it’s quite ironic that when Camilo shapeshifts into someone unfamiliar or just anyone in the family, Antonio will cry.  

Milo figured that tonito didn’t like him shifting into someone else so quickly, it confuses him. But, it’s nice to now that Antonio wants him for him and not some one else. So, when he has the little soldado he’ll refrain from shifting the entire time he has him, even if he’s babysitting. 

About 6-8 months in the grandkids would get irritated when someone had Antonio before they did. The fights wouldn't be too big or loud but they were heated

“Where’s tonito?”

“With your prima isa I think”

“Where’s Antonio?”

“With Camilo”

“Hey, whe-”

“Luisa got him, you just missed them”

It got to the point where Mirabel had to issue a meeting in Isabela’s room, since it’s the prettiest and Antonio likes playing in the flower piles. They all sat in a circle around the baby and Mirabel spoke with a stern expression. 

“Listen, I’m aware that we all want a turn with my baby so-”

“He’s not your baby” Camilo interrupted 

“SO, I have an idea. On certain days of the week we have a chance to take him but ONLY on those days. I’ll take him Monday because there’s an ‘M’ in it and my name is Mirabel. Luisa you’ll get Tuesday because the word and your name almost sound the same at the beginning. Isabela you get him on wednesday, Dolores you get him on thursday, and Camilo you get him on friday. I’m not negotiating days so don’t try it” Mirabel sternly explained

“Hmm, last I checked, today’s Wednesday” Isabela crossed her arms and smirked

“The scheduling starts next week but today I have him. And I will not hesitate to fight you if you try anything…or I’ll just call mama” 

Next week came upon them and all of them watched Antonio on their designated days. Of course, Luisa would have to give Antonio to someone else if she had to lift anything on a Tuesday or wanted time to herself, but for the most part she got to see him when she could. 

Camilo thought it would be fun to dress as a “mom” on his day. He had had his hair in a bun, his poncho more frilly with ruffles and lighter yellows, flowy cream color pants, and simple yellow sandals. His friends and family found it funny but he could care less. 

Most of the kids he babysat called him some variation of mama or papa so why not dress the part? 

Dolores doesn’t really get it but tries to go along with what he’s doing for fun. Instead of keeping her hair up like she does, she let her hair down but kept the bow on her head. Her dress is full red with gold and yellow sound waves embroidered on it, a light red button up shirt, her usual red choker, gold earrings, and gold bracelets. 

Luisa caught on to what they were doing and decided to do the same. Her hair was mostly up in a bun so that was scratched off the checklist, the most she changed was her outfit. Instead of wearing a variation of the white shirt and dark blue skirt she mostly wore; on Tuesdays she wore a long pastel blue dress with a lace blouse and poofy short sleeves, and a slightly darker blue bow that wraps around her waist. 

She had a pair of white lace gloves and a white bow that she tied around her bun. To top it all off she wore a simple pair of short white satin boots and blue pearl earrings that belonged to Julieta. The girl barely ever got the chance to be feminine the majority of the time so she was going all out for her outfit. 

Isabela thought it would be fun to join in and a chance to be herself a little more so she bought a dark violet shirt and pants with lots of bold colors. For hair she decided braids would be a good choice to do.  She didn’t show the outfit to Alma in fear of what she may think so she hid it in her closet. 

On wednesday she got Antonio and went up stairs to her room, her excuse to Alma was that she forgot something in it. Once she was in there she put the outfit on and put Antonio in his sling. 

“Casita, is Abuela out there?”

Her door creaked open and close, basically saying ‘no’. And with that, she raced out of the house and steered clear of any place Alma will be. The day before she asked Alma what her plans were and Alma told her the plans for the next day, not knowing she basically told her granddaughter where to stay away from. 

Isabela doesn’t really see her outfit as a “mom” outfit but she’s happy she got a chance to experiment with her style. She did this every Wednesday with a bold colorful outfit and so far, Alma hasn’t caught her. 

Her sisters, prima, and primo have seen her in it and she pleaded with them not to tell Alma, and they promised they wouldn’t. She just prays her parents won’t say anything about it when Alma is in ear shot. 

Mirabel wanted a chance to wear a “mom” outfit too and took some inspiration from Julieta. She wore one of her usual teal blue embroidered skirts, a blue shirt with puffy see through sleeves, white gloves, her hair in two low buns, and a light blue apron with white butterfly designs on it.

9-11 months in caring for little tonito, the five grandkids have become just a little bit more closer. On weekends, and if they have the time, they’ll have a picnic in the soft grassy hill behind Casita. It was far enough away from Alma and had a nice view of the rest of Encanto. Don’t get me wrong, they love alma, but she is a bit much as far as strictness goes. 

Luisa introduced the idea that they need to hang out more, the most they do is say hi, bye, or snarky remarks to each other. Especially in Isabela and Mirabel’s case. They would mostly talk about their day, stress, problems going on, or just about anything that crossed their minds. 

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So yeah, hope you like it! I'm not sure if this'll be an angst au or not. I'm still figuring it out but yeah, I tried. Gotta do some more art now, byeeeeeee!

Antonio become public fr 😭😭 he clearly don’t mind and neither does the family but like. The fact that it just happens is funny 💀 you think they’d have stepped in but like. No. And that’s so real tbh. ANGST UM….idk. I’m not sure if I can handle more angst, I mean I’m already writing angst. We need more fluff tbh 🤕

Also if it’s a royal au, cool⁉️⁉️ honestly that reminds me, I gotta. Do sumn about my Madrigal Monarchy au I fr forgot about it and didn’t draw for it 😔 haven’t drawn for that au for months??? I need to.