Twisted Every Way(Phantom Of The Opera Fic)

Chapter 40: Home

It had been one year since Autumn went to New York with Anabel. 

Gustave had turned 19 or so in the fall, but who was counting?

Paris' light and crowds were now a part of him. It echoed the thousands of voices in his soul searching for a way out. Gustave had escaped his old life, full of crawling through catacombs and chasing music. Sure he missed it, sure the best moments were when at the end of the day he returned home into his parent's arms: but he knew it to be for the best. 

He had, after all, made a few friends, a band brothers he would gladly fight for. 

He took each day as its own, seized it and made the most. He walked with confidence and purpose, The Opera Populaire had filled his heart with ambition and his head with horse sense and fact. 

He knew who he was, Gustave Daae Dechangy, and he meant to fulfill that name.

He knew who he wanted to be someday. 

Gustave Destler. 

And that was all he could ask for. 

He found himself a humble living among the hustle and bustle selling a few papers here and there but mainly working as an apprentice as one of the box tellers for tickets. 

Some nights he would bunk with his friends, others at home. Others in the stairwell below box five. He always felt freest there, though he never knew why. 

One night as Gustave stood on the roof, before going back down into the Opera House, he decided to take a moment, as he used to many a year ago, and stare up into that great never-ending schism. He stared at the bright vibrant specks of light, so insignificant that shined and broke through the blankness between him and them. 

Peter, who had grown and matured into a handsome 12 soon came up beside him.

"Hey. What you thinking about?" his friend asked nudging him slightly, "You dreaming about that dame again?"

Gustave blushed and put his hands in his pockets. "Peter you know me all too well. Any closer to me and I'll have to kill you. And she isn't just a girl. She's the sun, the moon, a goddess of a song!"

Peter stared at Gustave sadly, he had come to know his predicament. He wouldn't dare admit it for fear, but he knew plenty about Gustave that had never been spoken aloud. 

Plenty of secrets. 

"Which dame?" he laughed.

Gustave rolled his eyes and sighed. "Both of them, All of them. One more than the other, I just gotta figure out which one."

Gustave looked down at the city lights, he had so much he wanted to so, yet it seemed impossible.

He shook his head sadly, "My father has been imprisoned here his whole life. Slaving after some girl, some family, so impossible piece of music he won't ever touch. Well, It's not gonna end that way for me Peter. I won't let it!" 

Peter laughed and punched his shoulder, "But Paris is so full of light, so full of love if you know where to look. Why the moment my second cousin's uncle's pet monkey keeled over-" 

Here he went cross-eyed and pretended to die, making even the distressed Gustave smile-

"The moment his money entered my bank account, Paris was full of more light than ever before."

Gustave took a deep breath, admiring Peters expensive clothes, "Yeah I guess money is alright for some people. But give a big life in a small town with a nice comfortable girl and I couldn't ask for more."