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Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny was the last person Erik wanted to see standing in front of his door.
But yet here he was, 10 years after they had last saw one another in Erik’s former home that resided underneath the Opera house. Now he had moved miles away from Paris to Lyon in hopes that nobody would find him, especially not the person who he despised most.
The viscount had huge bags under his eyes, accompanied by redness around it and covering his cheeks like he had just been crying. The rest of his face was pale and slim, and his hair was an uncombed mess.
“Vicomte? What are you doing here?”
The viscount gazed at him like he could look right through him and for a moment he wondered if he had heard anything Erik had said.
But then, he answered.
“I need to talk to you.”
Erik raised his eyebrow. “How do you know i was here?”
“Can i come in?” Raoul asked, ignoring Erik’s question.
Erik felt himself getting impatient and took a step closer to Raoul in hopes of frightening the man, but the viscount didn’t show any sign of fear.
“How did you find me?”
“Meg Giry told me you were staying here. Can i come in now?”
Meg Giry had helped Erik find his own place. She had promised him to not tell Christine, and he had assumed the viscount wouldn’t even care for where he lived so he didn’t think to make Meg include him in her promise.
“It’s important,” Raoul urged, and with a sigh Erik opened the door further so the viscount could step inside.
“It better be, monsieur. I assume you remembered what happened the last time you entered my home?”
Erik had only said it at another attempt to scare him, but the viscount only nodded and made his way inside Erik’s living room.
Erik’s living room was hardly furnished, with only an organ standing in the corner, a music box with a monkey on it beside it and 2 chairs opposite another standing in the middle of the room. The chair that Raoul decided to sit in had a small table next to it and he had laid down his gloves on it before turning to Erik.
“Aren’t you going to offer me something to drink?”
Erik was surprised that the viscount dared to ask him such a question. With everything that had happened between them the viscount should know better, but instead he had asked him that question like he was visiting an old friend.
And so Erik initially was ready to call him what he was, an ‘insolent boy’, but the thought of getting the man drunk so he can tell him all about Christine seemed to great an opportunity to let it go to waste.
So Erik went to his small kitchen and grabbed 2 wine glasses, walked back into the living room and handed 1 of the glasses to Raoul.
After he poured his glass for him (perhaps a bit too much) he poured in some wine for himself and sat down.
The viscount didn’t seem to have any trouble drinking it all at once or to refill his glass afterwards, and Erik realised getting him drunk was going to be easier than he thought.
“Well?” Erik said after a bit of silence.
Raoul slightly jumped, as if for a moment he had forgotten that he came to tell something important. He put his glass down and met Erik’s eyes before he began his story.
“Not long after Christine and i had left you, we decided to get married as soon as possible and our plan was to have children within the next year.”
Erik’s heart ached at the mention of her name and his heart nearly exploded when the viscount told them of their plans, but Raoul continued before Erik could come up with something mean to say.
“And so we tried, but for some reason Christine just couldn’t get pregnant. So i decided to get myself tested. But then, a few weeks afterwards, Christine came to tell me the incredible news that she had gotten pregnant and we couldn’t be more ecstatic.”
Raoul picked up the glass again and once again he drank all the wine at once before continuing his story.
“Then when the doctor came by i told him the news and how my test results were no longer necessary. But then his face went pale, and you know what he said? He said, Raoul, the test results came back positive. Which means you are unable to have children.”
Raoul glanced at Erik, reading his face for any sign of knowing where this conversation was going to go.
But even if he knew, he didn’t let it show.
“I had never felt more betrayed and embarrassed in my life. I only thanked him for coming all the way over and then asked him to excuse me. I went up the stairs, to our bedroom, and was fully ready to demand an explanation from Christine, until i saw her face.
She looked so happy, monsieur. After everything that had happened i didn’t think i would see her that happy again. But at last there she was, carefree and overjoyed and i, i just couldn’t take that away from her, despite knowing that she had went behind my back and slept with another man. So i promised myself i would love that baby and take care of them and raise them as my own, even when i knew he wasn’t mine. Even when i knew that he’s in fact, yours.”
Raoul looked away when he said that last sentence. He played around with his empty wine glass, rolling it around the small table next to his seat.
Meanwhile Erik’s mind was going a thousand miles a second.
“I have a child?”
“His name is Gustave,” Raoul gave as an answer.
He had a son. How old was he now? Erik counted the years since he last saw Christine.
9, he must be 9.
“But-” Erik attempted to form a full sentence. “But, how are you sure it’s mine?”
“The night before our wedding she said she was going out with Meg. But when the next day i asked Meg about how their night out was, she said Christine had send her a letter that she was ill and couldn’t come over. And with her whispering your name in her sleep nearly every night and also with Gustave looking like you, i quickly made the connection.”
At that Erik’s eyes widened.
“You mean, is he, i mean, does he have-” He pointed his finger to his mask that hid the scarred side of his face.
The shaking of Raoul’s head made Erik let out a relieved sigh.
“Fortunately he’s perfectly healthy, but he does have your eyes. Not that i remembered what your eyes look like.” Raoul quickly said and slightly blushed.
Erik had completely forgotten about his plan on making the viscount drunk as his head was filled with questions.
“I don’t understand it, Vicomte. Why did you come to tell me that? Does Christine know you came here? Why didn’t she come with you?”
Raoul abruptly stopped with the rolling of his glass and bit his lip, for a moment hesitant whether he should tell him or not.
“She fell ill, last year.”
Immediately Erik’s eyes struck with fear and his chest tightened. Raoul didn’t notice it however as he continued with his story.
“The doctor said it was nothing more than a fever and that we didn’t have to worry. That we should give her some medicine, let her have some bedrest and she would be back to normal soon. She passed away 2 weeks later.”
Erik softly shook his head. “No, no. Christine, she isn’t-”
“Christine never told me that i wasn’t Gustave’s father,” Raoul paused. “I thought she would confess before she died, but she didn’t. She never knew that i knew all this time.”
Erik could barely hear a word Raoul was saying. His hands were shaking uncontrollably and he had an headache that was getting worse and worse. He felt tears forming in his eyes and balded his own fists putting his nails in his palms to stop himself from crying, but it could stop the tears from flowing.
When the viscount looked at him Erik quickly wiped away his tears and straightened up his posture, not wanting to look weak in front of the other man.
But almost like Raoul could read his mind, he spoke.
“It’s okay to cry monsieur, i know you loved her too.”
At that Erik jumped up and Raoul’s eyes widened, holding his hand in front of him fearing Erik would attack him.
But instead Erik turned around and walked over to the kitchen, grabbing plates and smashing them on the ground. He screamed as he began to throw the chairs against the wall and began to weep when the pans hit the small window in his kitchen.
He collapsed on the floor in between the mess and let out small exhausting sobs, feeling himself getting more dizzy with every sob that came out and he squeezed his eyes shut to stop his eyes from burning.
He must have blacked out, because when he opened his eyes it was dark outside.
The kitchen was still the same mess he left behind, the only thing that had changed was that now he had a pillow underneath his head and a blanket covering him up. Had the viscount really been so kind to look after him?
When he attempted to push himself up he got even more evidence to his question as a sharp pain in his left hand made him gasp.
He quickly pulled up his hand and saw that it was all bandaged up. He must have hurt his hand sometime during the evening, although he couldn’t remember when.
He slowly pushed himself up again, this time only using his right hand.
When he made his way into the living room again Raoul was still sitting there in the same place, like he had barely moved in his seat. Although he obviously must have moved to put the pillow under Erik’s head, the blanket over his body and to bandage up his hand.
“For how long was i asleep?” Erik murmured.
“About an hour,” Raoul answered. “Are you alright?”
He wasn’t. His head and his hand hurt incredibly and the thought of Christine being gone tore him apart.
But what really bothered him right now, was the viscount’s attitude.
“Why are you being so kind to me monsieur?” He asked as he sat down in his seat again.
Raoul smiled sadly.
“Not long after Christine died, i told Gustave that i wasn’t his father. I thought he was old enough to know and understand it, but after i told him he cried and he was furious at Christine and i wasn’t sure if i had done the right thing by telling him. But then a few days passed and he had some time to take it all in, and then he came to me, asking me who you were, and what kind of person you are.”
At this Raoul grinned . “Obviously i couldn’t tell him everything, but i told him we both used to work at the opera house, which is technically the truth, ignoring the fact you had hired yourself.”
Erik couldn’t help but smile.
“I told him you loved to play the organ and he was very enthusiastic about that as he loves to play the organ as well. He asked me if he could meet you. Of course at first i was against it, but he really wants to meet-” Raoul sighed, his smile disappearing from his face.
“He really wants to meet his father, and i told him i would do what i can. Of course, ultimately the choice is up to you whether you want this or not.”
Erik hadn’t even really thought about it. He had hardly time to process the fact he had a son, but to go to him and actually meet him?
“Have you told him about my.. condition?”
Raoul shook his head. “I told him you wear a mask, but that he shouldn’t ask about it unless you bring it up yourself.”
“Oh.” It took Erik a moment to decide what he thought of that, but ultimately decided it was the best thing the viscount could have said.
“Okay.”
Then Raoul stood up, stretching his legs and grabbing his gloves.
“Are you ready to go?”
Erik looked at him surprised. “You want me to go with you right now?”
Raoul put on his gloves and nodded, like he had asked him the most normal question in the world.
Erik stayed in his chair. “Where do i stay then? With you?”
“At the Chagny estate yes, we have enough rooms.”
“And you trust me?”
Raoul considered his answer.
“Well, i trust you behave yourself for Gustave. Can i ask that from you?”
Erik answered right away. “Yes, yes of course.”
Raoul’s face shifted to a serious expression. “Can i trust you to not tell him anything about what happened between us 10 years ago?”
Erik stood up, standing right in front of Raoul. He still didn’t like the man, but he would do whatever he asked him to if it meant he could meet his son.
“He won’t know a thing about what happened monsieur, i promise.”
“So are you able to be civil to me?”
Erik let out a laugh, but Raoul remained completely serious.
“I’ll try.”
Raoul shook his head. “That’s not good enough. I don’t want us to argue in front of my- our son. Can you be civil with me?”
Erik knew that might be a bit more of a difficult task, but then he remembered Raoul did look after him without questioning or judging Erik when he destroyed his own kitchen.
“I promise.” And with this he reached out his hand, waiting for Raoul to shake it.
Raoul took his hand and shook it firmly before letting go.
“We must go then, the last train of today leaves in 45 minutes. We have enough clothes for you at our estate, so you don’t have to worry about packing your own.”
They made their way over to the door, but before Raoul could open it Erik took his arm.
Erik didn’t want to sound afraid, but he had to ask.
“I have never spoken to a child before Vicomte, what if he doesn’t like me?”
Raoul turned around and smirked. “Then i wouldn’t be surprised.”
Raoul giggled, almost like a child in a candy store. Erik wasn’t ready to admit it, but he actually found it kind of adorable.
“Must i remind you i still have my lasso lying around?”
Raoul shook his head. “Please don’t remind me of that monsieur.”
“Erik.”
Raoul raised an eyebrow, but then smiled.
“Well Erik, we’ll discuss it all on the train. And i hope you aren’t tired, because i’m certain that Gustave is staying up all night waiting for us to return.”
Raoul stepped out of his house and Erik couldn’t stop the smile appearing on his face.
He was going to meet his son.