Chapter 2: The dragons

There wasn't a moment in his life that Christine didn't intrude upon anymore. She sang with his accompaniment on the piano, she ate lunch with him, went to a few classes with him, and stayed with him as long as she could before they both had to go home. They had the closest friendship in mere weeks because they completed each other by Christine's pure and bright extrovertedness, which contrasted Erik's shy and dark brooding nature.

Erik had never felt such joy in his life, having a friend like Christine was the best gift he could ever receive. They had grown very close in the past few months and people even seemed to be teasing him less at school. Everyone seemed to pretend like neither of them existed and Meg decided to stay with her popular friends. When December rolled around, the school had dozens of posters dedicated to the upcoming Winter Formal dance, which Erik had avoided this at all costs in the prior years. He didn't much enjoy social events and he didn't even consider asking her until he overheard some boys talking about her in one of his classes.

"Hey, d'you know who you're gonna invite to the dance?"

"Dunno, maybe that foreign girl. She's kind of hot."

"Yeah but she hangs out with that emo freak."

"So what? She just doesn't know what's cool in America." The boy smirked and it sent Erik into a rage for the rest of the day. He was so distracted when he met her after school for their daily music sessions that he kept messing up the melodies. When his mistakes made her stumble on the words of her song, she grabbed his hands to make him stop playing.

"You are distracted and making me go mad," she chuckled. "What bothers you so much, my Erik?" She liked to possessively call him that because of the Scandinavian God, Eríkr, which meant eternally alone, which she never wanted to be true.

In all honesty, Christine had no idea what to think about the formal dance coming up. She never had such events in her elementary years and this was new to her as much as it was to Erik. She had never expected anyone to ask her to it.

"It's nothing…Let's just start again." When they started again he missed the intro.

She stumbled and paused, getting a little annoyed. "Erik," she growled this time. She flicked his ear and narrowed her eyes at him. "It is like your fingers are turning to stone. Will you not tell me what is the matter?"

"Because it's stupid." He sighed and put his face in his hands. "I overheard some guys talking about you today."

"So what?" She rolled her eyes and played a few keys nervously. "Guys speak all the time, it doesn't matter to me what they say." She assumed that they were only talking bad about her.

"One of them wants to take you to the dance…" He mumbled, hoping she wouldn't hear him.

"Oh," was all she said. She hadn't expected this, especially hearing it from him.

"A-Are you going to go with him?" He tried to pretend like he didn't care.

"Why would I?" She scoffed. "I do not know these boys here. I do not care for their pig headedness." She crossed her arms and stood up. "Besides, no one has asked me at all. They are cowards and are afraid to be unique, or with someone who isn't like them." She seemed angry, or maybe even hurt; she didn't know why.

"Um...okay." He looked at his watch. "We should probably go…"

"You should go with me," she said suddenly, not giving him much of a choice. "It is decided."

His eyes widened and he stared at her. "W-What?"

"You are going with me," she said stubbornly. "That is final."

"But...I don't dance! I don't even know how!" The thought of doing it and being in a crowd of people, stressed him out.

"I never asked you to dance, but I did ask you to go with me," she articulated. She raised her eyebrows. "You want to go with me, ja?"

"Christine...I don't think you understand. I hate crowds. I've never...I just can't. I'm sorry!" He grabbed his things and he quickly ran out. Christine sat back down at the piano when he left. She didn't like it. She didn't like being alone all of the sudden because with Erik's rejection of her, it made her young heart ache a little. She frowned at the new feeling and closed her eyes. It hurt her that she would brave the judgment and the crowds, but he simply would not. He was a coward just like the rest of them and with her frame of mind hurt and humiliated, she went home.

Erik went home and shut himself in his room. He flopped on his bed and his face in his pillow. "Fuck!" Neither of his parents came to check on him after he came stomping inside the house or moping in his room. They didn't offer advice about girls or social events. He was all on his own for now. He laid there for a few hours and he started to worry that Christine was mad at him. He went downstairs to leave the house.

At the Giry's, Christine was in her bedroom. She had on an Of Monsters and Men vinyl that reminded her of home. She was feeling sick both literally and figuratively. She missed home, she missed her dad, and she was feeling the cold sting of rejection. Meg couldn't console her and didn't really care to since it involved Erik. Her only offering of peace was an, "I told you so." Christine placed her head on her desk and sang softly with the words of her favorite band.

Erik's parents didn't say a word to him as he left the house. He walked to Christine's house and went outside her room. He looked around and climbed the tree by her window. He got on to the roof and knocked on her window. She let out a little scream and froze when she saw it was him. She started muttering curses to herself as she walked to the window. She opened it, but didn't let him inside.

"What, Erik?" Her accent was thicker now that she was upset. He could see her blue eyes were bloodshot from crying. "Can you not see that I am too busy to be bothered by a shadow tapping at my window?" There was no homework on her desk and the music kept playing in the background, they'd known each other too long for Erik to believe that statement.

He stayed outside since she didn't invite him in. "I wanted to apologize for the way I acted."

"You merely said how you felt," she choked out. "You do not wish to go at all. That is fine." It wasn't fine to her though. She was worried that this had something to do with her because he had been doing so well with not being so anti-social, that perhaps they could do this together.

"I just...hate crowds, Christine. It's nothing about you. I actually really enjoy your company." He blushed hard and looked down, his long hair falling over his face. She glared at him for a moment before her icy facade fell and she took a step back.

"Jäkla," she muttered to herself, "come inside before you fall." She sounded tired and annoyed.

He came in and stood awkwardly by the window. "Nice room…"

She sighed, "thank you, I suppose." She sat down on her bed and closed her eyes at the song that was playing. It relaxed her and it brought her guard down. "So you just came here to apologize?"

"Yeah I did...I don't want you to be mad at me Christine. You're the only friend I have."

"You should not run away when you are speaking to me," she said quietly, it was worse than any kind of yelling he'd ever heard because she meant it. "That is what makes me mad. You ran like a coward when I would have not been upset nor angry with you. Do you think me to be so shallow that I would have not understood?" Her blue eyes were sharp and accusing. "Do you think I would just abandon you like everyone else has? Or do you not realize that I am just as alone? I need you too, Erik."

No one had ever said that to him before and his eyes widened. "You do?"

"Well… Yes? You have taught me better English, you have helped me understand the culture, and you have protected me from the social predators just as much as I have protected you. We are very much so connected," she finally offered him a smile. "I need you, just as much as you need me."

"If...If it's what you really want," He takes a deep breath, "I'll go to the dance with you."

"That's not what I want," she shook her head. "I'm not forcing you to go. I just thought that it would be nice to spit in the eyes of the princesses and princes, while the two dragons danced." She shrugged. "We don't have to go to the dance to do that because we do it everyday."

He chuckled and got on his knee. "Christine Daaé. Will you go to the dance with me, fellow dragon?"

A smile broke out onto Christine's lips, "Absolutely," She stood up and eradicated the space in between them quickly, "my Erik." She wrapped her arms around him tightly.

That was his first hug. His heart beat extremely fast and he slowly wrapped his arms around her, putting her face in her hair. She was much shorter than he was, her head was right next to his heart and it thudded quickly right next to her ear. "You should calm yourself," she chuckled. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Please don't promise that… Because if it's not true…" He shook his head. He couldn't imagine not having her around now.

She giggled and pulled back slightly, "Just you wait and see, my Erik. I will be here until you have to rid yourself of me by your own means." She cupped his cheek and smiled widely. "Now go, before Giry discovers your presence and you get us both in some real trouble."

He nodded and smiled. "Goodnight Christine." He climbed out the window and headed home. It started to pour as he went home, but he didn't care. He was happy.

When he woke up the next day though, he felt terrible. He sneezed and coughed, his eyes were red and he couldn't breathe. He went downstairs to his parents who were about to leave for work. "M-Mom…" He sounded terrible. She didn't look up from her phone.

"What is it now, Erik?" she asked in annoyance.

"I don't feel good…" He was pale and sweaty. She held no pity in her eyes when she examined him and looked back down at her phone.

"I'll call the school and inform them of your absence. Rosa will take care of you," she concluded and walked out the door with his dad.

He frowned and made his way back up to bed. He was shivering and sad. He wished she would just love him and take care of him like a normal mother would. Rosa came up and took his temperature. She gave him soup and medicine. She took care of him like his mother was supposed to, but that was her job, there was no tenderness there. He got a roughly translated text from Christine later that day.

"Where is my dragon this day?"

He frowned and replied to her, "I'm sick in bed. I'm sorry I can't be there today."

She was in chemistry, missing him. "I am coming over then."

"You don't need to…"

"Yes I do." That was the last text he got before the doorbell rang an hour later. It took her awhile to figure out where he lived, but after that, it wasn't too hard to find because it was so huge. Rosa let her in and Christine provided the tenderness that Erik was deprived of. "Oh my poor Erik," she gushed over him and sat on his bed, petting his shaggy hair back. "You are so foolish to walk home in the rain," she giggled.

"Mmm I missed you." He was a little delirious from the cough medicine.

"I missed you as well," she smirked and kept petting his hair back. "My foolish dragon, you weren't there to help me slay the princes." She loved their little metaphor for high school now.

"I'm sorry...I-I can go…" He tried to get up to go to school with her. She easily pushed him back down and laid beside him on his bed, not caring that she was missing school or that she could get sick too.

"Oh hush," she chuckled, "you are fine." He nuzzled against her.

"My mother didn't care that I was sick…" It really depressed him. She cuddled up to him daringly.

"I care," her words rang in his ears for a moment. He couldn't help but smile and nuzzled against her. "Do you need anything at all?" She murmured after a moment of silence.

"Mmm just stay…" He started to fall asleep.

"Always," she kissed his forehead.

Christine helped him get better and his parents came home to the surprise of a petite, foreign girl nursing their son back to health. She excitedly introduced herself and shook his mother's hand. To them it was all polite, but to Erik, he could see her spite. She even gave the comment of, "Well Erik, now that your mother has returned, I should probably get home." She winked at him and kissed his forehead once more. "Call if you need me," was her final words before she left his house.

He got better after that. She had taken very good care of him, to a point where his mother's small acts of kindness couldn't even compare. When he got back to school, there were posters up about the dance and she simply told him that she was wearing a bright red dress in case he wanted to match.

Erik was extremely nervous about the dance. He didn't even know how to and he had to get a suit for himself. After school he met her at the music room. "Hey. Could you come with me to the store?"

"Sure," she grinned. Her English was getting much better and she often used slang and finally used contractions now. "Need help with what to wear?"

"Yeah, I've never been to a dance." They left and they stopped outside of an Armani store. "Is this okay?" Her eyes widened and she was speechless. Only giving a little nod, they went into the store together. She realized then, how rich Erik actually was even after being in his parent's mansion.

They walked around the store and looked at suits. "I like this one," he showed her one and the price tag was disgustingly expensive.

Christine touched its soft fabric nervously and murmured nervously, "It's very nice, b-but I'm afraid my dress won't be as nice as this…" She bit at her lip in some shame; she didn't have a lot of money. "You're sure your parents won't mind?"

"Yeah," He pulled out a credit card that had his name on it. He bought the suit and they got back in the car. "I need to make another stop."

"Very well," she nodded, knowing that her own shopping took more than two stops as well. "Where to next?" He just smirked and they stopped out of a dress shop.

"I want you to pick out any dress you want. As a thank you for taking care of me."

She frowned suddenly, not understanding, "But I already have a dress and have no need of compensation for taking care of my friend."

"It's just a gift...I want to get you something nice."

She couldn't think in that moment. She never had many things that could be classified as "nice," which made her flustered. She gave him a little nod, her face beet red from his generosity. "Thank you, Erik," she breathed out. He smiled and they went inside. There was nothing under a thousand dollars in there like dresses that were featured on fashion runways or worn by celebrities. Christine's eyes wandered towards the clearance section because that was all she knew to pick from. She was too modest and humble to branch out to the more beautiful dresses that caught her eye. There was one in particular that Erik kept catching her glancing at. It was a long dress, which was bright red at the top and down at the bottom it faded to orange and yellow; it looked like fire. It had orange and yellow gems on the hem of it that amplified its beauty. It was an extravagant and unique dress, for an uncommon girl. He smiled and went over to one of the sales women.

"Excuse me? Can you fit that girl in that dress?" He pointed to them and she nodded, picking up the dress.

"Miss, follow me to the dressing room." She gave Erik a desperate look, but it melted away when she eagerly followed the woman into the dressing room. She was curious; she wanted to see what it would look like. The woman fit her for the dress and had her turn to face the mirror. "What do you think?"

The dress fit Christine like a glove. It accented her curves and petite beauty. She just stared at herself in the mirror and murmured, "I feel very beautiful." She couldn't tear her eyes away from the bright dress that nearly hurt her eyes to look at. It glowed even in the unflattering light of the dressing room.

"Why don't you go show your boyfriend?" She smiled at her.

"Okay!" She squealed in excitement, not even paying mind to correcting her on how her and Erik weren't dating. She picked up the skirts and went out to see Erik. Other men even stopped in the store to give her an appreciative look. Erik grinned when he saw her.

"Christine...you look amazing!" He couldn't stop staring at her.

She blushed hard and twirled around for him. "It is very, very beautiful."

"Is this the one you want?" The price tag wasn't even on the dress. None of them had tags on them.

"Y-yes please," she murmured. "Is that okay?" She didn't want to cross over any boundaries.

"Of course," he smiled and paid for it. "Now let's go get some shoes."

"Shoes? I get shoes too?" She asked in bewilderment.

"Were you planning on going barefoot?" He chuckled and they got back in the car.

"Well, no," she trailed off, "but I never expected to be spoiled this much."

"This is nothing." He smiled. He liked making her happy. They both got nice shoes to match their outfits and he offered to go have dinner before he brought her home.

"Thank you, my Erik, for everything," she grinned. They ate dinner together and life almost felt perfect...except for knowing they would have to separate in an hour and not see each other until the next day. He wished he could be with her forever.

After dinner was over, Christine took her dress carefully out of the car when he drove her home. She begged him to come inside with her; she didn't want him to go either. "Come, my Erik!" She giggled. "I am going to teach you how to dance." He couldn't say no. He would spend as much time with her as he could.

"Will Mrs. Giry be okay with it?"

"She'll be fine, she's not my mom," she dragged him inside and up to her room with a brief hello to the two women in the house. She put on her record player and grabbed his hands. "Don't be nervous."

"Um...okay." He tried to calm his nerves. "What do I do?"

"Place your hands around my waist for now," she instructed and then guided his hands there. "And then I'll put my arms around you like this." She wrapped her arms around his neck and slowly started to sway them back and forth in a simple slow dance as "Let it Be" played in the background. "See?" She grinned. "I'm not so scary."

He chuckled nervously and stepped on her feet a few times before he got the hang of it. There was something so intimate about this and even though he had never kissed a girl before, something was compelling him to move towards her lips. Christine was watching his feet and humming along to the music. She eventually turned her face up to his and grinned. "You're getting better," she complimented and let him lead the swaying now. It wasn't anything too fancy, but it was still perfect nonetheless. Christine closed her eyes happily and leaned her head in closer on his chest. She could feel his heart thudding quickly against her head

He suddenly pulled back with wide eyes. "Um...it's late I should probably go…" He pulled his sweatshirt down further.

"Oh," she frowned a bit. "Okay." She tried to hide her disappointment. "I'll see you tomorrow, I suppose."

"Yeah...tomorrow." He held his sweatshirt down and quickly left and went to his car. He groaned as he sat down and looked at his arousal poking up under his pants. "Shit."

Christine went to bed with a frown. The day had been absolutely perfect, but she just hated it when Erik left, especially in such a sudden hurry like that.