Phantom of the Opera (Oneshots)

Bruises (Raoul)

What if the reader was Erik's student, but he would lose it whenever the reader messed up, and the reader had to be saved by Raoul?
Warning: physical abuse

The notes come out of my mouth, every pitch and rhythm perfect. That is until one note comes out terribly flat.

 I cringe and cease my singing immediately, tensing up. I warily shift my eyes to look at Erik, and that was a big mistake.

Erik is facing me and he is furious. He takes to his feet quickly and is in my face a moment later. My body is screaming at me to run, but I'm too afraid to move an inch. Erik seizes my wrist and I have to suppress a cry at the roughness.

"What was that?" His grip on my wrist is so tight, I want to cry. "A w-wrong note, monsieur," I can't look him in the eyes. I know how mad he is and I know the consequences of what I did. Erik's other hand grabs onto my face harshly, applying pressure on my jaw bone and forcing me to look at his dark, piercing eyes, "And what happens when we mess up?" I'm shivering at this point, tears pricking my eyes, "We..." My throat closes up and I can't finish the sentence. Erik applies more force to my jaw and the tears escape my eyes, rolling down to meet the skin of his hand. "I-I'm sor-r-ry!" My knees want to give out, but I force myself to stay standing. 

The best thing to do is obey him, no matter how much it hurts me. I can't escape from him, I've tried. I tried running away from France altogether, but he always caught me. He was there everywhere I went and he knew my every move.

"Yes, but you have failed me. Failure has to be corrected," Erik throws me to the floor. I hear the click of his boots as he walks away. This is highly unusual. What is he going to do?

I notice a figure by the edge of the lair. It's hard to make out due to my cloudy eyes, but I realize quickly once I hear his voice. "Get away from her!" Raoul tries to move in between Erik and I, but Erik is faster. "Not so fast, monsieur!" Erik's voice is teasing and threatening, reflected by the sneer on his lips, "This does not concern you. You hardly know a right note from a wrong one." Raoul tries to move around Erik, but he is blocked again, "This is my concern! You are harming her! How can you think that is justified?" 

Raoul draws his sword and Erik does the same right after. The clashing of steel in the catacombs sends a shrill noise as the two men fight. I know Erik is fighting with the intent to kill, but I'm not sure if Raoul has it in him. "Raoul, no!" I plead, "It was my fault! I messed up! It's only fair that I be punished." Raoul looked astounded by what I had said. "No, madame. No one deserves that," He narrowly escapes Erik's sword, but it finds its way into his shoulder. Raoul cries out in pain and grabs his wounded shoulder. 

I can't just sit here and do nothing. If Raoul is going to fight, then I have to as well. While Erik is distracted trying to land another blow on Raoul, I grab his cape and yank it backward with as much force as I can. Erik comes crashing down to the floor, the wind knocked out of him. I take his sword and lift it, slamming it down.

The sword rips through the fabric of Erik's sleeve, not harming him but pinning him to the ground instead. Raoul does the same to Erik's other sleeve, keeping both arms down. "We must go, quickly!" Raoul nods and grabs me gently by the hand. His soft grip surprises me since I have been held captive in the opera house by Erik for so long and he was the only person who I really had physical contact with.

I turn to look at Erik one last time, but that was a mistake. I could tell he feels betrayed and his eyes are begging for me to come back to him. I have to keep my eyes forward or else I might fall for his trap.

Raoul memorized the route down that Madame Giry had shown him, so finding our way back up is a breeze. We make it to Raoul's home and I'm greeted by the smell of clean furniture instead of cold sewer water. "Please, sit." Raoul leads me to the couch and I obey him. The couch is softer than anything I had sat on in who knows how long. 

Raoul goes to the bathroom to disinfect his wound and wrap it up. I zone off on the couch, nearly falling asleep from exhaustion.

I feel something touch my wrist and I gasp, reflexively pulling my arm away. I'm relieved to see Raoul. He is on his knees in front of me, obviously feeling sympathetic of my situation. "Let me see your hand," Raoul's voice is gentle and sweet, unlike anything I'm used to, "please." I slowly lower my hand and he takes it, examining the dark bruises that already formed on my wrist. He lowers his head and lays a soft kiss on my wrist and looks at me with a smile like qhat he did could have just healed all my pain.

In a way, he's right.

For the first time in forever, I feel safe. Raoul's disarming smile puts me at ease and his careful touch revives me, "You're safe now, (Y/N). I will protect you."