#phantomxreader

  The men had assumed there were dead people because of the Phantom. Whoever came into the abandoned home was never to be seen again. A chill ran down your spine. Again, it was a stupid idea.

  As you walked, you found yourself lost in thought.

  There wasn’t any way you’d find the populaire. Even if you did come across it, you knew better than to stay and look around. If that Phantom was real, you wanted to stay as far away as you could from it... him? You didn’t know if it was even a man. It only peaked your interest more.

  You found yourself humming to an old song your parents used to sing to you about a highway man in Ireland. It made you feel safer than you knew you were in your situation. It was a well-known song by those who ventured to bars or listened to what was being sung in the alleys.

  Then you stopped, noticing the water was getting deeper. It took a moment to find dry stone to tread on.

  Your heels clicked against the rock, and you continued humming the song. Farther and farther you ventured. Lost and lost you became.

  Would you ever find a way out? Of course! If you needed to desperately escape, the circles above you opened up.

  Suddenly, you stopped. Shaking your head, you thought out loud, “Those weren’t footsteps. You’re fine. You will not die tonight.” You paused. “Hopefully.”   Fear washed over you as you looked at where you were. It was like a home underground. You were still standing on dry ground, but a pool of water lay between you and the home. When you looked down, you noticed it looked deep.

  But everything looked deep to you. You couldn’t swim.

  Shaking your head, you spare one last glance. Torches and candles were lit. It was probably a good idea to leave while you had the chance.

  You turned around, only to run into another body. Eyes wide, you looked up at the face. A man, and his face was covered with a half-mask. Surprised, you screamed, slipping backwards and into the water.

  Your back crashed in first, then the rest of your body. You opened your eyes to be surrounded with darkness, the light above you slowly moving farther away.

  Wait, it was rising. You were lowering.

  Panicked, you struggled holding your breath, and your lungs began to burn. The torch disappeared somewhere in the process. Your arms flailed, but your dress and corset tugged you down farther. It couldn’t have been that deep, could it?

  You felt your feet touch the bottom. There wasn’t anything you could do. When you tried swimming up, your dress caught itself on something sharper.

  You couldn’t cry, and you felt your lungs catch fire. Finally, you opened your mouth, the water seeping in. Darkness covered your eyes as something large crashed into the pool.

  Something touched your, covering your waist and tugging at your dress. You passed out before you could feel anything else.

                                            _________

Pain erupted from your chest, and your eyes shot open. You tried to suck in a deep breath, but you ended up coughing, liquid spurting out of your mouth. Something soft dug under your back and pushed you onto your side, helping the water come out of your lungs.

  Once you could breathe, you sucked in that long breath you waited for. Then you froze. Who had helped you?

  Your swallowed the lump in your throat, turning your head to your rescuer. The masked man, soaking wet.

  The Phantom.

  He stood up, folding his arms and glaring in the opposite direction in a smooth movement. This being had just saved your life. What were you doing gawking at him?

  You began to stand, but your legs shook so violently that you ended up collapsing again. He turned his head, showing you the half of his face that wasn’t covered, and he knelt beside you.

  “I--I’m fine,” you stuttered, cheeks burning as he touched your with his dark leather gloves. He ignored you, pulling you onto your feet.

  You held onto him for stability, and the water from your hair. Once you didn’t feel like you would fall over, you let go of his forearms. But he didn’t let go of you.

  “Are you mad, woman?” the Phantom asked. You were shocked at how his voice sounded. It was rough, but, at the same time, soft to the ears. “Why would you come down here?”

  Your words were stolen from you, and he let go of you. “C-curiosity, I suppose,” you murmured, turning your head away. “I didn’t realize you were here. I thought you weren’t real.”

   “You’re wrong.”

   “I see that now.” You bit the inside of your cheek. “I apologize. I shall leave.”

  You turned around and started walking, only to stop, realizing you were on the home side of the cavern. A sigh escaped your throat, and you turned around. It startled you a bit to realize he was looking right at you. “I’m afraid I don’t know the way back,” you said.

  His eyes flickered to the ground as his jaw clenched up. He grabbed the nearest torch and your elbow, dragging you into the back of the home and out another door.

  You wondered if you should apologize, but you decide against it as he let go of you. “Follow me,” he said, walking at your same pace.

  Licking your lips, you gazed at your surroundings. It was a tunnel covered in gold. You nearly gaped. “Is this where you live?” you asked. He didn’t answer.

  You frowned, wrapping your arms around yourself. A breeze came through the tunnel, making you colder than you were to begin with in the sopping wet dress.

  “Are you leading me back to the opera house?” you inquired. You saw his grip on the torch loosen a bit. Was that a good sign?

  “Was that where you came from?”   You nodded as he looked at you. “I aid the cast, though I would prefer to be on stage.”

  “Why is that?”

  It took a moment to realize a smile peaked at the corner of your lips. “I enjoy singing. Whenever I can, I sing. That is, if I am alone.”   “It is hard to be alone in a place like that.”

  “Well, that’s another reason I came down here. The men at the opera house talked about it down here, saying that is was more of a tomb than catacombs. I wanted to see if they were telling the truth.”

  “It almost killed you.”

  You shrugged, shivering from the cool air. “Curiosity killed the cat, I suppose.”   “Yes.” He stopped at the end of the tunnel. There was a case of stairs. “But satisfaction brought it back.”

  You turned to face him. Your eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you being so kind to me? I heard you’ve killed everyone who entered your home.”   He looked up the case of stairs. “Are you the one who sings at night when no one else is in the house?” Your cheeks burn, and you glanced down, nodding. “You are good. And welcome to come down here so long as you do not tell the others I am still alive.”

  Your eyes brighten, and you smiled, nodding. “I promise not to disturb you. U-unless you want me to.”

  “Don’t tell anyone,” he warned, holding up his finger. “Or I will come after you.”

  You nodded, tearing your gaze away from him. You climbed up the stairs quickly. Someone was probably looking for you by now.