The Phantom of the Opera (Cherik X Reader)

Chapter Three: Carlotta's debut

It wasn't long before Norma would be performed by Carlotta and Choleti was getting lots of notes from Erik telling him how the opera should be run. Having enough of this, Choleti called Inspector Ledoux to complain about all this and maybe to get Erik caught but we don't exactly know what his intentions were. (Y/N) was still in the costume department but for the past month, she's been practising her singing during the day and with Erik at night who she only knows as Maestro. Erik was always watching her in the shadows as to not get caught by her or anyone for that matter. As (Y/N) was working, Jean-Claude approached with news.

"(Y/N), I found a nice family you can stay with not far from here. It won't cost you anything."

"Thank you, Jean-Claude. I'm very happy where I am," (Y/N) told him getting on with her work.

"I'm not supposed to let people stay here!" He called after her.

"Jean-Claude, let her," Erik told him, "please, as a kindness to me."

(Time skip)

The Night Norma was to be performed came quickly. People crowded the theatre, excited to watch this evening's performance. Little did they know, things would go horribly wrong tonight. Carlotta was warming up in her dressing room as she got ready and (Y/N) came in with more flowers for her. As (Y/N) put the flowers down, Erik opened the wall and stole one of Carlotta's wigs. Madame Giry, the box keeper, was taking everyone to their boxes when she noticed that Erik's box was booked. She went to Choleti about it but he just told her to open it so she did. The people who booked the box sat down just as the lights dimmed and the orchestra started playing.

"Excuse me. This box is mine," Erik told them five seconds after the orchestra started playing.

They looked around confused but decided to ignore him. Bad idea.

"I would appreciate it if you left!"

And that's what they did. In Carlotta's dressing room, she just got her five-minute call so she went to get her first wig only to see it wasn't there. She looked around her dressing room as Erik put it back. Seeing that her wig was there, Carlotta went to put it on. Onstage some of the cast members were slowly walking on for the first scene as costumers helped the cast with the rest of their costumes. Props, accessories, Etc. Carlotta arrived in costume ready to go on. (Y/N) gave Carlotta her moon-shaped prop and she went on stage and started singing but she felt something off.

She felt itchy.

She tried to continue anyway trying to get rid of the itch in the process with her's and others props as the audience laughed. Having enough of it, she threw her wig off and stopped singing. After that disaster, Carlotta had a bath as her husband figured out what happened. While she was drying her hair, they were told that what happened wasn't her wig makers fault because he was locked in the prop room. Choleti tried to phone Inspector Ledoux but he wasn't there so he told the man who was with them to go find the Inspector. He left but they still weren't alone.

"Can't say I didn't warn you."

"Who is that?" Choleti asked.

"Who did you think?" Erik asked, "the sooner you both leave, the sooner your ordeal will be over. Forgive me if I don't stay to chat, but I have other matters to attend now."

Erik left the two quite scared. Meanwhile, (Y/N) lit some candles waiting for her next lesson with Erik. Erik opened a door to see (Y/N) blowing out the match she was using. Announcing his presence, Erik led her to the room they've been practising in for the past month. Back with Carlotta and Choleti, they were talking to Inspector Ledoux about what just happened. The inspector did make a joke about the opera being funny but Choleti wasn't amused and told him again about Erik and that he was doing all this to drive them mad. In my opinion, it's a little too late for that. Later that night, (Y/N)'s singing could be heard throughout the theatre. She tried to sing higher but stopped.

"I'm not comfortable with the upper register yet," (Y/N) told Erik.

"But you will be," Erik told her, "you're doing so well. You already have a finer voice than most of that company."

(Y/N) scoffed, "that's not possible."

"Oh, but it is. And very soon, sooner than I ever thought you will be singing not just up here but on the stage as well."

"That's like a dream."

"Except that it is real."

The two were silent for a second until Erik spoke up, "sometimes dreams can be real. God smiled when he imagined you, (Y/N) (L/N). You are music itself."

(Y/N) smiled and walked over to the window in thought, "God, I wish my father were alive."

"Was he a musician?" Erik asked.

(Y/N) hummed, "a great one."

"I'm not surprised."

"A violinist. He would play and I would sing. He took me here once, you know? I was just a child. It was his dream that I would sing here one day."

"He's watched over you."

"I like to think so."

"I have no doubt about it."

(Y/N) smiled again, "do you know the Comte de Chagny?"

"Why do you ask?"

"He was the one who told me to come here. He heard me singing at a country fair."

Erik gave a small nod, "he's not worthy of you."

"Why?" (Y/N) asked. Erik hesitated to answer, "please?"

"Because he comes to the opera for the wrong reasons," Erik replied, "He comes for the beauty of faces rather than the beauty of music."

(Y/N) stayed silent and looked back out the window. It was true, unfortunately. The Comte only came for the women, not the music and yet he hasn't fallen in love with any of them. And to think, all the women in the opera were sent by him for singing lessons. It's a wonder none of them has stolen the Comtes heart yet.

"I'm sorry... I hurt you," Erik said breaking the silence as (Y/N) shook her head, "that's something I never want to do."

The next morning, Inspector Ledoux was showing Carlotta and Choleti a map of the opera telling them the legend.

"If this creature does exist, supposedly he lives way down here on the lowest level. They say there's a sort of Lagoon, part of the river system that flows underneath all of Paris. All this is his domain. And anyone who ventures down there does not return, or so people say."

"So what's he doing up here?" Choleti asked.

"He comes up because he loves opera," Lotoux told him.

"What's he look like?" Carlotta asked.

"Frankly I've never met anyone who has actually seen him. But the rumour is he wears a mask. And if you're unlucky enough to see his face, you die."

"I want him caught," Choleti said before smoking more of his cigar.

(A/N: this shouldn't have taken 3 days to write. I have more chapters and hopefully, they won't take this long to write.)