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Robert bade his friend farewell as the door shut behind him. He walked on down the hall, giving a polite nod to each Lodger he happened to cross the path of, and already had his foot out of the door of the Society when he realized he’d forgotten his coat back in Henry’s office.
With an internal groan, he stepped back into the building and closed the door, rushing back through the hall and for sure earning a few confused looks as to what had the man walking so quickly like he did. He had a curfew tonight, he was meant to be somewhere after the play, and the last thing Robert ever wanted to be was late.
He was a few meters from the door when a sudden loud breaking of glass on the floor came from within Henry’s office, followed by what sounded like somebody trying not to scream. He slowed a little, unsure of what he heard was what he heard, but forged ahead, swinging the door open without another thought.
“Terribly sorry, I left my–”
Henry Jekyll was collapsed on the floor, hands buried in his hair as he lay on his side and convulsed. A broken, now useless beaker lay by his head, and it wasn’t hard to connect the dots.
“Henry!” Robert rushed to his friend’s side and crouched. The older man’s knee didn’t even touch the floor before Henry gasped sharply and attempted to swallow another cry of pain, the sound unfamiliar to Robert. His eyes opened as they began to leak some kind of green ichor and he looked terrified up at Robert.
“Rob–why are–” he wheezed and coughed a bit, body spasming as what looked like the same green fluid leaked from Henry’s mouth. “You can’t be here get out you can’t see this you can’t!!”
“Henry what have you done? What’s happening?!” Robert didn’t budge, hesitant to touch Henry as his medical mind wondered if the poor man was having a seizure or a heart attack.
The next order of events made Robert want to positively never touch Henry Jekyll again. He shut his eyes tight again and grit his teeth, pain painted across his expression. His visible skin glistened with sweat as he choked on the emerald substance and his body… mutated. Henry’s clothes, once well-fitting, seemed suddenly too large to him, and Robert realized his friend was changing shape before his eyes. His dark hair lightened and grew between his fingers, still clutching the locks in agony, and its’ natural curliness mellowed out into more of a fluffy texture, one that Robert quickly found he recognized.
Out of shock or out of pity for the pain the man was in, Robert wasn’t sure, but he remained dead silent and still as the blond before him caught his breath for a moment, his tense body and curled fingers relaxing.
All of a sudden, the man’s eyes flew open and he sat up with an astounded expression, causing Robert to nearly shriek, falling backwards onto his rump.
Then there was a small but powerful body on top of his, slender hands grasping his jacket front, and the pale face of Edward Hyde was snarling right in his own mortified face.
“You should have left,” he growled and pulled Robert up a little, slamming him forcefully into the floor. “You were supposed to be gone so I could come out with no issue!”
Robert could only stammer and hold his shaking hands up at level with his head in a gesture of surrender, and Edward didn’t take that well, once again slamming Robert’s back into the ground, with entirely too much force for such a small body to deal.
“I worked so hard to keep this a secret from you, from EVERYONE,” Edward was speaking loudly now, releasing one hand’s grip on Robert’s suit to pound his fist into Robert’s chest. “And you just waltz in one day and SEE IT ALL HAPPEN!”
“I forgot my coat!” Robert squeaked out, traumatized thoroughly. “I just came back for my coat! I didn’t mean for any of this to happen!”
Edward let out a bark of laughter so mad that Robert winced. “And look where your stupidity lead you! Now you know my secret, Lanyon, and you’re going to pay!” He pounded particularly hard on Robert’s chest to punctuate his last word, and twitched as Robert responded with a coughing fit, body convulsing beneath Edward’s as he covered his mouth with the inside of his elbow.
Robert sobered quickly when he saw Edward wind his fist back ready to break Robert’s skull, and he shut his eyes tightly, fearing a blackout…
…
… It took a minute for Robert to open his eyes once more and peer frightfully up at Edward, seeing the little blond looking angrily up at the full body mirror over his shoulder.
“I can knock his lights out. Right now. He’ll think he just got drunk with you!” Edward said to the mirror, then glared in silence for several moments. “You can’t rely on trust alone just because he is your friend! He could turn us in, we’ll grow old in a fucking asylum or behind bars or--” He growled and panted as he looked at the mirror some more. No matter what angle Robert looked at it (which was not many considering his limited range of motion), he could not see anything else but the ceiling and part of the wall in the reflection.
But he was a smart man.
Edward Hyde was talking to Henry Jekyll.
“If I let him stand up and he fucking bolts, I’m not turning back for at least a week.” Edward hissed, then looked back down at Robert. He was too late looking back at Edward though and the blond had seen where Robert’s gaze was. He smirked grimly. “If you want a look at Jekyll, just keep your eyes on me, pretty boy.”
“Huh??” Robert blurted out dumbly, not even realizing Edward had moved into a proper crouch and then into a stand.
Edward scoffed as he walked across the office. “Jekyll really trusts you, Lanyon, so if you love him, which I know you do, you won’t run from me.”
Then was when the older of the pair realized he, too, could be standing on his own two feet.
As soon as he stood tall once more, he began straightening out his clothing and grabbed up his coat from the guest chair in Henry’s office. “Start talking, Hyde! What did I just witness? Who are you, who is Henry?”
“Oof,” Edward rocked back on his heels as he swung open a cabinet door and peered inside to select which neatly-folded outfit he wanted to wear out. “I’ve been off of you for not even a minute and you’ve already forgotten just how powerful you are.”
“I-it was heat of the moment! I was in shock!” Robert spat back, walking over to the full body mirror to further repair his attire. “Now I want all of the answers you can possibly give me before I have a heart attack! Who are you, Edward Hyde?!”
Edward snorted and pulled out a bundle of clothing with a smile. “You’re cute.” He closed the cabinet. Robert sputtered away as he came to his desk to set the clothing down. “I’m the same man you met in college, Lanyon.”
“That is CLEARLY not the case!” He recovered from his sputter fest to retort, pointing a finger accusingly.
“But I am!” Edward’s smile became a grin. “I’m just Henry Jekyll with fewer reservations. I’m Henry Jekyll unhinged, without rules or consequences to weigh me down, without some reputation to nurse.”
“I hardly believe you’re Henry Jekyll.” Robert said.
Edward stared at him, bug-eyed, as he was untying his cravat.
“After what you just fucking saw, you don’t believe Jekyll and I are one man?” He spat, now being more rough with Henry’s clothes as he removed them. “Look at me and tell me, now that you’ve seen what we are, that I’m not Henry Jekyll!”
“You’re NOT Henry Jekyll!” Robert rose his voice a little, trying to drown his growing fear and shock with adrenaline. “You’re just a cheap mockup or--or some disguise, some demon whose possessed him!”
“If that’s really what you want to believe, then fine!” Edward nearly shouted. “Just don’t go blathering away about this when it’s most convenient for you to lock us up!” With that, he pulled Henry’s vest and shirt open, sending buttons flying every which way.
Robert flinched and couldn’t help his eyes gravitating towards Edward’s bare chest.
For a little man like him, he had a stunning amount of body hair.
He wondered if it was originally a Henry thing, to be that hairy…
“GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!” Edward shrieked, lifting and gearing to throw a wine bottle at Robert’s head.
Robert was out in under ten seconds.