phantom of the opera oneshots, originally published on AO3, FFN, and Tumblr (under the same username!)
all of my phantom oneshots will now be published here instead of in my oneshots book :)
cover by BrendaDaaeDestler!
Christine sat in one of the wingbacked armchairs in Raoul's parlour, twisting the new engagement ring that adorned her hand around her finger. She had just had a meal with Raoul and his family for the first time, giving him the opportunity to announce their engagement. She could tell that everyone had bristled a little bit at the news, but she had tried to swallow her disappointment; she had been preparing herself for his family—Philippe in particular—not to approve of the match, but they weren't cruel to her face, which she appreciated. She was just experiencing how cold the family could be to someone that they decided to ostracize; Raoul's sisters were sitting in the same room as her, but each of them was engaged with their own sewing or needlepoint or book, not saying a word to each other and especially not to her.
It was a lonely world she was walking into, she realized. One that she would never truly be accepted into, one that she would never feel completely comfortable in. The daughter of a travelling violinist who worked in the theatre was not meant to be a vicomtesse. She knew that, and she had a feeling Philippe would be making that well-known to his younger brother as well while they talked in his study.
She'd be leaving behind all she knew and forced to completely rewrite the way she lived her life. She would have to leave her career on the stage behind, she would likely hardly see her friends, if she ever would...her association with her Angel would end.
Her Angel. Well, not an angel; now she knew better that he was simply a man named Erik who had taken up the mantle of the Angel of Music in an attempt to get closer to her and try to help her through her grief. It had been far from the way he should have gone about that, that much she knew very well, and she had harboured some resentment towards him for a time. She still did a bit, if she was honest, but she could tell that he was simply someone who was fond of her and wanted to help train her voice so that she could shine on the stage like her father always wanted her to.
And yet, here she was, hiding her engagement from him and prepared to run off to get married without even so much as a goodbye to him.
True, he had a temper that had frightened her to a degree. He had killed Joseph Buquet, crashed the chandelier, and lied to her about multiple things. His list of mistakes went on for a while, but she still found part of her that wanted to be around him, to enjoy his company. She couldn't deny that he was handsome in his own right, either. Was that part of it? The fact that she found herself somewhat attracted to him and the fact that he could be so gentle and doting and sweet to her, that that was the truth of who he was and not the Phantom persona that he put on for everyone else?
She sighed and got to her feet to walk over to one of the windows so that she could wipe away the tears that had welled up in her eyes without anyone noticing. "Poor Erik," she whispered, looking down at her ring again and thinking about the heartbreak she was going to cause him. She did love Raoul; without a doubt, she did, and she wanted to marry him, but...she could afford him with a goodbye, couldn't she? He deserved that at the very least. To say nothing would be the ultimate betrayal of her teacher and her friend. She couldn't bear to do that to him, but when she really thought about it, she didn't even know if she had a choice.
Breaking his heart might be the only option to gain the true freedom that she yearned for. She just didn't know if she had the strength to do it.
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