Bakugou and the Angel of Music

Part 1

Author's Note: This story was written for the 2019 TodoBaku Reverse Big Bang. The cover image is the art it was inspired by, which was done by stannumart on instagram - please check them out! 

The story is already completed, but I'm dividing it into 3 parts because it's quite long (15k). I'll upload one chapter each day. 

It is a Phantom of the Opera AU, but familiarity with PotO is not necessary to enjoy the story.

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Bakugou had a problem.

Well, to say he had a problem was a severe understatement. He had a bunch of them. But the strangest, and at the moment most pressing, was the man that spoke to him sometimes from behind his mirror.

"I am the Angel of Music," the man said.

"Does the angel of music have a fucking name? "

A pause. "It is not for you to know at this time."

They'd done this particular routine two times already. The mirror-man had introduced himself as some sort of secret admirer, had given Bakugou a handful of compliments, and had twice offered his services as singing coach. Twice Bakugou had given a firm "fuck no", and the voice had gone quiet after each rejection.

So Bakugou had a pretty good guess what the voice wanted now, their third time speaking. "I already told you no!" Bakugou said, before his unwanted guest even had a chance to ask the question. "I don't want any lessons. Stop asking me."

"You could be truly great," the voice said. "You could be a star."

The man's voice was monotone, barely loud enough to be heard. Bakugou wondered what sort of a person the voice belonged to, if the speaker was old or young, large or small. It was honestly impossible to tell. "You always say that," Bakugou said. "You need a new argument to convince me."

"I truly believe in your talents."

"Okay. That's nice, I guess." Unsure where to look, but unnerved by the idea that the man could see him through his mirror, Bakugou looked away. "If you have nothing new to say, go away."

"I do have something new to say. I have an offer for you."

Bakugou rolled his eyes.

"Would you like to hear my offer?"

"I know you won't go away until you tell me, so go for it, I guess."

"Alright. My offer is: if you let me give you singing lessons, I can guarantee you will be getting leading roles within the year."

Bakugou paused. When he realized that was the offer in its entirety, he threw his head back and laughed. "Now I know you're out of your mind. Do you understand that I've barely been here six months? There's about a dozen men in line for those roles ahead of me. Not to mention Enji's mostly the reason people even come to see the opera in the first place. Why would I ever get a leading role when he's here?"

"Enji will be taken care of," the voice said, steely-cold and very serious. "Do not worry about the 'how'. If you follow my instructions-"

"You never said anything about following instructions. You're modifying your agreement."

A beat. "Perhaps I wasn't done laying out the terms of the offer."

"Bullshit! I even waited to make sure you were!"

"I wasn't," the voice insisted. "Here's the full offer: if you let me give you singing lessons, and also do as I say, I'll guarantee you a leading role within a year."