Title: A Tutor or More (Education Variation 05)
Author: Lucifer Rosemaunt
Summary: Short ficlet variations on a theme: education/school. Raoul was supposed to just be a tutor of some sort. Supposed to.
Fandom: Phantom of the Opera
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Erik/Raoul pre-slash
Warning(s): liberties taken with their respective ages (like whoa), ambiguous timeframe
Word Count: 1,808
Rating: K+
o.o.o.o
As he watched the young boy ride the horse around the paddock, body more stiff than necessary, Raoul could not help but feel like he had been gone for entirely too long. His own body relaxed in increments the longer he stood there, taking in the sheer familiarity of this estate. His mind distanced itself from the past weeks of constant worry for his father's health and focused on the moment.
The riding instructor kept up a steady stream of instruction and encouragement to the young boy, who looked so obviously uncomfortable on the large stallion, Cesar. He gripped the reins tightly, eyes narrowed in concentration as his lips moved, an indication that he was repeating the tips the instructor had given him just before he had mounted the horse. It was a quirk that Raoul had witnessed of Erik when he was studying something he considered particularly difficult, as though repeating it aloud, even quietly would make him understand it quicker.
Raoul had been informed that this was only the second time the boy had ever ridden a horse. Erik's distrust of the majestic beast was obvious, but Raoul knew he would soon master this skill as well as he had all the others that had been presented to him. He was an astute student. Cesar also had just the right temperament for beginners, gentle and rather cognizant of the experience of his rider. He was one of his favorite horses; Raoul had raised him from a foal, after all, and it had been a hard thing to lose him when his father had decided to sell him.
Looking past the boy and horse, he followed the slight incline of the hill to the mansion that stood proudly in the background. 'New money,' the errant thought crossed his mind. Had Erik been born into this life, riding a horse would have been second nature by the time he could walk. Such a fact only set him apart even further from his peers and Raoul wondered if the boy would always be confronted by one obstacle after another.
New money was not quite accurate however. The man who owned this estate was fully entrenched in old money and was actually a long-time business associate of Raoul's father. Erik's mother had married well and to someone nearly thirty years her senior. Raoul tried not to have any opinion on the matter. He had not really ever seen the old man and Erik's mother interact; it might be love. It might be, although all the gossip about them said the contrary. He was being unnecessarily judgmental, he knew, but he could not imagine marrying someone for anything other than love. He also could not help but disapprove of the boy's mother since in the year that he had begun to frequent this estate, he had never once seen her interact with her son. She was never around and took even his step-father away from the estate as often as possible. Erik, in truth, never spoke of either of them.
Raoul, personally, no longer minded coming to visit with Erik. The boy had no interactions with other children his age or people in general besides the slew of the best tutors that the country had to offer – Raoul did not presume to consider himself amongst that esteemed group. The boy's intellect far surpassed his own despite being fifteen years his junior. What had begun as a favour to both their fathers, with Raoul visiting every other day for several hours, sometimes just to sit with the boy, other times to share a meal, and more and more lately, to teach him fencing, had become something both voluntary and daily – if even just to spare an hour of his day.
Erik was so very young, despite how often he scowled. He had just turned fourteen yesterday and Raoul had unfortunately been out of town due to an emergency. He hated to think how Erik had spent his birthday; both his step-father and mother were on holiday yet again and he doubted the boy's tutors had done anything special. The boy was isolated and lonely and entirely too world-weary for his own good, having faced too much of the cruelties of the world.
Raoul had heard the story; he knew Erik's mother had nearly given him up when he had been born. Her first act had been to give the boy a bag for his face and perhaps that was why he could not bear to have any kind feeling towards that woman. She had scorned her very own child because of something he had been born with. Raoul had yet to see the boy's face; instead of a bag, he now wore a mask that covered half his face. It mattered little to him though. He pitied Erik's situation but not the boy. No, there was nothing to pity there.
It rankled him to think that Erik knew his visits had initially been compulsory. He had not been received well in the beginning. Erik's step-father had tried to send him to the best of boarding schools, but the boy had been returned not only with the large sum of money that had been paid for his entrance but a letter that diplomatically 'suggested' Erik never be sent back. After the fifth school had failed to properly manage Erik's temper, his step-father had decided tutoring would be the best recourse, knowing he could not let the boy's intelligence atrophy. Once he had been able to remain on the estate, Erik never bothered to leave and none of the children his age could be convinced to visit, their opinions of him having already been formed. They had been quite cruel that one time they had been forced to visit.
Raoul had been a last ditch effort, presented as something in the limbo between adult and youth, tutor and companion. Their first meeting had been something disastrous actually. Erik had insulted both him and his mother and when Raoul had not risen to the bait, already having been warned that the boy had a penchant for both dramatics and saying the most injurious things possible to drive people away, Erik had upturned his plate onto Raoul's lap and stormed out the room. He had assumed their fathers' little experiment had failed until he had been invited back again. The second time, Raoul had been ignored completely and they spent their time together with him reading and Erik focused on the assignments given to him by his tutors. And so his visits continued, evolving from insults to his intelligence, his taste of clothing, his prowess with women, his heritage, to glares that could only be considered murderous, and eventually to grudging acceptance. Grudging acceptance grew into what Raoul considered something akin to brotherhood. He looked at Erik and could not help but want to dote on him and treat him like a little brother, offering all the love and affection he knew Erik deserved.
It was wrong of him, he knew, to allow Erik his immature behavior when dealing with others to continue without censure. The boy needed to learn how to control his temper and hide his obvious disdain for others. Raoul was but a crutch and was enabling Erik's poor conduct, but his heart ached to think of Erik alone. A few hours of his day could dispel Erik's loneliness for at least a while and he could not stand to deny him that small reprieve.
Little by little, Raoul saw a smile spared just for him, discovered his dry humor, and witnessed a tenderness and vulnerability that Erik hid so very desperately. He had even grown to think of Erik's outbursts as endearing, his scowls as adorable and his demands for Raoul's continued attention to be amusing. As far as he could tell, Erik rarely asked for anything, if his step-father's constant queries as to what to buy Erik in order to win the boy over were any indication. If Erik felt comfortable enough to reveal to him his wants, then Raoul could only indulge him. He was often reminded how he had been something of a spoiled brat when he was younger. It was a stage all children should have, he was certain. Even though it could be denied, no child should be afraid to ask for things and the thought that Erik struggled to voice his needs only made Raoul dislike the boy's mother even more.
He did not realize how lost in thought he had been until a body crashed into him, startling him from his musings.
"Raoul!" Erik muttered against his coat, clutching him tightly around his waist.
Raoul immediately wrapped his arms around the small body. "Happy birthday, dear boy. I am sorry I was unable to be here yesterday." He carded his fingers through Erik's hair and frowned, realizing just how tall Erik had grown in the year that they had known each other. He was getting so tall that Raoul was certain he would soon be taller than even him.
"It is alright." Erik did not even pretend to sound like he meant it and Raoul could not help but laugh. "Is your father well?"
"He is recovering from the accident," Raoul replied. He waved to the riding instructor in greeting as the other man indicated that he was heading back to the stables, Cesar in tow. "The doctor says he will soon be well."
Erik nodded. "You were gone for two weeks." He heaved a big sigh.
Raoul grinned, shaking his head; surely, he was spoiling the boy. Separating them far enough to be able to look at Erik's face, he noted that he was pouting. Cupping his cheeks, Raoul kissed his forehead, slightly off-center in order to avoid the mask. "I apologize. Your present is in the sitting room."
Erik grabbed his hands to keep them in place. "You came back," he said seriously. "That is present enough."
Raoul just laughed and kissed him on the forehead again before releasing him and Erik reluctantly took a step away.
"Come." He began walking towards the mansion. "Let us celebrate your birthday once more."
When Erik grabbed his hand as they walked side-by-side, Raoul thought nothing of it upon noting the chill that had settled in the young boy's skin. He pulled Erik closer and only released his hand in order to open his coat and wrap it around those small shoulders. Erik wrapped an arm around Raoul's waist, gripping his shirt and huddling into his warmth.
Raoul smiled and felt himself relax further, pleased with his homecoming. He pressed his lips to the crown of Erik's head and said conspiratorially, "We will warm ourselves by the fire and share our stories."
The rare sight of Erik smiling at him was all the agreement Raoul needed.
o.o.o.o
End ficlet
A/N: One of the most disheartening things is to finish editing a one-a-day, click the file containing the plotbunny for the next day only to find three sentences that you need to fill out into a fic. It's an fml moment for certain. I also have no idea how a fic that was supposed to be about Raoul being Erik's fencing instructor and not seeing how young!Erik was totally attracted to him skewed left completely and just focused on backstory and Raoul being blind to Erik's affections. Such is life I suppose. (I also wrote this in like three hours… sorry for mistakes. I just wanna sleep right now. D:)
Fic Review: So, Raoul obviously does not realize just how much Erik likes him and not in a brotherly way, and he's totally exacerbating the situation with how he treats Erik and lets him get away with so much. The thing is that Erik's smart enough to know that Raoul's oblivious and at first he was super frustrated because he came to realize how much he likes Raoul (loves him) rather early in their acquaintance (probably since the first meeting when he saw Raoul keep his own temper in check when he insulted his mother and the surprised expression he had when dinner ended up in his lap). And he eventually realizes that Raoul being so unaware of his feelings can be used to his advantage because Raoul still likes him in one form or another. They hug constantly and Erik always gets a kiss on his forehead (even though at night, he's at the age where his dreams imagine Raoul actually kissing him and sometimes he reacts strongly to those innocent forehead kisses). Erik is also crazy possessive of Raoul. He's already decided that Raoul's going to be his so you can imagine the hell he's willing to cause whenever he hears that Raoul has found a lady friend. He's sworn to himself that he's going to be the strongest, smartest, most capable of people in order to provide for them both when he finally takes Raoul as his husband.