A/N: WARNING: awkward lady problems discussed in this chapter-nothing very graphic, but anyway… The contrast in writing style between the points of view is very much on purpose, fyi—Erik is all elegance and I'm just like no frills. And I just gotta say: reading actual novels instead of just school textbooks helps me write so much better! Bum, bum, bum, ba-dum-bum, I feel free! (Creem.)

Erik opened his eyes, but made no move to sit up, despite his Siamese's insistent nudging. The morning sun felt so good on his bear face. But before long, Ayesha was chewing on the sleeve of his baggy nightshirt, demanding he get up and address her. Oh, all right.

Erik slowly sat up, yawning, and turned to the cat. He addressed her in French, as usual [note that the author does not know French]. "What do you want, little lady? I'm sleeping."

"Meow," Ayesha said.

"What?"

"Meow." There was impatience in her tone now—or so it seemed. Erik glanced around his room, at his deep blue walls, at his desk full of computer and speaker and various cords and cables, at his case full of books, at his electronic keyboard (the "real" piano was downstairs in the parlor-or living room), at his closed bathroom door…

"Is that it? Need the litter box? Or are you hungry?"

But as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, she leapt onto his night table…which held a phone…a phone that wasn't plugged in and still had a black screen even as he pressed his thumb to it. No phone, no clock, no alarm. He knew he should have made that wall clock for his room when he had access to those supplies! Erik swore in French a few times, hurriedly plugged the phone in, and frantically fed and watered Ayesha and readied himself for the day. Thank God he kept his door closed: he didn't even think about the mask now until he made to leave his room. When he had finished running around like a headless chicken, he checked his phone: 3 percent battery and growing, and—it was half past 6 in the morning.

Ayesha had probably awoken him around 6:00. His alarm didn't go off until 7.

"Why did you do that to me, you mean little thing?" Erik demanded of Ayesha.

The cat only lapped up the rest of her breakfast before diving into her litterbox…and spraying litter all around.

Erik let out a halfhearted growl. "You're a piece of work, you know that?" He exited the bathroom and went to his computer: if he was awake this early, he might as well push forward on homework.

He had been up a few nights ago until about 3 A.M. trying to compose, and so the night before yesternight he had not set an alarm and slept in. He wasn't too far behind, but he wasn't where he hoped he would be. A handful more assignments and he'd be clear till after spring break. All that free time to get completely absorbed in favorite books and songwriting again!

Speaking of songwriting…Erik's mind drifted to the reasons he had been composing as he waited for his school email to load. He had been trying in vain to convey through sung words how much his phangirl meant to him. What better Valentine's Day present than a song from your Erik, He had thought. But the pressure of a deadline and that ever-present perfectionism had stalled his brain until all he could picture when he closed his eyes was a skull shattering and the pressurized goop within bursting out and splattering.

Erik meant what he had said that night when she first touched his face without his mask: she was an angel…a phangirl of an angel. A hard-core phangirl, yes, but an angel nonetheless. Erik loved to see Lauren happy, and if he could be the reason for her happiness, it would be even sweeter. He also believed that Lauren deserved to be showered with affection…not that he could ever measure up to all she'd done for him…but he can make an effort, right? But Erik is also dramatic: he won't just tell Lauren that he really loves her…he wanted to prove it to her. He wanted her to know for sure and have no doubts about his feelings. And he'll be the reason that she's smiling and laughing and being happy and that just sounds blissful…he'll be appreciated and he'll feel real love. But now, he had no song. And Valentine's Day had come and gone! Yes, Lauren had been busy all that week with her family and Erik had been busy avoiding his far-too-affectionate-to-each-other mother and stepfather by way of hiding behind schoolwork, and Erik and Lauren had celebrated the weekend after with an evening at his home full of delicious food and all kinds of music, but he still wanted to give her something…a symphony, a ballad, a simple little pop song even—something! Something just to say a sincere "I love you" with no holiday obligation attached.

Ugh. Before his mind ran away with all that, he would finish midterms. All major essays done; only exams and shorter essays that didn't require extensive research or long hours of thinking left.

When Erik had finished, he sat back and watched the clock on his computer change in real time. (8:33 AM, 8:34 AM, 8:35 AM…)He looked up POTO gifs on tumblr. He typed nonsense into Google to see autofill in action. The technology as well as the culture of the 21st century still made his head spin in the most enticing way. He was tempted to research plastic surgery, but he repeatedly resisted the urge. He'd come to understand that his face, horrific as it was, made him the Erik he was; he also knew that his phangirl wouldn't forgive him for it easily…God, Erik was so wrapped around her finger. He should probably care…nah.

After grabbing a quick bite to eat in the hopes that it would fuel his mind, Erik went to his keyboard and tried to compose again…for several hours…and soon it was 3:00; and when it was 3:00, Lauren was finished with work; and when Lauren was finished with work, Erik could see her again! And he didn't have to run to her house to see her—he could text message her, call her, video call her…there were plenty of ways to be with her. Call Erik pathetic, dramatic, clingy, or possessive, but you just couldn't take those qualities out of a Phantom of the Opera, now could you?

Besides, this Erik knew what it meant to be in love with a phangirl: no matter how out of line a phantom got, the phangirl was the dreamer, and the dreamer had the power. Even though Erik had come back of his own free will, he still was more than happy to allow his Lauren her say; character contract or not, Lauren was still the author, and Erik was more than okay with that. A Phantom and a phan; no more, and yet, no less…

When Erik could wait no longer, he picked up his phone and impatiently gave it a voice command to call her. Every ring sent the butterflies in his stomach flitting faster and his heart beating a tiny bit harder. Would she pick up? Could he reach her at all? Would he have to go down to her house and find her after all?

Finally, on the third ring, she answered and Erik felt a little embarrassed for getting too frantic. "Yo, ghosty."

But the sound of her voice even through a phone made everything all right, and so Erik just laughed. "'Yo'? What happened to 'Heyo'? I liked that one. You would sing it on a descending perfect fourth like Freddie Mercury at LiveAid."

She laughed back at him. "Okay then. Hey-oh. Happy?"

"Very. Are you free tonight? Your Erik is suffering withdrawal. Darling, my staying with you still depends on the strength of our relationship, and I really do not want to return to my former world inside your mind now; I can not be with you there the way I can here."

"Calm down, my love," she soothed. And Erik's heart leapt: she had called him her love! "I've been reading 'The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: the Angel of the Opera' since we last hung out a couple weeks ago and I just finished reading it, actually, before you called. I'm still a hard core phangirl, and you're not going anywhere."

Yes…Erik was not aware of how he knew, but he was still connected to her thoughts and feelings regarding his phandom and he felt her love and happiness every time she opened that book. Still, he said, "You don't know how wonderful it makes me feel to hear you say that. What did you think? You are melancholy."

"It's just…it's over. I got no more new Phantom media to discover."

"Not yet, but you will find your fix—I know my phangirl: she is as stubbornly determined as her Erik! But, my angel, that is not the reason…I know: you are sad that yet another Erik was given a girl. Remember the ring on your finger, my silly Lauren. You have an Erik who loves you and will never leave you. Say the word and I will be at your side and I will do whatever you need of me."

"Can I come over?"

Please do! "Of course. I've finished my midterms, did I tell you? I am free to songwrite and rest happily in your embrace until mid March!"

"Yay! Thank you for being dramatic and cheesey."

"It seems strange to thank me for such things. May I ask why?"

"Because I like feelies, and your cheesey is just enough for feelies and not enough to make me want to gag."

Erik laughed again. "I'll count the seconds—just kidding!" They said their goodbyes and, though Erik knew he would see her and hold her shortly, it was hard to hang up. As silly as it sounded, he wished to remain on the phone with her as she walked down the halfblock to his house.

I was hurting in my gut. Erik and I had been playing with Ayesha "Miou-Miou" in his room for awhile, but then his mom called. God, even through the phone her voice is all whiny and just makes me go uughh. Erik went to check on whatever she was whining about, , and when I wasn't focused on anything else, my body hurt. Oh no—the signs—the signs of the inevitable! Maybe I should tell him that I need to go home.

His bed is comfy. I'll just rest for a couple minutes till he comes back.

Ow.

"Angel? Are you all right?" Erik's on the bed. His hand's on my cheek. His cold hand feels good.

"I hurt a little."

"Where?"

"stomach. Probably nothing." I wish. "I'm super tired, but I don't want to go home."

And then Erik was on the bed next to me. "I'll hold you while you sleep." It probably should have been creepy to me how happy Erik was to do something like cuddle me will I was passed out, but I was happy with it too, so I didn't feel creeped.

When I woke up and sat up, I heard the Psycho music in my head: the inevitable had happened here! Not at home, here! Oh frickle-frackle. Thank God I wasn't on top of all the blankets.

Erik's beautiful voice. "How are you feeling?" He was standing next to the bed now.

"Uh..."

Erik took my hand gently, and after a minute, I was relaxed again.

"What is it?"

But then I shifted a little. Yup, definitely there. Did I really have to tell him? My face felt hot.

Erik squeezed my hand. "Lauren? Please say something." He sounded anxious.

"I know why my stomach's hurting."

"About that-I brought you some medicine."

"Thanks ..." I took the pills and the water without thinking about what I was doing. "Um ... I uh ..."

"Yes?"

I'd made sure not to move and to sit on top of the spot. "I'm sorry," I began.

"Whatever are you sorry for?" Erik sounded dumbfounded, like I should never say such things.

"Um, I don't know if you need to change your sheets. I need to change my clothes. Like I said, I know why my stomach hurt. Ow. And the pain increases, yay." Hand on my abdomen.

"Oh," said Erik very softly.

"You just have to wash them," I said. "Your sheets are dark, and that's good. If they were white,it'd be worse, but they're darker, and it shouldn't be a lot, so it'll be okay." I hoped. Oh crapity-crap.

"All right. So will you go home and come back?"

"I can come back if you can deal with a tired and cranky me." A tiny part of me didn't want to come back, though—not until the sheets had been washed and this whole thing was forgotten.

Erik didn't say anything. He just put a hand on my back as I scooted to the edge of the bed like he does when he wants to hug me as I stand up.

Walking to the stairs didn't happen-Erik wouldn't let me when he heard me deadpanning ow's as I walked down the hallway. He actually picked me up and carried me into his bathroom.

"What the crap, dude. My supplies are at home."

Erik set me down. "The toilet's right in front of you." Erik left and I stayed there frozen, praying nothing looked bad, until he came back. "My sheets are clean. It's all right, my angel." Erik was standing behind me massaging my shoulders now. He probably saw how embarrassed I was.

"Thank you. But, um, I don't think I need to go to the bathroom."

"Which cupboard has your supplies in your bathroom?"

"Uh, left one, closest to the window. Why?" What was he gonna do?

"You sit down and I'll soak your shorts in the sink. I'll get something from your house if I can't find my mother's."

"Oh! No, no, Erik, I'll be fine if I just get home."

Erik put an arm around my shoulders and then moved his hand down to the small of my back. "I won't let you walk all the way down there, silly girl. I can see that you're in too much pain. I don't mind. Really. Every girl has periods, and you wouldn't have told me anything if it wasn't necessary."

He probably just wanted to keep me here. Still, I felt like there should be cartoon hearts in my eyes. I could feel the dopy grin I was most definitely wearing. This guy was just acting so perfect it was unbelievable. "I love you," I said.

A kiss on my cheek. "I love you, too. Now, I'm going to turn around, you sit down and place your shorts on the rug in front of you and to your left, I'll take care of them and leave, and you sit and wait for me."

Even a phangirl can't resist when an Erik uses his persuasive voice. "Fine."But I hunched way over and tried to cover what I could (I even closed the toilet lid over me), despite the fact he wasn't facing my direction.

I waited awkwardly for his return, way too aware of what I was doing to his toilet bowl. Ew. And ow. I don't like this.

Only a few minutes later, Erik was back. I heard the door crack open. "I have your night dress," he said through the crack. "I'll set everything down by the doorframe on the inside, opposite the hinge. Come out when you're finished."

After I heard the door close, I cautiously and quickly went to discover pajamas and supplies. I changed and put my shirt on the counter next to the sink.

When Ayesha gabbled, Erik let her into the bathroom. I didn't realize Erik had come in until I heard him ask, "Will you feel better now, wearing your nightgown?"

"A lot," I said. "Thanks." Thank God he came in after I changed! That awkwardness so didn't need to happen.

"Of course, my angel. What are you doing?"

"Cleaning up the evidence," I said. I had been wiping down the toilet and the seat. "I didn't want you to see all the grossness."

"Oh, how kind you are. It's quite all right, though. It's not too terribly bad. … There."

We left his bathroom and washed our hands in his mom's bathroom sink.

"You sure you don't mind my clothes in there?" I asked him.

"Not at all. I would offer to wash them, but I know you would prefer to throw them in a bag and take them home with you."

If only Ayesha hadn't decided to investigate. Erik didn't mind my stuff in the garbage can in his bathroom at first-until his cat was happy for a new toy! That was both awkward and hilarious.

A/N: It's always funny to me when guys freak out and run at the mention or sight of a period, but what if your guy was really sweet about it instead?