Seal

"Why do you have a skull as your seal?" Melody asks. Erik freezes, definitely not wanting to talk about this. "Is it because of what Joseph Bouquet says?" A moment's pause.

"Yes, Bouquet inspired me," Erik lies with distaste. He doesn't enjoy giving Bouquet credit for anything, let alone his skull seal. Mel turns to look at him, staring into his eyes silently for a moment. She then smirks, pointing at him.

"Liar," she announces. Erik briefly wonders how she does that.

"I am not," Erik replies, wincing slightly afterward.

"That was the worst retort I've ever heard. You've lost this battle, Erik," Mel says, giggling. Erik glares at her a moment before turning to his organ. He positions his hands to play and Mel lunges forward quickly, grabbing them, knowing that if she let him play now he'd shut her out for at least the rest of the say. "Oh, no you don't, Erik. You're not getting out of it that easily." Erik scowls down at his hands which happen to still be entwined with Mel's.

"Sorry," Mel mutters, blushing deeply and taking her hands away. "But if I'd let you play, you'd have gotten away with leaving another conversation. You've got a bad habit going." Erik raises an eyebrow, challenging her claim. Mel counts off on her fingers. "That time I asked about your childhood, that time I asked about your mother, that time I asked if you'd had any pets before your cat, that time I asked about your ma-"

"Yes!" Erik spits out, not enjoying the memories she's bringing up at all. "You're right! If I tell you the truth, will you leave me be?" Mel pouts for a moment, not liking it when he wants to be left alone. It always results in very unhappy and loud music. Sighing, she nods, knowing that's as good as she's going to get.

"Please, Erik?" Mel asks, giving him an amazing set of puppy-dog eyes. Erik frowns upon seeing her expression, but nods curtly and turns abruptly away from her. Frowning, she stands up and walks around until she can see his face/mask again. Erik then turns away again, growling lowly.

"Either you face me or I'll be reduced to sitting on your lap to see your face," Mel grumbles, pouting at him. He spins to her, searching her face. She keeps it skillfully impassive. Erik frowns.

"You wouldn't dare," he mutters darkly. "Sit on the Phantom of the Opera's lap? Never!"

"One, I don't think of you like that. You're Erik. Two, yes I would," Mel says. Erik glances at her before turning away again. Mel puts her hands on her hips. "You asked for it," she grumbles. Mel walks around the bench Erik's sitting on and puts on leg over both of his before straddling his thighs and keeping her face only a few inches away from his. He stares at her in silent disbelief. "Told you so." Erik snaps out of his trance and sneers, but doesn't push her off.

"Now, about the seal," Mel says conversationally, wrapping her arms around his neck to have better balance. Erik scowls again, trying to look away but having her fill his vision everywhere he looks. "Not even a little hint?" His scowl deepens and he gestures to his mask without meeting her eyes. Mel's face morphs into an expression of confusion. What about his mask? She gives him a sheepish look. "Another little hint?"

"What do you expect is under the mask, you stupid woman?" Erik hisses. Mel frowns but doesn't get deterred by his comment. He does that when he's not in a pleasant mood. She looks at his mask again, considering. The seal is a skull… He asked what I thought was under the mask… Well, what is under his mask? The skull seal… What does that have to do with… Oh… There's… At skull under his mask? Just a skull? Is that why he gets so mad when she mentions it?

"And so you decide to base a seal off of," Mel stops, making the same gesture he did towards his mask.

"It gets the message across more clearly," Erik mutters. "If it's a frightening seal, people assume it comes from a frightening person. They're right, of course, but all the same…"

"You're not frightening," Mel states confidently. She falters slightly when Erik glares at her. "Well, only when you're angry, but any man as tall as you would be frightening when he's angry to a small girl like me." Mel's only 5'5" to Erik's 6'3". Erik smirks lightly, ready to kid about her size and get the focus off of him. Mel stops him by speaking again. "Would you show me?" Mel asks very quietly. Even Erik, with his amazing hearing, has to lean in to hear it.

His back straightens and he immediately tries to pull away. With Mel on his legs and arms around him, however, the best he can do is manage a small stumble before dropping back onto the bench. Mel frowns at his reaction. She'd figured out in this short amount of time why he must act like he does. This world hates anything different, and Erik sure is that, especially if his face is the way he says he is.

"Hold still," Mel scolds lightly, wiggling to get herself comfortable again. He scowls and glares at her. It's a burning glare, one that would have usually made her cower away, but she's getting closer to the real Erik, and she's not going to be scared away by a glare. "Okay," Mel says, trying to think of something to appease him. "What if I promise-" She notices the doubtful and untrusting look on his face. "Okay, no promising." Mel thinks for a moment. "What if you hold onto me and don't let go until you're satisfied with my reaction."

"But then I'd never let you go," Erik replies dryly, but Mel can see the wheels in his head turning.

"Those strong muscles have to have some use," Mel teases lightly, trying to get him to agree. He must have had a hard life, and it'd be nice for him to know someone who doesn't care about his face. She'd be lying if she wasn't also doing it for that little very curious part of her, but mostly to help ease the pain she sees in Erik's eyes every time she meets them with her own.

"If you insist, but you will regret it," Erik states the last part as fact. He stands abruptly, making Mel gasp as she almost crumbles to the floor. Her grip on his neck the only thing saving her, Mel rights herself quickly. Erik puts the cover over the organ keys quickly before pushing her against said instrument. He places his feet – minus the heels – over her's gently, probably going to stop movement if it occurs. Erik pulls her arms from around her neck and she wobbles, her feet too close together to get decent balance.

She grabs his arm to keep from tipping over, smiling sheepishly. He smirks at her clumsiness, as he always does, before removing her hand more slowly and allowing her time to stand on her own. He then drops her hands and she lets them fall to her sides.

"Close your eyes and do not open them until I tell you," Erik orders, a threatening undertone in his voice.

"Yes, sir," Mel salutes mockingly and closes her eyes. Erik is silent for a moment before there's the sound of porcelain clinking against wood. He quickly grabs her wrists, clutching them almost painfully tight. Erik closes his eyes, not wanting to see her expression when she sees his face. She'll most definitely regret this. She'll beg him to let her go. Maybe he would, but only after a while of tormenting her with this face. He'd never harm her. She's far to special to him, which also makes him regret doing this. But, it had to end eventually. Better now than later, he supposes.

"Open," Erik mutters, clenching his jaw and grinding his teeth. If she screams he might just go insane. That wouldn't turn out well for either of them. Mel opens her eyes and releases a small gasp. Erik's hands grip her wrists tighter, but she barely notices. Oh, Erik. You poor man. What've you gone through because of this? Obviously something terrible, probably more than one. It's not good, that's for sure, but it certainly isn't a skull.

"I'm going to have bruises on my wrists," Mel mutters, knowing her getting hurt is the one thing that'll make Erik let go, or at least loosen his grip enough for her to slip her hand through. Her prediction proves true when his eyes snap open and he drops her wrists. Mel raises her hand to his face, and Erik flinches, grabbing her shoulders and digging his fingers into them. "More bruises. Joy," she mutters sarcastically.

"I'm not trying to get away, Erik," Mel mutters in response to his stare and death grip on her arms. Her hand finally reaches his cheek, and he flinches away, as if she were going to strike him. Frowning in sadness, she tries again and this time he lets her touch him. Mel caresses his face gently, smiling slightly and meeting his eyes. When he merely continues to stare at her, she tries to shrug off his hands. No such luck.

She's not afraid? She's touching me? Willingly? I don't understand. This is either a very well played performance or cruel dream. When she tries to shrug his hands off, he immediately realizes it's the former. "Bruises," she reminds him. His hands loosen, seemingly of their own accord and she quickly wraps her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Erik freezes for a moment before cautiously hugging her back. She grins into his chest.

"Well, your seal obviously isn't realistic," Mel states, and Erik tenses in her embrace from where he'd relaxed previously.

"And why is that, my dear?" Erik asks in his 'Phantom' voice.

"It looks nothing like you, of course," Mel replies. The Phantom stares at her, incredulous. "It's just a silly little seal, nothing more and nothing less. Let it hold letters closed and allow yourself to be loved."

"You love me?" Erik chokes out.

"Not like that!" Mel exclaims, face changing into disgust. Erik frowns and tries to pull away. Mel tightens her grip and continues as if he hadn't just tried to pull away. "That'd be like… being romantically involved with family!"

"Family?" he asks incredulously.

"You're like to overprotective big brother I never had," Mel exclaims happily, hugging him again. Erik, breaking out of his dreary mood that previously covered his life, chuckles and hugs her back. A pause of comfortable silence. "And to think, all this came out of a seal." Erik chuckles.

"A seal."