#poto fluff

You pull your cloak tighter around you as you travel down the dark cobblestone street deep in the heart of Paris. You’d gone out to get some bread and cheese from one of the local bakeries for dinner and had gotten carried away as you strolled through a maze of street vendors on the way back. Night had fallen before you’d realized your mistake, forcing you to walk back alone in the dark.

“Just two blocks to home.” You murmur to yourself, speeding up to close the distance between you and the tunnel that led to the home you shared with Erik. A sharp whistle grabs your attention, slowing you down as you turn around to identify the culprit. 

A group of darkly clothed men linger on the other side of street, watching you as you pass before falling in step behind you. You turn your attention forward, moving even faster, trying to make it to the small, partially hidden door of the tunnel before the group caught up to you. Your foot hits the worn wood base just outside the door when you feel something pull at the back of your cloak. You lurch forward, trying to escape the clutches of their grasp, but another set of hands grabs at you, pulling you back a step.

“No.” You shout, before calling out Erik’s name, hoping that by some chance he’d hear you over the sound of the music he was surely creating in the darkened room below. One of the hands comes out and slaps you hard across the face, silencing you as your ears start to ring and your face pulse with pain. A small whimper passes your lips as you feel your cloak being ripped away from your body.

“Aider (help)!” You yell out again, your voice weaker than before, but you hope someone walking by might hear you. Just as you feel a hand clamp down over your mouth, you sense a presence behind you.

“Partez, monstres (be gone you monsters).” Erik’s voice bellows out front behind you, startling the men enough for you to scramble around behind Erik’s looming figure. The men scatter immediately, rushing to get away from the man in front of you.

He waits until they are out of sight before turning around to face you. You can just make out his eyes in the darkness as they scam the length of your body, looking for any serious injuries. Tears spring to your eyes as you realize just how close you’d been to being attacked or worse, killed.

“Je t'ai, tu es en sécurité (I’ve got you, you’re safe).” He breathes out, his strong voice wrapping around you like a pair of protective arms. You give a small nod and without a second of hesitation, his arms are around you, holding you close. You bury your head in his chest, closing out the world around you and taking comfort in the warmth his hold provides. 

He holds you like that for a long time, his arms only loosening when he bends to pick you up before carrying you through the tunnels and to the bed the two of you shared. “I’m here. I always will be.” His gentle words are the last you hear before you fall asleep that night in the comfort of his arms.

Dark, thunderous music greets you as you enter the dimly lit cavernous room of the Phantom. You untie your cloak, laying it over the back of one of the chairs near you before making your way over to the organ. You watch quietly as his fingers fly over the ivory keys, a certain unrestrained anger flowing out of him into the music. 

“Mon ange (my angel).” You say just loud enough to catch his attention. He plays for a beat or two longer before turning towards you, his gaze meeting yours. 

“Ma chérie (my dearest), how was you walk?” He asks, reaching out to gently grab your hand and pull you closer. You let him, a soft smile on your face as you look at him. 

“It was lovely. The sunset cast a beautiful, soft orange glow on the buildings as I walked back. It truly was a work of art.” You recall, a lightness settling over you as you thought of the beauty the setting sun had created.

“It sounds refreshing ma chérie. I am glad you were able to enjoy yourself.” He says, still not letting go of your hand as he stands. He wraps his other arm around your lower back, lifting up the hand that was holding yours. You unconsciously bring up your hand to rest on his shoulder as he brings you even closer to him.

“Danse avec moi (dance with me).” His voice is tender as he moves to rest his forehead against yours. You hum in agreement, slowly swaying along with him to the music only the two of you can hear. A long time passes as the two of you dance in front of the organ, alternating between stepping quickly along with some unknown beat and moving slowly as you hold onto each other tightly. 

You lift your head from his shoulder to look him in the eyes. “Let’s go to bed, mon amour (my love).” You whisper, fighting back a yawn. He lifts a hand to gently run down the side of your face, his thumb delicately tracing your lips. Then he is lifting you up and carrying you over to the bed. He lowers you onto the red satin sheets, placing a light kiss on your lips before standing up.

“I’ll be back in a moment ma chérie.” His whispers, his voice low and husky. You sit up, pulling the pins from your hair as you watch him walk away. You can’t see him after he passes the wall of the niche the two of you called a bedroom but you knew he was blowing out the candles, as he did every night. A few minutes later he walks back into the room, his cloak and his mask gone, leaving him looking far more casual and relaxed than he had when he’d left. 

He puts out the candles on the large, intricate candelabra, leaving the room in near darkness before climbing into bed beside you. You turn on your side so you are facing him, the details of his face barely visible in the low light. You feel, more than see, his hand coming to rest on your hip. 

“Can I hold you ma chérie?” His voice is so quiet you almost don’t hear it. You don’t say anything, instead you close the distance between the two of you until you are flush against him, your head tucked in against his chest. You bring a hand to his face, your fingers lightly tracing the deep set scars on his face. You lift your chin enough to press a kiss onto the underside of his jaw. His arms tighten around you and you feel him bury his face in your hair. 

“Tu es tout pour moi (you are my everything).” You hear him whisper.