Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jekyll's legs shook under the weight of all the boxes stacked precariously in his arms. In hindsight, maybe he should have taken several trips to get all of them in but he couldn't change his mind now. With all the strength he could muster, he stumbled up the last few steps, almost tripping several times and, finally, put the boxes down. To his annoyance, one smaller box slipped off the top of the stack, landing on its side and spilling a heap of once neatly folded clothes onto the floor. He gave it a small glare but at least he didn't have to carry it anymore.

Sighing in relief, Henry arched his back, stretching out his stiff and aching muscles. His eyes skated across the room he had found himself in as he did so, drinking it all in.

The apartment was smaller than his old house but it looked comfortable enough. Moreover, it didn't have any strange mold which was better than most of the apartments he had seen in his life. From between his legs, the dark blur of Zosi shot out, circling the apartment in bounding leaps and shoving his nose into every nook and cranny.

Leaving the small dog to adjust, Henry started unpacking, setting up his small chemistry set on a table, filling drawers with stationary and papers and putting away the mess of clothes on the floor.

The apartment consisted of a dining area, kitchen and living area all combined into the same room to save space. The walls were painted baby blue and there was a doorway leading off to the bedroom which Zosi bolted to, yipping. Acting as a constant reminder of how high up they were, there was a large window that stared out over the dizzying drop below. Trying not to think about falling, Henry propped the window open to let in fresh air.

He took a step back and, hands on hips, stared around, deep in thought. Just as he was musing, a girl peeped in behind him.

"Wow, I didn't really believe it when I saw you – you really did just carry all those boxes here at once."

Henry smiled awkwardly, "I kind of regret it."

"You didn't even take the elevator."

"The what?"

With a tut, she stepped in. The girl in question was Rachel, an old friend of his. When he had suggested moving somewhere new, she had been the first to say that someone had just moved out of a place in her apartment block and Henry had taken to the new spot immediately. They had met years ago in college after, in a rush to get to class, Henry had bumped into her, causing Rachel to spill her coffee all over the floor. He had offered to clean up for her while she went to class and, after her lesson, they had ended up meeting again in the same college cafe, Henry buying her a replacement drink and apologizing profusely for the mistake. They had gotten to talking and had been friends ever since.

"Does your place look like this?" He asked.

"A bit smaller but yes. I see you brought your chemistry set."

"I still have a job, you know."

Dr Jekyll was a chemist. It wasn't all the explosions and chemical super-weapons that media made it out to be but Jekyll would be lying if he said he wasn't still as enamoured with his work as he had been when he started. As though proof of his occupation, a cobweb of tubing and glass vials filled with bubbling liquid was set out on the desk, his bunsen burner, which he had no gas for as of yet, was still in its box.

"Yeah but you can do that from, you know, your workplace?"

"Just getting an edge up on the competition."

Another head peeped around the corner. A shock of red hair caught Jekyll's eye and a pair of almost manic green eyes.

"So, you're the new guy!" The arriver strode in, beaming, "I've heard you're another scientist. We have a lot of those here – Rachel's the outlier."

Rachel puffed her cheeks indignantly. "Just because I don't set off the fire alarm every five seconds..."

"I'm Sinnett." Sinnett held out a hand. Jekyll took it firmly.

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Doctor Jekyll."

"A doctor, ey?" The newcomer's eyes sparkled.

Henry frowned. "I thought you were a scientist, aren't you a doctor?"

"He's a menace," Rachel responded with a glare.

"I'm more of a freelancer. I study fire."

Jekyll's eyebrows shot up. Nervously, he shot a glance at Rachel. Her arms were crossed as she continued to glare at Sinnett and Jekyll had a sinking feeling that it wasn't a joke.

"If Sinnett sets anything in your apartment on fire, just tell me." She said simply. Before Jekyll could respond, two more people popped in through the doorway. Two women, one taller, one shorter and younger looking.

"I see the pyromaniac got here first." The taller woman said with joking hostility, "If you set the fire alarm off again-"

"It's good to meet you," The shorter woman said, smiling at Jekyll, "Rachel's told us all so much about you."

"...Has she?" Jekyll gave Rachel a side-eye. Rachel tactically didn't meet his gaze.

"I'm Lavender, this here is Cantilupe."

"I'm Jekyll but I imagine Rachel's already told you that."

"If you have any pets, don't hesitate to ask us for help." Cantilupe shook Jekyll's hand, "I'm a vet, Lavender here is a vet in training. I'm helping teach her."

"Nice to meet you."

"Jekyll has a dog." Rachel piped up, "A Scotland terrier – his name is Zosi."

Cantilupe clapped her hands in delight, "Where is he?"

Zosi, hearing his name, scampered out of the bedroom, tongue stuck out. Cantilupe squealed in glee and bent down.

"He's so healthy!" She trilled as she scratched him behind the ears, Zosi making little happy noises as his tail wagged enthusiastically.

"Are any of you my neighbours or are you staying on different floors?"

"I believe that Jasper lives on the same floor as you." Lavender replied. "He's a little socially awkward but-"

"He has a lot of animals." Cantilupe winked. Zosi had rolled onto his back and she was busy scratching his belly. "He used to be a farmer and he brought a lot of them with him. It's lucky that there's no 'No pets' policy here"

"...Farm animals..? Like-"

"If you see a horse, you'll know whose it is."

Jekyll couldn't imagine what kind of apartment building would allow horses. He hadn't seen any horses outside. Did... Did Jasper keep the horse inside the apartment?

"There's also Archer and Bird. Residential plant experts although most of the plants they keep are highly poisonous so I wouldn't touch any of them if I was you. They live in the same room together."

"Noted."

"Then there's Ito. She's a chemist, like you. A little stern but she's not so bad once you get to know her."

"On the floor above is Sinnett and Luckett. They also live together and they're the problem children of the whole apartment." Cantilupe shot a look at Sinnett. "Both pyromaniacs, watch out for them. Luckett is a pyrotechnics expert with a tendancy to test his inventions..." She crinkled her nose, "Inside the apartment."

"Also noted."

"Griffin lives just below you. We're not entirely sure what he works on but he sure has a lot of mirrors and mice."

Sinnett spoke up, "He's a scientist too."

"Doesn't help. Scientist is a broad profession." Cantilupe pointed out.

"There's Maijabi. He's one of those professional psychic types." Lavender shrugged, "It's not very scientific but I suppose one must make ends meet somehow"

Sinnett snorted and rolled his eyes, "He's a phony."

"Of course, you already know that Rachel lives on the floor below you."

"Hi." Rachel waved.

"Who else, who else..?"

"Helsby."

"Oh, right, of course! You should be glad he lives below you! He's a scuba diver and he keeps a massive fish tank that leaks. Constantly. The lower floors always have dripping ceilings thanks to him."

"We live on the floor above you." Cantilupe mentioned. "Doddles is just across from us..."

Lavender snapped her fingers, "Of course! How could I forget? He owns a sweet shop in town and he occasionally gives out freebies." She gave Jekyll a wink, "Just so you know, you might want to befriend him first."

"I'll keep that in mind." Jekyll knew he wasn't going to remember all this. He wasn't bad at remembering names but this was too much. Lavender must have noticed the look on his face because she smirked mischievously.

"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to get to know everyone. It's quite a social apartment. Game nights are on Sundays at 8pm in the common room."

"Doddle may look sweet but he's ruthless at games night." Rachel warned.

Jekyll nodded.

"Anyway, I can get Jekyll up to speed, he needs time to unpack." Rachel gave the trio a look.

"Of course, of course," Cantilupe flapped her hand dismissively, "We'll be taking our leave. Make sure he goes to games night, ok?"

"Will do. Now, out! All of you!" Rachel shooed them out the door. Jekyll caught a glimpse of a glittering flamethrower at Sinnett's belt just as he was pushed out. Finally, they were alone. Rachel put her hands on her hips and huffed. "Sorry, they get overexcited sometimes. I doubt they'll be the only ones showing up tonight."

"Good thing I'm not an introvert then." Jekyll chuckled.

"So, did you tell Lanyon you were moving?" Rachel busied herself with setting out Jekyll's stuff, "Sorry if it's a sore subject but-"

"Of course I did. We're still friends, you know?"

"Right. I just... Wondered is all. Is he coming to visit?"

"Eventually. He's a little busy right now: his father's getting on his case again."

"I see..." Rachel hummed as she placed down a few emergency candles, "You'll be needing these. Helsby's leaky apartment often causes power outages. Although, I would hide them if I were you. Can't let Sinnett get a hold of them." She looked him straight in the eye. "If he asks you for spare matches, the answer is no"

He stood up, dusting off her apron and looking around, "I outta let you get settled. Don't hesitate to visit if you need me. Apartment 401, remember?"

"Yes."

"I'll let you get to it then." She took one last look around before strutting out the door, leaving Jekyll to set up.

Rachel was right: Other residents did show up. Doddles, a round-faced, red-cheeked man, came around with a box of chocolates to welcome him to the apartment. He was followed shortly by Helsby who was only really there to nab chocolates from Jekyll but he kept up a cheery conversation as he stuffed himself full of chocolates. He tried to give Jekyll advice but it was mostly the same as Cantilupe and Lavender's advice with the added bonus warning of Tweedy, an electrician who tended to short-circuit the apartment while fiddling with the electrics. He offered to show Jekyll his fish collection at some point after he had finished unpacking. Jekyll politely accepted and Helsby, mouth chocolate smeared, left to go back to his own room.

A man by the name of Pennebrygg showed up at one point, looking for a lost automaton. The man in question was apparently a toy maker with a tendency for making clockwork creations. He greeted Jekyll warmly while he was there before vanishing off to find his missing creation.

By the end of the day, between greeting other residents and unpacking, Jekyll was exhausted. He sighed in relief as the last of his stuff was placed and sat back in the sofa. Zosi curled up on his lap, ears twitching as Jekyll stroked him.

There was still stuff that was to arrive the next day, mostly larger pieces of furniture, but, for the moment, Jekyll was done. He leaned back and allowed his eyes to flutter shut. He breathed out his nose slowly and considered all that had happened. It had seemed so impossible to move on just a month ago and, yet, here he was - new home, new life. It was exhausting already but he was sure he would adjust eventually. His breathing slowed and deepened. The anxieties in his stomach uncoiled like a rope as he drifted into a dozing state.

That was when Zosi started to growl.

Jekyll prised open an eye. The small dog was stood on his stomach, glowering at the door fearfully. Lazily, Henry rubbed his bleary eyes and followed his pet's gaze. There seemed to be nothing unusual about the door, the only thing of note being his own shadow, cast by the low light from the sunset which distorted it into a thin, long shape.

"What is it, boy?"

Zosi just flattened his ears and growled again. Never before had he seen Zosi get so aggressive – he didn't growl at anything. Even when he saw a cat, Zosi would simply scarper rather than get into a fight. This new behaviour put him on edge.

Cautiously, Henry stood up and made his way towards the door. In response, Zosi whimpered and scampered behind the sofa, trembling as he watched his owner.

Jekyll swallowed and reached out a trembling hand, taking a deep breath.

He opened the door.

There was nothing on the other side.

Feeling foolish for being afraid, Henry released his breath and swung the door shut, turning to look at Zosi. The dog was still staring at the door wide-eyed. There was a tad of lingering doubt and Henry took another look at the door but, again, he saw nothing but his own shadow.

It must be the lighting, he supposed. Zosi must not be used to the way that light can distort a shadow like that.

"It's just my shadow." He tried to reassure, bending down to meet the dog's height. For a moment, he wasn't sure if Zosi would calm down but, after a slight snuffle, he came out of hiding.

The pair sat back down and Jekyll drifted off to sleep.

The next day was Sunday. Jekyll spent a good portion of his day unpacking the larger crates and boxes that arrived throughout the day. He kept a wistful eye on the time as he worked, waiting for 8pm to come so he could finally meet the other residents. At lunch, Rachel showed him to "the best cafe in town". Jekyll ordered a coffee and soup. He didn't quite have the appetite to finish the soup despite Rachel's concerned look.

"I'm fine." He assured, "Just not hungry."

She tutted and he apologized. He especially apologized when Rachel insisted on paying for the soup that he hadn't really eaten. She told him to stop apologizing and he just stopped himself saying sorry again.

When the hoover showed up, Jekyll took it for a spin throughout the apartment. The place seemed even more homely once the dirt and dust was gone.

At long last, 8pm came round. He practically sprinted from his room to get to the common room. So far, the other residents had proven themselves a quirky bunch and he was excited to meet the rest of them.

He showed up early so there were only a few people there. He recognized Lavender, Cantilupe and Doddles immediately. There was also a taller man who was stitching up a piece of torn fabric and a smaller boy dressed in clothes that were a bit too big for him.

"Hey!" Jekyll greeted the new taller man. The man turned to him and there was a sparkle in his eyes.

"Ah, you must be the new explorer!" He spread his arms wide, theatrically, "Welcome to the apartment!"

"I'm Jekyll. And you are..?"

"I am a part time resident at this fine establishment but my true destiny, my true home is up above in the stars." He clenched his fist passionately.

"I, uh, meant your name."

"That's Bryson." Cantilupe called out, the sound of amusement clear in her voice. "He's an aeronautic explorer."

Jekyll blinked, surprised. "Bryson? Nicholas Bryson? I've heard of you before."

"He's somewhat famous, yes," Cantilupe chuckled, "But enough of that, come over and meet Jasper."

Jekyll approached her, glancing at the smaller boy sat next to her who squirmed as he approached, not meeting his gaze. A snake lay coiled up over his shoulders.

"Jekyll, this is Jasper. Jasper, this is Jekyll."

The boy, Jasper, smiled awkwardly at Jekyll, "Nice to meet you"

"Same. I heard you used to be a farmer."

"Heard?" Jasper's head jerked up.

"Oh, that's all I heard. Cantilupe and Lavender are terrible gossips but I didn't get much more than that."

"Oh, you cheeky-"

"You have a horse?"

"Oh... Yeah..."

The conversation trailed to silence. Jasper fingered his shirt, looking rather red faced.

"Come here for any particular reason?" Jekyll tried again, "It's just not the place I would expect to see a farmer."

Jasper smiled slightly, "Well I was kind of interested in science and I hoped that, in a more urban area, I might be able to find others with the same interest."

Jekyll smirked at that, "Well, judging from everyone I've met so far, scientists aren't in short supply around here. Do you have any particular interests? I, myself, take an interest in chemistry."

"Really?" Jasper looked him up and down, "I'm not that much of a chemist but I'm a fan of animals. You know, studying rare species'... That sort of thing."

"I'm sure Cantilupe and Lavender have been a great help in that regard!"

"Yeah... They have."

Jasper looked a lot less uncomfortable and Jekyll considered their conversation a success. It was at that moment that Rachel strolled in. Before he even knew what was happening, she had swept him up into a bone-crushing hug.

"You came! I was worried you would fall asleep in your apartment and miss the event!"

Jekyll gasped, trying to breathe. "...Yes... I came... Now... Can you... Let me... Breathe..."

"Oh, sorry!" She let go although the look on her face didn't say 'sorry'.

Pennebrygg had come in behind her followed by another man with a scar over one eye and hair stood on end like he had been recently struck by lightning.

"This is Pennebrygg and Tweedy." Rachel greeted. Another pair, a larger and smaller man entered next. "And this is Bird and Archer"

"Yo." Archer called out.

Next came an albino man who was kicking his feet and grumbling.

"This is Griffin. Usually you won't see him out of his room but I made him come. This is a special occasion after all."

One by one, residents entered with different levels of energy. Some greeted him with energy while others only spared him a weary hello. The names he was being given blended together until he couldn't tell who was who anymore.

Rachel prised Cluedo from a box and Jekyll found himself playing with her, Archer and Bird. Jekyll smugly won but he kept his pride under check.

Next was Cheat against Doddle, Bryson and Sinnett. As it turned out, the warnings about Doddle were true - he was ruthless. His poker face remained cheery throughout even as he thrashed the competition. Jekyll vowed never to play cards against him again.

He jumped from game to game, winning and losing in equal measure. The night wore on and he started to find that the exertion of the day was starting to wear on him. He rubbed his eyes blearily, looking again at the cards in his hands, blurry to his tired vision. He thought that was the ace of hearts but he wasn't quite sure.

"You should get some sleep."

Jekyll blinked and Jasper's worried expression swam into focus.

"Maybe later, I would hate to leave so soon."

"I have to agree." Archer frowned at Jekyll, "You look just about ready to keel over at any moment."

He opened his mouth to protest but, after a thought, shut it again. "Game night is every Sunday, right?"

"Yeah, you won't be missing anything, don't you worry. I know you've been unpacking all day so..."

"Mm." Jekyll looked over at the cards in his hands again and, with a yawn, placed them down. "I guess I'll see you all next Sunday?"

"Probably not Griffin." Archer said. "He's usually holed up in his room."

The man in question was glaring so hard at some cards that he looked as though he could burn holes through them at any second.

"I'm sure I'll have other chances to meet him." Jekyll reasoned to himself. He pushed back his chair and stood up, stretching out his weak legs. "Bye!"

He turned to leave. Just as he was about to leave, the doors opened an a new resident walked in. The man had a grizzly white beard and an eyepatch over one eye that made Jekyll think of a pirate. He was carrying a chess set.

"Sorry I'm late," He spoke up in a gruff voice, "Traffic was a nightmare."

He looked up and Jekyll's eyes met his single eye. They stared at each other for an uncomfortable amount of time before, furrowing his brow slightly, the man raised his eyepatch. His eye, Jekyll was surprised to note, looked fine. It wasn't glass or badly injured. All that seemed off with it was that it was more dilated than the other eye - a consequence of being kept in the dark for who knows how long.

"My, there is something quite peculiar about you."

Jekyll wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Thank you?"

"Oh, this is Maijabi – resident psychic." Rachel walked up to them. "Maijabi, this is Jekyll. He's the new resident that arrived yesterday."

Maijabi, who didn't really look like what Jekyll expected from a psychic, nodded in greeting. "I don't suppose you've had any strange occurrences lately? Things moving on their own, behaviour that you can't quite explain even to yourself, that sort of thing."

"...No..?"

"Ignore him," Cantilupe piped up from her game of snakes and ladders, "He's just trying to get you to pay him for a reading. Psychics are like that."

She hissed in annoyance as her piece landed on a snake.

"Mock all you want." Maijabi replied without a hint of upset, "These things are real and something tells me that Jekyll here will be needing help very soon."

Jekyll stood there for several seconds, trying to come up with a response. "...Nice meeting you. See you around."

He left awkwardly. Maijabi merely sniffed and lowered his eyepatch.

Jekyll couldn't shake an unsettled feeling as he made his way back to his apartment.

Chapter Text

Jekyll got the call the next day. Lanyon was going to visit and soon. He spent the rest of the day cleaning his apartment again, checking for anything out of place and, overall, fussing about his appearance. His many pieces of scientific apparatus went straight back in the box, faintly glowing in the dark as he closed the lid, and, for the second day in a row, he hoovered and dusted. There wasn't anything to clean up and all he really succeeded in doing was making his whole apartment reek of lemon scented wood polish.

"Since you're clucking about like a headless chicken, I would guess that Lanyon's coming today." Rachel joked. "You two are friends, he won't mind a little mess, especially since you just moved in."

"I know, I know." Jekyll squinted again at the dresser for loose dust. He scrubbed at it again with the cloth. "I just... I just want to keep up a good appearance. How do I look?"

He spread his arms, showing off the neat red jacket which he had recently ironed. Twice.

"Like a mess of anxieties?"

Jekyll glared at her. "I just... I don't want to look like I'm still caught up on him, you know?"

"I get it. You don't want to look like you're still pining after him. Just friends."

"I don't want Lanyon to feel bad about what happened, I understand why we couldn’t be together anymore and I shouldn’t make him feel bad about that."

"Yeah, yeah. You look just fine. If you keep stressing like this, you'll just end up with the opposite effect – things will be awkward."

"Well now you're making me stressed about being stressed."

"Whoops."

There was a knock at the door and Jekyll's head shot up like a rabbit in headlights. "Oh God. That's him isn't it?"

"Relax. Just be yourself."

Jekyll winced at that. He didn't really act like himself around anyone. He was somewhat thankful that Lanyon had taught him how to fake a smile but, on the downside, Lanyon was one of the only two people who could see straight through that act. The other person was Rachel but things weren't so awkward with Rachel.

He took a deep breath and approached the door, straightening his clothes one last time. The door swung open and there he was, dressed casually – Robert Lanyon. He was holding a small slip of paper, the address written on it. As his eyes drifted up from the paper, his face lit up.

"Jekyll!" Lanyon launched forwards and caught Jekyll in a bear hug, spinning him around once before plopping him down. "I haven't seen you in ages, how have you been?"

Jekyll stumbled, dizzy from the spin, while Lanyon stepped into the apartment, already seeming at home. "You know, this isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I thought it would be smaller, maybe have a little mold." He ran a finger along a polished wood drawer, looking at his finger for dust.

"It's my apartment building." Rachel retorted, "How do you think I live?"

"All the apartments I've been in have never been that great. Remember that place we lived in at university? I thought it would be more like that." Lanyon threw himself into the sofa and grinned up at Jekyll, "So, where's the alcohol?"

"I haven't gotten around to getting any yet."

Lanyon's smile grew even wider, "Then I guess I was spot on with my welcoming gift." He whipped out a package, done up in messily done wrapping paper. It was clearly bottle shaped, "We can share it while we catch up."

He tossed the bottle to Jekyll and Jekyll caught it. He glanced at Lanyon before cautiously unwrapping it to reveal the bottle of wine within. Jekyll allowed himself a genuine smile. He had been so worried about Lanyon coming round but, now that he was there, he didn't know what he had been so worried about. He popped it open and, taking out the glasses, began to pour everyone a drink, including Rachel, before settling down on the sofa next to Lanyon.

"So..? How's the neighbours?" Lanyon took a swig directly from the bottle, ignoring the glass.

"...Interesting." Jekyll sipped from his glass, "I've already heard the wildest stories about them all."

Lanyon leaned towards him, a glint in his eye. "Spare no details."

It took a surprisingly long time to spill every detail about the new apartment and its quirky residents with Rachel there to corroborate the tall tales. Lanyon, a fan of gossip, seemed enthralled by the stories. The light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter with each sentence.

"So no mold but there are pyromaniacs upstairs." Lanyon summarised.

"Basically." Jekyll finished off his glass and glanced out the window. The day was still quite young. "Do you want to go out for lunch? Rachel's showed me quite a nice little cafe in town."

Lanyon shook his head, "I'm afraid I can't stay long. I'm still busy and I imagine you'll be busy over the next few days too. Technically, I didn’t really have the time to come today but it seemed rude of me to ditch you in this brand new stage of your life." He spread his arms gesturing to the rest of the apartment.

Jekyll's smile faltered. "Oh." He caught himself, plastering the smile back on, full force, "Any idea when you'll be coming around again?" His smile felt too fake and he was certain that Lanyon had noticed.

"I'll try for next Monday. Maybe we can go out to lunch at that cafe you were telling me about?"

"...Yeah, that would be nice."

Lanyon looked at him for a long time and Jekyll winced at the pity evident on his face. "Don't look so glum. I'm sure you'll come to appreciate the free time to explore the neighbourhood."

Jekyll nodded but didn't say anything for a while. He wasn't sure what to say to fix the situation he had gotten into. In the end, he simply settled for, "See you Monday then."

Lanyon nodded enthusiastically, "Will do. Rachel? Can you show me the way out? I got lost getting here earlier."

"Of course!" Rachel stood up and showed Lanyon to the door. Just before they both left, Rachel glanced at Jekyll with a concerned expression. Clearly, he must have had quite the morose look.

She said goodbye and the pair dipped out leaving Jekyll and Zosi alone. The small dog settled himself into Jekyll's lap again as Jekyll considered the evening. Had he been casual enough? Should he have spoken about Sinnett in such an unflattering way? Maybe he should have phrased it differently or, at least, clarified better what he had meant. It had seemed a rather bitchy thing to say, in hindsight. He groaned. This was why Lanyon's visit worried him so. It was so easy to say things in the moment but, afterwards, he could only imagine the ways he could be misinterpreted. Not to mention, Lanyon left knowing that Jekyll was upset, the one thing he had been trying to hide.

And now he had to prepare to do it again next week. Jekyll buried his face in Zosi's fur and moaned. Why did this have to be so difficult?

"Do you think I did ok?" He asked Zosi. The dog simply stuck his tongue out causing Jekyll to jokingly roll his eyes and continue to scratch him behind the ears.

All of a sudden, Zosi started to growl. Jekyll frowned. The small dog was staring hard at the wall where Jekyll's shadow was cast, looming in the midday sun. Jekyll reassuringly tried to pet the dog but Zosi wiggled out of his grasp and scampered into the bathroom as his bewildered owner watched him go.

He looked back at his shadow. It was surprisingly long for the lighting but, hey, maybe it was something about the windows in the building. He approached the shadow, hoping to find some rat or strange spot of mold that could have scared Zosi so badly. His eyes caught on something white in the dark and, as he drew closer, he saw that there was a candle at the foot of his shadow.

Jekyll bit his lip. Had that been there the whole time? He was certain he had checked the entire place top to bottom, how had he missed that? Had Lanyon seen it? He picked it up and hurriedly slotted it back behind the drawer where it belonged.

He found himself staring at his shadow again. Was it strange? Sure, it looked off but he was higher up than he had ever lived before, the lighting was probably different. It also seemed a deeper shade than the other shadows in the apartment, he noticed. Another side effect of the new lighting, he assumed. Except...

...Except Zosi wasn't the type of dog to growl at anything.

He turned to the bathroom and strolled in, looking for the small dog. Zosi had crawled his way into the shower and was pressed into the corner, shivering. Jekyll extended his arm in a comforting gesture. Instead of flinging himself into Jekyll's arms like he would usually do when scared, Zosi cringed back further, whimpering.

"Hey boy, what's wrong? It's just me."

Zosi stared at him for a moment, looking as though he was measuring Jekyll up in his tiny dog brain. His eyes were wide, fearful, and he was pressing himself into the corner as hard as he could as though desperate to be as far away from his owner as possible.

Jekyll wasn't sure what to do. He had been sure that his presence would soothe his pet but it seemed to be having the opposite effect. He didn't know how to reassure Zosi in this scenario.

The moment lasted a long time. Then, like a switch had been flicked, Zosi suddenly threw himself at Jekyll, leaping at him and trying to lick his face. It was like nothing had ever even happened.

"Ok, ok!" Jekyll laughed, falling backwards, "Down boy, down!"

"Am I interrupting something here?"

Jekyll looked up to see Rachel peering over him. He hadn't heard her come in.

"Zosi just got a bit frightened is all, didn't you?"

Zosi wagged his tail in the affirmative.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to that cafe again with me?" Rachel asked, bending to pet Zosi as he jumped circles around her.

"That would be lovely." Jekyll beamed. His smile flickered as something occurred to him. "But I'm paying this time."

Rachel chuckled. "Fine, but I'm choosing the most expensive thing on the menu."

By the time they were at the cafe with food – Jekyll with soup again and Rachel with a chicken sandwich – the strange occurrence with Zosi had almost faded from his mind.

Almost.

"Hey, Rachel?" Jekyll asked, feeling embarrassed. He couldn't believe he was about to ask this.

"Mm?" Rachel sipped her tea.

Jekyll tapped his fingers on the table, unable to meet her eyes.

"Why did the previous tenant move out?"

Rachel swallowed her tea. "Work. They had to move elsewhere to get closer to their job. Why?"

Of course. It wasn't anything strange, it was just work. He was being paranoid.

...And yet, he found himself asking.

"Did they find anything strange about the apartment?"

Rachel gave him a questioning look and Jekyll rephrased.

"Zosi's been acting strangely. He seems scared of something in the apartment and... Well... I was just wondering..."

Rachel stared at him for a long time and took another, slow sip of tea, the cogs of her mind clearly turning. Halfway through, her eyes bulged with realization and she spat out the tea, bursting into peals of giggles.

"Are you asking if the apartment is haunted?!" She choked out between laughing fits. Jekyll's face went red.

"N-no! That's not it!"

"You've been listening to too many of Maijabi's stories. There's nothing strange about the apartment other than the tenants."

"I know that..." Jekyll took a large swig of his coffee and looked down at his soup. It was half finished again but he didn't feel like he could stomach the rest of it. "You finished your sandwich or should I wait to pay?"

"Still going. Are you sure you're just going to leave the rest of yours?"

Jekyll gave her his best smile, "Can't stomach it after all of the stress of a new home."

She clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "When was the last time you had a proper meal?"

"Last night for dinner! I swear!"

That was a lie. He hadn't eaten anything for dinner – he had fallen asleep on the sofa with Zosi curled up in his lap.

Rachel looked unconvinced but didn't push the issue further. She was used to his eating habits by now, he supposed. She knew she wouldn't get anywhere with the conversation.

"Isn't Zosi usually scared of everything? Of course he's scared of the apartment."

"Not like this." Jekyll took another gulp of coffee and his eyes moved to the window. Outside, people bustled around. He had grown up in larger cities so it was strange to see so few people out and about at lunchtime. "He growled at me earlier."

Rachel put her tea down, staring at Jekyll. "Zosi? But he never growls."

"Exactly. He almost seemed scared of..." He swallowed, knowing all too well how stupid he must sound, "...Me..."

"I'm sure you're just being paranoid." Rachel mused for a second. She clicked her fingers, clearly coming to a conclusion, "Zosi just doesn't like the new location is all. Maybe he's annoyed at you for moving house but he'll get over it." Rachel finished the last of her sandwich and started taking out her purse.

"Oh! Please don't! I promised I would pay!"

"Too bad. New residents don't have to pay for their own food, it's the rule."

"It's really not."

"How would you know, city boy?"

Against all Jekyll's protests, Rachel ended up paying and Jekyll went back to the apartment, wading through guilt.

"If you're going to pay every time, I'll just stop eating out with you."

Rachel smirked at him. "You won't. Besides..." She leaned forwards slyly, "If you finished your food, I'm sure you would feel less bad. Keep that in mind next time."

It was at that moment that they passed a smallish building with white walls. Jekyll looked at the shiny gold placard fixed to the wall and, sure enough, he recognized the place.

"That's where I'm going to be working." He mentioned casually. Rachel glanced up at it, cocking her head.

"Ah. I think one of the apartment residents works there. I can't remember who but..."

Jekyll glanced at the building again. "Well it will be nice to know somebody there."

She made a little noise of affirmation. Jekyll noticed a larger man with a beard wearing a lab coat walk in and wondered if that was going to be a co-worker of his.

The rest of the trip back was uneventful. Rachel pointed out a few locations while Jekyll didn't really pay attention, trying to memorise the way back to his workplace. Finally, after taking the stairs back up to his apartment, they stood in the doorway of Jekyll's apartment.

After a brief goodbye, Rachel turned to leave and Jekyll swung the door shut. As he turned back into the room, Zosi, who would usually leap on him excitedly when he arrived home, stared at him bug-eyed for several seconds before yipping nervously and rushing off. Jekyll stared after him for several seconds, wondering what on Earth he had done to deserve this.

Chapter Text

The next day was Jekyll's first day of work in the new town. Jekyll still worked for the same pharmaceutical company as before but the building in question was different. He had, thankfully, remembered the way back from his apartment to the building from the day prior.

As he stared up at the small, neatly painted building, it occurred to him that he would have to learn even more new names – An exhausting concept after being introduced to every person in his apartment building. Although it did occur to him that, considering how many of the residents of his apartment were scientists, it wouldn't be a stretch to say he would see a few familiar faces in there. Rachel had said that someone from the apartment worked there although she had never said who.

Was it bad of him to hope that it wasn't Sinnett?

The scent of burning gas hit him the moment he stepped in. It was a medium sized space consisting of several tables, nozzles for the gas for the Bunsen burners on each table. There were several shelves containing microscopes and several glass cupboards through which he could see bottles of labelled chemicals. On one of the tables, there was a lit Bunsen burner and a woman peering over it. A pair of silver tongs sat on the table beside a bottle filled with a white powder. Another larger bottle of clear liquid sat beside it. As she dipped the tongs into the fire, a blast of green fire flickered up for a second before fading back to amber. He recognized the woman from the apartment but he didn't remember her name.

"Hi." He placed his bag down. The woman looked up and did a double take before cracking a friendly smile.

"Jekyll! Good to see we're working together."

Was it awkward to ask for her name? He looked around and, to his relief, his eyes caught on a name badge pinned to her chest. Right. Ito.

There were a few others in the room, unfamiliar to him, each bent over a microscope or Bunsen burner or some other piece of scientific apparatus but, drawing his attention in particular, was a larger man with a scraggly beard looking somewhat imposing. Jekyll recognized him from the day before – the man he had seen entering the building. He was wearing the same lab coat as before and was collecting some spools of thread from a cupboard. As Jekyll stared, he looked up at them and a pair of hard brown eyes met his. They narrowed, appraising him for an uncomfortably long time.

Jekyll shifted slightly, wondering whether to say hello or not but, just before he could make a decision, the man finally strode forward.

"You must be the new guy." The man took Jekyll's hand firmly and shook it, "I'm Dr Moreau. I specialise in the animal testing here. I see you've met Ito."

"Oh, yeah. We live in the same apartment building." He looked at Ito for confirmation but her expression was surprisingly stiff, her eyes were fixed on her equipment, not moving to look up. He frowned and wrenched his eyes away to smile again at Moreau.

"I see. Well, I hope you fit in well here."

With that, Moreau turned and strode off. Jekyll glanced over at Ito who seemed to have relaxed somewhat after Moreau's departure. She dipped her tongs into the white powder.

"...I see you're not fond of Moreau." He noted. She jumped, startled.

"Oh, yeah..." She looked to the side, looking for Moreau, a disapproving look on her face. "As he said, he's the one who does the animal testing here but..." She looked over at Moreau who was disappearing into another room, "...He gets a little too... Into it."

"...Oh." He hadn't really seemed like that type to Jekyll but he supposed he wouldn't know what that kind of person would look like.

"Enough of that, I'll show you the ropes."

Work was the same there as it was in his previous building. He worked with Ito mostly but he did spot Moreau around occasionally.

Just before he left, Moreau pulled him aside to talk. They ended up alone in the part of the lab where they kept the animals. There was a cage full of rats, jumping around, full of energy.

Moreau reached over to the cage and the rats scampered up his arm, clearly thrilled to be close to him. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who was cruel to animals and neither were the animals behaving as though he abused them. Maybe Ito was wrong about him. Jekyll knew the dangers of malicious rumours and how easily they spread.

The rats buried themselves in Moreau's beard, hair and clothes, nestling in there, small beady eyes peeping out to watch Jekyll curiously.

"So, what is this about?" Jekyll sat down in a nearby chair, smiling at the rats antics as they sniffed around Moreau.

"I've heard you're new to the area." Moreau sat down, unpeturbed by the rodents. He pulled out a small dry treat and allowed one perched on his shoulder to nibble on it, "How is it? Is a town like this one similar to your old city life?"

"It's unusual but I'm adjusting. My apartment in particular has the most unique inhabitants."

He chucked, "So I've heard from Ito." His face grew more serious. "Any problems lately?"

Jekyll smiled. He almost said that Zosi didn't like the apartment but his mind jumped to Ito's abuse accusations. It seemed to be a stupid rumour nothing more and, yet, he didn't want to tell Moreau that he had a dog. He thought about how he could articulate it without bringing up his dog before his mind struck a solution.

"The lighting is a lot stranger in a taller building. I've found myself startled by my own shadow more than once."

There was a couple of seconds of grave silence as Moreau stared at him with an unreadable expression. Jekyll started to feel rather uncomfortable.

"Is there something particularly wrong about your shadow?"

"The lighting makes it look longer than I'm used to."

"And darker?"

Jekyll paused. "Have you lived in a higher apartment room then?"

Moreau shook his head, leaning back in his chair, "I just know how the light can distort things from that kind of height. Does your apartment make you uncomfortable?"

He considered for a second. Yes, but articulating why would sound paranoid.

"No, no. Of course not. I'm merely adjusting is all."

"I see. You can feel free to talk to me any time about it, I'm willing to listen. Don't worry if it sounds a little strange, I've moved houses before and I know how difficult it can be."

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you." Jekyll stood up and smiled at one of the rats as he passed, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Moreau nodded. "See you then, Dr Jekyll."

Many beady eyes followed Jekyll as he left.

When he got back, Jekyll was so exhausted that, for the first time since his arrival, he slept in his actual bed instead of on the sofa. It was relatively comfortable but nothing special.

Zosi, who had been avoiding and eyeing him up suspiciously for the entire evening decided to sleep in his doggy bed in the living room rather than sleep in the same room as Jekyll like he usually did. His continued strange behaviour put Jekyll on edge and, no matter how much he tried to reason it in Rachel's way, it didn't feel like Zosi was just upset about the new location. It made Jekyll feel like he was the problem but he didn't know why. Had he done something to scare Zosi? If so, what?

He couldn't help remembering that animals could often tell if a person was bad before anyone and cringed at the thought. No. He wasn't a bad person. That couldn't be it.

Maybe he was sick and Zosi could smell it on him even before the symptoms started to show? That was another thing animals could usually notice before people. No, he had been sick before, Zosi had never had any "sickness sense" before.

These thoughts whirled around Jekyll's head as he drifted off, leading him into a troubled sleep.

In his dreams, he stood in Lanyon's house in front of a full-length mirror. The location was hazy in the way that dreams usually were, as though all that was in the room was him and the mirror, nothing else mattering.

He was trying to tie a tie while the sounds of Lanyon talking with his father drifted from outside the door. He had done the action so many times before that the hand movements were effortless but he hesitated to leave the room and face Lanyon so he ended up untying and retying it over and over. Over, under, pull and repeat. Over, under, pull, repeat.

The more he did it, the more he thought about facing Lanyon and the more his fingers started to tremble. What if he hated him? What if he wasn't dressed smartly enough? What if his father found out about them?

The tie became messier and messier with each repeat. Again and again and again, each attempt becoming more and more unrecognizable, more and more like a tangled knot rather than a tie, more and more tight around his throat until he struggled to breathe.

He couldn't face Lanyon like this, not looking like such a mess, but, now that he was trembling so much, he couldn't recreate the perfect tie from when he had started.

"Henry? Are you done in there?"

Jekyll tried to speak up but his voice came out as a squeak, his throat too closed up to make anymore than that.

He looked pathetic in the mirror, he noticed. In all his shaking, his perfect hair had come undone into a bird's nest of tangles. His face looked pale and he was too sweaty. If Lanyon came in, he would see what a state Jekyll was in.

His bottom lip trembled as he struggled not to cry.

"Henry? Jekyll?"

Jekyll leaned against the mirror trying to compose himself. Deep breaths. Just smile like always.

In. Out. In. Out. That's it. He felt himself relaxing, the tightness in his throat abating just a bit.

Feeling a lot more composed, Jekyll tried to straighten back up. To his surprise, he couldn't - His arm seemed to be caught on something. He tugged once, twice. His arm didn't come free. He twisted his head to see what it was and how he could unhook himself, carefully trying to manouver his body into a position where he could see what his arm was snagged on. His eyes fell upon the culprit and his blood ran cold.

Several slender pale fingers were curled around his arm, attached to an equally slender hand. The hand protruded from the glass which now rippled like water. It clutched his arm in a vice-like grip and he couldn't pull himself free no matter how hard he tried. Jekyll twisted his head and saw his reflection which was now grinning at him with a smile too wide for his mouth.

Another hand shot out and his reflection, the thing in his reflection, grabbed his face, pulling him by the chin to face it eye-to-eye.

Sickly green eyes met his, wide and manic with unspoken malice, and Jekyll let out a strangled cry. He tried to scream for Lanyon but couldn't make enough of a noise. Lanyon was just on the other side of the door, he was so close and Jekyll couldn't do a thing to get his attention. He opened his mouth to scream, shout, anything to make himself heard, hearing the absolute silence that echoed from his lungs. Help was so close but he couldn't do a thing to attain it.

As he struggled to cry out, a hiss like a rattlesnake began to ring in his head and he could tell that it wasn't a real noise, instead it was like something was mentally projecting the noise into his head. The noise grew louder and louder until it drowned out all else. There was a tug and, with a silent howl, Jekyll was pulled through the mirror. It felt like dropping through a sheet of water, the glass rippling as he vanished through it. The ground disappeared beneath him to be replaced by an endless drop. A navy blue darkness surrounded him and he felt naseous as he fell, unable to tell up from down anymore.

The creature was still clutching onto him as they fell, fingers dug hard enough into his skin to cause bruising. It looked so much like him but wrong in a way he couldn't fully describe. It wasn't just the toxic green of its eyes or the way that it had a couple too many teeth, it was some more primal fear seeping from that part of his brain that knew that a doppleganger of himself was wrong, wrong, wrong.

It clutched him by the shoulders and leaned forward to whisper in his ears, putting its lips right up to his ear so he could feel the cold breath of air. Its voice was a raspy hiss, like a snake across sandpaper.

"Nice to meet you too, doctor."

With that, it pushed forward and Jekyll was horrified to see that, where it touched, its body melted and melded into his. He kicked, struggled and tried to scream but it was spilling into him, through his eyes, mouth, nose, skin. It was cold and liquid and all encompassing, dripping through his body and mind – he couldn't get away from it or even separate his own thoughts from the new controlling thoughts of the creature. They were wicked thoughts, freezing to the touch and, simultaneously, intoxicating. Memories that he couldn't quite understand unravelled through his mind, images and voices that seemed so familiar and yet so foreign.

He was going to die here – the small part of his mind that was still his own supplied that thought. It was a rather detached thought, the same level of emotion as one would use note that the sky was blue. It was merely a fact and the part of him that could care was already washed away by the new monster.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, swallowing a lungful of its liquid body in the process, and allowed himself to relax back.

Look on the bright side, he thought sadistically, Now you don't have to worry about looking nice for Lanyon next week.

Jekyll wasn't sure who had come up with that one, Jekyll or the monster.

As his consciousness began to fade to black, he heard something distant. It wasn't in his head, it was real and it was out there. There was a flicker of awareness which was immediately washed away.

Before he could drift off again, the noise came again, clearer this time. The creature growled in disapproval in his head. Jekyll forced himself through the tar-like consistency of his own thoughts, trying to figure out what the noise was. It was familiar and yet...

The bark came again. A high pitched bark like one from a small dog. Zosi's bark. Memories sparked back to life in Jekyll's skull and emotions seeped back into him, slowly at first and then as a torrent. He jolted with the sudden terror and lashed out but the thing was already inside of him and there was nothing to fight back against.

Nevertheless, he had his mind back and that was what counted. He reached out, feeling the distant thump of a small dog jumping on his chest and licking at his face, barking hysterically. It felt numb. If a touch could feel far away, that was what it would be. He swam towards the feeling, possessed by a new determination to escape. The creature was clawing at his mind, trying to draw him back, but it couldn't get a grip.

Jekyll dragged himself and the creature back to the waking world and, the last thing he heard before he woke, was an anguished screech in his head.

And then he was back. His eyes lazily drifted open to the frantic barking of Zosi. The small dog was leaping up and down, looking absolutely petrified. Jekyll blinked once and smiled sleepily, reaching out to pet the dog reassuringly.

"Hey boy, it's ok..." He mumbled, "I'm fine."

Zosi stared at him, wide eyed. He whimpered and nuzzled Jekyll, licking him all over. Jekyll couldn't stop smiling as he pushed himself up. What a strange dream. It had seemed so vivid. He supposed that nightmares always felt like that after you had just woken.

There was a knock at the door and Jekyll wearily stumbled and tripped his way over to it. He opened it to see Rachel standing there, dressed in her pyjamas.

"I heard Zosi barking." She peered in, "I thought you might be in trouble."

He could tell from the look on her face that she was frightened. He smiled, amused and slightly embarrassed. "No. I had a bad dream is all, Zosi was trying to wake me."

"For ten minutes?"

Ten minutes? Wow, it really had been a deep one, huh? He pushed down his uneasiness. "I'm a deep sleeper."

Rachel breathed, slumping against the door in relief, "God, Jekyll, I really thought you were having a heart attack or something, I was about to call an ambulance. I've never heard Zosi make so much noise in his life."

"Yeah you have. He's a terrier, he barks like hell."

"Not like that. I've heard him bark when he's excited. That was fear."

Zosi had padded out, standing behind Jekyll, staying silent and a little distant up until now. Now, to Jekyll's surprise, he started to growl at him. Jekyll tried to turn to face Zosi to figure out why but, to his alarm, his body didn't respond to him. It wouldn't move. There was several seconds of paralysed fear as Jekyll struggled to say something, do anything at all – heck, he would give anything to be able to move his eyes – but something was holding him in a perfect frozen still.

Seeing Rachel right there but unable to tell her brought back memories of the dream – the feeling of helplessness as he couldn't call for help even as help stood before him. When he thought he would be frozen until Rachel noticed something was up and called the hospital, he felt a sly, wicked grin split across his face. It widened until it felt too large and painful for his face but, despite the pain, he couldn't force himself to stop.

A low chuckle came from his mouth, unbidden and he found himself leaning forward until his face was nose-to-nose with Rachel's, nearly touching. Rachel took a startled step back. Then, with a rattling intake of breath, his vocal cords began to work without him.

"Oh Rachel, I didn't take you to be the cowardly type. It almost seems like a cheap win to scare you with a dog of all things."

Rachel blinked, clearly stunned by the change in behaviour. Her eyes drifted to Zosi who was backing up, still growling loudly and aggressively. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish for a few seconds, trying to think of something to say, before she finally settled on: "I see you're still tired. You should get a glass of water and go back to bed. I'll come see how you're doing in the morning."

Her eyes lingered on him for a second longer, face difficult to read, before she stepped away, turning to leave. Jekyll found he had suddenly regained control of his body and he reached out, opening his mouth to try to explain his behaviour but the door slammed shut in his face leaving him alone. Zosi had stopped growling just as the strange presence left him and was already nuzzling his legs again, looking concerned.

"...I'm still half-asleep." Jekyll concluded at last and went to get a glass of water. The rest of the night passed without incident and Jekyll fell into a dreamless sleep.

By the time the next day arrived, Jekyll was almost convinced the entire thing had been a dream, Rachel's visit included. That theory was disproved when Rachel showed up at his door, checking in on him again.

He was thankful to find that, for their entire conversation, he remained in control of himself. Rachel also seemed pleased by his normal behaviour. He was abashed by his actions the night prior and apologized profusely as Rachel assured him that it was fine.

"You can apologize by paying for lunch today." She grinned at him.

Jekyll raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to let me pay or are you just going to take out your purse and pay anyway?"

Rachel winked and he rolled his eyes.

"We're not going out for lunch today, I have work, you know?"

She puffed her cheeks in mock annoyance. "Boring."

"Don't you have work?"

"I have a few days off."

"Lucky."

"I thought you would have more days off considering you moved recently."

Jekyll shrugged. "I've finished unpacking, I sort of know the town and my neighbours. Is there anything else that needs doing?"

"Just don't overwork yourself."

"I'll try."

Jekyll got back to his apartment before it got dark. Zosi, like always, was thrilled to see him again. He ran circles around Jekyll yapping excitedly, tail wagging so violently that Jekyll felt like it could fly off at any second. Jekyll smiled at him, glad of his normal behaviour, and wandered to the kitchen area, looking around for a snack to tide him over before he went to sleep.

A snack? No actual dinner?

The thought had come almost of its own accord, unwilled by Jekyll. He frowned and shook his head. He never had dinner, he knew that, why was he having thoughts like that? He reached for a breakfast bar in the cupboard.

Christ, you're going to drive yourself into the ground like that.

He hesitated, staring at the bar. Pushing his rebellious thoughts back down, he ate the bar and went to bed, not giving another thought to it.

Chapter Text

The week went rather quickly. True to his strange thoughts earlier in the week, Jekyll's lack of food began to make him weaker as time went on. When Saturday came by, Rachel was more than happy to take him to lunch to replenish his empty stomach promising that, this time, he would pay for the meal. He knew that she was lying though, no matter how much he wished it.

Jekyll found himself, for once, managing to finish his soup which seemed to please Rachel.

"You should really take care of yourself more." Rachel said through a mouthful of salad, "Someday you're going to overwork yourself and pass out on a street corner or something and I'll have to come pick you up."

Jekyll shrugged apologetically and she rolled her eyes. "I mean it. Don't make me save your ass from yourself. How have things been lately anyway? Any more hauntings?"

Jekyll didn't respond for a while as he thought. "Well I've felt kind of weird lately."

"Yeah, that's what happens when you don't eat properly for a whole week." She pointed her fork at him accusingly. Jekyll couldn't argue with that. "Lanyon's coming over tomorrow, you ready for that or are you going to panic again?"

Jekyll went red and looked away, "W-well..."

"Just be yourself, I mean it. You and Lanyon both know that things are... A little awkward... but you're never going to get over it if you just avoid Lanyon all the time."

"Easy for you to say." He clicked his spoon against the empty bowl. A thought occurred to him and he smiled slyly, leaning across the table. "Hey, Rachel? Is there anyone that you like?"

Rachel choked on her salad.

"I'll take that as a yes." He smirked. "Going to tell me who it is?"

Rachel was bright red now, looking around frantically for a new subject, she swallowed the rest of the salad in her mouth and her eyes lit up as they fell upon a sign across the street. "H-hey! Look! Shoes are 50% off."

"Do you need new shoes?" Jekyll leaned forward, still grinning manically.

"I- I- Hey! I just remembered!" She shoved her chair back and stood up, "I have places to be, I'm sure you can find your own way back!"

"Not paying?"

"I told you, you're paying today. I have to go, bye!" She was out the door before Jekyll could blink. He snorted, watching her leave, before turning to pay for the food.

The town was about average size but, to Jekyll who had lived in London for most of his life, it was tiny. He could easily walk the wrong direction for ten minutes and find himself at the forest at the outskirts of town.

This was exactly where Jekyll found himself.

He sighed. He had assumed he would know the way by now without Rachel's help but, clearly, he was wrong. He could call her to pick him up – she wouldn't be upset to do so – but he wanted to learn the layout of the town by himself.

Instead of heading straight back to town, Jekyll lingered at the forest for a few seconds. It wasn't something he got to see a lot of and he still remembered fondly when he and Lanyon had stayed out in the woods for a few nights. It had been one of the few chances he had ever gotten to see the beauty of nature up close and, now, he found himself walking further in. It would be ok, he reasoned, if he just kept walking straight. You can't get lost by walking in a straight line.

Dried twigs crunched underfoot and birds whistled in the trees, hidden by the brush. A cool breeze tickled his face, leaves lazily floating past on the wind bringing with them the scent of pine needles. He breathed deeply. After the stress of the week, it was cathartic to be out there. It wasn't like he needed to be back anytime soon either.

Eventually, he came across a bench fashioned from a fallen log. It was carved to easily fit several people. Clearly the path he had taken had been walked by quite a few people.

Jekyll sat down and, closing his eyes, took everything in.

Maybe later he would take Zosi out to the forest, the small dog might like the forest.

...Or he could continue to growl at Henry.

He frowned, the moment of peace lost to a single thought. He opened his eyes and glanced about. It wasn’t particularly dark – it was still midday after all – but the shade of the trees cast long shadows across the ground and the twitter of birds had fallen silent. Everything was silent, in fact, besides the chilled whisper of the wind and Jekyll’s own breathing.

It seemed time to leave.

Henry stood up, brushing dirt from his trousers and turned to leave.

It was then that he heard it – A low growl in the undergrowth. It was louder than Zosi's and much, much deeper. The reverberation was a rumble like the shift of rocks before a cave in.

Jekyll froze.

What sort of species' lived in the woods out there..?

He turned slowly, reluctantly towards the noise.

There was a dark shape before him, towering above him. It’s breathing was laboured, each rib clearly defined moving in and out with each pant, frothing drool drip, drip, dripping from it’s gaping maw, trickling off fangs long enough to pierce Jekyll right through from one side to the other.

It looked somewhat like a wolf but the creature was bigger than any wolf he had ever seen before. It looked lopsided, like a child had tried to recreate a wolf from memory with limited resources. Patchy fur coated it, thick and bristling with animalistic rage.

Jekyll couldn't move. Terror froze up his limbs and he dared not breathe. The creature just stared at him, yellowed, bloodshot eyes meeting his as it continued to pant.

Move.

The thought echoed loud in his head and he wanted more than anything to be able to obey but his legs simply wouldn't respond.

Can't.

The thought was near hysterical.

If you don't move, you'll die.

I can't move. Jekyll protested, only vaguely aware of the ridiculousness of arguing with his own thoughts, What is that thing?

Probably a lot of fun but I don't think that's the point right now.

I don't know how to tell you this but I really can't move at all. Trust me, I would love to.

The creature approached, hot breath billowing against Jekyll's face. He bit back a whimper.

You're useless. You want to move? Give me control.

...Control?

That was a strange thought. Control? Where had that come from?

An uneasy thought occurred to him and he cautiously inquired, feeling all of a sudden like this wasn't any ordinary internal monologue.

...How do I give you control?

There was a brush of something against his mind and Jekyll tensed up. It felt like his thoughts, his mind but...

No, that felt like the creature from his dream.

That was impossible. That thing didn't exist. Things like that didn't exist. It was a dream, that was all. A bad dream.

It was a frigid sensation, pulling at the edges of his thoughts needily, hungrily. Jekyll pulled back against it, clutching to keep a hold on his own mind.

You'll die if you don't let me taken control, Jekyll!

The creature snorted with a puff of hot air and raised itself to two feet. A paw pulled back to strike. Jekyll, busy wrestling with the new threat for control, only barely registered it.

Henry !

Panic overtook Jekyll as he spotted the creature and that moment of lost concentration was all that the thing needed. Coldness seeped through his mind like icy water and Jekyll found himself drowning in it. His thoughts and feelings, in that moment, were no longer his own again, engulfed by another’s consciousness. In the next instant, an almost hysterical giddiness overwhelmed him. He was free! He was finally free! He punched his fists in the air in celebration, relishing the new sensations of his body.

And was immediately punted by the wolf into a nearby tree.

The breath was knocked out of him as he struck, landing painfully at the foot of the door. Several small branches from the tree snapped from the impact and struck Henry on the head in a shower. His back was sore from striking the tree and three bloody gouges marked his chest from the beast’s claws, oozing blood through his torn shirt. In pain, he pushed himself to the side, touching his chest. He raised his fingers, sticky and red, before his eyes, vision shaking and dark at the edges. Seeing his own blood put him on edge but he didn't have time to think about it. The creature was approaching again, head low and teeth bared.

Jekyll, ignoring his pain, grabbed the largest of the branches that had fallen on his head, wielding it as a club. The creature leapt at him and Jekyll swung the branch forward like a baseball bat. It hit with a satisfying crack, the creature stumbling back as splinters were flung up, the branch snapped. Henry didn't waste time, he launched himself towards the creature, grabbing another branch and slamming it down on the beast's skull. Once again, the branch snapped but Jekyll did it again and again, driving the thing back with each broken branch.

Soon Jekyll stood, breathing heavily, in a circle of clear ground, only smaller twigs and leaves left. Finally, he grabbed a small stick – the sharpest he could see – raising it in his hands. The creature wearily raised its head as the sharp twig descended like a dagger towards its open eye.

With a howl, the creature rolled out of the way and sprinted off towards the trees.

Jekyll, dizzy and feeling quite ill, found himself giggling, adrenaline racing through his veins. Still wielding the small stick, he made to give chase but the creature was too fast. Before he knew it, the thing was gone without a trace. He skidded to a halt, panting and scanning the trees. It seemed unlikely that such a large beast could just vanish like that but, as quickly as it had arrived, it was gone. He gritted his teeth and, dropping the stick with a frustrated huff, he traipsed back home.

Jekyll ignored any attempts at greetings as he made the way up to his apartment room. The fire alarm was ringing and there was a suspicious amount of smoke from Sinnett and Luckett's room but he ignored it. Everyone else in the apartment were exactly as apathetic as Jekyll about it.

"Are you bleeding?"

Jekyll was stopped just outside his apartment by Ito whose face conveyed absolute horror. Henry glanced back at the trail of blood following him to his apartment, stared coldly at Ito and strode past, going straight to his apartment. She caught his arm, tugging him back.

"You're not going anywhere without cleaning that up. You could bleed out."

"Then let me die." Jekyll wrenched his arm free and went straight into his apartment. To his annoyance, Ito followed behind, pulling the first aid kit off the wall. Zosi, to make matters worse, was snarling at his heels. He shot a glare at the small dog and, with a squeal of fear, Zosi scampered off to the bathroom. There were the faint sounds of terrified whimpering from where he had disappeared.

Ito raised an eyebrow at where the dog had vanished to and then at Jekyll. Jekyll sat down in his chair, trying to ignore her. As he sat, there was a sharp jab of pain from his wounds, making him hiss.

"What kind of animal did that anyway?" Ito said, kneeling down and pulling out bandages.

"A big one."

Ito rolled her eyes, "Are you going to apply these bandages or are you going to lift your shirt and let me?"

"I'll do it." He snatched up the bandages and turned. Ito equally averted her gaze as he started to treat the wounds. He applied some disinfectant, hissing in pain as it touched the raw nerves. There were a few seconds of blissful silence as he worked which allowed Jekyll's frustrations to leak away a bit. He wrapped the last of the exposed cut, snipped the end of the roll of bandages and lowered his shirt.

"I'm done."

Ito turned back around, peering curiously at his chest to try to catch a peek at how well the bandages had been done. Now that the adrenaline and anger was abating, Jekyll was left with the smouldering guilt about his behaviour towards Ito.

He swallowed, unable to meet her gaze. "...Ito, I'm sorry."

"You got attacked, you were bleeding out, I'm 90% certain from all that stumbling that you were delirious from blood loss. Don't worry about it." She replied succinctly.

Delirious? He thought about it for a second. Could that be the cause? Maybe that strange conversation he had with... Himself... Was some sort of delirium. It could have been a false memory from after the injury or some hallucination caused by shock. Well what else could it have been?

"How are you so calm about this?" He asked, Ito already pulling out painkillers and placing them on the coffee table, seeming unbothered by everything that had just happened.

"Sinnett sets the apartment on fire once a week, Griffin won't stop getting strange illnesses and Jasper constantly has bites and scratches from those animals of his. In this apartment, it's normal. In fact, I would say, now that you've done something strange, you're finally officially a resident."

"What about Rachel?"

Ito looked him in the eye. "Have you met Rachel?"

"Fair." He sat back and surveyed the trail of blood leading to him. Ito noticed him staring.

"Don't worry about it. As I said, it's normal around here."

Jekyll, who had cleaned his apartment only recently, crinkled his nose. "...Actually, I'm having a guest over on Monday."

"Oh... A friend or a stranger?"

"U-um..."

Ito frowned and stared at him for a second before her face sparked with realization. "Ooooh. Yeah, there might be a problem."

"There is a trail of blood leading straight to my room."

"Serious relationship or just a crush?"

Jekyll spluttered and Ito quickly reiterated. "I'm sorry if it's a personal question, I was just wondering."

He scratched the back of his head and spoke slowly, a little embarrassed, "...Ex actually."

Ito's eyebrows shot up. "You get along well with your ex?"

"We didn't leave on bad terms." When Ito didn't respond, he realized he needed to go into a bit more detail. She seemed fine with everything else, maybe she wouldn’t judge him too harshly if he told her the truth? He swallowed nervously and began to speak. "...He has a really strict dad and he wouldn't really approve of him, you know, dating another guy. I don't think either of us could really deal with the scandal if our relationship became public so we just, kind of... Cut it off."

Ito nodded thoughtfully. To Jekyll's relief, she didn’t seem at all disapproving.

After a moment of musing, she said, "Couldn't you keep it private?"

"That's what we did do for a while but..." Henry sighed and rubbed his eyes with his hands, aware of how tired he was after the events of the day. "It's difficult. You can't go on any public dates. You can't do all these things you see other couples doing like sharing food or holding hands. Every public date we had just felt like a business trip and I... I just wanted more. I wanted to take him out to movies, to kiss in public or hold hands or... Or... You know!" He threw his hands up in the air, "Something romantic! An actual relationship! Heck, even when we were alone, I always felt like he held back, like he was scared that someone could walk in at any moment!" He took a shuddering breath. He had said too much, he knew. He hadn't even said most these things to Rachel. Ito, luckily, didn't seem to be judging him or his outburst. Her gaze was completely sympathetic.

"...I see. So... Did you..?"

"Lanyon cut it off first but I'm pretty sure we'd both been thinking about it for a while." Jekyll wouldn't meet Ito's eyes. The memories were still raw and the conversation plucked at the painful parts of his heart. He could see in his mind, vividly, the days spent alone in Lanyon's room, when it had just been the two of them.

"And now you're trying to keep things normal between you."

Jekyll nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"That is a conundrum..." She mused for a second before her face lit up slightly and she smiled warmly at him, "I'm sure I can get the other residents here to help clean up all the blood before this Lanyon guy arrives. Oh, but you'll have to do the blood in the room. Not to say the others aren’t trustworthy but...”

Jekyll's head shot up. "Really?"

"We've done it before. As I said, Jasper ends up with injuries like yours all the time."

Jekyll felt like crying from relief. "Thank you."

"You seem like you need the help. Besides, you got attacked by an animal, you don't deserve anymore stress on top of that. While we're on the subject, I know you're a scientist but you should really get that looked at properly."

"I'll be sure to do that."

Ito got up and began to head to the door.

"Oh, Ito? Sorry for asking this but... Can you keep this secret from Rachel? I don't want her to worry about me because of this."

"Sure thing Jekyll. See you for games night tomorrow."

With that, she was gone. Henry leaned back in his chair, glancing again at the trail of blood. He would still have to clean up some of the blood and he was thankful that his job as a chemist meant he knew the right chemicals to get rid of bloodstains.

Zosi padded into the room and sat at Jekyll's feet, tail wagging and tongue poking out as though he hadn't been growling at Jekyll just a short while earlier.

"I don't understand you lately, you know that?"

Zosi cocked his head to one side but, in the way that dogs do, didn't answer. Jekyll decided it was time to make a start on the blood.

His apartment reeked strongly of chemicals by the time he was done. There was still a faint brown stain on the couch where he had sat while doing up the bandages but the rest of the stains were too faint to be visible. It could be mistaken for a small nosebleed or cut foot, not several gouges in his chest.

He still couldn't believe he had managed to walk all the way home bleeding like that. It was true what they said: Shock was one hell of a painkiller.

Now that he had time to muse, he felt a felt tug of amusement when he realized that nobody had questioned him on the way back. Clearly strange antics were commonplace in the town and he could bet that it was his apartment building that was to blame. Ito was right, he really did fit in more now that he had stumbled back to his apartment delirious and covered in blood.

...So why didn't that quite sound right to him?

He had been delirious, he must have been. What was the other option?

But then there were the strange dreams, his unusual actions towards Rachel just after.

His mind strayed to Zosi's strange behaviour. Was it a coincidence that Zosi's growling fits started up whenever Jekyll didn't feel quite like himself?

He recalled how much it felt like he, himself, was the problem, not the apartment. The way that Zosi had woken him up that fateful night and it had felt like, if he hadn't snapped out of the dream right then, that something else would take him over entirely.

...That Dr Jekyll could have died that night.

A shudder crept up his spine. He pushed the thoughts down. He was a scientist, this was ridiculous. Ghosts didn't exist. He wasn’t possessed by a ghost. Heck, Rachel had cleared up that there were no ghosts in the room, no history of weird instances, no untimely deaths.

What about demons?

No. There was no such thing. He shook his head, trying to clear himself of the thought. Zosi, at his feet, was watching him warily, starting to step backwards as though he expected something to happen. Zosi lowered his head, lips drawing back to prepare to snarl.

Jekyll backed up a few steps, trying and failing to force the thought from his head. He felt coldness oozing through him, a sensation he was all too familiar with. Zosi began to growl for real and that was all Jekyll needed for panic to set in.

With all his mental strength he pushed the coldness aside and fled to his bedroom. He locked the door, shutting Zosi out – not that the small dog wanted to be near him anyway at that moment. With the door shut, Jekyll slid down it, thoughts whirling.

His skull felt ice cold and, maybe it was just his paranoia, but it felt like something was moving under his skin. He cringed and screwed his eyes shut. It was blood loss causing these feelings, shock too maybe. He was paranoid because of his pain, not due to any sliver of truth.

Unfortunately, for all his wishing, whatever it was seemed to respond to him acknowledging it. Jekyll's shadow stretched before him. Too long and dark for the light and, worst of all, in the completely wrong direction for the lighting.

The light source was to the right of him so why was his shadow in front of him?

He screwed up his eyes. It wasn't real. It was blood loss. It was blood loss. It was-

You know it's not.

Henry squealed. It was an undignified, high pitched and humiliating squeal. He leapt to his feet, slamming his back into the door. Despite Jekyll’s movement, his shadow didn't move, remaining curled into a ball before him. Jekyll made a high whine in the back of his throat, unable to muster the courage to scream. What should he do? Run? From his own shadow? Where was there to go?

Then the shadow began to shift. It seemed almost to uncoil itself as it stood. Thin arms and legs stretched out. It crept up the wall, towering above him in a parody of himself, limbs disproportionate, fingers crooked and twitching.

Finally, when Jekyll thought the situation couldn't get any worse, a pair of eyes opened. They weren’t proper eyes, just holes in the facial area of the shadow where eyes should have been. They blinked once and narrowed, fixed on Henry. Somehow those empty holes seemed to gleam with untold malice.

Zosi was scratching frantically at the door now, yipping. Jekyll couldn't move to open the door. Just like with the earlier monster, he was paralysed by fear. His breath caught in his throat making his breathing tiny whimpering breaths in and out.

There was a cackling in his head, underpinned by a hissing noise like static. A slit appeared on the shadow and curved upwards in the approximation of a grin.

Finally. A bit of recognition. I was getting fed up of being ignored, you know?

It was a voice he knew, the one from his dreams, but it rang in his skull not his ears. He didn’t need to try to know that covering his ears would do nothing to mute the noise.

Henry stammered for a few seconds, his mind trying to wrap itself around the new situation he had landed in. "W-who are you?"

I am the shadow that traces your every step, spreading its inky darkness like a sickness, the darkness that humanity lives in terror of, the monster that children cower before in the depths of the night. I- The shadow raised its arms, talons outstretched, Am the spirit of London at night!

The creature cackled again, a grating noise.

"I... Uh... Meant your name."

The laughter cut off abruptly. The creature stood there for several seconds, looking awkward.

I... Um...

The smile reappeared all of a sudden and the creature loomed again. Hyde. Edward Hyde.

...He had clearly made that name on the spot.

"...Are you a ghost..?"

I am the ghost of humanity's own torment – The spirit of your sins and vices, haunting your every waking moment! Seeing Jekyll's puzzled expression, the creature groaned in exasperation. I'm a demon, dimwit.

"A demon named Edward?"

...Call me Hyde.

"Are you real or am I having a mental breakdown?"

Edward leaned forward and pinched Henry's arm. Henry yelped in pain and jumped away.

Did that feel real to you?

"Okay, okay!" Jekyll rubbed his stinging arm, "So you can touch me, take control of my body and scare my dog. What do you want with me?"

None of your business.

"I think it's very much my business. What could you possibly want? I'm a chemist, for God's sake! I don't have some extended family for you to torment! I'm not some murderer or even the nicest person alive! I'm just an average guy! This is like picking the first guy you see at McDonalds, there's nothing special about me for you to want!"

...I'm painfully aware of your inadequacy. Trust me, if I could choose, I wouldn't pick you.

"Then what is the criteria? Who did choose?"

Why? Want to front a complaint with Hell? "Yes, hello Satan. I have a complaint with your work. You have picked a really boring guy to drag to Hell when an innocent little girl would be far more interesting. I don't like your business strategy and if you don’t rectify this mistake, I’ll be going to Hell elsewhere in the future.

"...Satan chose me?"

...No.

"Then who-"

Oh God, are we just going to talk in circles?! I don't want to say so I'm not saying, end of conversation. We wouldn't be in this situation if that damned mutt of yours hadn't interrupted me in the middle of possessing you!

Jekyll swallowed. "If Zosi hadn't snapped me out of it..?"

Then I would be halfway across the country in your body, maybe sleeping with a few people along the way. Trashing a few bars, getting into some fights. That kind of thing.

"But now you're... What? Trapped?"

Exactly! Edward practically screeched, I was stopped halfway so now I'm halfway jammed inside of you! Not strong enough to take over permanently, not weak enough to slip back out! I'm not even strong enough to pick things up for more than a few seconds! Heck, the energy it's taking to talk to you like this is monumental!

Henry went pale. "You can't get out?!" Edward scowled. "But- But- There has to be a way! I'm not sharing my body with a demon!"

Oh you are, Doctor, and I'll be sure that, for trapping me like this, I'll ruin your entire life. I may not be able to do much but I can screw up every relationship you have. How's that strained relationship with Lanyon, by the way?

His blood ran cold. Edward was going to ruin everything? He might not be able to possess Jekyll for more than a little while at a time but that would easily be enough to push away everyone he cared about. Lanyon, Rachel, Ito.

The shadow leaned in until he could feel frigid breath against his face.

Count your days, Doctor. If I can't get control by normal means, I'll just give you nothing left to live for. Then, I know you'll have no choice but to hand over control to me.

Watch your back.

With that, sunlight broke through Hyde's fragile form and the shadow faded from sight. Warmth returned to Jekyll's body and he sat in the light of the setting sun, heart pounding.

"...This isn't good."

It was an understatement.

Chapter Text

Rachel felt kind of bad for making Jekyll walk home himself. She had completely forgotten that he didn't know the area as well as she did and couldn't help hoping he had gotten home safely. After struggling with this guilt all day, when Sunday came around, she decided to visit him. Maybe they could go out for lunch again and she could apologize.

That was how she ended up outside Jekyll's apartment, knocking on the door. Despite how clear her knocking was, there was no answer from inside. She stepped back, checked the time. It was 10am, not particularly late but Jekyll usually woke up early anyway. She knocked again.

He hadn't gone out, had he? She spotted Jasper walking past, cradling a chicken in his arms. She called out to him.

"Hey, have you seen Jekyll recently?"

"Oh, uh..." Jasper, discretely checking his trousers his any remaining traces of Jekyll's blood, stuttered. "No... I think he's still in his room."

The rest of the residents, excluding Rachel and anyone who couldn't keep their mouths shut, had spent the day prior cleaning up the trail of Jekyll's blood leading to his room. It had been strange for Jasper to not be the person injured for once. He hoped Jekyll was ok, he had seemed like a pretty ordinary guy so he probably didn't deal with injuries like that often. It sure had been a lot of blood.

"He's not answering the door."

"He's... Resting." A nervous pause. "Got to go!"

Jasper darted off, leaving Rachel suspicious and slightly nervous.

She had felt fine before, assuming that he had gone out to town but Jasper clearly knew something she didn't and it felt to her, all of a sudden, that Jekyll was in some sort of trouble. She knocked harder and called through the door.

She pressed her ear against the door, straining to hear. She heard Zosi jumping about, scratching at the door followed by very human footsteps. Despite her initial hopes, the person in there didn't answer the door. She frowned and knocked yet again.

"Jekyll! I know you're in there! I can hear you!"

The footsteps paused. There was a moment where she didn't think he would answer before, finally, "Rachel?"

"Who else would it be? I've literally been calling through the door. You recognize my voice."

"Yeah, yeah, I do, I just... I'm a bit busy right now."

"With what? You don't have work and you don't know your way around the area. I wanted to show you more of the town today."

A reluctant sigh.

"...I can't."

Rachel sighed. "I guess I'll see you at game night then?"

A long pause.

"You are going, right?"

"...I think I'm not going tonight... Sorry."

Rachel took note of his regretful tone. He sounded troubled and that put her on edge. What was wrong? He had been fine yesterday.

"You can't just lock yourself up in your room all day, what on Earth could you possibly do with all that spare time?"

"I'll figure something out."

"...You're really not going to change your mind, are you?"

No answer. She suspected he had retreated further into the apartment. Rachel rolled her eyes and stepped away. "Fine then. I'll be in my room if you need me."

Ignoring the twisting feeling in her stomach, Rachel returned to her room, hoping at some point Jekyll would come out to talk to her.

He never did.

With the issue of Rachel and games night out of the way, Jekyll set about defending himself against Hyde. He couldn't quit work without ruining his own life but there was still Lanyon who was supposed to come over on Monday. This was the part that he had been dreading. He dialled the number and waited.

The phone rang once. Twice.

Jekyll swallowed and shifted, eyeing his own shadow nervously.

Click.

Call was live.

"Jekyll! I wasn't expecting to hear from you!" Lanyon sounded cheery as always. "You do realize that anything you want to say, you could just tell me tomorrow?"

Jekyll winced and took a breath. Do it quickly. Just come out with it. It would be like ripping off a bandage.

"Listen, Lanyon, you can't come over tomorrow."

There. It was out. There was a moment of tense silence down the phone and Jekyll prepared for the verbal onslaught.

"Oh thank God." Was Lanyon's reply.

"...Excuse me?"

"I didn't want to say it but I'm still really busy. I felt bad about ditching you though so... Anyway, when are we rescheduling to?"

Jekyll's hopes of an easy let-down were lit and snuffed out again in the space of just a few seconds. "Uh..."

"Next Monday then? We could make it a regular thing on Mondays, assuming you're not going to be busy every Monday."

"Well... You see..."

"...You are busy on Mondays then?"

"Kind of... I..."

"Ok, next Saturday then."

"...Lanyon... There... There won't be a rescheduling..."

Silence.

"...Don't know when you'll next be free?" Lanyon asked.

"Um... Yeah. Really busy."

A sigh. "I guess we're both up to our necks in work right now. It's fine, don't sound so guilty, I understand. Call me when you're next free, got it?"

"...Sure thing."

That would be never unless he could rid himself of Hyde.

"Got to go, my dad's calling me. We can chat on the phone next Monday, ok?"

"I... Can't. Too busy."

But Lanyon had already hung up. Jekyll took several deep breaths, trying to ease the roiling in his stomach. It was fine, he would just not answer the phone when Monday came. Zosi nuzzled his leg and stared up at him, large eyed and whining gently. Jekyll sat down and allowed Zosi into his lap. He stroked the tiny dog, barely paying attention as he tried to figure out what to do.

Lanyon didn't know why he felt disappointed as he hung up the call. He couldn't visit Jekyll, he knew he didn't have the time – not with his father breathing down the back of his neck like he was. He would have had to call off the meeting either way, it was just thankful that Jekyll had done it for him.

Then again, visiting would tick his father off. He wanted to tick off his father while simultaneously fearing the consequences of doing so.

He placed down the phone and looked again in the mirror. Speaking of ticking off his father, he wondered whether he had just the right amount of casual for his father's party tomorrow. He wasn't sure what it was for, just that it was important for his reputation. Lanyon was trying to reach just the edge of too casual for such an important party but not so casual that he father could lose his temper.

He wished Jekyll was there. He had been great for parties. In the past, Lanyon would often drag him to a private room and they would bitch about others at the party until the day was done. Well, Lanyon would anyway. Jekyll just listened, agreed and laughed occasionally when something particularly amusing had been said. He always had that enthralled look in his eyes whenever Lanyon spoke as though every word he said was fascinating even when Lanyon thought he was just droning on. Even when he thought Lanyon wasn’t looking, there was a twinkle of admiration in Jekyll’s eye as he stared at Lanyon.

...He really did miss Jekyll sometimes. He didn't know why – he should have been glad. Jekyll had moved house and, in turn moved on. There would be no more of their awkward past. No more of Jekyll's sad puppy eyed stare when he looked at Lanyon, no more avoiding each other's eyes.

So why did he feel disappointed?

He sniffed, pushing his feelings aside. Blue. He would wear blue.

With that, Lanyon turned back to his wardrobe for another look.

It was a smaller turnout than usual for games night. Several people had been tired out from the blood cleaning and Jekyll was missing for reasons that seemed obvious to everyone who knew about his injury. Maijabi had ducked out on cryptic reasons, simply saying, "Someone will need me soon and I want to be waiting in my room for them when they do."

Surprisingly enough, Maijabi usually wasn't that cryptic so his disappearance piqued the interest of everyone who showed up to games night.

"I hope that, whoever it is, they're ok." Fretted Jasper, feeding a snake as the others set up their respective games, "Doesn't Maijabi usually deal with people who lost loved ones recently?"

"He does but I don't think that's what it's about this time." Helsby was carefully setting up a Jenga tower. The amount of times he knocked it over trying to set it up set a bad omen for how he would do during the actual game.

"Why not?"

The pet snake coiled over Jasper's shoulders peered up at Helsby, flicking out its tongue curiously, a mirror of the bewildered look on its owner's face.

"Remember what he said to Jekyll last Sunday? That Jekyll would need his help soon?" Helsby winked, "Well Jekyll hasn't visited him since and... Would you look at that? No Jekyll here. Where did he go, I wonder..?"

Helsby, a known gossip, had been left out of the loop on the blood trail but he raised a good point. Jasper pondered Jekyll's injury. Maijabi couldn't have predicted that, could he?

How had Jekyll ended up with such an injury anyway? Ito had said it was an animal attack but what animal? Where had he encountered such a creature?

"Are you trying to imply that Maijabi actually has psychic powers?" Cantilupe snorted, amused.

"Why not..?" Helsby tapped his nose knowingly, "Maybe there are things out there that nobody's encountered before. As someone who explores the oceans, I know there's plenty of things that humanity doesn't know about yet. There's hundreds of species' down there that nobody has seen before. Does that mean they don't exist? No."

"Ghosts?" Cantilupe countered. Helsby knocked over the half-built Jenga tower again and she sighed. "Let me do that. You can set up Mouse Trap."

"If we can't see or interact with them," Helsby continued, shifting to pull out the box containing Mouse Trap, "Who can say whether they exist or not?"

"It's a fair point." Lavender piped up, "But I've seen one or two psychics in my time and they've never been accurate so far."

"Have you ever been to Maijabi?"

"No, but my hopes aren't high."

Helsby smirked, looking her directly in the eyes and lowering his voice so everyone had to strain to hear him. "I have.” He whispered as though telling them all a big secret, “You've never seen a place like Maijabi's before. If he's a phony, he really goes all out – Mirrors on every surface, candlelight instead of electricity. I swear I've seen things in those mirrors – something moving in there. Something...” He glanced around theatrically before lowing his voice even further, “Not human."

Lavender just raised an eyebrow sceptically. "Are you going to set up that game or not?"

"Ok, ok!" Helsby rolled his eyes and turned back to his game, "I swear, nobody here appreciates a good story."

"Bryson does." Jasper pointed out.

"Everyone knows that." Helsby put his head in his hands, "Asking him about his childhood was a mistake..."

The talking turned to other things and, soon, the matter of Maijabi and Jekyll was forgotten.

Jasper didn't quite forget Jekyll's injury though. He still wondered what species had caused that injury.

...And better yet, could he find the animal?

Rachel was certain that Jekyll would come out on Monday. How could he not? Lanyon was supposed to drop in and she knew that Jekyll wouldn't bump him off for anything. As time went on, however, she neither saw Jekyll nor Lanyon. Lanyon never came to the apartment and her last hope of luring Jekyll out was steadily extinguished.

When lunch passed without even the smallest movement from Jekyll's room, she knew, with a sinking feeling, that something was up.

That was how she found herself calling up Lanyon, listening to the phone ring and ignoring her growing worry.

With a click, Lanyon was on the other end.

"You know, between you and Jekyll, I'm starting to feel like I can't turn my phone off anymore without missing calls." There was a distant sound of people bustling about. It sounded like one of Lanyon's father's parties and Lanyon sounded just as tired of them as he always was.

"Well, by the sounds of it, you're at a party and I'm sure you're glad for the excuse to get away." She began to walk in circles, phone to her ear, in the small space.

"Excuses are great but my father's still going to get on my case about it. Although, I couldn't imagine how angry he would be if I had visited Jekyll today."

"Oh, is that why you're not here?" Rachel felt relieved. Maybe that was the reason. Jekyll had gotten a call from Lanyon saying he couldn't make it and Jekyll was moping about it.

"Oh, no. Jekyll called me to say he was too busy for the visit."

Her relief was shattered in an instant.

"...Jekyll was the one who called it off..?"

"Did he not tell you? He's too busy right now. I don't know when he'll next be free but we've agreed to call each other up next Monday instead."

Her heart plummeted like a rock. He wasn't busy, he was isolating himself to his room. He had lied. To Lanyon.

"Rachel? You still there?"

"...Yeah. Just... Worried about Jekyll."

"What? Why?" His usually carefree tone was replaced immediately with something much more serious. Rachel kind of felt bad for worrying him but Jekyll's sudden and strange dip in attitude was concern-worthy.

"Jekyll's not busy. He's isolated himself to his room for the past two days."

Silence. She could still hear the faint sounds of the party.

"You're certain he hasn't slipped out while you weren't looking?"

"And gone where? He told me himself that he was finished unpacking and he still doesn't quite know his way around town. He wouldn't go out without me."

There was a shaky breath down the line. "Can you tell me if this behaviour continues?"

"I will."

She knew all too well how much Lanyon would worry about this now. The damage was done though and there was no taking it back. Despite all his seeming casualness, Lanyon was constantly worrying about Jekyll and this incident was not going to help.

"Thanks for telling me."

There was a click and the call was over. She went upstairs and again found herself staring at Jekyll's closed door. Tomorrow he had work. Surely he would come out for that. It was a feeble hope but it was all she had to cling to.

Jekyll hadn't confined himself to his room like this since he had broken up with Lanyon. What could possibly be causing it now?

The next day, Jekyll was exhausted. He hadn't slept properly for the past two nights and food in the apartment was limited. As it was, he was starving and the bags under his eyes were large enough to carry his science supplies in.

He knew he looked a mess and part of him wondered if he would accidentally kill himself before Hyde managed to.

He managed to force back his tangled hair and re-bandage the wounds on his chest before wobbling out of the apartment.

That was the state he was in as he exited the apartment and the state he was in when Rachel saw him for the first time in two days. She practically leapt on him.

"Jekyll! You're out! When was the last time you ate anything? You look pale!"

Jekyll mumbled something about needing to get to work and ran off, leaving Rachel staring after him.

The reaction was the same, if a little tamer, when he got to work. Ito spotted him the moment he walked in and a disapproving look flickered across her face. She strode over, leaving the distillation she was working on to continue without her.

"You look like a mess." Ito noted as she drew close, "Did you replace the bandages?"

"Of course." Jekyll yawned and set about getting the chemicals and apparatus he needed for the next project. Ito tsked, still trailing after him to Jekyll's horror.

"You lost a lot of blood, you really should be eating more to compensate."

"I have."

He picked up a selection of pipettes, not looking at Ito.

Go away. He thought, Leave me alone, please. I don't want to mess up my relationship with you, not after what I told you.

"Word from Rachel is you haven't left your room since the attack."

Jekyll stilled. "...You told her?"

"No, but it's an easily guessable time frame. You get attacked by an animal and then confine yourself to your room." Ito began to gather up her own vials of chemicals. "Did you really have enough food to last both days and eat extra?"

"I keep stocked up."

Ito gave him a sceptical look. Any further argument was ended as Moreau noticed the pair of them. His eyes narrowed as they alighted on Jekyll, taking in his condition. He placed down the bag of rat food he was holding and trotted over to peer at Jekyll.

"Doctor Jekyll," Moreau butted in, stepping between him and Ito, "Are you sure you should be at work today? You look ill."

Jekyll wanted to groan aloud. Why was everyone getting on his case today? Why now?

"I'm fine. Tired is all."

Jekyll had hoped this would placate the doctor but Moreau didn't seem to take this answer. His bushy eyebrows drew together for a while before he took Jekyll's arm. Jekyll was too faint to resist as he was gently manoeuvred him to Moreau's lab.

It was dim in the lab, Moreau leaning to the side to flick the lights on, illuminating the rat cage and its living, writhing contents. The rats were already at the bars, watching curiously, their tails whisking the air enthusiastically and whiskers twitching. Even the rat's eyes were on Jekyll, beady and black, staring with the same intensity that everyone else seemed to be using on him that day.

Moreau sat him down, ignoring the rats, before seating himself across from the doctor. He peered into Jekyll's eyes, picking up a small torch from the table and shining it directly into Jekyll's eyes before he had a chance to react. Jekyll winced and pulled back, blinking away the after-image of the bright light. Moreau gently took Jekyll's face and directed it towards the torch again to shine it in the other eye, frowning as though he saw something strange in there. With a relieving click, the torch was off and placed back on the table.

Maybe the red splotches on his vision from the light was playing tricks on him but there seemed to be something... Uneasy... In Moreau's face. As his vision returned to normal, the disquiet on Moreau's face faded with it and Jekyll was left wondering if it had really been there at all.

Moreau opened a drawer and pulled out a notepad and pen. He sat back, pen scritching at the paper as he made notes unreadable to Jekyll.

"What's that for?" Jekyll asked, rubbing his burning eyes.

"Keeping note of your condition. It'll be bad for other employees, the animals and the sterilised equipment if your illness is contagious. Luckily, it seems you were right – Some form of exhaustion. Nevertheless, I'd like to keep an eye on it."

"Can I get back to work then?"

Moreau didn't seem to respond to the question. He had an unreadable look on his face as he examined Jekyll closely.

Jekyll shifted uncomfortably.

After a while, he finally asked. "Jekyll, is something the matter?"

"Nothing."

"I did tell you, didn't I? You can talk to me about anything that may be troubling you. You're a young, aspiring scientist and we need more people like you here. I would hate to lose you because you overworked yourself."

What was he supposed to say? I'm possessed by a demon and I'm trying desperately to prevent it ruining my life so it can take me over completely?

Seeing that Jekyll wasn't about to respond, Moreau prompted further. "Why did you move here?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I was wondering if any stress or trouble drove you to come here, maybe something relating to your current health?"

Jekyll liked Moreau but he didn't really want to get into that business with him. Ito had been a special case.

Before he could come up with an answer, he felt a sudden coldness in his mind like a bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped through it. He recognized the sensation instantly but it happened too quickly for him to fight off. His body stiffened and he lost control over it as Hyde's influence took over.

"I didn't realize you were a therapist, sir." Hyde spoke through Jekyll, his voice a low, mocking hiss, "Since when was this your business?"

To Jekyll's surprise, Moreau didn't seemed perturbed by the change in attitude. He, instead, jotted something down in his notepad, expression still impossible to read.

"You work here. I work here. That's why it's my business." Moreau didn't look up, still jotting things down. Jekyll wished he knew what Moreau was writing.

"You want to know everything about me? Want to get into some childhood trauma? Oh, while we're at it, we could talk about my exes, that's a fun subject!" Hyde sneered. He leaned forward, glowering at Moreau, "You're not my therapist and I'll bet you don't really care about me. Whether it's gossip or trying to keep your precious experimentation afloat, you're not asking because you care. Heck, I've heard what the others say about you. I know the kind of person you are, doctor."

Moreau paused in his writing for a second but didn't look up. "What the others say?"

"That you enjoy experimenting on poor helpless animals. Can't hurt people so you take it out on animals instead. Am I another possible experiment of yours, doctor? A study in psychology or the effects of exhaustion? Or do you just enjoy documenting my suffering? Go ahead, this is a safe environment." Hyde waved his hand, "You can speak freely here, right?"

Moreau put down his notepad for the first time and looked Jekyll in the eyes. His face was sympathetic but his eyes were cold. The intensity was his expression was so hard that even Hyde shifted in his seat, almost averting his gaze. Jekyll wished he could look away.

"Doctor, I assure you I don't enjoy suffering. I'm not harming any of the animals, as I can prove." He reached over, not breaking eye-contact with Hyde, and unlatched the rat cage, letting them bury themselves in his coat and hair again, tails swishing as the rats examined Jekyll. "If I were harming them, they would be afraid of me. Rats are intelligent little creatures after all."

Sure enough, the rats seemed to love Moreau, scampering over him like they had done before. This time, however, there was something wary in their beady little eyes as they watched Jekyll. He had never thought before that rats could look judgemental but they did. He was again reminded of the instinctive ability of most animals to sense when there was something off about a person, just like Zosi noticing Hyde's presence before Jekyll had even been possessed for the first time.

The rats knew. They knew Hyde was there. Whether they quite understood what it was they were sensing was out of Jekyll's expertise.

Hyde didn't seem to give a damn about the rats, however. He curled his lip in distaste.

"Spare me the speech. Rumours like that don't just sprout up out of nowhere – You did something to make people believe those rumours. I believe the source of my information to be quite trustworthy."

"Rumours are nasty little things. One person considered 'Trustworthy' starts to spread it and everyone starts to believe it." Moreau sighed and looked off to the side, rolling the pen back and forth across the table with a thoughtful expression of melancholy. "I'm aware that it's partially my fault – I'm not as social with the others as I should be and I don't look like the picture of friendly – but you can't let these rumours get to you. You're new here and you're tired so I understand why you're lashing out like this. It's not easy moving somewhere new, huh?"

"Were you a psychology student by any chance?" Hyde snorted but, to Jekyll's surprise, he seemed to have simmered down a little.

Jekyll allowed himself a snigger of laughter, knowing that his body was too far from his own control for anyone to hear it. Moreau seemed to be a real demon tamer.

Maybe he should be taking notes.

A small smile flitted on Moreau's lips, so quickly gone that Jekyll could almost believe he imagined it. "I do have an interest in the subject, but enough of that. I see you don't want to talk about yourself and that's fine. I'm simply going to ask that you take better care of yourself from now on."

The last of Edward Hyde's influence evaporated from Jekyll and he found himself able to get up and leave again.

"My offer is always open." Moreau put his notepad back in its drawer and allowed the rats to return to their cage, "Any troubles, just come to me."

Jekyll thanked Moreau and awkwardly apologized for his behaviour before fleeing back to his work. Nobody brought up his bad health again for the rest of the day to his relief.

As he worked, Jekyll turned over his demon situation in his mind, searching for a solution. As he cleaned a beaker, a memory lit up in his mind like a lightbulb.

Maijabi, the 'Phony' psychic who had immediately called out that Jekyll would need help soon. Was it too hopeful to believe there was truth to Maijabi's profession? That maybe Maijabi knew something?

Where was Maijabi's apartment room? Did they say it was the floor above him or below him? Could he ask Ito? Would she judge him for wanting to visit a psychic?

"...Ummm, Ito?"

Well, too late to turn back now. She glanced up from the dilution she was working on.

"...Which room is Maijabi's?" She finished pathetically.

To his surprise, she just gave him the number, not poking any further into it. Jekyll blinked, surprised, and ran the number over a few times in his head to be sure that he remembered it.

He thought that might be the end of it but, just as he was about to head home, Ito caught his arm.

"Careful about who you talk to, Jekyll. I'm not going to ask why you're going to Maijabi but don't let him put any strange thoughts in your head. You're clearly in a vulnerable position right now and psychics thrive on that. Maijabi's a good guy but I don't think ghost stories are what you need right now."

"I'll be fine." Jekyll shook her off gently.

"Trust your feelings, not what someone else tells you, that's all I'm saying."

"I'll keep that in mind." And Jekyll was off.

Ito, as her co-worker disappeared, was reminded of the talk with Helsby. The one where they assumed that Maijabi was waiting for Jekyll – that he had predicted Jekyll's dip in health. She shook her head, clearing it of the thought. There was no such thing as psychics and ghosts after all. With that, she turned back to her work.

Jekyll could smell the incense drifting under the door as he stood outside Maijabi's room. He was nervous about knocking. If he was wrong about this and Maijabi really was some kind of fake then he would probably make himself look crazy trying to ask for help.

It was amusing in a morbid kind of way – Telling someone they would need your help to draw in customers only for that potential customer to pound on your door begging for help with a real life demon. He could get sent to an asylum pretty quickly.

On the other hand, he was too desperate to turn back.

He knocked gently and stood back, waiting for an answer. The door opened surprisingly quickly and Maijabi peered up at him, eyepatch still covering one eye. He didn't seem surprised to see Jekyll, merely nodding once in acknowledgement.

"Ah, I thought you might show up soon." He opened the door further, allowing Jekyll to see inside the room.

It was dark in there. Almost pitch black. A faint blueish light faintly highlighted the features of the room although the actual origin of the light was invisible to Jekyll's eye.

Most striking, however, was that it was covered wall to wall with mirrors. Large, small, handheld and full body alike. Gold patterned rims glittered and glass so polished that you could eat off it was visible as far as the eye could see. The entire room seemed to be made up of mirrors.

There was a single desk, equipped with, obviously, several more mirrors and a single set of drawers.

A small rocking chair was settled in one corner and, if Jekyll moved himself to see past the many mirrors, he could make out a kitchen area with a checker tiled floor.

It seemed much larger than Jekyll's room, although the minimal amount of furniture and maximum amount of mirrors probably made it look larger than it was.

There were several lit candelabrum dotted about, most on the floor, and Jekyll noted that there were no electrical lights in the room. The usual lightbulb that all rooms were equipped with had been unscrewed.

Faint candlelight just lit up the room enough to see where they were stepping.

Jekyll entered cautiously, quietly. There was such a silence in the room that it seemed wrong to talk aloud, like yelling in a library. Maijabi seemed to have no such qualms, his steps loud and almost echoey in the room.

As he stepped in completely, Jekyll caught a glimpse of himself in one of the mirrors and nearly fell over in alarm.

It wasn't quite his reflection staring back at him. It looked like him but those green eyes from his dream were back, piecing into him, almost seeming to glow in the gloom. Shadows obscured his face and features but he could swear that his hair was longer in the reflection, lighter and, as he slowly approached, he noticed that his reflection was also... Shorter..?

Against his better judgement, Jekyll found himself reaching out a shaking hand towards the mirror. His unusual reflection did likewise but there was no shaking in its hand, merely the confident glitter of smiling teeth through the dark.

His hand pressed against the cool glass, meeting the hand. It was a slender and pale hand, fingers long.

Jekyll could see his own breath against the glass in small foggy stains, obscuring the image from the other side.

"The mirrors in here are of my own creation." Maijabi stood next to him, appearing normal in the glass beside Jekyll's stranger reflection, "They show what can't be seen with the normal eye."

Jekyll tore his gaze away from his reflection to look at Maijabi, "So... That..?"

"Hmm..." Maijabi peered at Jekyll's reflection, stroking his chin, "Some form of spiritual possession..?"

"A demon."

Maijabi looked up sharply, "Excuse me?"

"That's what it told me." Jekyll reluctantly let go of the glass, letting his arm drop to his side, "It's name is Edward Hyde and it claimed to be a demon."

"You... Spoke to it?"

Jekyll nodded, biting his lip, "...Should I not have?"

"...I'll be honest, demons aren't my area of expertise, but I don't think you should speak to it anymore, at least until we know more about it. Demons are supposedly master manipulators." He strode over to a book set on a desk and began to flick through it, "I'll ask around, see if anyone knows something."

Jekyll's hopes dropped. "You can't help me either?"

"Demons are very, very rare. The fact that you've been tethered to one is incredibly unlucky. Out of curiosity, what is it like?"

"Being possessed? Mostly the same as usual until Hyde takes over. I don't feel any 'evil influences', I can't rotate my head 360 degrees and I can't speak in tongues... Even when Hyde's in control, there's something... Normal feeling about it. Like, I'm clearly being controlled by something but..." Jekyll floundered for the right words, "...It still... Feels like me." Jekyll winced, that was ridiculous. He shook his head. "Never mind. I can't really describe it."

"Huh." Maijabi peered at the page he had landed on, "Anything else I should know?"

"Apparently he failed to possess me properly."

Maijabi looked up, surprised. Jekyll, seeing his confusion, continued.

"I was snapped out of it partway through and now Hyde's kind of... Jammed inside me? He can't get out and he can't possess me for long periods of time but now he thinks, if I gave up on my life, he would have complete control. He's trying to ruin my life."

Maijabi nodded, his mind clearly elsewhere at the troubling news, "Then we need to work quickly."

Maijabi assured Jekyll that he would be looking for a solution for the issue. They exchanged a few more details about Hyde's behaviour and phone numbers before Jekyll was sent out.

Just as Jekyll was thanking him for the help, Maijabi looked him sternly in the eye.

"Remember, don't speak to it, don't listen to it and don't let it influence you in any way that could have been avoided."

"I will."

Maijabi handed Jekyll a thick tome. "Here. I can't find anything about demons in it but maybe it will mean more to you."

"Thanks." Jekyll turned it over, reading the side. It was an encyclopedia on the spiritual and supernatural.

"Don't hesitate to tell me if anything happens. I'll be calling you if I make any progress."

With one last thank you, the door swung shut. Jekyll allowed himself a small smile. Maybe he shouldn't be getting optimistic but it felt like the first bit of progress he had made. Glancing one last time at the book, Jekyll turned to leave.

And stood facing Rachel.

He froze. Rachel was eyeing him and the book up and down, repeatedly looking back at Maijabi's flat.

"...Jekyll..."

Jekyll swallowed and smiled waveringly at her. "Rachel, what a surprise."

"Jekyll, I don't judge people for believing what they want to believe but I assure you that the apartment isn't haunted."

Of course that was what she believed it was. Now the question was, did he play into this belief or could he convince her of something else?

"Rachel, I know the apartment isn't haunted. I was visiting Maijabi to chat is all. It doesn't hurt to get to know your neighbours."

She raised an eyebrow and looked at the book in his hands.

"I got interested.” Jekyll explained with all the confidence he could muster, “Have you seen the inside of that place? It really is curiosity-inducing."

"...So long as you don't fall for all that hauntings stuff..."

"I'm a scientist. I know perfectly well that these things don't exist." Jekyll started to walk, Rachel trailing behind him.

"Then why are you confining yourself to your room?"

"Rachel, if I thought the apartment was haunted, I wouldn't confine myself to it, I would be trying to get away from it. Who's being paranoid now?"

"Why did you call off Lanyon's visit?"

"Busy."

"Since when?"

"Since work got hectic."

Rachel was clearly unimpressed by his excuse.

"I'm sure things will be back to normal soon." He grinned at her, "Until then, try not to fret too much, okay?"

"Oh I'm not the only who's going to fret about you."

Jekyll, just outside his own apartment, paused. "What?"

"Lanyon worries about you."

"Well he shouldn't, I'm fine." He looked once more at Rachel's pointed stare. "Really."

"So long as you keep going to work."

Jekyll rolled his eyes jokingly, "Sure thing, mum. Anyway, I have things I need to get to."

He spun in the doorway, waved and closed the door with his foot. Another conversation come and gone without Hyde messing it up. Maybe he shouldn't be letting his guard down but, so far, Hyde's attempts hadn't been very effective.

Maybe this would be easier than he thought.

Chapter Text

Jekyll felt dizzy that morning. Hyde, so far unable to ruin his life in any other way, had spent the entire night whispering in his ear, keeping him up.

At least, he assumed it was Hyde – it was difficult to discern his own thoughts from Hyde's.

Mostly, it had a long and very descriptive list of the things Hyde would do with his body once he had control of it, leaving out none of the dirty details. It was very, very descriptive and left Jekyll feeling somewhat ill.

He stumbled out of bed, bags under his eyes somehow even more pronounced than the day prior. He swayed slightly as he brushed his teeth and nearly fell asleep standing up while combing his hair. He dragged his leaden legs to the mirror and practised looking more awake, trying out different smiles and wide-eyed looks. They looked a little forced but he didn’t think anyone would notice.

It was important, though, that he didn’t collapse or black out while at work. He worked in a lab after all. Exhaustion could cause an explosion or some very bad burns – he couldn't afford to screw up.

When he was satisfied that he looked presentable, he strode out of the apartment.

Jekyll didn't remember the trip to work, simply walking out of the apartment and becoming aware again at the doors of his workplace. Probably a terrible sign when it came to exhaustion.

He blinked away his weariness again and stepped inside in somewhat of a haze. As he wandered to his work, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He stood there for several seconds, trying to figure out how to respond through his sluggish mind.

"Jekyll? Is everything alright?"

Female voice. Familiar.

Right, Ito.

He nodded, not trusting himself not to slur words. The motion induced a wave of nausea instead, making him regret the decision.

"You look pale. Did you really change bandages?"

...Did he..?

No. He hadn't.

He felt something cool against his forehead and his blurry vision focused. Ito's hand was against his forehead and she hissed, quickly drawing her hand back.

"You're burning up. You shouldn't be here."

"No, no." His voice sounded so distant to him, "I'm fine."

No, she's right. I swear, Jekyll, if you kill that body before I can take control of it-

Jekyll yelped at Hyde's voice and stumbled back. The ground seemed to move beneath him and he gripped a table to try to retain his balance.

Ito's brow creased in concern out his sudden outburst.

Moreau had walked over now and Ito, despite her dislike of the guy was talking to him in words too faint for Jekyll to make out. He blinked, having difficulty reopening them again. A fuzzy darkness began to creep into the edges of his vision and the scent of smoke and gas made him feel ill.

"I... I just need a second." He couldn't hear his own voice anymore. He wondered if the others had heard him. Maybe he had just opened his mouth and not made a sound. God, he needed to sit down. Maybe he could just… Nope.

Instead of sitting down like he had tried to do, his legs buckled beneath him and he only just managed to land with a bruising bump on his knees rather than face-plant on the floor. There were distant voices and he felt strong hands wrestle him up. He was vaguely aware of being dragged from the room, the fearful murmuring of his co-workers lost to the static in his ears.

It only felt like seconds before he was gently placed in a chair. He let his head loll back and simply focused on breathing for a short while.

Steadily, with each breath, he became a little more aware. He found himself able to open his eyes again and wearily glanced to the person seated opposite him. Moreau was sat there, examining him closely. Behind him, Ito was watching him with a stern expression.

He didn’t like the way they were looking at him. It was a look given to one who had done something wrong. Jekyll swallowed thickly.

"Are you back with us?" Moreau started, cocking his head to one side.

"Yeah." Jekyll clumsily forced himself to sit upright, "Sorry, I-"

"You need to take better care of yourself." Ito cut in, her arms crossed. "You shouldn't be in work if you feel ill, you'll just endanger yourself and everyone else."

"I-"

Moreau raised a hand. "Ito is being quite strict but I agree. You clearly shouldn't be in work today. Ito knows the way back to your apartment so I'm sure she can take you back-"

"No!" Jekyll tried to stumble to his feet, head spinning. He felt way too hot but it wasn't the time for removing layers. "I won't get in the way, I promise. Please don't fire me!"

Moreau and Ito glanced at each other.

"Jekyll..." Ito said a little more softly, "You're delirious from the fever. Nobody's firing you, we're just giving you a few sick days."

"In two days, it will be the weekend anyway so two days should suffice assuming that this illness of yours isn't any too serious." Moreau reached over and felt Jekyll's forehead. "Definitely a fever. It's difficult to judge at this stage but I don't think it's anything incredibly serious. I'm sure Ito can keep an eye on your health either way." Moreau glanced at Ito, "You will keep me informed as to Jekyll's condition, won't you?"

Jekyll nearly missed, in his fevered mind, the way that Ito wouldn’t meet his eyes as she agreed.

Ito gently lead Jekyll out of the building, Moreau's rats watching them with a keen interest as they left.

Maybe Jekyll really was too delirious because, as he left, he could imagine Moreau having the same little beady eyes as the rats – glistening with the same intense interest.

A look that was filled with malicious glee as the door closed, disappearing from Jekyll's sight.

Jekyll didn't remember the trip back to the apartment. All he remembered was leaving the lab only to immediately find himself slumped in his sofa in his apartment, Zosi whining at the foot of the sofa. Ito was holding several bandages again, sat across from him. She glanced up as he shifted on the sofa.

"I saw in your fridge." She said simply. "Care to explain?"

"Explain what..?" Jekyll forced himself upright as Zosi leapt into his lap, pawing at him.

"There's no food in there. When was the last time you ate anything?"

Jekyll closed his mouth, unable to respond. Ito stared at him for a long time.

Told you that was stupid.

Shut up, Hyde.

"I'm not going to take off your top – you're doing those bandages yourself – but I am going to make sure you eat something."

"I'm not hungry."

"That's a lie and you know it. Look Jekyll, I'm not going to tell you how to live your life but whatever's going on with you needs to stop. I don't know if this is about Lanyon, the new home or something else entirely but I'm not watching you kill yourself over it."

Jekyll didn't respond, simply staring at Zosi. The dog was giving him a wide-eyed, concerned look, as though to say, "I agree with her".

"...I'll try." He said at last.

"Oh I know you will. I'll be telling Rachel to take you out for lunch tomorrow."

Jekyll stiffened. "Are you going to tell her?"

Ito didn't respond as she strode out.

Jekyll felt cold fear engulf him and he tried to stumble to his feet only to collapse against the floor, much to Zosi's distress.

"In the meantime, replace those bandages." Ito finished and the door swung shut with a click, leaving Jekyll alone on the floor with Zosi.

Ito sighed as the door shut. She had known Jekyll for only two weeks and he was already about as much of a disaster as everyone else in the damn apartment. It was getting tiring to keep an eye on them all.

It was her fault, she supposed – she had been too optimistic when she had met him for the first time, assuming that he might be normal. She had made the same mistake with Jasper.

She headed straight to Rachel's room.

Rachel wasn't normal by a long shot but, compared to everyone else there, she was the most normal person in the building, a role recently usurped from Dr Jekyll.

That wasn't the reason she was going there though – She was going to Rachel because Rachel was Jekyll's friend. If anyone knew how to deal with him, it would be her.

She knocked and waited.

Rachel beamed when she saw Ito and was quick to invite her in. Ito wouldn't have said the two of them were best friends but they spoke to each other often in the halls.

She didn't enter Rachel's apartment often. It was a smallish space made up mostly of kitchen. Two different coloured aprons were hung up on the back of a chair and a rather impressive collection of knives adorned the counter. The space was pristine to the point where Ito almost felt bad for sitting down.

"What kind of tea do you want?" Rachel asked, reaching to open a cabinet, pulling out several boxes of teabags while Ito settled herself in a small wooden chair at the table.

"Chamomile?"

"Absolutely." Rachel switched on the kettle and pulled out two mugs. "Is everything ok? I thought you would be at work right now."

Moment of truth. "I had to take Jekyll back to his apartment. He was too ill to be at work and I'm the only one there who knows where he lives."

"Ill?" To Ito's surprise, Rachel just tutted and rolled her eyes. "Typical. I knew he wasn't eating enough."

"...You don't seem surprised."

Rachel paused, confused. Then she giggled. "Oh, right, you don't really know Jekyll that well. He's absolutely terrible with his health. Sometimes he doesn't eat for days at a time. It's really difficult to get him to stop."

The kettle clicked and Rachel poured the boiling water into the mugs. She paused, looking at the tea for several seconds. "Although, he's being worse than usual at the moment."

"Really? How so?"

"He hasn't left his room in days and he turned down a visit from Lanyon." She caught herself and explained, "He's an old friend of Jekyll's. They haven't been on the best terms lately but to call him up to call off the visit... I'm worried he's- Never mind."

"Well, given his recent illness, I don't suppose you could try to get him to eat more? He needs to regain his strength."

"I'll try but he's stubborn. I'm going to try again on Saturday when he's... Wait, if he's ill, does that mean he's off work for a few days?"

Ito nodded.

"Then I'll be taking him out to eat the moment he's well enough to leave his room." Rachel placed the mugs down, the one with blue polka dots in front of Ito and a striped one for Rachel. She placed down some milk and added a bit to her own before offering some to Ito. Ito politely turned her down.

"But enough of that." Rachel chirped, "My hair would already be completely grey if I spent all my time worrying about Jekyll's unhealthy habits. How's work?"

"Same as usual. Moreau still keeps bringing animals into the lab when he shouldn't and someone nearly burned down the building yesterday by knocking over a Bunsen burner. You?"

"I had to clean up after a children's birthday party yesterday. One of the kids was still there and she offered me a drawing she had 'coloured in'." Rachel smiled, "...It wasn't actually coloured in. She had left the whole thing white."

"...There was a kid still there?"

"Oh, don't worry, her parents were there. Her dad was finishing up a few things while the other two waited. Kids can be so cute."

"When they're not causing trouble." Ito admitted, sipping her tea again.

There was a moment of silence, punctuated only by the sounds of sipping tea. Rachel blinked and quickly placed down her mug, hurriedly swallowing what was left in her mouth.

"Oh, right. Did you hear about the animal attack?"

Ito looked up from her mug, startled. "Animal attack?"

"Apparently there's some sort of big animal in the woods. Animal control thinks it might be a zoo escapee."

Ito recalled the gashes on Jekyll's chest and winced. Well that explained that.

"What sort of animal?"

"...A bear..? I don't know, everything I've heard about it was pretty conflicted. All I know is it's big and aggressive and nobody's managed to catch it yet." She finished off her tea, "I'm surprised you haven't heard about this with how gossipy the others are."

Ito just shrugged, "Is it old news?"

"Well they only found out about it recently but gossip around here travels just a second slower than the speed of sound."

"How did they find out about it? Who was attacked?"

Rachel winced, looking away. "Jasper may have encountered it in the woods while apparently trying to study birds. The others might have sensationalised the story but they don't think he would have made it out unscathed if he wasn't such an expert on animals."

"Is he ok?"

"A gash on the leg but nothing worse than that bull he tried to take into the building."

Ito sighed, "He still has stitches from that. You mean to tell me that Jasper couldn't identify the animal?"

Rachel shrugged, "I'm just recalling gossip. The story could have easily been messed up somewhere along the way."

Ito finished her tea and placed the mug down. "I should get back to work. They're willing to give me the rest of the day off to keep an eye on Jekyll but he's in his room and resting as he should be. I don't really need to be here for that. Besides, I'm sure you'll be keeping an eye on him?"

"Of course."

"Then, if you excuse me." Ito stood up and smiled politely at Rachel, "Thank you for the tea."

"If you ever want to visit to talk again, my doors are always open."

The door swung shut and both were left to think over what they had learnt.

Confined to his room, Jekyll didn't have a lot to do. He found himself picking up the book Maijabi had given him and flicking through it.

It was a thick tome, handwritten, clearly done by multiple different people adding to the same book. The result was, it was a jumbled mess of notes, illegible handwriting and technical terms that Jekyll didn't understand.

Before reading, he had assumed that, if there was anything to find, Maijabi would have picked up on it already but he was starting to see things in a different light – Picking up information from that tome was the equivalent of looking for a needle in a very disorganized haystack.

There were two entries for unicorns, each with conflicting information – That was the sort of problem that Jekyll had to deal with.

He leafed through. To his amusement, he found an entry on ghosts, written by Maijabi himself. The psychic had clearly, painstakingly, kept his work as organized as possible to counteract the mess of the book. There were several cartoony diagrams of spirits, labelling their different parts.

He should have been looking for demons but Jekyll found himself absorbed in Maijabi's writings.

Ghosts/Spirits (Pre-living and human) - The Common Spirit

He found the title curious. Were there spirits that had never been alive then? Moreover, did animals produce spirits on death as well?

Pre-living human spirits (Also known as the common spirit) are spectral entities unpercievable to the naked eye and able to move through solid objects. The physical matter of the common spirit seems to be a gaseous kind of compound unlike anything else found on earth. It can penetrate and be penetrated by any physical object and most wavelengths . This seems to be the cause of the invisibility of spirits – Light isn't reflected off the surface of this gas and, therefore, can't be picked up by the human eye. There are other ways to perceive the common spirit, though, to those who know how to.

The particles that make up common spirits are electrically conductive, acting in a way similar to the neurons of the brain to transmit signals, although the specifics of their working are unknown. This can mess with electrical equipment if a spirit passes through or, in certain spirits, can be used to control a human host, stimulating electrical signals in the human brain to create the effect commonly known as "Possession".

Maijabi had never struck Jekyll as the scientific type but, the more Jekyll read, the clearer it became that Maijabi was some sort of scientist studying the matter of spirits or, rather, the common spirit, as he called it.

The entry went on for several more paragraphs which Jekyll read through carefully. He flicked through a few more pages until he found more of Maijabi's workings.

Ghosts/Spirits (Non-Living and non-human) - The Fixed Spirit

Non-living, non-human spirits (Also known as the fixed spirit) are spectral entities that arise in locations of great significance. It's, as of yet, unclear how these entities form only that, unlike the Mental Spirit, they can form without human intervention. Most fixed spirits have been found to pre-date human existence and often dwell in a singular location (Popular locations include forests), ruling over that location. Fixed spirits, on the contrary to other kinds of spirits, are made of a gaseous substance that can be stopped by physical objects, the limits of which are unknown.

Out of all species of spirit, the Fixed Spirit is the one known least about.

Jekyll, on a whim, ended up skimming over a few more pages, looking for even more of Maijabi's workings. His initial task of demon research had been long since ditched, an impossible task in the disorganized mess of the book.

Ghosts/Spirits (Non-Living and Human) - The Emotional Spirit

Non-living spirits can be formed from intense human emotion, usually forming in locations of emotional significance. Such spirits are known as emotional spirits. Locations of tragic, non-fatal accidents are a common dwelling ground for such entities, believed to be a lost piece of the common spirit of the affected (See page 187 for more information). Their bodies are made from the same substance as the common spirit, backing up his theory.

These spectral entities are almost always created with no prior memory of the life they originated from, only bearing the emotional trauma from the event, for example, the emotional spirit of a boy hit by a car will have a fear of cars but never know why.

Just as Jekyll was in the middle of this particular entry, he felt Hyde stir.

It was strange but, now that he was aware of Hyde's existence, he was more acutely aware of the demon's presence. Often, it wasn't there but sometimes he could feel a coldness in his head.

He had the strangest feeling of something living pushing itself against the confines of his head to peer through his eyes into the waking world.

You're getting a little off topic there.

Hyde's voice was faint, worn out from keeping Jekyll up all night. He was clearly too tired to do anything bad at that moment so Jekyll merely shrugged.

"Maybe I'll find what I'm looking for by accident. I can already see I won't find it by deliberately looking."

If an emotional spirit is attached to a location and a kid was hit by a car, wouldn't the kid's spirit exist by a road?

"Yeah, so?"

So he would be scared by cars. He would exist by a road. The kid'll be permanently traumatised.

Jekyll ignored Hyde and went back to reading. He found a question forming though. He shouldn't talk to Hyde, he knew he shouldn't. Demons were manipulative and the more he listened to Hyde, the more he ran the risk of being influenced.

Despite this, he asked.

"So do non-living spirits go to Hell?"

Hyde snorted. Don't ask me.

"What do you mean 'Don't ask me'?! You came from Hell, you should know these things!"

You think I care who goes to Hell and who doesn't? All I care about is your continued suffering, mortal worm .

"You're awful at it." Jekyll turned the page, "I don't know why I was so scared of you, you're a pretty awful demon."

Hyde bristled with rage, Oh, you haven't seen the half of what I can do yet. Trust me, your suffering will be eternal.

"...Sure thing."

The demon jabbed at Jekyll mentally but it was so feeble that it only felt like a short dull ache to Jekyll. Jekyll snorted and turned the page again as Hyde huffed, annoyed.

I can scare you. Hyde muttered, more to himself than Jekyll, You'll see, you miserable mortal scum.

Hyde faded from his mind and Jekyll was left to continue his fruitless search.

The next day, Jekyll was well enough to walk without fainting so Rachel, true to her word, took him out for lunch at the same cafe again. Jekyll was unwilling to leave and it took a lot of coaxing to drag him out.

The moment they arrived, she banned him from ordering soup and, when he tried, changed his order to a sandwich. Jekyll scowled at her.

"I was sick yesterday" He complained for the hundredth time, "I shouldn't be out today."

"If you were well enough to go to work yesterday, you're well enough to eat." Rachel retorted, "Besides, you look well enough."

"Can I at least pay for my own meal today?"

"Nope. Sick people don't pay for their food."

"Please stop."

Rachel stuck her tongue out at him and was happy to see Jekyll hide a smile.

He stared at the table for a few seconds, tapping his fingers and looking thoughtful.

Rachel cleared her throat. "So... How ill do you feel right now?"

"Kind of tired and hot but not that ill. I've had worse."

Rachel raised an eyebrow slowly. "O...Kay..." She sat back in her chair, unsure how to proceed. "How's Zosi? Any more weird growling?"

Jekyll was silent for an uncomfortably long amount of time, avoiding her gaze. His eyes travelled to the left and he sat up. "Food's coming."

Sure enough, a pair of plates was placed on the table carrying the sandwiches. Rachel couldn't help but note Jekyll's reluctance in talking about the subject and wondered if Zosi's behaviour had some sort of relation to Jekyll's behaviour. Had he found out what in the apartment was causing Zosi to act so weirdly?

"Do you think you're up for having Lanyon around again?"

Jekyll paused, his mug of coffee halfway to his lips. "...Not right now. Soon though, I'm sure."

"Not right now? Why not now?"

"I... I just can't..." Jekyll struggled to find the right words. "...I'm just too stressed to deal with that right now. Sorry."

"Right, you always worry about having Lanyon around but it's never as bad as you think it'll be. You've told me that yourself."

"...I... Um... Right but..."

"Jekyll, what's really going on?"

"It's just stress, I promise."

Rachel pursed her lips for a moment, a plan forming in her mind. She gave Jekyll a smile that she hoped was in no way suspicious. "Ok then. Now, eat."

She knew exactly what to do.

Thanks to his recent starvation, Jekyll managed to finish his sandwich but it churned uncomfortably in his stomach as Rachel lead him around the town.

"This." Rachel said pointedly, "Is the supermarket. It's where people buy food."

Jekyll chose not to grace that with an answer. His eyes drifted towards the forest where he had been attacked. Rachel caught his gaze.

"Oh, right, the forest. It's a bit off limits at the moment."

Jekyll could already guess why but he asked anyway. "Why?"

"Some animal escaped from the zoo. Jasper got attacked by it. Point is, the forest is too dangerous right now."

Would have been great to know before, Rachel.

"Do they know what kind?"

She shook her head.

Big wolf. Hyde supplied unhelpfully, Big, BIG wolf.

Jekyll didn't want to think about that attack anymore. His chest stung just thinking about it. He turned and started to head back home, Rachel close behind.

Click.

"Hey, it's me again."

...

"Oh, no, nothing new. I was just wondering..."

...

"No, Jekyll's fine but I think he would benefit from having you here."

...

"I don't think Jekyll's that busy at all. He's kind of stressed out right now and I was hoping you could come visit. I think he would really like having you around."

...

"Well I was thinking tomorrow. You know, Friday? Are you free?"

...

"Oh, his work... Well... He came down with a slight illness recently and..."

...

"Ok, fine, I lied. There is news. Jekyll came down with a slight illness and he's taking some sick days off work. Long story short, he's free tomorrow."

...

"No, I was thinking that it should be a surprise."

...

"So are you free or not?"

...

"That's great! So you'll be coming?"

...

"See you then."

Click.

End of call.

Chapter Text

Friday morning, Hyde had been surprisingly quiet. Jekyll had actually gotten a decent night's rest and didn't look like a complete mess. It was... Suspicious.

Jekyll chose to believe that Hyde was too weak to torment him. He hoped that wasn't just his own denial talking.

He wanted to take up Rachel's suggestion the day prior and go to the supermarket to get some food. He threw on some nice looking clothes, grabbed his keys and was out the door. He passed Rachel halfway down the stairway.

"Where are you off to?" She asked curiously.

"I'm going shopping. My fridge's a little empty."

"A little?"

Jekyll ignored the comment and walked past her.

He didn't notice the sly smile spreading across her face as he disappeared down the stairs.

Jekyll was torn when he reached the supermarket. He wanted to get something small to eat, knowing his eating habits and recent stress wouldn't allow him to eat any more than that, but, on the other hand, he knew that Ito or Rachel would check at some point and, if his fridge wasn't sufficiently stocked, they would be worried about him again.

In the end, he picked out several different salads, a ton of coffee beans and some apples. He paid for all of it, wished the cashier a good day and left out into the sunny morning.

It was rather quiet since it was a work week so Jekyll took the opportunity to meander about the town, visiting different locations in an attempt to gain his bearings. He found himself visiting multiple stores, buying new clothes and vials on top of the food. Quickly, he found himself stocked up on everything, not just food, leaving him laden with bags.

It was on the way back to his apartment that he ran into Maijabi. He was struggling with a large, rectangular mirror with a striped rim. He had to stop every five seconds to give a break to his back and the journey was clearly a slow one.

Jekyll hesitated, considering his own bags, before hanging them from his arms and going over to help.

"Thank you for the help." Maijabi settled the new mirror against a wall, squinting into it before rubbing off a smear with his sleeve. "Wish I could have gotten some glass cleaner while I was at it."

"Do you want to borrow mine?" Jekyll strategically avoided looking at his own reflection in the mirrors, acutely aware of Hyde's radioactive green eyes watching him from the glass.

"No. I wouldn't want to ask a neighbour every time I have to clean a mirror. There's just too many of them and they constantly need cleaning. No, it's better to have my own." Maijabi straightened up, stretching his back out with an uncomfortable crack. "Anything new with your demon problem?"

"Not particularly. Hyde's not a particularly effective demon."

"You did say he's currently weak. Do you want some tea?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you had any coffee?"

"Just tea, I'm afraid."

"Then do you have any peppermint tea?"

Maijabi strolled over to the kitchen area and began fumbling around in the candlelight for the teabags. Jekyll kept his eyes planted directly on the floor, all too aware of the mirrors surrounding him. It was difficult to look anywhere without staring directly into one. Despite his best efforts, a clatter from the kitchen caused his eyes to involuntarily flick up. He found himself staring eye to eye with Hyde. He quickly averted his gaze only to find himself looking at Hyde again in a different mirror. This time, the demon's arms were crossed. His face was obscured by the dark besides the glittering malice of his eyes.

Having fun, Doctor?

Jekyll stepped back from the mirror. "Uh, Maijabi?"

You really think you're safe just because I haven't done much yet?

"I don't suppose we could cover up the mirrors while I'm here? Considering the whole demon situation?"

Maijabi glanced up, "You'll have to speak up – my hearing's not what it used to be."

How about we spice up this little visit a little bit?

Henry opened his mouth to repeat himself louder when he suddenly felt a splash of ice cold through his head. He stiffened with a pained yelp, jolted by the sudden change in temperature. Hyde's freezing grip quickly began to seep through his thoughts, flowing down his neck and through his right arm, spreading itself through his fingers. Jekyll wrestled with the demon for control.

Maijabi turned his head, glancing at the rigid Jekyll out of the corner of his eye.

"If the room's too cold, I could turn up the heating, just give me a second to finish the tea." Maijabi stated and turned back to what he was going leaving Jekyll groaning despairingly through his gritted teeth.

"Not the heating." Jekyll hissed through his teeth, arm twitching as the pair tried to seize control over it. Hyde pushed out the arm in an attempt to knock over a mirror and Jekyll forced it back to his side, feeling a physical resistance against the movement. "Help."

"Do you take your tea with milk?"

Why the damn mirror?! You can't find anything more threatening to do than knock over a freakin' mirror, you prick?!

I'm too weak to do anything else. Besides, being a demon is being the epitome of petty, don’t you know?

"Dr Jekyll?" Maijabi turned around again, clearly beginning to suspect that something was up.

You're an awful demon. Quit it!

Jekyll shudderingly turned to look Maijabi in the eye with a pleading expression. His arm shot out while he was distracted, almost smashing directly into the mirror. Jekyll narrowly managed to stop it just before it hit the glass and shakily forced it back. Realization lit up in Maijabi's face and he hobbled forwards as fast as he could.

"I'm not particularly strong..." Maijabi apologized.

"Neither... Is Hyde... Just... Restrain... Me..." Jekyll gasped out between spats with Hyde's consciousness.

Maijabi paused awkwardly before wrapping his arms around Jekyll, holding him in place. Luckily, just as Jekyll predicted, between Jekyll's own willpower, Maijabi's restraint and Hyde's weakness, the demon was left unable to move. There was a howling and snapping in his skull as the creature scratched at the walls of Henry's defences, trying to get a tight enough grip to shake Maijabi off.

Jekyll was mostly still apart from the occasional twitch and jolt but, in the reflection of the mirror was a short figure kicking and struggling violently against the arms restraining it, lashing out like a cornered animal. Jekyll could see it from the corner of his eye, a blur of limbs and teeth and claws.

The scratching grew weaker and weaker and the screaming quietened to a frustrated hiss.

At long last, his reflection fell limp like a puppet with cut strings. The coldness ebbed from Jekyll's mind and he was left as himself again. He took a shuddering gasp of breath and fell still.

"Thank you."

Maijabi hesitated, reluctant to let go. "Is... Is he gone?"

"Y-yeah. I'm me again."

The psychic let go and Jekyll collapsed to the floor, exhausted.

"I see that Hyde's not as weak as you made him out to be." Maijabi peered over Jekyll.

"Apparently not." Jekyll felt worry creep in.

"...I don't suppose you still want that tea?"

"That would be great, thanks."

The narrow encounter with Hyde left Jekyll shaky and fearful throughout the rest of his time at Maijabi's. It was a dreadful reminder that Hyde could still do things to mess up Jekyll's life and he certainly would have caused some pretty awful damage if he had been with anyone other than Maijabi. If Maijabi hadn't understood the situation, he probably wouldn't have known to help and Jekyll would have ended up with glass cuts on his hand and a very annoyed friend.

The teacup shook in his hand, nearly spilling the tea as he daintily sipped it.

"I don't suppose you have any tips for resisting demonic possession?" Jekyll joked, partially serious.

"I don't know. It's a matter of willpower really. I'm not sure that's something that can be taught." Maijabi sipped his own tea. Henry wasn't sure what kind it was but it had a strong scent of lavender... Or maybe that was the lavender bundles already in the apartment. "Honestly, you seem to be doing much better at resisting it than most people I've met. Not for demonic possession, of course, but I have dealt with a few cases of spiritual possession."

"Is that because I'm strong or because Hyde's weak?" Jekyll pointed out.

"Demons are strong, even weakened as this particular one is. I think a lot of that power comes from you."

Jekyll stared down into his tea, doubtful.

"Do you want a tea leaf reading?" Maijabi asked, startling Jekyll.

"A... Tea leaf reading..?"

"You must have heard of them before. Reading a person's tea leaves to read their future?"

"Yeah, I've heard of them. You can do that? Does it work?"

"As far as I'm aware, yes, but reading the future is always a rather vague practice."

"How much would it cost?"

"For you it's free. You need the help. Are you done with that tea?"

Henry quickly swallowed the rest of the tea and handed over his teacup. Maijabi swirled the cup around a few times and placed it on the table. They both peered into the mess at the bottom of the cup. Jekyll would have said it looked like a mess but Maijabi's expression was thoughtful.

"Ok, I might be slightly off with this reading." Maijabi started. He squinted at the leaves for a second. "But I see several things. First of all, I see trouble with your relationships in the near future. Your friendships and love life are going to be tested."

Jekyll winced. Three guesses as to who was going to cause that trouble.

"Next, I see improvement."

Jekyll's head shot up and he stared Maijabi in the face. The psychic didn't notice this, his eyes concentrated on the tea leaves.

"Your health will improve soon and you’ll reach a new contentment with your life that you’ve been struggling to reach for a while."

Maijabi peered closer into the cup and removed his eyepatch again, a troubled expression appearing on his face.

"Finally, I see enlightenment. Soon, you'll learn the truth of your condition, presumably the truth of this Edward Hyde... But this enlightenment will come with betrayal."

"Betrayal?" Jekyll couldn't keep quiet anymore, "From who? Why?"

"Haven't you ever seen a reading before? Readings are never that specific. I don't know who will betray you, only that the betrayal will have something to do with Hyde's true nature."

Jekyll sat back thoughtfully. Hyde's true nature? Of course, with how little Jekyll knew about the demon, there was bound to be a "true nature" but why would someone betray him over it? Moreover, who?

"I'm sorry that I can't tell you more."

"Well that's more information than any other tea reading I've experienced."

"I thought you hadn't had one before?"

"Exactly."

Jekyll was a little less shaky as he left Maijabi's apartment but still just as on edge about Hyde. He blinked a lot in the bright, electric lighting after the dim candlelight of Maijabi's apartment as he made his way back to his own apartment room. He found himself fumbling his way across the wall a lot, his eyes taking much longer to adjust than he expected, but he eventually reached his own room.

He sighed in relief. He was back at his apartment and Hyde hadn't taken over again. Nothing was broken, nobody had been yelled at and, once he was inside, there would be nobody around whose relationship with him he could ruin.

He unlocked the door and stepped inside.

And froze.

"Surprise!" Rachel beamed enthusiastically from the sofa, a very familiar figure sat next to her, peering at him. "I thought, with that recent stress of yours, that you needed an old friend around to help."

Jekyll felt the colour drain from his face as he and Lanyon stared at each other.

"Jekyll," Lanyon's usual cheeriness was replaced by concern as he stood up and went over to Henry, "Is everything ok? You've... Gone awfully pale."

Jekyll opened his mouth, hearing a terrified squeak escape his throat. His body was shaking again and he couldn't make himself stop even though he knew they could both see it.

"R-Rachel. I thought I- I said..." The trembling was getting violent now and he could feel a familiar dreadful coldness pressing against his mind. It wasn't in a controlling way, more like something in him was pressing its face to the glass, trying to get a better view of what was going on. He knew what that thing was and it wouldn't be long before Hyde made another attempt. Could he be weakened enough from the attempt in Maijabi's apartment to fight off? God, they were both there. Hyde could destroy his relationship with both of them with ease and then what?

"How- How did you ge- Get in m- My apartment..."

"That's... Henry, what's the matter?" Rachel was stood up now too, moving towards Jekyll.

No. Get away.

They were both too close, crowding him and making him feel claustrophobic. His apartment was supposed to be safe. He was supposed to be safe there. So why? Why were they both there? Everything felt too cold and, although there was no pressing for control, it was only a matter of time. He squeezed his eyes shut and stepped back, his breathing picking up. Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep- No!

The coldness was leaking through his skull now and he was suddenly horribly aware of Hyde trying to wrest control from him. He pushed back against it as hard as possible.

"Do you need an ambulance?" Lanyon pressed his hand against Jekyll's forehead and immediately pulled back with a small gasp.

"What's wrong?" Rachel's voice, "Is he that hot?"

"No, he's freezing! No wonder he's shaking so much. Jekyll? Jekyll, please respond?"

Jekyll took a stiff step back, unable to do anything more than defend himself against Hyde.

"Rachel, can you grab some blankets or something? If he was sick recently, this temperature will certainly bring it back."

"I don't understand how he could be cold" Another hand, Rachel's, against his forehead, "It's a warm day outside."

"Just grab the blankets, I'll deal with Jekyll." A few seconds of Rachel's receeding footsteps, then a hand took his arm, "Jekyll, can you come with me? I'm going to take you to the sofa, ok?"

Let go, let go, let go! Leave me alone!

Cold. So cold.

Cold.

Lanyon gently tugged at Jekyll's arm and, through gritted teeth, Jekyll managed to hiss out what he wanted to say.

"Get out."

"I'm not leaving you like this. Heck," Lanyon laughed, clearly trying to sound carefree but failing, "You could get frostbite from that sort of temperature."

"I don't want you here."

Jekyll was unwillingly dragged to the sofa and placed down. A blanket, probably thanks to Rachel, was thrown over him. It didn't do anything to stem the chill spreading in his head.

"Has he been like this the entire time? Why didn't you tell me about this!?"

"I mean, he was ill the day before last but he wasn't like this. This is... New."

Jekyll writhed, trying to shake Hyde from his head.

Can you stop struggling for five seconds?!

No, go screw yourself!

I share a body with you – That can be arranged!

What the hell is that supposed to mean?!

Wouldn't you like to- We're getting off track! Let me in, Jekyll!

"Henry, can you hear me?" Lanyon asked, "Do you want something? More blankets?"

"Go away." Jekyll choked out.

"He came in with some bags, Rachel, can you place them on the table? I'm getting more blankets."

Jekyll jolted as Hyde jabbed at him mentally. There was a shower of sparks behind his closed eyelids and the flickering of several of Hyde's memories, none of which he could decipher. Henry's body jolted with the attack as though electrocuted and his nails scrabbled at the sofa, trying to get a grip on something.

"He's not having a seizure is he?!" Rachel fretted. "I don't think he should be moving like that."

"I... I don't think so? Have you ever seen a seizure before?"

"No, have you?"

"No. Maybe we should call an ambulance?"

"No." Jekyll moaned out, "No ambulances."

Another jab, another shower of sparks, another flutter of memories like the glimpse of a butterfly's wings as it takes off. His mind faded at the edges, a cold darkness drawing into his head. He was trying to focus on too many things at once and his grip was slipping.

He dug his nails in and retreated from the real world to focus only on his internal conflict with Hyde. The demon may have been weakened from his earlier attempt at Maijabi but Jekyll hadn't realized that the attack would weaken him mentally as well. Worse, Hyde's resilience seemed to outclass Jekyll's and Jekyll feared, if this kept up, Hyde would manage to seize control of his body completely.

The demon was like a snowstorm – Not instant death but something that would prolong enough to kill the victim slowly. It didn’t matter how good Henry’s endurance was, if the attack didn’t ease up at some point, he would freeze.

Just when he thought he would lose, he heard a sniff of disapproval from Hyde.

Fine. Do as you please then. For the record, I don't think you need help pushing your friends away.

The coldness retracted so suddenly that Jekyll gasped at the sudden warmth. He shot upwards, fingers scrabbling at the sofa and eyes flicking open as he choked for breath.

He took several gasping breaths, steadily calming his thundering heart. When he could finally hear over the hammering of his own heartbeat, he turned to look at Rachel and Lanyon. The pair were staring at him, wide-eyed.

"Jekyll, are you ok?!" Lanyon started first, quickly feeling Jekyll's head, "You seem to have warmed up."

"Y-yeah. Fine... How did you get in my apartment?"

Lanyon stared long and hard at Rachel who looked a little red-faced.

"Rachel picked the lock." Lanyon said at long last when it became clear that Rachel wasn't going to talk.

"...How do you know how to pick locks..? No, never mind. I told you I wasn't ready for having visitors!"

Rachel shuffled awkwardly, "Right but you always enjoy Lanyon's company and I thought... Is... Is that why... That just happened?"

Jekyll cringed at the guilt growing on Rachel's face. Ok, clear up!

"No, of course not!" Jekyll lied, "Just a... recursion of my recent illness is all. Sorry, Rachel, I don't think I'm in any fit state for visitors. It's my fault, I should have made it clearer why I didn't want Lanyon here."

"Are you kidding?" Lanyon cut in, "If you're sick, you need other people here more than ever! I'm a doctor, remember?"

"So am I." Returned Jekyll, "You only do it to please your father, we both know you don't actually like the doctor stuff."

"I can still take care of you. Whatever just happened looked like some sort of seizure, you clearly shouldn't be left alone!"

Dammit, dammit! He couldn't have Lanyon poking around, not now!

"I'm fine! Look, Lanyon, I'm sorry you were dragged out here but I'm better off alone right now!"

"I'm not-"

"I can't have you around right now." The words cut through Jekyll with an almost physical pain but he kept going, "I... I just... This is a bad time for having my ex just around! I'm already stressed enough as it is!"

He regretted the words the moment they were out. Lanyon stiffened, glancing around on instinct to make sure nobody else had been around to hear the statement. Neither of them really brought up the ex thing in each other's presence since the break up, it was too awkward to talk about.

There was a long pause as Lanyon clearly grasped for a response.

"I mean, your physical health-"

"-Is linked to my mental health! I'm probably sick from stress and-" He stopped himself from saying 'You're not helping' and took a moment to rethink, "...I just need some alone time. I've done fine by myself so far."

He met Lanyon's gaze as much as it hurt to do so. He had spent so long in the past staring into those deep brown eyes, counting each speckle of hazel and oak hue. Staring into them again dredged up those old memories, added to the extra pain of the hurt look in those eyes now. Jekyll made himself look as pleading as possible and prayed for Lanyon to come to a conclusion soon.

Finally, Lanyon looked away. "...Fine, but if you have anymore dips in health-"

"I'll tell you or Rachel." Jekyll finished softly. "I'll be fine, Robert."

Lanyon bit his lip and there was a stretched out period of silence, neither meeting the other's eye. At last, reluctantly, Lanyon stood.

"You will tell me." He addressed Rachel, "If anything happens to Jekyll."

"Right." Rachel stood up, "Should I show you out or..?"

"I'll find my own way."

With one last long glance back at Jekyll, Lanyon left leaving he and Rachel in awkward silence.

Neither would meet the other’s eye.

"...Henry, I'm sorry, I-"

"It's fine. As I said, I wasn't clear enough. It's my fault."

"It's not. You shouldn't blame yourself." Rachel replied quietly.

"I'm sure you don't need help finding your way back to your room, right?"

"Shouldn't I be here to-"

"I need-" Jekyll took a deep breath to cool off. "I need some time alone, ok? For my mental health? You wouldn’t want me to have another seizure, would you?" He fixed her with the hardest stare he could muster, cringing internally at the way that Rachel flinched at the words.

"Are we going out for lunch tomorrow or..?"

"...No. I need to rest."

The awkward silence resettled over the room once more. Rachel sat for several more seconds, fear for her friend clear in her eyes, before she stood up reluctantly.

"...Get well soon."

And Rachel was gone.

Jekyll was alone.

He put his face in his hands and allowed himself to simply tremble.

He should have felt guilt but, at that moment, all he felt was fear.

Jekyll was strongly aware of Hyde as he put away the food he had bought. The demon was pressed against Jekyll's mind in a curious way, merely watching his host with uncomfortable intensity.

"Are you happy?" Henry snapped when it became clear that Hyde wasn't going to talk. "My friends hate me, you're successful. Aren't you going to gloat?"

He felt Hyde thinking for a moment, looking for what to say. If Jekyll tried hard enough, he found he could catch wisps of the demon's thoughts. He couldn't be bothered to really try though, he could guess Hyde's thoughts already.

You really care about Lanyon, don't you?

Henry stopped. Ok, he hadn't been expecting that.

"What?"

I said, you really care about Lanyon. I guess I really underestimated it before but now that I've seen you two in the same room, I can say that you pine after him like a kid with lactose intolerance pines after ice cream. The demon huffed, Not that I really understand why, he seems like a right prude. God, have you seen his nose, it's huge! He would give Pinocchio a run for his money. Just as wooden and boring too!

Jekyll opened his mouth to protest but decided against it, turning back to putting away food in an attempt to ignore the demon. Maybe if he ignored it enough, it would leave him alone.

The pair continued in silence for several seconds before, out of nowhere, Hyde spoke up.

Demons aren't just about torment, you know?

Jekyll paused again, taken aback by the sudden change of subject. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Well, think about it. For centuries now, if someone wanted something badly, they would make a deal with the devil for it – A soul for their deepest desire.

"I'm not selling my soul to you for anything."

Oh, I don't want your soul, I still want what I've always wanted: your body. You want Lanyon. I think we could help each other.

"No!" Jekyll tried to glare at the demon, only to realize that there wasn't anything visible to glare at. He ended up glaring hard at an apple he was placing in the fruit bowl. "I'm not an idiot!"

You sure about that? Anyway, that's not the point. You want me to stop bugging your life and your friends so, if you make a deal with me, I'll stop messing with you. I'll start improving your life.

"Not happening."

Look, Doctor, we're clearly at a stalemate and, at this rate, you'll kill yourself before I can take over that wretched body of yours! I'm not letting you kill yourself just to spite me! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity ! People would kill to make a deal with a demon, you know? And I'm not the type for making deals so getting this offer out of me is stunning!

No response. Hyde howled in anger and Jekyll saw sparks of green and red flicker on his vision.

Don't you ignore me! You would rather I destroy your life than help you?! Are you really that petty?!

"You did say demons are the epitome of petty. Maybe this is why I ended up possessed by you," Jekyll checked the use-by date on a salad, "My incredible pettiness."

Fine! Suffer then! I'll get your body one way or another!

Hyde retreated with a flare of anger and Jekyll was left to organize the rest of his fridge.

There was a lingering feeling though that drifted in Jekyll's head, a glimpse of Hyde's thoughts. He couldn't quite read the demon's intentions but he knew the demon was up to something. He shrugged it off.

He would just have to be extra vigilant from now on and, with Lanyon properly out of the way, there was little else to fear.

Right?

Click.

...

"Yeah, it's a little late but, you know, too busy to call at any other time. You are up though so we might as well talk?"

...

"Midnight's a great time to talk, I don't know what you're talking about."

...

"I knew you would see reason. Now, how to do this..."

...

"Hm? Oh, just... First of all, I wanted to apologize. I said some things I shouldn't have today, etcetera, etcetera. I was just a bit under the weather and surprised."

...

"No, I should be the one apologizing. I was the one in the wrong. God, I hate apologizing."

...

"What? Oh, nothing! I said nothing. Next point. I was... I was wondering if we could try again?"

...

"Are you free next Saturday?"

...

"Great, I-"

...

"Of course I'm ok! I feel fantastic actually, I-"

...

"What are you talking about? I'm the same as I've always been! You know me, don't you? Do I really sound that different to you?"

...

"But you can make it, can't you?"

...

"Haha! Yes! Success! Now that's what I call a master manipulator!"

...

"Mm? Nope. Nothing strange about me. I'm just... I'm just glad you don't hate me after today. I was worried that, after all the things I said, that you would never want to talk to me again."

...

"Yeah, yeah. Ok, mum. I'll go straight back to sleep after this. See you then?"

...

"Good night, my dearest Robert."

Click.

End of call.

Chapter Text

Jekyll felt strange when he woke up the next morning. It wasn't just the feeling that he hadn't slept much all night – That was pretty normal for him – but rather a... A chill in his body.

His eyes shot open as he realized what that coldness meant but, to his panic, his limbs were frozen in place. Hyde's influence crawled through his mind, examining the restraints on Jekyll in the way that an inspector might examine the beams of a newly built house. He was humming as he did so, a melody that sounded suspiciously like Taylor Swift.

Jekyll tried to wrench at his bonds but his mind was befuddled from sleep and the icy coldness in his head made it difficult to think straight. Hyde just continued to hum and, to Jekyll's alarm, he found himself uncontrollably humming along as Hyde's control pierced further and further into his head.

Get... the hell... out of my head...

No response from Hyde other than a pleased twitter. Jekyll's body was dragged into standing. He stumbled slightly against the restraints as Hyde finally took over completely and Henry's thoughts faded to a frightened whisper, mere white noise to the demon.

It was strange, Hyde mused, that it was much easier to control Jekyll now that he was trying to help the pathetic host rather than hinder him. An unconscious response to Hyde's intentions? Maybe subconsciously Jekyll was fighting less or maybe he had just managed to take his host by surprise.

Or maybe it had just taken time to adjust to the body and its defences?

Never mind, that wasn't the point. His control was only temporary so, new evil plan, gain Jekyll's trust by helping him out and use his will, weakened by trust and sympathy, to take him over permanently.

It was genius, he knew.

Zosi was giving him a bug-eyed stare as Hyde made his way to the kitchen.

He despised Jekyll for only getting salad and apples but he would have to make do. He grabbed as many apples as he could carry and began to eat his way through them, trying to multi-task between eating and dressing.

Trying to brush his teeth at the same time as eating proved fruitless – Pun intended – so he chose to examine the apartment as he finished off his strange breakfast. The window was large enough and high enough to push a hapless human out of if the need arose. Knives were kept in a drawer – not the fastest to access in need but not the slowest either. He would have to convince Jekyll to get a knife-block. It would be faster to grab one then.

As it was, Hyde slipped a small but very sharp knife into his shoe, wrapping the sharp edge with some leftover bubble wrap from moving in and covering it with his trouser leg. He examined it until he was satisfied that nobody would notice the weapon.

He finished off the last of the apples and, after brushing his teeth, headed straight for Rachel's room. He took a deep breath, taking a moment to adjust his clothes to try and look more Jekyll-like before knocking.

There was a few seconds before Rachel answered. She stood in the doorway blinking wide-eyed at him.

"...Henry?"

"In the flesh." Hyde smirked, "I wanted to apologize for my behaviour yesterday and I was wondering if you wanted to go out for lunch?"

"...Oh, that's what this is about."

Hyde cocked an eyebrow. "You... Don't sound happy?"

"Henry, what happened yesterday wasn't that bad. Besides, it was my fault, not yours. You don't have to go out of your way to apologize like this."

"Fine, then we can go out just as friends, not as an apology."

Rachel looked dubious.

"Ok then, maybe I should just go back to my room and barricade myself in again?"

"Ok, ok!" Rachel threw up her hands in mock surrender. "I give in! Just let me grab my coat and purse."

"I'm paying and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"How much sleep did you get last night?" Rachel was slipping her jacket on, peering at Jekyll with a thoughtful expression.

"Is that important?"

"You're just... Acting strange."

Hyde knew he should be pretending to be Jekyll and, therefore, should not do anything to try to scare Jekyll's friends.

On the other hand, thinking things through had never been Hyde's strong suit.

He stepped towards her until his chilled breath could be felt against her cheek, his mouth splitting into a broad, wicked grin.

"You could almost say I'm a new man." He hissed into her ear.

Instead of the expected reaction of fear, Rachel just sniggered and pushed him away much to Hyde's chagrin.

"Now that you're finally coming out of your room, the next step is clearly to make sure you get enough sleep." She grabbed her keys from the dresser and skipped out the door, shutting it behind her, "Anyway, one step at a time, let's go."

Hyde pouted and trailed behind her. As they left, he spotted Maijabi. The psychic wasn't wearing his eyepatch and his eyes were wide, staring at Hyde with a horrified expression which told Hyde immediately that he already knew.

He checked that Rachel wasn't looking before sneering at Maijabi as they passed each other.

He couldn't tell what the psychic was thinking as he disappeared from view.

"Soup for you, I'm assuming." Rachel crossed her legs, adjusting her skirt as she sat. They had gotten a window seat so the sunlight shone on the both of them, highlighting Rachel's hair and giving her a gleam in her eyes that seemed full of life.

Hyde, who was eyeing up a rather large looking chicken skewer being placed on another table shook his head.

He had managed to sit so that the shade from a tree outside the window shrouded him in darkness. It made him look quite sinister... Or so he'd like to believe.

His eyes, the only thing visible in his gloom, flicked to look at Rachel.

"I'm having the chicken skewer." He curled his lip, "I've been having way too much soup for the past. Several. Weeks."

It was mostly a jab at Jekyll, not that Rachel knew that.

There was a faint whisper in his head that might have been the doctor or just a figment of his imagination. Jekyll's presence was an uncomfortable warmth in his head. It felt like a humid puff of breath but it curled around the inside of Hyde's skull and didn't go away. It pressed, weak and faint, against its confines.

Hyde much preferred his own frosty temperature and he was constantly fighting the urge to cringe away from the doctor's presence, knowing that doing so would give Jekyll an opening to seize back control.

It was disgusting, ever-present and... Alive.

Things, Hyde decided, should just stay dead. It was a lot less gross that way.

"Good to see. It's surprisingly filling though, you might not be able to-"

"I'll be fine." He glowered at Rachel, silencing her. There were several moments of silence as Hyde remembered he was supposed to be playing nice, not pushing people away. He bit his lip and tried to gauge Rachel’s reaction.

Rachel was giving him a curious expression, trying to catch his eyes. Hyde cocked an eyebrow, waiting for her to say what in Hell she was thinking so hard about. Her brow furrowed and she opened her mouth slowly.

"...You know... In this lighting, your eyes look... Green."

Hyde stiffened and carefully averted his eyes. "Strange. Maybe it's the chemicals I deal with at work."

"The chemicals you work with can change your eye colour?"

"Well you're not a chemist, you don't know."

A waitress arrived at their table and they both ordered. To Rachel's surprise, "Jekyll" ordered two chicken skewers.

"...You're never going to manage all that." She stated once the waitress was gone.

Hyde grinned, "Is that a challenge? Mark my words, lassy, I'm not to be underestimated. Lower your guard for a second and I'm there to strike, a monument to your deepest fears and-" He remembered who he was pretending to be and shut his mouth slowly. "...And I'm the best" He finished lamely.

Rachel looked at him, amused, for several long seconds.

"Hell yeah, you are." She said at last jokingly and turned to look out the window.

Rachel felt sick just looking at that amount of food that had just been piled in front of Henry. She didn't want to say anything and possibly ruin the strange good mood (probably brought on by sleep deprivation) that he was in but, for a guy who could barely finish a soup on a good day, she knew he wouldn't be able to finish it. After he had made the order, she had, herself, ordered a smaller soup, knowing she would have to help him out with the piles of food.

To her surprise, however, Jekyll started mowing through the chicken at a rapid pace, tearing into the meat like some sort of starved animal. Rachel paused in her lunch for several seconds to merely gape at the carnage.

"...You know the chicken's already dead, right?" She said at last.

Jekyll paused, cheeks bulging with food in a way amusingly reminiscent of a hamster.

"Yeah, I know that." He replied, mouth muffled by the food still in his mouth. He swallowed it. "Why do you ask?"

Rachel snorted to Henry's clear displeasure and bewilderment.

"You know," He said, plucking another piece of chicken from the skewer, "I think someone dropped you on your head as a child."

Rachel smirked and ate a spoonful of soup. She hesitated, thoughtful. Slowly, she put the spoon down. It took several seconds of continued carnage from Henry before he noticed that she wasn’t eating. He swallowed what was in his mouth and looked at her questioningly. Finally, quietly, she spoke.

"...You asked me... You asked me if there was anyone I had a crush on." Rachel's cheeks burned red as she spoke. She knew she shouldn't be telling Jekyll this, especially when he was delirious like this but Jekyll always seemed to have the best advice on such matters, even if he was terrible at it himself.

"Yes, and you ran off in embarrassment so the answer was clearly 'Yes'" Jekyll cocked his head to one side, looking amused, "Why? Going to spill those filthy secrets of yours then?"

"Jasper."

Jekyll hesitated. Frowned. "The farm boy?"

"Y-yeah. He's... Sweet. And Kind. Whenever I've been upset, he's always been there to..." She smiled, blushing brightly, “There to...”

"So you want to shag him?"

Rachel choked. Hearing that sort of language come out of Henry's mouth was... Unexpected to say the least.

"I- I don't want to- to 'Shag' him. I want to talk, you know? About his... Feelings..."

"Yeah, sure thing, Juliet. Curious about his feelings on sex?"

She glared at Jekyll. Of course this was a bad time to talk about such matters, why had she assumed differently?

"Rachel, just be confident. Walk up to the kid and ask 'Hey, how do you feel about shagging me? Hypothetically'"

"Oh, sure thing. Like you've ever been that confident with Lanyon."

An almost devious look glinted in Jekyll's eye. "Oh, don't worry about that, I'm planning on making some changes soon."

"Please don't. Lanyon likes you just the way you are."

A change seemed to come over Henry in that moment. It was like a shadow crossed his face. His lip twisted in distaste and she could almost swear that there was a sickly green glow in his eyes.

"...Just the way I am, huh?" Jekyll scowled out the window, darkly, voice low, "Didn't stop him walking away though, did it?"

This conversation was quickly souring. She noticed that Jekyll had finished off both of his dishes, leaving only the scraps and bones to show that there had ever been something there to begin with.

"I'm sure things would improve if you just spoke to Lanyon instead of hiding yourself away."

No response. Rachel finished off the last of her soup.

"Here, I'll take you home." She spoke soothingly.

"...Fine." Henry took a breath and smiled at her again, the cloud disappearing as though it had never been there.

Despite this, it was a strange smile.

She couldn't put her finger on it but there was something off about his smile that day. It seemed almost... Crazed. The glimmer of green in his eyes only added to the strange feeling of wrongness about him.

She lead Jekyll out of the cafe and back towards home.

Tomorrow would be games night and she would be damned if she was letting Henry stay in his room again but, maybe, with this new attitude of his, it might be easier to get him out.

She didn't know yet whether his behaviour could be considered an improvement or a sign of things getting worse but all she could do was hope for the best.

Hyde grumbled as he entered Jekyll's apartment. All things considered, it could have gone worse. As it turned out, pretending to be Jekyll had turned out to be harder than expected.

Rachel had recommended that he get some rest when they had gotten back and insisted that he go to games night the next day. Hyde had agreed. Jekyll would resist, he knew he would, but Hyde was stronger than his human host – The doctor wouldn't stand a chance.

He grinned wickedly at the thought as he crossed the threshold, stepping into the small space that Jekyll called a home.

Zosi watched him enter, ears pinned back warily. It was strange that the little dog didn't growl at him anymore. Hyde sneered at the mutt but Zosi only padded forward, blinking up at him with fearful curiosity.

"Shoo." Hyde snarled. Zosi whined and nuzzled against him. Hyde stiffened, teeth clenched together and eyes round with alarm.

It was a warm little creature. It had that same disgusting living warmth as Jekyll. It permeated through his being and settled there. Hyde pushed the dog away but the damage was already done.

He felt that warmth blossom in his chest and knew that Jekyll was taking back control. It thawed at his own precious cold and Hyde tried to force it back, struggling for control and cursing Jekyll’s wretched dog.

Jekyll, however, was stronger and Hyde was weak from holding control for so long. Heat moved its way through his head and trying to fight against it was like trying to battle mist. It was untouchable and he couldn't keep any solid grip on the body.

There was a pained gasp as Jekyll regained control, stumbling backwards to Zosi's horror. The little dog yipped as Jekyll fell backwards, landing heavily on the floor, gasping and shaking. His teeth chattered from cold and he wrapped his arms around himself, goosebumps rising across his skin in a wave.

Hyde had never had control for such a long period of time before and Jekyll hated the sensation. It had been like being buried alive in snow or frozen in a block of ice. Unable to move, unable to speak, just cold.

...What he hated most though was that, other than the cold, it had felt... right.

He didn't know what it meant when being possessed by a demon felt natural but it couldn't mean anything good. Combined with Hyde's burst of power, his time suddenly felt a lot more limited. Could Hyde do that again? Was Hyde getting closer to taking control permanently?

Zosi wagged his tail and licked at Jekyll's face, seemingly oblivious to his owner's plight.

Alone in his apartment, Henry, still shaking, buried his face in the dog's fur and cried.

When someone knocked at the door, Jekyll's eyes were still bloodshot from crying. It was a hesitant knock and, for a second, he was unsure whether he had heard anything at all. He was about to ignore it when it came again, a little louder this time.

He carefully moved Zosi off his lap and walked up to the door. He didn't want to answer it considering what a mess he was.

He took a shuddering breath and, speaking as steadily as possible, called out, "I'm not seeing anyone right now."

"Jekyll?"

He blinked, instantly recognizing the voice. He quickly wiped away the rest of his tears and threw the door open, dragging the owner of the voice inside.

Maijabi yelped as Jekyll dragged him through, closing the door quickly behind him. The pair stood for a second, staring wide-eyed at each other.

"Jekyll, is that... Really you?"

Jekyll nodded, throat too closed up from emotion to speak.

"I... I know that Hyde took possession of you." Maijabi swallowed, "Did he..?"

"He didn't do anything." Jekyll's voice trembled, "Not yet but- but that- that's the longest he- he's ever..." A shuddering breath, "The longest he's ever... Taken control of me for."

"...Jekyll, I'm so sorry."

"It- It felt... Right. Is that bad? It felt like I was the one doing all those things but at the same time... Not... Me..? God, I don't even know how to describe it!"

"I don't know... But it sounds bad." Maijabi admitted, looking sympathetic.

"He's getting stronger. I don't know if I can fight him much longer." Jekyll slumped into his sofa, putting his face in his hands, "I don't know what he'll do once he gets control of me completely."

Maijabi stood there uncertainly for a few seconds, watching Henry’s pitiable state. He hesitated before speaking up, voice quiet, unsure.

"...I have some good news."

Henry's head shot up. He stared at Maijabi, barely daring to hope. "...Good news..?" His voice was barely a whisper.

"I wouldn't want to get your hopes up but...” He swallowed, “I've found an exorcism. There's no guarantee it'll work but it's worth a shot."

"An exorcism?"

Jekyll's mind flicked to some of the old horror movies he had seen. He had watched The Exorcist years back and, as a result, all that came to his head were images of him tied down to a bed while two priests flung holy water at him and read from the bible.

It seemed... Dubious at best. He couldn't imagine Hyde being exorcised from him like that. He couldn't imagine Henry Jekyll writhing on a bed while some demon swore from his lips, kicking, spitting and snarling.

Maybe it was just the fact that Hyde didn't seem like a typical demon from those old horror films. At best, Hyde felt like the kind of demon from one of those parody movies where two incompetent idiots tried to perform an exorcism, generally only succeeding by bashing the demon over the head at the end.

"How would it work?"

"I don't want to reveal too much, Hyde can probably hear everything we're saying, after all. Are you ok with the idea?"

"If it gets rid of Hyde, so be it."

Maijabi nodded solemnly, "I'll let you know when the time comes. Be prepared to fight against Hyde as hard as you've ever fought. I don't think he'd take kindly to the idea." He took a couple of steps before his eyes alighted on the book he had given Jekyll. "Has that book been useful so far?"

Jekyll shrugged apologetically. "Not particularly… Although, I did see your pages on spirits."

A small smile flitted across Maijabi's face and Jekyll tried to remember if he had seen the man smile before. It was a nostalgic look, the look of one reminiscing about old memories.

"I am quite interested about the subject." He admitted.

"You're a scientist." It was a statement, not a question. Henry waited for Maijabi to respond.

"Sort of. I haven't worked in a lab for a long time. Obviously, claiming you want to study ghosts doesn't go down well with any Board of Governors."

"They didn't believe you?"

"It's difficult to prove the existence of the paranormal. There are, however, those of us who study them."

"There are others like you?" Jekyll sat forwards, curiosity piqued.

"A couple. They're the ones I've been consulting about your situation. As I said before, demons are incredibly rare and it's been difficult to find anyone with knowledge on the issue."

"Did you find someone who knew? Is that how you found the exorcism?"

"We found the writings of someone who studied such phenomenon. Hence why I can't be sure if it'll work. There's a lot of false information on these matters, after all."

"...Ah..." Jekyll stared down at his lap. "I'm willing to try anything."

Maijabi nodded and turned to leave with a goodbye. He paused at the threshold.

"You know, Jekyll, once this is all over, I think you would make a great scientist on the paranormal."

"Maybe I can be your new demon expert?" Henry joked.

Maijabi, however, looked serious as he replied, "You just well might be."

With that, he was gone.

Jekyll was determined to stay in his room for games night. That was the plan – Rachel shows up, Henry turns her down gently and nothing goes wrong that night. From there, he waits for the exorcism.

...That was the plan, anyway.

As it was, one cold splash in his head later and he found himself standing outside his room. Rachel gleefully dragged him downstairs, ignoring Jekyll's protests.

This is for the best. Hyde chirped in his head, You've been confining yourself to your room for way too long. Despite the touching, almost friendly words, Jekyll could sense Hyde's enjoyment at seeing him suffer. You'll see.

I can't wait for that bloody exorcism.

Tsk, tsk. Haven't you ever watched a horror movie before? Trick question, I'm in your head, I know you have. Exorcisms never work. Besides, I'm too strong for any exorcism.

Jekyll stumbled into the common room after Rachel. There was a moment of silence as everyone turned to look at the pair of them. Jekyll could feel the sweat dripping from his forehead.

He raised a hand in an awkward wave. "Hey."

"Well look who's finally come out of his room." Cantilupe greeted cheerily, "You can try all your might but you'll never beat Griffin's record."

"H... Huh?"

"Most consecutive days spent not interacting with other people." Helsby explained, "He is, and always will be, the reigning champion of that."

"Oh... I see." Jekyll could see that they had already set up. The selection for that night ranged from Scrabble and Pictionary to Chess and Checkers.

"Do you want to join Charades with us?" Cantilupe asked. She was part of a group of people consisting of herself, Lavender, Bryson and Jasper.

"We would be happy to." Rachel cut in before Jekyll could answer and he was dragged unceremoniously into the group and plonked down on a seat.

Bryson was the only one stood up. He was reading a small piece of paper. He blinked, face unreadable and placed the paper, folded, on the table.

"It's Bryson's turn currently." Lavender explained in hushed tones to Henry and Rachel.

Bryson, as it turned out, was incredibly theatrical with his turn. Even the simplest of actions contained a flourish. It was so overdramatic that it was difficult to tell what he was actually acting.

"Binoculars!" Rachel called out.

"Look?" Jasper suggested quietly.

"Eyes!" Cantilupe leaned forward, her own eyes intent.

Jekyll frowned at the pose. Bryson seemed to making binoculars out of his hands but that wasn't the answer.

"Ship?" Lavender asked tentatively. Bryson nodded at her enthusiastically.

Jekyll frowned. He was sure there was better ways to do ship than... Whatever that was.

Lavender, the last round's victor stepped up and took a word out of a hat. She peered at it for a second before stepping up to the crowd. She flapped her arms.

"Bird?" Rachel's suggestion.

"Plane!" Bryson.

"Superman!" Archer from across the room.

"You're not part of this game, Archer!" Cantilupe yelled back, "Wings!"

"Feathers!"

Lavender just kept flapping her arms.

"Is it a type of bird?" Jekyll asked, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Lavender nodded at him.

"Eagle!"

"Swan!"

"Pigeon?"

"Yes!" Lavender beamed, "Jasper is correct!"

There was a small moment of applause.

Jasper, the suggester of pigeon, went red. "Do... Do I need to act out a word now?"

"Don't worry." Rachel sidled next to him, "Nobody will laugh at you. We've all done it... Well not Henry yet but that’ll be soon." Her eyes glittered mischievously at Jekyll who swallowed nervously.

Jekyll recalled Rachel admitting her crush on Jasper and winced as he thought of Hyde's obtuse manner of addressing it. He wondered if she had gotten over that.

Jasper fearfully stepped up to the front of the crowd and picked a word from the hat. His eyes widened in horror as he read the card.

"...Can I pick a different one? This will be difficult to act out."

"Nope. No take-backs!" Cantilupe called out, "Just try your hardest."

Jasper sighed, clearly already embarrassed. He took several deep breaths and, after a moment of thought, cocked out his leg and spread his arms so he was balanced on one leg. He was shaky and dropped the leg several times, losing balance.

"Flamingo?" Rachel called out.

"Dancer!"

"Ballet!"

“Dance!”

“Music!”

The calls kept coming out and time and time again, it wasn’t the answer. Jasper was looking a lot more embarrassed and worried now. Henry felt bad for him. Somebody needed to figure it out and soon.

Jekyll squinted at the pose.

It seemed familiar, the way that Jasper was trying to push his body forward while balanced, sticking his head out.

A flash in his head of realization and, thrilled, he yelled out, "Fountain!"

Jasper sighed in relief and dropped his leg, nearly tripping over. "Yes to Jekyll."

Jekyll grinned triumphant. Then it occurred to him that he was next and his smile dropped.

"I told you that it would be Jekyll's turn soon." Rachel sniffed with that mischievous look again. "Step up and take your word."

"...Oh..."

Jekyll strode up to the hat, wincing at the thought of the embarrassment he was about to be subjected to. Hyde was already laughing hysterically. He picked out a piece of paper and, already dreading the result, unfolded it.

Coin

Oh, sure. That wasn't difficult at all. He glanced nervously at the crowd and considered how he was going to do this. He sighed and tried to make a motion with his hand like he was flipping a coin.

The crowd peered at him, trying to figure out what he was going and Jekyll felt his cheeks burn red.

"Hand?" Lavender was the first to ask, sounding unsure.

"Throw!"

"Toss."

"Thumb?"

They were focusing too much on the hand movement. Jekyll stopped to reconsider.

Mimic paying for something. Hyde suggested.

Jekyll shuffled uncertainly. He wasn't supposed to listen to Hyde's suggestions but it seemed harmless enough. There wasn’t any problem with taking up demonic advice for charades, right?

...Now there was a statement he never thought he would say.

He mimed handing over cash. A moment of silence as everyone considered the gesture.

"Gift?"

"Give."

"Present!"

"Money?" Lavender suggested. Jekyll glanced at her and more furiously did the gesture.

"Something to do with money!" Cantilupe snapped her fingers, "Payment?"

"Debt"

"Cash"

Jekyll did the flipping motion again.

"Penny?"

"Coin!"

Jekyll sighed in relief and stopped, nodding at Rachel, the victor.

"What kind of word is coin?" He groaned, sitting back down at his seat.

"Well you seemed to be enjoying yourself at least." Rachel countered as she stepped up. "It's good to finally get you out of your room."

"I have to agree with Rachel." Lavender said softly, smiling at Jekyll, "You seemed like such a social guy, it was worrying when you started isolating yourself like that."

Jekyll blinked, surprised. "You barely know me, why would you be worried?"

"You're a resident here now." Archer had finished his game of Checkers and threw his arm around Jekyll in a friendly motion, ruffling Jekyll's hair to the scientist's annoyance. "We look out for each other here."

"You'll learn in time." Rachel called back, reaching into the hat and taking out her word, "This place is like a big, weird family. We look out for our own."

She read the word and hissed disapprovingly through her teeth.

"And Griffin is the angsty teenager." Archer finished with a solumn nod. "We don't need anymore of those, Jekyll."

Jekyll looked down at his feet. So many people to disappoint if he failed to control Hyde. The pressure was back, taking away his moment of happiness.

"Also, the others here are massive gossips." Cantilupe cut in, "You wouldn't believe the rumours they were trying to spread about you and why you weren't leaving your room."

"...The what now?"

The others just laughed as Jekyll narrowed his eyes at them.

Henry spent the rest of games night pondering over what they could have possibly said about him and, occasionally, taking part in the games.

It wasn't until he was back in bed that he realized he had forgotten about Hyde for the whole evening.

His eyes closed and he drifted into a peaceful sleep, the first he had had in a long time.

Chapter Text

Jekyll was startled awake by a loud knocking at his door. He was startled so badly that he fell off his bed with a cry and a tangle of bedsheets and limbs. He lay on the floor for a second, nursing the new bruises and shaking off the last of his sleep-befuddlement. The knock came again and Jekyll forced himself to his feet, sighing deeply and flicking on the lights.

Zosi wobbled out of his bed, wearily trailing after Jekyll as they headed to the door. Jekyll yawned and pulled open the door, wondering who it could possibly be at that hour. To his pleasant surprise, the person on his doorstep was none other than Maijabi. The psychic was fully dressed and his eye sparkled with the wakefulness that Jekyll was sorely lacking at that moment.

"Maijabi? What are you doing here?" Jekyll leaned heavily against the door frame and glanced out the window. He hadn't checked the time given the urgency of the knocking but it was pitch black out. The only illumination outside the apartment was a candle held in Maijabi's hand.

"I need to borrow you for something and now was the best time for it." Maijabi said simply, "I can't say too much right now, you'll just have to trust me."

"Can I get dressed first?"

"Of course, of course. Just be quick about it."

Jekyll threw on some clothes and trailed behind Maijabi.

The apartment building was completely different in the dark. Long shadows, cast by Maijabi's candle, stretched across the walls, silhouettes in the warm orange glow. It was silent apart from their breathing and footsteps which they both kept as quiet as possible to avoid waking the other residents. It made Jekyll feel like a criminal in his own home.

Colours were difficult to make out, the walls, floors and furniture reduced to black and white splotches if they were discernable at all. Some melded together in the gloom, turning from lamps and doorhandles to twisting chimeras. Hollow eyes built from gaps in the shadows of branches out the window watched their every step.

The stairs creaked as the pair descended them and Jekyll winced at the noise, hoping that he hadn't woken anyone.

Finally, they reached Maijabi's apartment room. He took out the keys and quietly opened the door. It swung silently into a black room. The faint glint of the mirrors could be seen but nothing else was visible. Maijabi strode in, his candle the only guiding light.

Jekyll caught glimpses of their reflections as they walked further and further in. It was worse, somehow, to only catch a glimpse of Hyde out of the corner of his vision. It was small catches of long limbs and green eyes that vanished and disappeared to the gloom in instants too quick to get a good look. His mind filled in the blanks, creating disturbing images in his head of what the demon could look like. It was small and crooked and filled with too many teeth.

Jekyll shook off the idea and hurried to keep up with Maijabi who was leading them into a side room.

"Can you tell me what this is about yet?" Jekyll whispered, not daring to speak above that volume.

The older man paused and looked at Jekyll with a look that seemed like… Guilt? It was difficult to tell with the shadows that crept across Maijabi’s face.

Maijabi responded to his question with a reluctant sigh.

Then, he snuffed out the candle.

Jekyll's vision was snuffed out with it.

He was left stood there, listening to his own fearful breathing. There were no other noises.

"...Maijabi..?"

No response. Jekyll's breathing picked up. He tentatively stretched out his arm to feel the wall. Once he could feel the slick, painted door frame, he shakily manoeuvred himself further into the room Maijabi had been leading them into before the light had gone out.

Ok, Jekyll. He reassured himself, It's fine. When the sun rises, I'll be able to see my way out again. That's the worst case scenario. It probably won't even come to that.

He's totally plotting to murder you. Hyde added maliciously. Jekyll mentally slapped the demon. It didn't seem to have the intended effect because the demon continued on, regardless, I mean, think of it? He takes you in the dead of night to his private room – one with no visible windows by the way so I don't think your little sun-rise plan will work – and kills you when the lights are out. No witnesses. No mess.

No windows? Oh dear. He really hadn't seen any windows, had he? Maybe they were covered up by all the mirrors.

"Maijabi!" He whispered again, a little louder. He waited for a response, body tensed. He opened his mouth to disregard people's sleeping and yell out but, just then, a hand was slapped over his mouth and an arm wrapped around him, pinning his left arm to his side. Jekyll lashed out with his right arm but something sharp was jabbed into his neck. He screamed into the gag and struggled. He was clearly stronger than his attacker because they were flung off immediately. The damage, however, was already done. A dizziness and weakness began to spread from where he had been jabbed causing him to sway on his feet. He opened his mouth to try to cry out again but then the room seemed to move and he felt himself tip over. He hit something soft and was unable to move. A jolt of panic lit up in his head as Hyde cried out.

It was so dark that Jekyll didn't know when he finally lost consciousness.

There was a pressure around his wrists, ankles and neck as Jekyll began to wake up. A faint, flickering orange light danced in the corner of his vision, picking out the vague outline of the end of a bed. He tried to move but the pressure around his wrists held him in place, only allowing his body to twist. He was spread-eagled and the surface below him was a soft surface that he quickly identified to be a bed. With difficulty, he turned his head to look at the source of the amber light.

Maijabi sat there. A candle sat in his lap, casting dark shadows across his face that made it difficult to see his eyes. He was sat in a small wooden chair and seemed to be watching Jekyll closely.

"I'm sorry about the trickery." Maijabi stood up, his voice low. "I knew Hyde wouldn't take kindly to the exorcism so I had to get you restrained before the process started. Before Hyde knew what was going on."

The exorcism.

It certainly seemed like the sort of exorcism he had been envisioning from all the media he had watched. There was an icy writhing sensation in his head as Hyde shifted nervously. For all the demon's confident words, he now seemed on edge. Jekyll held the demon back and spoke up.

"So how does it work from here? Do I need to do anything?"

"Keep Hyde at bay as best as you can." Maijabi strode forward, candle flickering and wavering. He pulled something out of his pocket. Jekyll expected it to be holy water but, to his surprise, it was a beaker filled with a red liquid. "I need you to drink this. I'm going to hold it to your lips and you need to swallow it."

"...What is it?"

"A chemical concoction that's supposed to help dislodge the demon from your soul. You didn't really think this would be reading from the bible and holy water, did you?"

Jekyll was dubious but then he remembered how scientific Maijabi's workings on spirits were. That was all this was – Science.

The beaker was held to his lips and Hyde began to thrash. Jekyll stiffened, back arching, trying to focus on swallowing the liquid as he simultaneously forced Hyde back.

The warm liquid burned his throat as it went down and he nearly choked it back up. The burn started off mild and, for a second, he thought that it might not be as bad as he had feared. For a second, it faded to a throbbing tingle on his tongue.

Then it quickly grew into a red-hot heat that boiled in his stomach, chest and head. Jekyll cried out involuntarily and twisted against the restraints. The bonds bit into his legs and arms as he struggled against them, every nerve in his body screaming at him to move. It felt like every inch of him had been soaked in gasoline and subjected to a lit match and he could practically hear his own skin crackling like a campfire.

The inferno seemed for a second to melt at Hyde's presence like lava through ice but then he felt the cold return with a new frostbiting intensity that caused him to scream. He quickly lost feelings in his fingers, toes and ears and plumes of steam were huffed through his mouth as the freezing cold of his breath hit the warm air. Even by candlelight, he could see a blue tint spreading from his fingertips, quickly turning black. Hyde was usually weak but now he was fighting for his life with the desperation of a cornered animal. Worse, Jekyll felt Hyde dislodged from his stuck position in the body. Whereas before he had been weakened, jammed in Jekyll's soul where he shouldn't have been, he was now freed and much, much stronger. The presence that had once been missable, mistakable as merely the odd strange thought was now writhing in his skull, alive and angry.

He faintly heard an apology from Maijabi before his mouth was forcibly wrenched open and another mouthful of the burning liquid was forced in. Jekyll quickly swallowed it before he could think too much about what he was doing, waves of burning and frigid cold raging over his body. He felt like his body was the battle zone of two foreign entities and he could do nothing but sit there and howl in agony.

His back arched and twisted again but, this time, there was a popping and cracking sensation as a wave of cold engulfed his spine. He screeched and the voice that came from his mouth wasn't his own. It barely sounded human. It didn't sound like any animal found on earth either.

A serpent of Hyde's frosty presence coiled its way up his back, sparking through his nerves and muscles. His muscles cramped, twitched and convulsed like an electrical current had been ran through them. His teeth snapped together with a harsh clack and he whined through his teeth, a sobbing moan.

His eyes rolled in his skull and, with one last agonized scream, he fell unconscious.

When he opened his eyes, there was nothing but a navy blue darkness. His body floated in the pool of darkness, his hair drifting lazily as though tousled by currents in water.

It was the place where, in his dreams, Hyde had first taken possession of him.

It was strange. Once this place had been a horrible nightmare but now it provided bliss from the pain his body was being put through. His body was miles away and, with it, the war being waged in his own skull.

It was as he was taking a moment to breathe, he saw a figure before him.

It was Hyde in Jekyll's form. Green eyes regarded him with an expression difficult to read.

They weren't as lodged together anymore with the application of the potion and Hyde's presence had managed to encroach more completely over Jekyll's mind. He could feel Hyde's emotions as clearly as his own and he knew that the demon was also feeling Jekyll's emotions.

It was curiosity and wonder that emanated from the demon now – freed from its confinement. Somehow, though, there was uncertainty and fear as well.

Hyde was at war with his own feelings on the matter and Jekyll found himself pitying the demon.

Hyde gritted his teeth as he felt Jekyll’s emotions. Anger flared between the pair, passing through both of them like a current through a wire.

"I don't need your pity." The demon snapped, eyes flashing. "I really have to thank you and your stupidity – I can take over your body entirely now and nobody can stop me!"

"...But you don't want to," Jekyll spoke without thinking, merely reading off of Hyde's emotions, "And you don't know why. You don't want to leave either."

Hyde's face twisted into a look of rage but Jekyll could feel the demon's fear. Hyde was uncertain of himself, unsure of his own emotions.

"Don't you have anywhere to go?" Jekyll asked.

"So you can read my emotions but you can't read my mind?" Hyde snorted, "Good. That's private."

"...Can you read my mind?"

Hyde's cackling laughter was the only response Jekyll needed for that question.

"You can mock me, Doctor, but I can read you better than you can read me. You don't want me gone either."

Jekyll opened his mouth to protest but found he couldn't. It was the same problem that had been hanging above his head for a while now. There was something about Hyde's presence that felt right and some rebellious part of him told him that something terrible would happen if he didn't have Hyde around.

So whose emotions were they? Did he just feel that way because he was picking up Hyde's emotions like a living empathy conduit or was Hyde the one who didn't want to leave because of Jekyll's emotions?

"This isn't about what I want." Jekyll said at last. "You're a danger to me so I need to get rid of you."

"Well good luck with that. Your precious exorcism didn't work so it's out of your hands." Hyde's face split in an unnaturally wide grin, "And you're somewhat relieved about that. Who knows, maybe in a way, I've already taken you over completely?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Hyde just laughed and Jekyll felt the pain returning. He was waking up.

"So if your choice is the only one that matters right now." Jekyll asked, "What are you going to do?"

"This."

Jekyll's eyes opened. Maijabi's expression was panicked as he looked at Jekyll, leaning over the doctor.

Henry tried to move but his body was frozen in place in a very familiar way. What was less familiar was the way it felt. It seemed... Off somehow.

"Jekyll?" Maijabi asked tentatively.

"Guess again, old man." Hyde spat, straining against his restraints.

Maijabi's eye widened in shock and horror.

"It didn't work?"

"It didn't work." Hyde mocked, "Now do a guy a solid and let me out."

Maijabi shook his head and drew out the beaker of red liquid again. Hyde scowled and pulled harder against his restraints. He wasn’t being destroyed, not now, not when he was so close.

It was as he was straining against the restraints, desperate to be free that there was a spark of energy through his body followed by a click. His wrists were, all of a sudden, bare to the whisper of the air.

The restraints had undid themselves.

Hyde blinked, clearly just as startled at the event as Jekyll and Maijabi. Then his mouth curved into a wicked sneer and he shot to his feet, sprinting towards the door. Maijabi cried out and stumbled back, clearly unsure what to do.

"Telekinesis, huh?" Hyde chuckled as he vanished out the door into the light of the hallway. "Now that's an ability a demon really should have."

Didn't you know you could do that before? Jekyll asked. Hyde just snorted.

"Of course I did, I just couldn't use it lodged like that in you." He began to run down the stairs, not caring how much noise he made. "I've got my powers back. Hyde is back in business."

Can you do that again? Jekyll knew he should be more concerned but, with his emotions linked to Hyde, he felt the same rush of adrenaline and euphoria that Hyde was experiencing, both at the new powers and the daring escape. It was hard to fight against and, besides, did he really want to force himself to be scared?

His heart fluttered with the newfound freedom of Hyde and he didn't care where this would lead him.

"Let's see." Hyde ran towards the door leading out of the building and stretched out his mind to open them telekinetically.

The doors didn't open, however, and Hyde was running too fast to stop. He yelped in alarm, trying to dig his feet into the ground and slid into the door at top speed, smacking his face unceremoniously against the wood. The door was knocked open by the collision before swinging back on its hinges and hitting Hyde in the face again, knocking Hyde onto his back.

"Ok." Hyde sniffed from his position on the floor, pushing down humiliation, "Not at full strength yet."

He sat up just as someone walked into view. Jekyll cringed, the humiliation flaring up again as Rachel walked into view. She blinked, peering down at him.

"Are... Are you ok?" She asked.

"...Swell." Hyde stood up and dusted off his trousers. Jekyll noted, for the first time, that they seemed weirdly baggy on him. Hyde didn't notice this detail though. "I love running head-first into doors."

"It's not an automatic door."

"I know that!" Hyde snapped, "Geez, I know I haven't been here long but I know that much at least!"

Rachel frowned, "Are you visiting someone here?"

Hyde hesitated, thrown off by the question. "Why do you think I'm visiting someone?!"

"Well unless you're lost..."

Hyde... I think...

"...Haven't you seen me before?"

It was a cautious question, one born of a steadily snowballing idea. It was gaining traction quickly.

"I think I would know if I had met you before. No offence but you are rather... Distinctive." She paled and quickly affirmed, "Not in a bad way, of course!"

"Do you have a mirror on you?"

Rachel cocked an eyebrow. "...Why?"

"No reason." Hyde grinned, a thought forming, "You don't know me?" He leaned forward until their noses were almost touching, "At all?"

"Of course!" Rachel took a few steps back, clearly confused. "Do you have a name, or..?"

She seemed genuine. This didn't feel like a prank.

"Hyde." Hyde extended a hand in greeting, "Edward Hyde."

He spat into his hand. Rachel screwed up her face in disgust.

"I'm not shaking that."

"Your loss."

"So who were you looking for?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm a friend of Doctor Jekyll's." Hyde replied primly, "He doesn't seem to be in at the moment, though, so I'll be taking my leave."

"A friend of- Wait, when did you two meet?"

"That's a secret." Hyde winked and made to leave.

"Wait! That bump is going to form a bruise, I can- Hey!"

Hyde was out the door though, leaving Rachel standing alone in the doorway to stare after the demon in bewilderment.

Jekyll and Hyde felt the breeze whistle past as they ran, feet pounding against the pavement. It was early morning so an orange glow illuminated the landscape, only a few people here and there to witness the mad run through the town. Hyde laughed maniacally and Jekyll couldn't help but laugh along, delighting in the temporary freedom. Hyde spotted the lab that Jekyll worked in and skidded to a halt.

He pulled out Jekyll's key card and unlocked the door, slipping into the building.

It was too early for anyone to be at work yet so Hyde skipped merrily down the stairs, trailing his fingers across the tiled walls. His fingers, he noted, were slender and pale and slightly hairier than usual. He reached the lab and took in the location, breathing the scent of burning deeply.

All the freedom in the world and you choose to go to work? Jekyll asked.

"Oh, shut up. I like science, ok?"

...You do?

"Of course. Labs are the dark places where mad scientists make their wretched nests, laying the eggs of wicked into the world!" Hyde spread his arms.

...Did you really have to use that analogy? Jekyll cringed at the description of his profession.

"No, but I wanted to." Hyde danced between the tables, "Anything to annoy you."

He looked around once more with wistful, childish wonder before turning to head off again when the pair heard movement.

There shouldn't be anyone here at this time of day.

Hyde strained his ears. There was the muffled sound of voices coming from Moreau's lab. Hyde placed his fingers to his lips to shush Jekyll and headed for the room to which Jekyll responded with an exasperated roll of the eyes.

Why are you shushing me, I can't-

"Shh." Hyde went up to the door and pressed his ear against it.

For a moment, there was no noise, then-

"But we can't be certain yet." It was Moreau's gruff voice through the door. "I don't want to rush into anything without being certain."

A moment of silence, then a higher female voice. "I understand your precaution but we can't keep dancing around the issue. Is Dr Jekyll a candidate or not?"

Jekyll and Hyde froze.

Wow, Jekyll, you're famous. Hyde mocked but Jekyll could tell he was just as unsettled about the revelation.

"I've performed all the tests I can without arousing suspicion. None of them are conclusive either way."

The female voice hummed thoughtfully, "We need to get him to slip up, do something that will prove it either way."

"But if we're wrong and Jekyll suspects something-"

"What is there to suspect?"

A sigh. "I'll wait a few more days. Jekyll has been acting stranger and stranger as of late. If he's going to prove it either way, it’ll be soon."

The sound of a chair being pushed back and someone walking towards the door. Hyde bit back a cry of alarm and shot under the nearest table, squeezing himself back against the wall and holding his breath.

Moreau exited the room, striding purposefully. He stood in the middle of the room for several seconds, lab coat swishing around his legs, then he turned and left.

He knows something. Jekyll thought, hysterically, Moreau knows something.

"Knows about what though?" Hyde mused, "Me?"

Don't talk aloud! We both heard that other voice, someone's still in there!

"...Why aren't they leaving though? They can't be planning on staying until morning."

Who cares? Let's just get out of here!

"You make a fair argument, doctor." Hyde turned tail and ran.

The pair ended up back at Jekyll's apartment. They were met by the occasional curious gaze but almost nobody said hi. There was no familiarity in the eyes that met them and Jekyll couldn't wait for them to find a mirror to figure out what was really going on.

He was stopped outside his room, however, by Rachel. Her eyes widened in realization as she saw him.

"Oh, you're back!" A pause, "...And you have developed a bruise."

"Nothing I can't handle." Hyde tried to push past her.

"Oh, I just tried. Jekyll's not in right-"

Hyde pulled out Jekyll's keys,

"-Now." She blinked, surprised, "...Why do you have those?"

"Jekyll and I are very close friends." Hyde whirled the keys around on his finger tauntingly before slotting the keys in and unlocking the door. He strode in, heading for the bathroom.

Rachel hesitated on the threshold before following him in. Hyde found the bathroom mirror and leaned over, admiring his appearance.

It... Wasn't befitting of a demon.

He screwed up his face in disappointment.

His hair had gone straw blonde and stuck out like he had recently been electrocuted. His eyes, which he had deemed terrifying before, weren't as threatening when attached to the rest of the face. Startlingly green, yes, but not inhuman enough for his liking.

Worst, he was short.

Yes, Edward Hyde wasn't much taller than the sink. He certainly couldn't loom over anyone without a decently sized box to stand on.

A purpling bruise adorned his cheek looking, thankfully, more like he had been punched than ran into a door. It made him look tougher, he thought – the only feature of his face that could make him look scarier.

"Is that bruise troubling you?" Rachel asked from the doorway, obviously misinterpreting his bolt for the mirror, "I have the makeup to cover it up."

"No!" Hyde snapped, "I want to keep it." He turned and gave Rachel a nasty leer, "Aren't you worried about me being here? I could be a thief, you know. I could have stolen those keys from Jekyll."

"I don't think you are." She glanced down at him and tutted in a motherly fashion, "Those clothes are far too large for you."

Hyde scowled but Rachel was on a roll. "I think I have some old clothes from my brothers still in my room, I could go and get them for you?"

"I don't need-" He looked down at the ill-fitting clothes. They were baggy and only added to his "drowned rat" appearance but not in a threatening way.

"If it's a God damned onesie then I'm going to kill you."

Rachel chuckled, "Of course not. Here, come to my room and I'll show you."

Hyde cocked his head curiously and, to his own surprise, found himself following her out. Rachel had never struck her as that naive as a person so for her to just accept this stranger she had found in Jekyll's room was... Unusual.

"Hey, Rachel?"

Rachel blinked and gave him a very bewildered expression. Hyde wasn't sure why she was staring at him so intently until she finally spoke.

"Did I... Did I tell you my name?"

...Hyde... Jekyll warned.

"Jekyll told me." He jutted out his chin, staring her in the eye as though daring her to prove him wrong.

"And there you have it."

"What?"

"Why you can't just be a thief. Jekyll's clearly spoken to you."

"But you didn't know that before-"

"You think I don't recognize Jekyll's clothes?"

"I could have stolen them."

"All the people you could have stolen clothes from and you chose the man several sizes larger than you?" She stared at him hard. "I doubt it. Anyway, what was your question?"

"...I think you just answered it."

There were several minutes of silence where he just followed Rachel, musing. Was this transformation of his permanent? He wasn't complaining if it gave him control of Jekyll, obviously. That certainly wasn't the issue at all.

But... On the other hand, Jekyll was much taller than him. He might have just lost that height.

Hyde's face pinched in distaste at the thought just as they reached Rachel's room. He had been in there before and was quick to stride towards her bedroom to Rachel's surprise.

"Where are these clothes?" Hyde threw open her wardrobe, sneering at the frilly dresses. "This better not be it."

Rachel sighed, hands on hips as she looked at him. "Well if you waited for me instead of striding in..." She reached up to a shelf in the wardrobe out of Hyde's reach and pulled down a cardboard box. She pulled a knife from the pockets of her dress, prompting a white-faced look of terror from Hyde just before she slit the box open. Inside were some hoodies, shirts and trousers.

Rachel put down the knife and, for a second, stared at the clothes with an unusual expression.

"...Uh..? Earth to Rachel..?"

Rachel blinked at looked up at him, "Oh, right, of course." She laid the clothes out, "These ones should be in your size."

She pulled out a black hoodie with radioactive green trimmings, a white shirt made to look like it was splattered with blood and black trousers. She also laid out a chain belt and combat boots with thick soles that would give anyone a few extra inches to height. A pair of fingerless gloves sat atop the pile.

Hyde's face lit up with glee.

"...Now that's what I'm talking about." He breathed, touching a silver cross necklace.

"Somehow, I thought it would be your style." Rachel said, beaming at Hyde's interest. "Want to try them on?"

Hyde had already grabbed them and was rushing to the bathroom, already kicking off Jekyll's unwieldy clothes to Rachel's horror.

He pulled each item on as fast as he could, grinning at their good fit. He leaned over the sink to look at himself in the mirror again. It was perfect and he was in love. As the final touch, he hung the cross necklace around his neck, letting it catch the light.

He was also quite thrilled to find that the hoodie had small horns jutting from the hood. When he put the hood up, the stubs of horns jutted upwards, a declaration of what he was.

Tilting his head up proudly, he strutted out of the bathroom and spread his arms in a flourish.

"How do I look?"

Rachel looked him up and down with a small smile. For a moment, she seemed to be looking right through him and he felt like she wasn't seeing him at all.

"...You look great." She blinked and shook her head, focusing on Hyde. "Do they fit ok?"

"Like a glove." Hyde held up his hands, showing off the fingerless gloves, and waggled his fingers to make a point.

Rachel chuckled. "You can keep them."

"Are you sure? They seem to have some kind of sentimental value to you."

She nodded. "I need to move on anyway."

"...What happened to your brothers?"

"I... I don't want to talk about it."

There was a moment of silence before Hyde remembered he was supposed to be a terrifying, uncaring demon. He cleared his throat.

"Well, with that, I'm done here." Hyde spun on his feet and headed for the door.

"Will I see you around again?" Rachel inquired, putting the box back in its correct place in the wardrobe.

"Will you see me again?" Hyde scoffed, "In your worst nightmares, mortal scum!"

An awkward silence.

"...And, you know, around. I might be visiting Jekyll again, after all."

"Well, drop by if you get the chance. I know a great cafe in town, I could show you. Hey! Maybe we could all go together! Henry could come with!"

Hyde chuckled darkly to himself. "Oh, that'll never happen." He hissed to himself and strode out the door, sharply adjusting his hood.

That night, for those who looked, a small figure could be seen perched atop the rooftops. His legs dangled off the side, kicked back and forth.

Against the backdrop of the luminous silver moon, the silhouette of two small stubby horns could be seen.

Toxic green eyes blinked once and a smile, glinting in the moonlight, spread across the figure's face.

Hyde didn't know when or if he would transform back but, in that seemingly endless night, there wasn't anywhere else he wanted to be.

He was finally free.

Chapter Text

Dr Moreau didn't dream often but he resented when he did.

Although he had the money for a larger house, he tended to prefer the small space provided by his current house. He had bought the house from somewhat of an eccentric and people had believed long after his death that it was the isolation of the house that had sent him mad. In the twisting corridors that always smelled of damp earth no matter how hard you tried to pinpoint the source that seemed to move from room to room without any reason or logic, Moreau had to question whether it was the building itself that had sent him mad.

The building felt larger than it really was. You could go down one corridor and end up in a bedroom and go the opposite way and end up in what, at first, felt like a different bedroom only to realize you had somehow landed in the same place again and, by trying to follow your footsteps back, you could lose the bedroom entirely for hours.

The bathroom had at least three different doors leading to it. He had pinpointed where two of those doors lead. The third was locked and he decided not to break it down.

It was a one story building with few windows, bad electric and a constant feeling of claustrophobia while simultaneously feeling large enough to be lost in for days. It felt like being underground, enough weight in soil above you to crush you at a moment's notice.

Most men would go crazy alone in such a house but Moreau loved it. It was quiet, it was interesting, it was a distraction.

No, Moreau certainly hadn't had as many dreams as before, not with the house to capture his thoughts instead.

Unfortunately for him, that night he dreamt again.

It was vivid at first, more living out a well-remembered memory than a dream.

The gloom and the mold of his current day house faded and his eyes were, instead, met by sunshine through the window and the patter of the rain outside.

It was just one of those days where you could barely see a cloud in the sky but somehow, by some spiteful hand of a god, it was chucking it down with rain. It was one of those days dedicated to ruining beach days where you could see and feel the warm sun but taking a step outside would lead to an impromptu soaking.

He was sat in his old bedroom. A cage of rats was sat on a desk, the door open. A dozen small furry bodies were clambering over him, nestling with a ticklish feeling in his clothes and hair.

A girl sat across from him, an open textbook on her lap. Her hair was tugged into a tight ponytail, an oaken brown shade. Perched on her shoulder fondly was one of his rats, its fur the same hue of brown as her hair.

She glanced up at him and he could see the deep shadows under her eyes, a marking of days of little sleep. She smiled at him but it was a weak smile.

"Have you been doing better lately?" Moreau asked softly.

"...I'll do a lot better once our final exams are over." She replied primly and turned back to her book.

Moreau, determined not to let the subject drop just yet, pressed on.

"What about your shadow?"

She went a little red, embarrassed. "I was just imagining things from the stress. I've already told you that."

"So it hasn't seemed strange to you lately?"

"No. Just drop the subject." She turned the page and tutted as she read the new page, "Call me immature but reproduction has to be my least favourite topic."

"I'm just concerned for you is all."

"So the light was a little strange and I thought my shadow looked off. It's nothing. Now, name all the parts of the carpel in a flower."

"When was the last time you slept?"

"Last night."

The dark shadows under her eyes told a different story.

"You know you can tell me about whatever's troubling you."

"Carpel of a flower, Moreau. I know you know you answer."

He sighed and got back to revision. His eyes flitted to her face again and again, looking for... Well, something. He wasn't sure what he would see that he hadn't seen already. Or that he could do anything about. Her lips were shut and, with it, any chance of helping her out.

It was the weird way of dreams. He seemed to sit there for an age, questions going back and forth. They studied subject after subject but he could never have said what they learnt, what subjects they did or anything else of the kind.

The sun continued to shine down and the rats continued to rustle in a comforting way.

Then a yelp.

The girl was up on her feet, clutching her ear as a brown rat scampered off her shoulder.

"Sh-She bit me!"

Moreau blinked in confusion. The brown rat was usually so friendly, after all. She just wasn't the type to bite.

And yet the rat was fleeing the girl as though fleeing the devil itself. It was difficult to read the expression of a rat but every inch of its body screamed fear. Moreau was quick to his feet, checking her ear for injury. It was nothing serious – A small puncture with a feeble dribble of blood.

He frowned again at the rat. Then his eyes caught the other rats. Every one of them was doing its best to force itself as far from the girl as possible.

All with the same measure of fear as the brown rat.

The girl looked up at him, eyes round and, in that moment, in the light of the sun, he could have sworn...

He could have sworn that her eyes were glowing red.

Moreau woke with a jolt. He rubbed his eyes wearily and looked about.

On the dresser besides him, a small brown rat perched, staring at him with cold eyes. Moreau sighed and got up.

It was going to be a long day.

Chapter Text

Jekyll woke up slowly that morning. His head was pounding and his body was cold, not in a Edward's-trying-to-steal-my-body-again but in a I'm-not-wearing-enough-clothes-for-the-weather kind of way.

He groaned and shifted, aware of how weirdly placed his body felt. He shifted again, trying in his sleepy mind to figure out where he was. It wasn't a bed. It was hard and mildly wet to the touch.

His eyes fluttered open.

It took him several seconds of confused blinking to realize that the reason his view was so weird was that he was upside-down. The back of his head was laid just on the floor while the rest of his body was hung haphazardly off a dumpster, one leg propped against a heap of garbage and the other hanging off the edge of the bin. It was a wildly uncomfortable position and he wouldn't have been able to sleep there at all if it wasn't for the telltale signs that he had been drinking the night prior.

The pounding in his head, he realized with a sinking feeling, was a hangover.

Jekyll groaned and tried to move again. His legs slipped off their precarious positioning on the dumpster and, with a yell, Jekyll toppled into a heap on the floor.

For several seconds, he just lay there, regretting his life decisions.

What had happened anyway? Why had he been drinking?

He had vague memories of euphoria and freedom – not drinking away sorrows, but celebrating.

Which was, honestly, strange.

Then his memories clicked into place and he sat up sharply, instantly regretting his decision as his head started to pound from the movement. His mind was on other things though. His body!

He looked down and stared at his hands and legs. They were longer, a little less lanky and not quite as unhealthily pale as they were the night prior – Although the pallor of his skin still wasn’t anywhere near healthy. His clothes – Or rather, Rachel’s brother’s clothes – were too small for his body.

He had transformed back. Jekyll sucked in a sharp breath between his teeth.

Hyde? He asked tentatively in his mind, hearing a silence and the faint grumpy feeling of Hyde nursing his own hangover.

He should have been scared. Hyde had grown in power and the demon possibly had complete control of his body now.

But he wasn't scared.

He felt freer than he had in months, heck, years! The blurry memories of the prior night were awash with fuzzy, drunken joy. It was slightly shameful to recall some of the things he had done and said but it wasn't like anyone had known it was him.

Jekyll forced himself to his feet, swaying on his feet. He glanced down at his tiny clothes and felt heat enter his cheeks. He would have to sneak back to the apartment without anyone seeing him. He had been able to play off the animal attack but people would be very concerned to see the doctor in such strange clothes. Worse, Rachel would be able to recognize them as the clothes she had given Edward and Henry couldn't play that off.

I don't suppose you have any cool abilities for turning me invisible or magicking up some properly fitting clothes?

Go screw yourself.

Understandable. Have a nice day.

There was a drawn out, annoyed groan from Edward. Jekyll chose to leave the demon to his own devices and turned, slipping quietly through the alleyway.

"Should I even ask?"

Jekyll refused to turn around.

He had gotten so close to his room. So. Close. He was halfway up the final set of stairs and now he had been caught out?

"...Hi Rachel." He said slowly, in a, hopefully, friendly tone. He knew his stiff body language told a different story though.

There were several seconds of silence and, finally, Jekyll turned to face her. His old friend was staring at his clothes with a curious expression. She had definitely noticed. How was he supposed to explain this?

His face was bright red from shame and his mind was running at a mile a minute, trying to think of an explanation.

Rachel cocked an eyebrow as she looked him up and down, "...I was wondering how Edward knew you. Is this why you were so weird about Lanyon coming over?"

Oh God. Oh no. Please no.

"Rachel, I'm so, so sorry!" He blurted, "I- I didn't know how to tell you. It just sounded so unbelievable and I didn't know what you would think of me! I mean, who even manages to get in that kind of situation anyway?! And-!" Rachel, during his stuttered speech, had started to laugh hysterically, practically doubled over with laughter. His excuses died in his throat. "...Why are you laughing?"

"Sorry? Henry, this is great! You've been caught up on Robert for so long that I was starting to worry you would never move on."

Henry did a double take. His mind rewound the entire conversation in his head, trying to figure out what on Earth she was talking about. He looked down at the small clothes of Edward Hyde, mind ticking away.

Robert..? Caught up on..? What did Robert have to do with..?

With a jolt, he realized what Rachel was saying and his face lit up as red as a tomato. There was a cackling in his mind and he could feel the mirth of Edward Hyde, the demon shaking from his howls of laughter.

"Y-You think Edward and I are-?!"

"How long?" Rachel beamed, leaning towards him, practically sparkling with excitement, "How long have you been dating? Is this what you've been doing all this time?"

"We're not- I'm- I-" Henry stumbled over his words, trying to explain. There wasn't an explanation in his head to explain otherwise. No excuses that weren't crazier than her idea. Edward's laughter became all the more loud. If the demon breathed, he would have run out of breath laughing so hard.

"Henry." Her face softened, "You didn't have to hide this from me all this time and you don't have to feel bad about the way you feel towards Edward. You aren’t dating Robert anymore – It’s ok to move on and find new people. I can't imagine how awfully you must have felt about this considering your recent behaviour."

"I- I-"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

His mouth opened and closed, unable to say anything.

"...He's... Unique." He said at last, mouth dry. "And kind of a handful."

"I can tell. I'm sure he's lucky to have you." She put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "You don't have to keep hiding this from me, ok? I won't tell Lanyon."

Jekyll swallowed. "I'm sure Lanyon wouldn't mind."

Rachel clicked her tongue dubiously, "I'm not so sure about that. He still cares about you."

Henry, not really believing her, just nodded silently, not meeting her eye. "Sure."

"He does. You two may have broken up but he still likes you." She snorted, "I'm sure if we told him, he would want to meet this Edward just to make sure he's right for you. That's if a certain green-eyed demon doesn't rear its head." She nudged jokingly, making little devil horns against her head with her fingers. Jekyll, thinking of Hyde, didn't really like that phrasing.

"...Well. I need to get back into my normal clothes, so-"

It was then that he noticed the box in Rachel's hands. He blinked at it before looking up at her.

"I've been trying to return your clothes all morning." She handed him the box, "Why do you think I was waiting for you?"

Jekyll opened the box, seeing his usual red jacket. It was slightly creased from hanging off Hyde's tiny frame and being tied to a bed. He would have to iron it later.

"Thanks." He took off the hoodie and traded it for the better fitting jacket. He couldn't change trousers or shirt just yet – Not in front of Rachel, obviously. He wasn’t Edward – but the jacket covered most of the tiny clothing.

"You don't have to thank me for returning your clothes. I wasn't exactly going to keep them for myself. You’d better return Hyde's clothes to him too. Unless... You're planning on keeping them around..?" She winked suggestively.

Jekyll flushed again, a recurring theme in the conversation.

"Aaaand, this conversation is over." He spun on his heel and trotted away to the peals of Rachel's laughter.

Jekyll had a moment of panic when he arrived home and realized that he didn't know if it was Monday or Tuesday. He was quick to discover, it was Tuesday and he was late for work.

He threw on his normal clothes and sprinted out the door, ignoring his continued hangover. He continued to wish that Hyde had some sort of power to help with this.

Look, just because I moved things with my mind once doesn't mean I can give you superspeed!

Oh, I'm sorry! I thought you were supposed to be an all powerful demon with endless powers!

...I'm still adjusting. Soon.

Soon you'll give me superspeed?

No.

He burst through the door, stumbled down the steps and nearly tripped entering the lab. He squatted over, panting heavily. A few of the others in the lab glanced at him curiously but nobody really paid him any attention. He took several gulping breaths and grabbed some scientific equipment.

"Well." Ito stared at him for a long while. "You're here."

"...Is that surprising?"

"Well you're so late this morning that I thought you were still sick."

"I... Overslept."

It wasn't exactly a lie – it was just an alcohol induced sleep.

"...Well. At least you're getting sleep."

Not really but he didn't correct her on that. Moreau was collecting syringes from across the room and Jekyll watched him closely. He still remembered overhearing Moreau's conversation with that woman. The doctor didn't seem suspicious in any way. He didn't even look at Jekyll as he vanished back into his lab.

Henry hesitated, glancing about. Everything seemed the same as usual – no signs of any foul play or strange activity. He couldn't have imagined the conversation, could he?

No, I remember it too. Hyde protested.

We share memories. If I have a fake memory, you could have it as well.

Nuh-uh. My mind is a steel cage, Doctor. Nothing goes in or out without my say.

Cool. What did we do last night while drunk? Spare no details.

...We're getting off track.

Jekyll fought the urge to roll his eyes.

Well if you're so doubtful, Hyde continued, How about we sneak in there and find out what he's hiding?

What? Moreau's lab? We've been in there before, there's nothing there.

We've been in there with Moreau in there and it's not like we've poked around in there. Come on, where's your sense of adventure?

I could get in trouble.

For going into a room at your own workplace? I don't see a sign to say you can't.

That's...

He... Didn't have an argument. Moreau was disappearing into someone else's lab now and Jekyll was experiencing Hyde's prickling curiosity. It ate at him and was highly distracting from his work.

He glanced about. Nobody was looking.

The gnawing curiosity won out in the end. Jekyll didn't even know what he was doing until he was at the other side of the room, hand on the door handle.

A click and the door silently swung open.

A sliver of light cut across the room illuminating the floor and the rat cage. Dozens of beady black eyes watched Henry as he slipped into the room, closing the door behind him.

It was only after the door was shut and he was plunged into darkness that he realized he couldn't see anything. Switching on a light would alert the others that he was there.

On the other hand, it would be less suspicious if he was in the light. Sneaking around in the dark was definite ill-doing but wandering around in the light was someone who was supposed to be there.

For the love of God.

Hyde grumbled and, to Jekyll's surprise, he could suddenly see again. He blinked, confused. He hadn't turned the light on and it was still too dark in the room for someone else to have turned it on.

Night vision. Hyde said smugly. Wouldn't recommend getting caught with it active though – your eyes are a little... Glowy. You're welcome.

Oh. Thanks.

Hyde grumbled a bit but Henry could feel the cold little demon light up with pride.

Henry set to work, rooting through Moreau's desk for anything incriminating. The rats, with their sensitive eyes, watched him closely. They felt like a hundred tiny witnesses to his wrong-doings and it put him on edge. It felt like stealing something right in front of someone.

How on Earth was I convinced to do this again?

Via a master manipulator. Hyde said smugly. Jekyll rolled his eyes.

"Master manipulator my ass." Jekyll retorted, forgetting not to speak aloud.

The rats cocked their heads at him and glanced between each other curiously. Henry winced, feeling weirdly embarrassed. They were just rats, they couldn't be judging him.

...Although... Moreau was under accusation of animal abuse. Maybe the rats were a good starting place to look for clues.

He approached them hesitantly. They continued to watch him, tails flicking back and forth. They were huddled together, backs arched in a way that spoke of a threat. There were no signs of foul play. No cuts or scratches or bruises.

"...Would you guys mind if I checked one of you?" Henry asked hopefully. It was probably stupid asking them but rats were intelligent animals. The huddle glanced at each other as though silently conferring with one another. Then one stepped forward from the huddle.

It was a brown rat, small with oak coloured fur. It approached cautiously, head lowered and nose twitching.

Jekyll knelt down to be closer to eye level with the creature. It flinched at his movement, hesitated for a moment, then came closer. It perched itself on its hind legs and peered up into his eyes.

...Uh... Doctor ?

"...Can I... Pick you up?"

No response, obviously. He slowly reached out his hands. The rat sniffed his fingers for a second then clambered in.

... Henry ...

Hyde had a note of warning in his voice but Jekyll ignored him.

He lifted the small creature to eye level, handling it carefully. He peered closely at it, looking for blemishes. There wasn't anything obvious that he could see.

Not to be an alarmist but...

Then the rat opened its mouth. Henry froze, his eyes falling on what was inside.

White, long and nightmarishly sharp fangs, more like a dozen tiny pale needles than teeth and more numerous for any animal of that size, each one glinting in the feeble light. It’s eyes met his with steady coolness and he saw his own pale face reflected in those beady eyes.

Jekyll should have done something – Drop the rat or cry out or something – but his mind couldn't quite register what he was seeing.

The rat wasn't making any move to bite him or even yawning. In fact, unless Jekyll was going crazy, it looked like the rat was deliberately showing off its teeth for him.

I was going to say that its behaving way too intelligently for a normal rat but I think you've caught on already.

Edward's voice was all he needed to snap him back to reality. He dropped the rat suddenly. It wasn't a long drop but it fell back onto the table, rolling on its back.

What... What did Moreau do to them..? Jekyll swallowed, backing away. He turned to leave then realized that the cage was still open. If he was to hide his crime, he would have to get the damnable vampire rats back in the cage.

He glanced nervously between the door and the rats. Most of them were still in the cage but the oak coloured one stared up at him with a calculating look. Then it turned and trotted back to the cage with the confidence of one that knows it's feared. Once in, it looked him directly in the eyes and wrapped its paws around the bars of the door and swung it shut, never breaking eye contact with Jekyll.

They're intelligent. Henry thought numbly. And they saw everything. Including...

Your eyes are still glowing. Hyde finished. The demon was, annoyingly, thrilled at this turn of events and, this time, Jekyll didn't share the enthusiasm.

Henry spun on his heel, knowing he was already caught, and left the room as quickly as he could, many beady eyes watching him leave.

As he opened the door, the darkness was broken by the outside light which, for a moment, stung his eyes. Then there was a flickering behind his eyes and the world refocused, Hyde's night vision shutting off.

Nobody was looking at him so he slowly shut the door and went back to work, his heart heavy in his chest. They still couldn't speak though, they couldn't tell anyone.

No, that was wishful thinking. Moreau would find out.

And then what? Had he confirmed himself to be a "Candidate"? What did that mean?

Did Moreau's experimentation stop at animals or could a candidate be..?

Even if it had nothing to do with Hyde, Moreau certainly wouldn't want anyone learning of this. What would he do to keep this quiet?

He kept his eyes on Moreau for the entirety of his shift. He held his breath when he saw Moreau enter his lab but he didn't even glance up at Jekyll when he left. There were no clear signs he had been caught.

Unfortunately, he knew it wouldn't be that easy.

When was it ever with him?

Moreau sighed in relief once the last person had left for the day. He was fine with other people but he had a limit for how long he could put up with them.

It was better when the hallways were silent. Once the lights were out and, in amongst the vials and smoke, he could almost imagine himself back home in his winding tunnels again.

Almost, but he wasn't going home just yet.

He strolled back to his lab in the dim light, flicking on the lights, illuminating the rat cage. The light glinted off dozens of beady black eyes.

"Right." Moreau took a breath, "I assume you'll be wanting food."

"Actually." A high feminine voice rang out and a small oak coloured rat stepped to the front of the group. She stood on her hind legs and stared up at him. "We might have some news."

Her sharp teeth glinted in the light as she spoke, her eyes almost seeming to reflect a strange red colour.

Moreau raised an eyebrow, drawing out a small bag. He let the contents of the bag drop into the cage with a muffled thump. The last drips of blood oozed from the bag but the contents were already hidden by a swarm of furry bodies, covering the object. A crimson pool began to swell from the pile of rats and a tearing and ripping sound could be heard. The only one not feeding was the brown one who continued to watch him with an unamused expression.

"What news?" He asked. A droplet of blood was flung onto his face. He didn't flinch, simply drawing out a tissue and rubbing off the offending spot.

"Jekyll is a candidate." Her lips drew back in a humourless smile, "Not the bravest I've ever met but the cowards tend to be the most cunning in my experience."

"So proceed with caution then?"

"Precisely. We don't want him being scared off." She licked her lips with a small pink tongue, "Although I might have done that by accident already."

Moreau sighed. There was no point arguing with her over her actions but he wished she wouldn’t do that. "I already have some of the others patrolling the outskirts of the town. If he tries to leave, we'll know."

"Or we'll find out when people find his carcass. You know how the others can be." She gave a pointed look at the rat pile. They were moving away now, coats painted scarlet. A couple of small bones sat where the pile had been, picked perfectly clean.

"I don't know where he lives. I'll just have to hope he hasn't run away already and speak to him tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." She agreed, "And not a moment later. He seems too skittish for my liking."

The other shoe dropped the next day. Jekyll was almost starting to hope that nothing was going to come of being caught sneaking around.

He had somehow ended up working later than usual that day. He hadn’t taken it into account at the time but, in hindsight, he had ended up with a lot more work than usual. Work that, more often than not, seemed to come from Moreau.

He had been darting about collecting vials and chemicals and rat food until, during one trip back from the storage room, he found the lab empty besides himself and Moreau who was cleaning a table with a distracted air.

Jekyll, slightly on edge, began to pack up his stuff to leave.

That was when Moreau approached him.

"Dr Jekyll, can I speak with you for a second?"

Abort! Abort!

Henry gritted his teeth, ignoring Hyde's pestering and slightly excited voice.

"Actually, I need to get home..."

He turned to leave but Moreau had a hold of his arm already. Henry yelped and tried to pull away but Moreau was already dragging him away. He was larger and stronger than Jekyll and Jekyll could do nothing to fight him off.

“Sorry, Jekyll but I must speak with you.”

I guess it's my turn.

Jekyll felt his body go cold, goosebumps rising in a wave across his skin. The sudden cold seemed to startle Moreau because he flinched. Hyde, taking control, wrenched his arm from Moreau's grip and sprinted for the door, grinning.

"Wait!"

Edward wasn't listening. He darted up the stairs, heart thudding in his ears, a determined drum beat.

Step after step, he made his way up, feet pounding. He was halfway up the steps when he felt something small lodge itself in his hair. He was too busy running to pay it much heed, simply swatting at his hair in an attempt to get it out but somehow missing whatever it was each time, the thing already out of the way whenever he tried. Then another landed. And another. He stumbled as one of the small somethings pulled his hair, causing him to yelp with pain and trip. He slammed against the stairs, sprawling on them.

Several rats trickled out of his hair, pattering across his body and face. Sharp teeth glinted in the dim lighting and he felt scaly tails whisper against his skin as they circled him.

Hyde tried to force the body back to its feet but Moreau was suddenly atop him, pinning him against the stairs in a painful way, the edge of each step digging into his body. Moreau’s knee pressed into Jekyll’s back firmly, disallowing and escape. Hyde snarled and snapped but there was nothing close enough for him to attack. The rats perched on the next stair up in a line, staring down at him and just out of reach of Hyde's own teeth.

"I'm not planning on hurting you." Moreau soothed. Hyde growled in response.

"As if! Let me go!"

The rats tittered mockingly as Hyde was lifted bodily from the stairs and slung over Moreau's back, the demon still kicking and thrashing.

Does this mean super strength isn't one of your abilities?

Give me a break, I only came back into my powers recently! They're still on the fritz! Besides, for a scientist, Moreau is built like a bloody tank!

The rat swarm hopped down the steps, following them from behind like a living carpet. Moreau took "Jekyll" back to his lab and, after the rats locked the door behind them with an impressive display of teamwork, dumped Jekyll in the chair.

Hyde glowered up at him from the chair as Moreau sat himself down across from him. The rats circled slowly, watching carefully.

"I see the rumours were right about you." Hyde sneered, "Am I your next pet project, Moreau, or are you going to make sure I don't talk?"

Moreau smiled slightly, "Technically both but it's not as bad as you think."

"If you think I'm going to roll over and let you, you've got another thing coming. I'm not just some doctor, Moreau. I’m the thing all men fear most, the dark that haunts the night and whispers to the wicked in their sleep. A forked tongue that drips and drools with truths so foul that it would raise the hairs of even the worst of sinners. A creature of evil and shadows and the darkness in the corners of the bedrooms of the innocent. I'm-"

"-A demon." Moreau finished as he straightened up some papers on his desk.

Jekyll and Hyde stiffened. Edward let Henry's mouth hang open.

"That's what you are, right?" Moreau looked up, meeting Hyde's bright green eyes, "I haven't made a mistake?"

"...You...” Edward was completely thrown off, his massive spiel forgotten in an instant. “...You know about demons?"

"I more than just 'Know' about them." Moreau pushed the papers he was straightening to Hyde, "I study them."

Edward and Henry let their eyes drift across the paper. They were research notes. From what the pair could see, the word demon came up multiple times in the text and there were several anatomical drawings. The drawings ranged from humans to rats but every drawing had something off. One human had small tumours of bone in their skull like horns, one rat had six legs and one cat drawing was covered from head to tail in eyes.

Are these... What other demons look like? Jekyll asked.

The emotion he was getting from Hyde was unreadable but, whatever Hyde was feeling about the drawings, he felt strongly. The demon couldn't speak for a long time, the mouth dried up and throat feeling choked.

Henry didn’t quite understand Edward’s strange flood of emotions. He wanted to ask what the matter was but Hyde wouldn’t answer. He just stared at the pictures.

Then Moreau spoke up.

"You've never seen another of your kind, right?"

Hyde's head whipped up a jolt of surprise ran through both of them for wildly different reasons.

Hyde... Hasn't seen another demon before? How? Why?

"Don't worry, you won't end up like that. Mutations like that only occur in later stages of possession. They usually take centuries to develop." Moreau smiled warmly at him, a complete juxtaposition to the subject matter. "You might undergo a few changes over the next few weeks: sharper teeth, harder nails, but nothing too extreme."

How is Moreau talking to a demon like it's nothing? He's acting like this is normal!

Edward, for once, was stumped for words. He sat there in a bewildered daze, staring at the pictures. Then his eyes were drawn to the real-life rats. Their sharpened teeth glinted in the light and he looked back at the rats in the drawings.

"They're demons." Hyde breathed.

Moreau nodded. "Or, at least, possessed by at least one each. Obviously most of them don't like to share." Moreau winked as though he had just made a subtle joke. "I understand this must be confusing for you. This is a lot of information to dump on you so suddenly and you're such a young one. Do you have a name? I assume you don't want to be called Dr Jekyll."

"Edward." Edward said numbly, "Edward Hyde."

Moreau clapped his hands, "Fantastic! Nice to meet you, Edward. I've suspected your true nature for a while but I've only recently been able to confirm it. If you want to take a second to take a breather or ask questions, feel free. We have plenty of time."

"Are you possessed?"

There was a slight frown as though Moreau didn't understand Hyde's wording.

"No, I'm not a demon."

Hyde raised an eyebrow, considering Moreau. Finally, he cleared his throat and continued.

"So what do you plan to do with me?"

"I want to make you an offer."

Hyde sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, inviting Moreau to continue.

"You've noticed my rats. They're just a few of many. I've been searching for demons all over the place for my studies." He chuckled, "To think one would just fall into my lap like this. It's quite the stroke of luck."

Hyde cocked his head.

"Anyway, I've found a way to transfer demons from human bodies to other bodies. Other people, objects, animals. What's more, the new host doesn't even need to be alive. I can create new creatures – New monsters – by combining bits of animals and a demon can still be housed comfortably inside whether or not the animal survived the process." Moreau's eyes glinted, "You can become whatever you like. If you want fangs, talons, wings, I can give them to you. If you want to slip unnoticed through human society, I can make you a body for that.” A pause as Moreau allowed the information to sink in. His voice had been rushed, excited but, when he spoke next, his voice was much lower and much more serious. “All I ask in return is that you allow me to study the effects of the transfer on you and your host. I want to keep your old body. For research, you understand."

Jekyll stiffened at that last one.

...Hyde...

Hyde looked again at the rats.

"I find those with your kind of personality often prefer rats. Of course, you don't have to make a decision just yet and, even once you've made that decision, you don't have to stick to it."

"What if I prefer a human form?"

"You won't for long. Humans come with so many laws and rules. It'll only be a matter of time before you get arrested for one thing or another. Worse, eventually someone will figure out what you are. Humans don't usually take kindly to demons. They'll hunt you down and kill you. A body transfer means you can always slip out of their grasp or fight back. No. A human form may sound good but it won't last I'm afraid."

A long moment of silence from Hyde. A worryingly contemplative silence. Jekyll shifted uncomfortably.

"What will happen to Jekyll?"

"Oh, I'll be using the body for certain experiments of mine."

"Right, but what about Jekyll?"

Moreau gave him a long look, eyebrow raised in question.

"Edward, you should know better than anyone that Jekyll isn't really around anymore."

There was a moment of confusion before Jekyll remembered.

Hyde hadn't possessed him properly at first so his relationship with Hyde wasn't exactly normal. He had felt quite certainly like he was dying during his first possession. Maybe if Hyde had been successful, Jekyll wouldn't be around anymore and the body would just be an empty husk for experimentation.

Moreau didn't know any of this though.

So what would he do when he found out that the body was still alive?

What were the scientific implications of that?! Such a thing had to be rare if Moreau hadn't even considered asking if Jekyll was still alive in there. If Moreau found out...

"Of course." Hyde replied, "Never mind. So it's essentially an exorcism?"

Moreau snorted. "I don’t see it that way. It's more of a soul transfer."

"And I can choose any animal I like?"

"And more. As I said, I can add things on."

Hyde mused for a second.

"And if I say no?"

"Why would you want to?"

"Just hypothetically speaking."

"Well I can't force you to do anything you don't want."

"Cool. I'm leaving."

Hyde got to his feet and the rats at his feet hissed threateningly. Edward met Moreau's eyes, his eyes hard.

"I thought I could say no if I wanted."

"My apologies. The others get a little... Aggressive. See, you know the truth now so we're all quite reluctant to let you just leave."

Hyde took a step back. His face was unreadable but Jekyll could feel fear bubbling just beneath the surface.

"I won't tell anyone." Hyde locked eyes with Moreau. "Who would believe me?"

"Edward. I must ask you to reconsider."

"But my body."

Moreau raised an eyebrow, "That's what you're worried about? I promise you, you won't feel it once you've been disconnected from it."

A chill ran up Henry's spine.

Edward glanced around at the rats pooling at his feet, chittering angrily.

Then his gaze once again met Moreau's and Henry felt a certainty settle in Hyde's mind.

"Alright then. I agree."

Jekyll's heart plummeted.

“I’m glad you reconsidered.”

Moreau smiled. It would have been a warm smile to anyone else.

But to Jekyll, it was nothing but cold and empty.

Chapter Text

Henry kicked and yelled at the walls of his psychic confines.

They were less walls and more like a goopy cocoon of icy slush that engulfed his entire body. He could punch and kick, feeling his metaphysical limbs sink into the surface but, the further in they went, the harder the wall became. When he tried to tear it apart, the slushy wall would just refill itself just as fast as he broke through it as though it was mocking him. Knowing Hyde, it probably was.

The demon’s influence ran through his entire body, powerful and inescapable. His entire body was mind-numbingly cold, feeling was lost completely in his fingers and toes, and he couldn’t even shake for warmth with the grips of the demon over his mind and body.

He hadn’t tried to fight back against Hyde since the exorcism but, now that he was facing the true power of the demon, he knew that he wouldn’t have been fight it if Hyde had taken him over properly the first time. His entire survival up until that point had relied on Hyde’s weakened state and he didn’t know what to do now that it had been taken from him.

If Edward noticed, he didn't react. He simply watched Moreau sort through his desk for papers and potions. The frigid breath from the demon’s mouth created clouds in the lab and Hyde entertained himself by childishly blowing puffs and watching the white coils drift and fade in the air, nonchalant in the face of the situation.

From the drawer Moreau produced a dead rat followed by a long tube with needles at both ends.

The rat dangled from his fingers, the cause of death unclear. Blonde fur covered it thickly and it had larger ears than the other rats giving it somewhat of a goofy look. The blunt claws tipping its paws didn’t hold a candle to the glinting talons of the demon rats that swarmed the floor beneath them.

Thousands of quiet clicks pattered in the room as those claws tapped the floors. A faint song made of scrabbling and chittering.

"I thought I had a choice." Hyde looked at the rat he was presented with disapprovingly.

"I'm afraid I don't trust you to just leave so we'll have to do the transfer now. We can do another transfer later into a body more suitable for you. This is just for security's sake."

He pulled out a vial of something and Hyde tensed up as he recognized the potion as the same one Maijabi had used during the exorcism. The burning and pain was still fresh in both of their minds and it was something neither of them wanted to repeat in a hurry.

"This potion will loosen you from your body a bit and then I can transfer you between forms with this," Moreau waved the rubbery tube.

Edward turned his gaze to give an uneasy look at the glinting needles. They were dangerously sharp, the sort of thing that could puncture with little more than a light tap.

"Apologies, it's easiest to move you in the bloodstream."

"...I'm in Henry's blood?"

"Technically, you're in all of him. As I said, blood is just easiest." Moreau caught Edward's grimace, "Don't tell me you're afraid of needles?"

"I'm not afraid of anything." Edward huffed, "Let's just get this over and done with."

"Of course." Moreau smiled and poked one end into the dead rat. He offered out the other end and Edward reluctantly offered his arm. The needle went in seemingly painlessly but the cold was so numbing that is was difficult to tell.

Henry shifted, desperately looking for a way out. Even if he snapped Edward's control, he wouldn't be able to slip past the other demons in time. Then Moreau would know that he wasn't dead and he would be screwed for certain.

Stop struggling.

Edward's voice crackled in his head like the crunch of snow, dismissive.

"Like hell!" Jekyll snapped back, thrashing even harder, "I'm not becoming some human guinea pig!"

His teeth were chattering violently which took a lot of the venom out of his voice.

An annoyed tut from Hyde.

Moreau has a lot of demons here yet he's never considered the idea of a human surviving before. Finding out that you're alive will probably be quite startling.

Henry didn't respond. He just glared, tugging against his restraints desperately.

Moreau handed Hyde the potion and sat back expectantly. Edward gave the potion a disgusted look, memories of Maijabi's exorcism flitting about his head. He then scowled at the rat.

"You better change that for one hell of an animal later." Hyde grumbled. A thread of thoughts and memories drifted faintly from Hyde to Jekyll, a rather distracted series of thoughts.

He remembered the potion burning like hellfire. It had taken only a second for the burning sensation to kick in, too quickly to only occur when it entered the bloodstream. Therefore it most likely just burned on contact like an acid... But, then again, it was a magic potion. Did it only affect demons or could it be used on a human too?

"Edward?" Moreau asked.

"Sorry, my deepest apologies for not being stoked about chugging a mystery chemical that can 'Loosen my soul from my body.'" Edward snarked. "I didn't even get any real time to think this through. So, yeah. Little hesitant here."

...Probably would still hurt like a bitch if someone got it in their eyes but that was true of most liquids barring water. Eyes were sensitive.

"Take your time. Just don't take all day, ok?"

He would probably be quite shocked to find out that you're alive. Hyde continued, this time addressing Jekyll directly. I wonder how he would react?

There was a slight internal snicker from the demon and several imagined pictures of Moreau looking stunned. Imagine the look on his face. He probably won't be able to react for at least a few seconds.

No response still.

No need to sulk, doctor. How badly do you think it would hurt to get this potion in your eyes?

Nothing but silent tugging from Henry. He was ignoring Hyde.

Mortals. Hyde tutted, more to himself than to Jekyll. Unable to see the bigger picture.

“Bigger picture? Sorry for being concerned about my life. Sorry I can't see the bigger picture of you becoming a bloody rat!”

That's not what I meant. Hyde raised the potion. Brace yourself.

The cool rim of the glass touched his lips and Jekyll tensed up, instinctively preparing himself for the pain.

The warm liquid flowed down the flask until it touched Edward Hyde's lips. A tingling began where it touched, the beginning of the all too familiar burning that was about to occur.

Except, that was all it did.

With a simple flick of his wrist, Hyde soaked the rats with the liquid. There was a dozen tiny screeches as the demons fell back, the burning fluid meeting their sensitive eyes and, to some, their open mouths. Those who hadn’t been hit were quickly trampled or smacked in the face as the others flailed and shrieked, unable to force their way out.

Hyde was to his feet and sprinting to the door as Moreau yelled out. The doctor easily made his way past the rats with his greater size, launching himself at the escaping demon.

Good. Just one human to deal with then.

Hyde made his way towards the stairs in playful leaps and bounds, giggling and drunk on adrenaline. He barely gave a thought to the pursuing mad scientist and his silently stunned companion, even as the pounding steps behind him got closer and closer. He barely even seemed to be trying to escape, merely relishing in the chaos he had caused.

He bounded upon a table, pirouetted, and bounced off, knocking beakers and vials to the floor in a satisfying tinkle and crash of shattered glass. He picked up one surviving beaker from the table and lobbed it casually over his shoulder, narrowly missing his pursuer. A mist of greens and purples from the spilt chemicals began to spread across the floor.

Just as he was about to start up the stairs, a hard grip met his arm, yanking Edward back with a harsh jolt.

The demon spun on his heel to face exactly who he had been expecting to see.

Moreau was gripping their arm, a little out of breath and glaring hatefully into those manic green eyes. His shoes crunched in the broken glass and colourful fumes drifted about around them, a dizzying scent filling the air which made Jekyll feel light-headed.

Hyde shrugged it off without a care but Moreau, the other human in the room. swayed on his feet slightly. Despite this, his grip was still hard and Henry knew that the chemical fumes wouldn’t knock him out fast enough. The other demons would recover soon enough and, once they were back, there would be no escaping.

Jekyll held his breath but Hyde simply cackled, still having a blast.

Showtime.

His grin stretched from ear to ear.

Then, without warning, the ice was gone from Jekyll and he was himself again. He stumbled with the sudden freedom and the heady scent in the air but Moreau's hard grip kept him standing. Fearfully, shakily, he raised his eyes and the pair stared at each other.

He didn't have a clue what to do.

Moreau, who still had a tight hold of Jekyll's arm, gave a start, clearing noticing the sudden change in temperature. He met Jekyll's brown eyes, examining his captive’s face with narrowed eyes, fixed on the abrupt, unexpected change in demeanour and expression.

It took a bewildered moment before Moreau reacted.

His eyes widened. Emotions flickered across Moreau's face in quick succession, too quick to make any real sense of. Henry caught a glimpse of horror, anger, sorrow and then all the way back to incredulous shock.

When Moreau spoke, his voice was barely a whisper.

"...Henry..?"

A malicious snicker from Hyde.

Well, that's all we have time for – Time to get a move on, ay?

Control was wrested away from Jekyll as his skin once again become icy cold. The almost luminous glint of Edward's green eyes could be seen, reflected in Moreau's horrified expression like viridescent candles.

Hyde wrenched his arm free, taking advantage of Moreau's shock. He was off towards the door again. It was several long seconds before Moreau cried out and their was the telltale sound of someone running for him.

He made his way to the door unhindered and threw it open, the light flooding in. Just before disappearing out, Edward glanced back at Moreau.

The despairing look in the doctor's eyes almost made Hyde hesitate.

Almost.

The demon disappeared into the light and the door slammed shut behind him, drowning the lab in darkness once more.

Jekyll practically stumbled back into his apartment. His teeth were still chattering and goosebumps covered every inch of exposed skin. He wrapped his arms around himself, rubbing his arms in a feeble attempt to get back a bit of feeling.

He had been given back control halfway back home, when Edward was satisfied that they weren’t being followed any more. On numb feet, Henry had silently made the rest of his way back, his lips covered in a slight layer of frost that made it difficult to speak, almost glueing his mouth shut. There hadn’t been any words spoken during that time and, although the other residents looked up curiously as he passed them, like usual nobody brought up how strange it was that Jekyll seemed half frozen on such a warm day.

Edward was silent but his expectancy trembled in their connection.

As he finally shut the door to his apartment, Henry gave in.

"Sorry for doubting you."

He turned up the heating as high as it would go and bundled himself in several layers.

'Bout time. Edward huffed but there was a flicker of warmth from him. Not in a metaphorical way, either – At those words, Jekyll was physically less cold. Whereas the layers and blankets did little to lessen his cold, Hyde's satisfaction made it dissipate within seconds.

There was a sharp jolt from Hyde and the warmth was gone as Edward hurriedly cut off the heat.

Henry couldn't help but wonder at it. Could demons change temperature at will?

He shook off the mystery as the far more important truth of his situation settled in on him again.

"Great." Jekyll muttered darkly, "So my co-worker wants to turn me into a human guinea pig. That'll make work tomorrow fantastic."

He wants to turn me into a rat. Hyde retorted, You're not the only one in a bad place. I say we just skip work. Indefinitely.

"But..." Jekyll cringed at the idea, "I... I'll look for another job but…"

He tightened the blankets around him further as Hyde processed what he had said. When he spoke, he was completely and utterly disbelieving.

...You can't be serious. You're still planning on going to work?! He's going to kill us!

"I have to keep this apartment somehow. And food and other essentials. Not to mention, any more weird behaviour and I'm not sure what Rachel is going to do."

You know, refusing to move out is the stupid decision a character in a horror movie does.

"Well I'm already demonically possessed. I don't think moving helps with that."

Grumbling from Hyde.

Henry hesitated.

"Besides... Moreau seems to know something about you..."

Don't ask.

"...You've never met other demons before."

I said don't ask.

"How could you never have met another demon before?"

I- I... Shut up!

"...Have you ever even seen Hell before?"

That's not important!

"You haven't! But if that's the case then where did you come from? Why did you pick me?"

I told you already, I didn't pick you!

"Then who did?!"

A long silence.

I don't know.

Henry was silent to that. He wasn't sure how to respond.

You want the truth? I don't remember. Is that what you wanted to hear? I woke up one day and I was in you and the only memories I had was what I could pick up from you. Well, that and some vague… Other memories that I can’t quite recall properly.

Jekyll still couldn't respond. He kept trying to think of something to say but nothing really felt right.

Stop trying to talk. I get it, you pity me, big deal! I don't care.

"...How do you know you're a demon then?"

Well... I must be? What else could I be?

Jekyll's eyes drifted to Maijabi's book.

I'm not a bloody spirit.

"I wasn't going to-!"

I can read your mind, you idiot, I know what you were going to suggest

"Look, you don't know what you are and I've been reading up on spirits. You tick all the boxes. You're cold, you can possess people-"

I can possess you . Besides, Moreau identified me as a demon.

An annoyed mutter.

I wish he wasn't trying to shove me into a rat. There's a lot I would have liked to learn from him.

Jekyll's eyes still lingered on the book.

Sure, Moreau had said Hyde was a demon. He had known things about Hyde that even Jekyll didn't know, things that apparently applied to demons but...

"What is a demon, exactly?"

There was no response from Hyde so Jekyll just kept going.

"What if a demon isn't some creature from Hell but a name for something else? Like how a spirit doesn't necessarily come from a dead person?"

Still no response. Henry had the strong feeling that Hyde didn't want to talk about it.

Fine.

Jekyll had bigger problems to think about than what Hyde was. He couldn't get tricked by Moreau again. Going to work would be ok as long as there were other people about. So long as he wasn't alone with Moreau, nothing would happen.

The next few days were a lot more difficult. The broken glass and chemicals had seemingly been cleaned up overnight and Hyde had wondered aloud whether Moreau had cleaned it up alone or if he had gotten the demons to be his own personal maid service. Edward snickered at the image of the rats in tiny maid outfits, holding teeny feather dusters.

Henry chose to ignore the demon’s strange ramblings. He had bigger things on his mind.

Jekyll had to do as much as he could to avoid Moreau. He kept a constant eye on the time, making certain he was always gone before the last person to leave and, when asked to do something for Moreau, he would always refuse.

All the while, he would catch Moreau watching him constantly from across the room. It wasn't a hateful or spiteful look on his face, rather, to Jekyll's surprise, it was an almost despairing look. Somehow, this raised the hackles on Jekyll's neck more than anything else could have.

It was desperate and, looking at that face, he knew that Moreau wanted to have him more than anything else. Knowing Moreau, he feared the lengths the scientist would go to get at him.

The first time he had to visit a storage closet alone, he felt embarrassed asking Ito to come with him.

She seemed busy with what she was doing but he knew he couldn't be left alone, not with Moreau. People were going to start taking notice of his paranoia and to fail at a task as simple as picking up some stuff in the back rooms would start risking his job.

...Although, maybe Edward was right. Maybe he should have gotten a new job.

"...Um... Ito?"

She glanced up. When she saw his awkward expression, she placed down the glasses she was messing with. She cocked her head, indicating for him to continue.

Now, how to put this…

He took a breath and started.

"I have to get some new vials from storage and…"

She nodded once and straightened, not even giving him time to finish.

"I'll follow you, I presume?"

Jekyll, who expected a little more resistance, floundered a little.

"Uh... Um... Yeah, thanks."

He began to make his way out of the crowded room, constantly glancing behind him to make sure that Ito was still there.

She still didn't complain.

As they continued, the chatter and bubble of the room faded behind them. Muffling and dimming into a thick silence.

Besides his own footsteps and the click of Ito's shoes, it was as though noise itself had simply ceased to be. One could almost imagine that there was no world at all outside that corridor.

It was a little darker and mustier there, the smell of chemicals and burning gases being replaced by the smell of damp mould. The bulbs above were designed to save electricity which unfortunately meant they were dim, casting a more amber light on the ground rather than the usual electric white.

They left plenty of corners untouched by light, corners and angles shrouded in darkness and, every now and then, the lights would flicker, dousing them in a mere second of pitch black. These seconds felt like too much for Jekyll’s fluttering heart.

In the quiet, Jekyll could hear the faint skitter of movement every now and then. He was almost certain that the rats – The other demons – were keeping an eye on him.

He would occasionally turn his head suddenly enough to see something slip back into the shadows, catching glimpses of scaly pink tails or the shiny oil black of a disappearing beetle.

Were there demon insects as well? The thought was worrying but also made a lot of sense. Why would insects be exempt?

Except, he reminded himself, if Moreau had insect spies he would have found out about Jekyll and Hyde far sooner. Perhaps insects simply weren't a popular choice. Personally, he himself wouldn't like to live as an insect.

Although he managed to reason this option away, he still felt his heart rate speed up when he caught a glimpse of a moth's wings or the spindly legs of a fly or spider.

"Doctor Jekyll-"

Jekyll yelled out in alarm and spun around. Ito was still there. He had forgotten about that.

For several seconds, he calmed himself. Ito just waited patiently.

"S-Sorry. These corridors look like something out of a horror movie." He laughed nervously, "That's actually why I wanted you here. It's embarrassing to admit but I'm somewhat afraid of being alone here."

Ito watched him for a little while longer.

"Is that really why?" She asked softly.

"Of course. Why else?"

He inhaled deeply one last time, the last dredges of adrenaline dissipating before turning to continue on.

"I've seen the way Moreau keeps watching you."

Jekyll froze.

"Dr Jekyll, I'm not ignorant. I know Moreau is bad news and, for whatever reason, you've caught his attention. I don't want you left alone with him as much as you do."

Henry turned to stare at her.

"I wouldn't have agreed to come if I didn't think it was important." She came to stand beside him, giving him a look up and down before continuing on. Jekyll quickly followed after, a little stunned.

"So?" She asked.

"...So what?"

"What happened? Why has Moreau taken such an interest in you?"

He looked down at his feet, unsure how to answer. "...I don't think you'll believe me. It's kind of a wild story."

"Maybe, maybe not. How about a simplified version of events?"

Jekyll considered for a second. "Moreau is working on things that he shouldn't be and I have something he wants but... But for certain reasons, I can't let him have it. Does that make sense?"

Ito mused a little before nodding. "I've kind of suspected that Moreau was doing something terrible in that lab of his. This 'something'... Is it something you have on you right now?"

A pause. He nodded, not looking her in the eye still.

"And you can't just leave it at home?"

"I wish."

A thoughtful hum. "Am I making a leap here by saying Moreau has graduated from experimenting on animals onto people?"

Jekyll choked on air. "Wh- What?!"

"Well you seem a little too on edge for this to just be a family keepsake or some dangerous scientific discovery so I assume you mean your body, or something in your body. He wants to do something terrible to you."

"Uh... I... Well..." Jekyll swallowed, "Sounds a little... Crazy, you know? Like a story."

"But am I right?"

Henry fell silent.

"Jekyll, I believe you. If Moreau tries anything, just ask me. I'm willing to help."

He blinked at her, processing the conversation in his head. "Thank you."

"You would do the same for me."

With that, the pair fell into silence.

Neat. Edward chirped.

Chapter Text

That Saturday, it wasn't the light streaming through the window that woke Henry. Neither was it an alarm or a knock at the door. Instead, he was woken that morning by a sharp stab of cold through his head.

Jekyll yelped and bolted upright, rubbing his head as though he had been struck.

"Edward, what the hell?"

Early bird gets the worm. Edward chirped, an unnerving amount of glee in his cryptic statement. Wakey, wakey!

"...Why are you so chipper?"

Who knows, maybe Hell finally froze over?

Henry was only half-awake but he already smelled something fishy going on. Edward was doing his best to keep his thoughts cut off from Henry's but even his best efforts couldn't keep the giddy excitement out of their connection.

Somehow, this was worse than the evil scheming.

Unfortunately, he already knew from experience that pressing Edward wouldn't give him any answers. Jekyll forced himself out of bed and started getting ready.

"If this is some new attempt to get rid of me, Edward-"

Listen, I don't need to make schemes to do that anymore. Sure, it would be more convenient if you weren't there completely but...

"Very reassuring." Jekyll snarked, getting dressed.

Might want to dress up nicer than that.

A pause.

"...What did you do?"

What makes you think I did anything? Edward asked as innocently as possible.

"What do you mean 'I should dress up nicer'? Why?"

Edward chuckled darkly.

"Edward!"

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Jekyll hesitated, wanting to continue grilling Edward.

With a long sigh, he relented. It would have to wait.

Throwing on the rest of his clothes, he made his way to the door and rested his hand on the handle.

Then he paused.

His connection with Hyde was practically vibrating with anticipation. It made his hands shake a little, resting on the cold metal.

Why? What had excited Hyde so much?

His heart was racing and he wetted his lips anxiously, his throat dry. There was another knock and he felt the handle rattle beneath his hands at the impact.

Shutting his eyes, Henry took a breath and opened the door.

When his eyes fell on the person on the other side of the door, the only noise he made was a squeak.

"Um... Sorry if it's a bit early. I'm not sure if you gave a time but..."

"...U...Uh..." Henry stood there dumbly.

Lanyon, standing on the other side of the door, winced at Jekyll's expression. "Ok, I can tell this was too early."

"Too early?" He managed at last, "Too early for what?"

"You called me to invite me over." Robert took in Henry's blank expression for several seconds. "...Last week? After... My last visit..?"

Henry just continued to stare blankly. Then, slowly but surely, the cogs began to turn. Hyde's strange enthusiasm that morning, his strange attitude towards Robert just after that disastrous visit last time. He had even woken up that particular morning feeling less rested than usual. That wasn't really that strange for him, especially back when Hyde was more of a threat but, combined with everything else...

"That parasite!"

"Excuse me?" Robert blinked, surprised at Henry's reaction. "Sorry. I shouldn't have come. You seemed a little out of it on the phone call and it really was late at night... Sleepwalking, I suppose?"

Henry just shrugged pathetically while, internally, he cursed and swore at Edward with the intensity and creativity of a ticked off sailor. The demon just cackled in response, waves of glee washing over the doctor to his intense frustration. Irritated, he resisted the emotions flowing between their connection, keeping his attention fixed on Lanyon and simultaneously attempting to retain a straight face.

"...I see." Robert shifted awkwardly in the doorway, "...Should I go..?"

"No!" Henry quickly cut in, "You've come all this way, I couldn't turn you down." He winced as he realized he hadn't prepared the apartment for guests. "Just... It might be a bit of a mess. I wasn't expecting anyone."

"Are you sure?" Robert watched Henry cautiously, "You... You weren't doing the best the last time I came..."

Jekyll took a deep breath, recomposing himself. "I'm doing better now. Don't worry about it."

There was doubt on Lanyon's face but, in the end, his curiosity seemed to win out and he stepped inside.

"Honestly, Jekyll." Lanyon snorted casually as he entered, shaking off his prior concern, "Seizures and sleepwalking? If you weren't doing so badly before, I would say this apartment is bad for your health."

Henry kept a close eye on Lanyon, looking for any disgust at the state of the apartment. It wasn't as bad as it could have been at least. After the incident with Moreau, he had cleaned up the entire apartment, partially to get rid of any rats or insects that could be spies for the mad scientist and partially to get some warmth back into his freezing bones.

Bad news was that he had kept all the windows and doors tightly shut to keep those potential spies out so the entire place had a musty smell to it. This wasn't lost on Robert.

"Henry, when was the last time you opened a window?" His friend crinkled his nose disapprovingly, "Or even opened the curtains?"

Henry and Edward winced in unison as he threw open the curtains and pushed open the window as far as it would go. Unfortunately, Jekyll couldn't think of a good explanation as to why the windows should stay closed so he kept silent.

With flair, Robert spun back to face them, clasping his hands together with a satisfying clap.

"Now, I assume you at least have tea?"

To Lanyon's credit, he did surprisingly well at ignoring the state of Dr Jekyll's living space.

The other doctor bustled about the small kitchen, gathering teacups and teabags from the cupboards with the ease of one who knew where he kept everything even if his system didn’t make much sense to anyone else. Lanyon kept a close eye on him.

Henry looked better than he had before – he wasn't quite as pale as before and that unusual twitch was gone... Although, his eyes did keep darting nervously to the open window and Lanyon couldn't help wondering whether he should have just left it shut.

No, the fresh air would do him good. The entire place had felt more like a cave system than a home when he had gotten there.

There was also another thing he couldn't help but note: Jekyll was wearing a ridiculous amount of layers. It was a warm day outside, made even hotter in the apartment by the closed window, but Jekyll didn't seem to feel it at all. He would even occasionally shudder a little with cold. Blankets and jumpers littered the place.

Was Dr Jekyll sick, perhaps? He had been ill before. Was it the same illness as before? Or was it something new?

With the state of the place, it could be either.

...But he also wasn't showing any other symptoms. He seemed cold but he wasn't sniffing or coughing.

The seizure of the week prior popped into his head and he shuddered at the memory. Any mild illness couldn't cause something like that. If it was the same illness...

But what should he do about it? Jekyll was clearly refusing any help.

Just then, a teacup was gently placed in his hands and Robert nearly leapt out of his own skin. He had been so absorbed in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed Henry passing him a cup.

Henry apologized hurriedly but Lanyon quickly soothed his nerves and gratefully accepted his tea as his friend sat across from him.

Across, not next to. It seemed he wouldn't be able to subtly check Jekyll's temperature then.

He was, however, close enough to see the goosebumps rising occasionally across his skin. The cold seemed to come and go in small waves that caused the hairs to stand on end for a few seconds before settling down, the pattern strangely sporadic.

Lanyon furrowed his brow as he sorted through all the medical knowledge he had, trying to figure out what illness Jekyll might have. Better yet, how dangerous it was.

"You wouldn't believe my father." Lanyon complained loudly and out of nowhere, prompting Jekyll to jump this time, narrowly avoiding spilling his tea. "He's been running me ragged with all this parties of his. I swear-" He sipped his tea grumpily.

"Ah. Business as usual in your world though?"

"That doesn't mean I'm not going to complain about it."

"Now that's the Lanyon I know." Jekyll chuckled. "With all the concern you were showing me, I was kind of worried that you were..." Unexpectedly, he trailed off, continuing more awkwardly, "...Possessed... or something..."

Lanyon frowned at Jekyll over the rim of his teacup.

"Me, concerned?" He replied smartly, overlooking Henry's strange lapse in enthusiasm, "I'm a doctor – I've been trained to show concern when someone's health is low. It's like Pavlov's dog."

Henry snorted.

"What have you been up to lately?" Robert pressed.

"Oh, me? Nothing much. Work, mostly."

Robert tsked at Henry's poor work-life balance. Although, it wasn't like he could say much himself. His own life hadn't been much personal stuff lately, this visit was the best he had done all week.

His eyes were drawn to something sat on the seat next to Jekyll. It was a thick tome, old looking and a little ragged nestled in the pillows. Pages hung loosely from it, sticking out haphazardly, curled and yellowing at the corners.

To be frank, he didn't usually care much for whatever Jekyll was reading at the moment but he wanted an excuse to get close to Jekyll to check his temperature and the book right beside him was the perfect excuse. With a smile, he slipped out of his seat and wandered over to the book, and, better, Jekyll.

His friend looked up, surprised at his approach.

"That's a rather peculiar book you've got there," Lanyon began, conversationally, "What is- Hey!?"

Before he could read the cover, Jekyll had practically slammed his hand onto the book, causing a small cloud of dust caught in the fibres of the cover to fly out, the bang of his palm against the cover ringing out in the apartment. It left behind a dreadful silence in its wake.

Robert froze, startled by the sudden show of aggression. Looking for an explanation for the peculiar behaviour, he caught Jekyll's eyes and something tightened in his chest.

Jekyll's eyes were usually a soft maroon colour like a redwood tree and, when the light caught them in just the right way, they would turn a rich scarlet. Often, they would be wide, filled with wonder or curiosity or surprise, giving Henry an almost innocent look. Lanyon would know, he had spent ages staring into those eyes in the past.

The eyes that watched him narrowly at that moment weren't that.

A piercing, almost luminous green caught his eyes, an unholy hatred burning in them. Never, in any sort of lighting, had he ever seen that hue before. It stuck out like a sore thumb, drawing all attention. The man’s lips were curled back in almost a snarl, a glint of the teeth visible and glistening with saliva.

Hell, it barely even looked like Henry anymore, the expression so out of place that it raised the hairs on the back of his neck.

Then Henry blinked and, like a trick of the light, those wretched eyes had gone, replaced by a bewildered, startled expression.

"Ah, sorry. A friend of mine wrote it and I'm not sure how keen they would be for someone else to read it. Too personal, you know?" Henry tucked the book under a pillow. His eyes flicked back to Robert and he unintentionally found himself staring deeply into those eyes.

...Was there a green tint to them? He could almost swear that, when the light caught them at just the right angle-

"Uh... Robert..? Look, I'm sorry. I know I got a little too aggressive just now I just... I just wasn't sure how to react and I kind of panicked. Can we just move on?"

Lanyon's cheeks heated up as he realized that he had just been staring into Jekyll's eyes without saying a word. Embarrassed, he cleared his throat before taking the opportunity to sit next to Jekyll. It was uncomfortably close but he was near enough to "accidentally" brush Jekyll's skin.

The bad news was, Henry was wearing so many layers that there wasn't a lot of free skin available. His best options remained his hands and his face.

He was distracted from this conundrum by Jekyll beginning to talk again. "Obviously it's not someone you know – It's one of the residents here. Actually... The last time we spoke didn't go... Great." He crossed his legs thoughtfully. "I'm not really sure how to speak to him again but I know I have to at some point."

"What happened?" Lanyon asked, sensing gossip.

"Uhhhh... A misunderstanding. It's a little complex and I don't think I can explain it properly. Let's just say, he tried to help me with something and it turned out that I didn't really need that help. So I might have reacted badly to that help. And he thinks he just made the situation worse."

For a moment, Lanyon wondered if Jekyll was talking about him – One of those 'so I like this guy' speech type deals but regarding the prior week instead of anything romantic.

No. He hadn't given Jekyll any personal books. He didn't have a diary and, if he did, it certainly wouldn't look like that.

Although, he wasn't sure any diary looked like that – Who would give someone else their diary anyway? So what was that book? It looked like the bloody necronomicon.

"I just don't know how to approach him." Henry finished, sitting back.

Robert's eyes were drawn back to Jekyll’s bare hands. His left hand was casually laid beside him, close enough for him to touch... But how would he make it look like an accident?

"Well, it's probably not urgent that you apologize right away. Just give yourself time to think on what you're going to say."

"But... What if he gets the wrong idea?"

"Like?"

Henry hesitated. It wasn't the hesitance of 'I don't know', it was more like he could think of something, he just didn't want to say it.

Robert reached over to where he had left his tea on the other side of the table and plucked it up by the handle, taking a long sip. His eyes flicked back to Jekyll's pale hand. Then, making a show of looking about Jekyll's room and not paying attention, he 'just happened' to place his hand on Jekyll's.

It was a perfectly normal temperature as his hand touched it and, for a split second, Lanyon thought that maybe he was imagining the whole illness and he had just touched Jekyll for no reason.

Except, in the next second, something more unusual happened.

Jekyll jumped at the sudden contact and, like a switch had been flicked, his skin became bitingly cold. Lanyon yelped and sharply retracted his hand at the same time that Henry almost shot to the other end of the sofa like a startled cat, staring at Lanyon with large eyes.

Large, green eyes.

Robert blinked and the usual brown eyes were back, looking rather amusingly owlish.

"Sorry," Robert said, trying to sound casual, "I wasn't paying attention."

His hand still felt cold from touching Jekyll. It was a lingering, penetrating cold like he had been touching something cold for several minutes rather than a mere second, leaking into his bones and making his muscles stiff. Lanyon had never experienced the likes of it before and everything about it unnerved him.

Why, it was almost unnatural!

Except that thought was stupid so he quickly pushed past it. He didn't know what to make of this odd ailment of Jekyll's, just that it wasn't something he had ever learnt about before.

At least, he didn't think he had. He had never been particularly fond of diseases in school.

"You're cold." Lanyon noted, the words easily slipping from his mouth without any particular thought.

His cold friend shifted a tad guiltily before settling back where he had been sitting before and giving Lanyon a shrug. "Cold day."

"It really isn't."

More guilty shuffling. "...Had... Problems with the fridge."

It was a terrible lie but Lanyon chose to let it go. He already knew what Jekyll was trying to hide, after all.

He was still ill, he just didn't want Lanyon to know about it, the question came down to: Did Jekyll know what disease it was?

Well, even if he did, there was no way that Dr Jekyll of all people was treating it properly. He would have to do something about it himself.

Eventually Jekyll took him out of the apartment and showed him around town. On the way out, they passed Rachel. She did a double take when she saw Lanyon, instantly exploding with questions.

To Robert's surprise, Jekyll neatly told her that he had invited Lanyon around, not breathing a word about the sleepwalking.

Rachel pursed her lips for a moment. Then she drew Jekyll to the side a bit to talk to him privately.

Robert strained his ears to hear what she was saying. It was a bit of a murmur but he almost certainly heard the words: "What about Edward?"

"What about Edward?" Henry asked back, clearly confused.

"Well... Won't this cause... A bit of jealousy..?"

More confusion from Jekyll.

"...I... Hyde doesn't mind."

"I didn't mean from Edward... Wait, doesn't? Like present tense? Does he already know you invited Lanyon around?"

There was a strangely annoyed look on the doctor's face as he replied, "Oh, he certainly does. He encouraged it."

...Who was Edward? Was this the man Jekyll had borrowed that book from?

And...

And jealousy..?

Lanyon wasn't sure how to feel about all of this but, for some strange reason, he already felt a bitter resentment towards this Edward Hyde character.

"...I have several questions about that but that's not the point, I meant-"

"Can we talk about this later?" Henry pleaded, "My apartment was already a mess when Robert showed up, I need to make it up to him."

"Knowing you, I'm surprised you didn't polish every surface in the place."

"I was busy."

That was a lie, Lanyon knew. It wasn’t cleaned because he hadn’t expected any guests. He wondered why Jekyll didn't want Rachel to know about the sleepwalking.

This visit seemed to be raising a lot of questions.

Eventually, Jekyll managed to disentangle himself from Rachel's probing and rejoin with Lanyon, apologizing profusely. With that, they continued onwards.

Lanyon's mind, however, remained on the topic of this Edward Hyde.

"Hyde, what the actual hell?!"

The demon just hummed gleefully in response. Jekyll fought the smug joy emanating between their connection, forcing himself to remain angry.

Jekyll and Lanyon had made their way back to the apartment after a tour of the small town. It was a little impromptu thanks to a certain demon but, thankfully, Henry had managed to improvise well enough. They had even had lunch together with Robert casually complaining away about all that he had put up with lately. Henry didn’t mind that he didn’t get a chance to speak himself. Although he could have bested any “bad week” Lanyon had ever had, it would be difficult to explain all the mad scientists, exorcisms and demons without sounding crazy.

After itching to yell at Hyde for so long, he had turned on the demon almost the moment he and Lanyon had parted ways.

"You invited Lanyon around, didn't you?"

Well, after you thoroughly messed it up last time, I decided I would step in and graciously help you out. You're welcome.

"You didn't even warn me!"

I didn't want you cancelling.

Groaning, Henry placed his face in his hands. "My apartment is a mess. I was a mess. It was awkward and embarrassing and- Bloody hell, after you got on my case about making stupid decisions, you just put us both in danger!"

Hyde was about to crow some protest when Henry’s words settled in. Wait, danger? Why?

Henry simply gestured to the open window. "Moreau? The other demons?"

I don't think there are any demonically possessed insects.

"Do you want to take that risk?"

What's the worst an insect could do? Spy on us? "Sir, we have important news: Jekyll downed an entire bottle of red wine today – Just chugged it – and was only mildly tipsy afterwards! How do we proceed with a monster like that?"

"I have a high alcohol tolerance! Wait – that's not the point! We don't know what the other demons are capable of, we need to be cautious, Hyde. There's a pretty good chance they're better with their powers than you are and, most likely, they can do things that we don't know about yet. Therefore, letting any into the apartment is a bad idea." He hesitated, then a sinking feeling settled in him, "...What if they know about Lanyon? What would they do to him?"

Oh... Hyde shuffled as the implications settled in. ...There probably aren't insect demons. Lanyon's probably fine.

"Probably."

Look, what's done is done. No point crying over spilt milk.

"Hyde!"

Henry fumed for several more minutes before he finally exhausted his anger. Instead, he focused on the growing anxiety in his gut. This was worse than Hyde potentially ruining his relationship with Lanyon – He was certain those monsters wouldn't hesitate to harm the people he cared about to get at him.

In fact, why limit it to Lanyon? Rachel and Ito were in danger too because of him. There was also Maijabi. Heck, he had gained a connection to almost everyone in the building, that was more than enough to use against him.

Henry shuddered. What had he done to them all? They didn't deserve to be dragged into his mess and yet their lives could be on the line because of him.

At the panic, something in his head seemed to respond. A frigid but familiar coldness snaked around his heart and his mind, tightening. His thoughts began to numb and fade about the edges, melding with the liquid thoughts and memories of the other entity. For an instant, he kicked back against it but the leaking consciousness in his head washed away the concerns and fears. Confused and bewildered, he found himself subconsciously leaning into it and the respite it offered him, the fight quickly draining from him.

Then there was a sharp pain across his face and Jekyll was drawn back to the real world to see a thick shadow hovering before him, the ghostly hand that had slapped him still raised.

Enough of that. Hyde snapped, Don't get hysterical.

Jekyll rubbed his still stinging face and glowered at him. "I thought you wanted to take over my body."

First of all, I'm doing that myself – I'm not letting some damnable nutjob with a rat infestation usurp me and, secondly, right now I need you to protect me from Moreau.

"The great Edward Hyde can't deal with one human himself?"

You're a useful distraction – Don't sell yourself short.

"Thanks." Henry snarked. Then he paused in nursing his slapped face. "...Wait, weren't you the one trying to overtake me just now?"

Actually, no. Hyde seemed a little confused, I wasn’t.

"You weren't trying to do anything? But..."

You remember how I wanted to ruin your life so you would give in to me by yourself? I think, in some way, you were doing that.

"What? I wasn't trying to do that!"

Look, it sounds a little weird, The Hyde shadow sat back, seated on thin air, But on some subconscious level, you were trying to give me control. I guess you didn’t want to deal with this.

“Great, I can subconsciously get possessed by you. That’ll be fantastic in stressful situations. You know, like being chased by a hoard of angry demons that we managed to tick off.”

Isn’t it just? Look, as I said: What happens, happens. It's not your fault you managed to get unlucky enough to be targetted by almost all of the demons in the world plus a crazed scientist.

"...Very reassuring..?"

I'm saying you can't protect everyone. You can't do much about what's happening. You can panic, I won't say you can't do that – I always feel a lot stronger when you're scared or upset so, if anything, I encourage you to panic – but don't give up. Save that for after things go horribly wrong.

"Hyde?"

Yeah?

"You are, by far, the worst motivational speaker I've ever met."

Demons

I'm not entirely sure what to write here. I'm not an expert on demons by a long shot but there's so little information on them that I've decided any information is better than none. I'm currently writing this on a loose piece of paper as a sort of draft so I can get down what I learn about demons as I learn about them. Hopefully I can refine this information later into something far more useful.

If you are reading this draft, though, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Dr Henry Jekyll. Up until recently, I didn't believe in things like spirits and demons. I thought such things were just stories from back when science was unrefined and people would come up with crazy reasons for why things happened. Like believing that vengeful spirits cause illnesses.

Lately, however, I found myself sharing a body with a demon after a possession gone wrong. His name is Edward Hyde. We got off to a rocky start but, as circumstances changed, we’ve found need of each other.

I hope this information will be helpful to someone.

So, to start, let me explain how this all started...

Chapter Text

For a day with the word “sun” in it, Sunday was a dreary day.

Thick, dark grey clouds gathered overhead in a thick blanket that blotted out the sun and from them came drizzle.

Below, the streets were near empty but there were a few people dotted here and there, clear to see from the large umbrellas or brightly coloured raincoats, sprinting to the nearest cover. The rain pattered down gently against the window, tracing paths down the glass, droplets racing each other to get to the windowsill first.

Hyde absolutely loved it.

From inside Jekyll's body, he adoringly followed droplets down the window pane. It was miserable, it was wet and, better than anything else, it made everyone else miserable and wet.

It was cold too which made his own cold, dead heart sing.

He giggled childishly.

"Hyde, can I have control of my eyes back? I'm trying to eat breakfast."

Edward didn't do that but he did swivel Jekyll's eyes back to his so-called "Breakfast".

It was, in fact, a single slice of buttered toast, mildly burnt after Hyde had distracted Jekyll when he was supposed to take the bread out of the toaster. Which is to say he had been staring out the window again.

As he kept Henry’s eyes trained on the toast, he couldn't help remembering that one night he had gotten to himself to do as he pleased and the strange transformation that had come with it. The night just after the exorcism. Almost all of his own memories were just memories he had picked up from Henry and, for the most part, they were pretty dull.

But that night.

That one, glorious night.

He knew Henry had enjoyed it too, sensed the doctor's desperate, keening longing to do it again. Unfortunately, as much as the doctor had loved it, the stick up his ass was certainly shoved up there too far for him to agree to it again.

Well... Not without a little convincing.

"What are you planning?"

Hm? Planning? Hyde asked innocently.

"You do remember I can feel your intentions, right?"

Your ability seems pretty faulty.

Jekyll groaned, "That's beside the point. I know you're plotting something and, whatever it is, I want nothing to do with it."

Instead of replying outright, Hyde allowed a series of memories to flow between them. The scent of the clear night air, the moon, large and luminous and beautiful in the sky, the taste of wine on their shared tongue.

For a moment, Henry softened, almost entranced by the memories. The burnt toast in his hand drooped for a second, forgotten as the foul taste in his mouth was overtaken by the remembered taste of alcohol and crisp air as vivid as it would if it was happening in the moment. Cigarette smoke from the alleys outside of bars and the bitter sting of the lemon slices they put in cocktails.

Then he shook it off and took another bite, dispelling the illusion in an instant.

"No."

I haven't even suggested anything yet.

"You don't know how you transformed the first time and I'm not letting you do all that in my body with my face."

Buuuuut.

Henry rolled his eyes.

But if I can transform again...

"I... I can't."

Why not? Hyde sang, an icy hand brushing his insignificant host, making him shudder and draw his dressing gown closer around him. Didn't you enjoy it?

"If someone figures out..."

Who? Not to mention, Moreau hasn't seen my other form yet, has he? You don't even have to fear demons. Staying cooped up in here can't be good for you.

"Sure. When you can control your powers, you can go out." Jekyll grinned smugly, already assured at Hyde's failure.

Challenge accepted.

Hyde released Henry's eyes and, for several seconds, the doctor forgot to blink and then became incredibly self conscious about how much he was blinking, leaving Hyde to cackle gleefully at his suffering.

...You know, it's games night, tonight.

"So?"

SooOoo... If you want me to prove that I can use my powers, what if I go instead of you?

"...In front of everyone in the building?"

Where better to try? This entire place is made up of eccentrics, if anyone's going to overlook some strange behaviour, it'll be them.

There was a moment of hesitation and Hyde felt Jekyll’s thought process run through.

Henry had already proven himself to be a weirdo to most of the people there. Between traipsing back to his room soaked in blood, locking himself in his room for days on end, getting sick, and going out to lunch with Rachel while possessed by Hyde, if Hyde failed at shapeshifting it wouldn't create a huge dent in his reputation.

He couldn't deny, he wanted Hyde to succeed just so they could do that one night again.

Edward grinned, just letting the lightest touch of memories brush against Jekyll’s mind once more and feeling him soften into it, letting out the slightest sigh of longing.

"But what if you transform back in the middle of it?" Henry protested, making a valiant effort to fight back.

I'm sure that's something I would feel coming. I can escape before anyone sees a thing.

The doctor was weakening and Edward didn't even need to press any further. Henry was even starting to succumb to memory without Hyde’s intervention. His eyes fluttered closed, allowing himself to lose himself to them for a moment.

Just as Hyde thought he was in the clear, Jekyll’s eyes suddenly snapped open and he shot forwards in his chair.

“Maijabi! I still haven't spoken to Maijabi." Jekyll exclaimed. "I need to do that today."

I don't think either of us want to do that. Hyde replied back sharply, trying not to let his annoyance slip through.

It didn’t matter. The seed was already planted and Jekyll was going to do it but he would rather not let anything get in the way.

"I don't but he deserves an explanation. As far as he's aware, he got me fully possessed by a demon. I owe him an explanation at least."

Eh, send him a card. "Sorry I got possessed by a demon during your exorcism, hope you get over your shock soon. Lots of love, Dr Jekyll and Edward Hyde."

Henry glowered back and finished his toast.

Henry was nervous.

Edward was completely correct, he didn't want to face Maijabi again. Not after that disastrous exorcism.

And, yet, there he was: stood outside of Maijabi's apartment again. His hand was raised, prepared to knock and he was breathing deeply to try to ease his worry.

It wasn't working to say the least.

We could just go back home. How does this help us?

Jekyll shook his head, clearing out Hyde's suggestions... Or maybe it was his own treacherous thoughts. Maybe a bit of both.

Before he could overthink it any further, he knocked and waited.

Now, run away.

Ignoring the suggestions, he stood his ground, listening with bated breath as someone hobbled towards the door from the other side. Their footsteps approached with painful slowness, making Henry itch with anticipation.

At last, uncertainly, the door creaked open and he was stood facing Maijabi.

In an instant, the psychic's one eye widened and he made to slam the door shut.

Quickly, Jekyll slid his foot in the way, preventing him. Then with an ease that could have either been Hyde's physical strength or Maijabi's weak muscles, he prised it back open.

"Can we talk? Please?"

Maijabi responded by pressing his back against the door, putting all his body weight into trying to close it. To Jekyll, however, it was barely more force than it had been before and he, gently as to not throw his friend against the wall, pushed the door all the way open.

"Maijabi, it's me. I want to talk with you."

Instead of any sort of warm welcome or recognition, Maijabi simply backed away, looking wary.

His eyes darted about, looking for an escape or something to defend himself with. Finally, unable to find anything of use, he straightened as much as his back allowed and looked Jekyll straight in the eyes, a determined look on his face.

"What do you want?” Maijabi said at last, with such a startling amount of loathing in his tone that Jekyll wanted to turn and leave right there and then. “I can assure you I have nothing here of use to you."

Henry wasn't used to such a hateful look in Maijabi's eyes and he felt himself quaver for a second. Throat suddenly dry, he swallowed hard.

"I wanted to clear up what happened. With the exorcism." He floundered. "Hyde and I made an agreement of sorts. I... I'm not possessed. It's really me."

A look of disgust crossed Maijabi’s face.

"Demons are known manipulators." Maijabi recited back, with the blunt tone of voice of one recalling a direct quote, “They can’t be trusted at any cost and they are certainly not the type to ever be willing to share a body with their host.”

That disgust melted away and Henry was horrified to see that expression turn to abject despair and misery, studying Jekyll’s face like he might somehow see something in his face that would prove him wrong. Jekyll couldn’t help but internally will Maijabi to see that it really was him.

Instead, slowly, sadly, Maijabi shook his head, "I know Doctor Jekyll is gone and you can't fool me to think otherwise."

Henry closed his eyes with a shaky exhale. His heart tightened to see Maijabi in such a way.

This was his own fault for sprinting out of the door without explanation and now he wasn't sure how to fix it.

Just then, a single eye fixed on Jekyll again, with a sudden and fierce intensity that made it difficult to hold his gaze.

"But,” Maijabi spoke in a low voice, “As long as Dr Jekyll is still in there somewhere, I won't stop trying to save him from you."

For a moment even Hyde quailed slightly under the show of aggression but Henry quickly recovered.

"Isn't there any way I can prove to you that it's me?"

"I refuse to listen to you." Was the hard response. He crossed his arms and looked away haughtily. "And I refuse to be tricked by you. You and your lies are not welcome here. Leave."

Jekyll made one last attempt to protest but, thrown off balance everything, he forgot to hold the door open. Before he could even blink, the door had slammed in his face.

For several seconds, he just stared at the door.

Then, his chest squirming with anxieties, he turned and left.

For the most part, it was a quiet day.

The rain outside meant that there wasn’t a lot to do without getting soaked, restricting Dr Jekyll to his apartment building. After his failed attempt to speak to Maijabi, Henry needed a distraction and Hyde was more than eager to suggest training his powers.

With nothing better to do, Jekyll relented.

The first few minutes of their training session had been spent arguing back and forth whether they should start on the shapeshifting. Being impatient as he was, Hyde wanted to start with shapeshifting but Henry was quick to protest. In his own opinion, it would be better to practice smaller abilities first, not only to work up to the more difficult skills but also to help defend them against any demons that came for them.

There was a lot of grumbling and protesting but, at long last, he managed to wear the demon down at which point Hyde acted like it had been his decision all along.

Which meant they were starting with telekinesis.

Jekyll shuddered from the cold as Hyde, controlling his body, sat cross-legged, glaring at a glass of water and willing it to move. The seconds ticked past. One second. Two. Three.

Hyde shifted, adjusting his legs.

One minute.

Two minutes.

He cleared his throat.

Five minutes.

Six.

The patter of the rain almost completely drowned out the steady tick, tick of the clock. At the very least, it was a soothing noise, making the minutes of silent glaring feel a little more like a meditation session than a demon trying to flex his psychic powers.

Seven.

Eight-

This doesn't seem to be working. Henry mentioned at last, grimacing at how strange he looked in that position. What was different last time?

Hyde huffed, "It's going to work fine, just give me a few more seconds."

He narrowed his eyes further, until they were almost shut.

All you're doing is closing your eyes.

"Hey, who's the expert here, you or me?"

Didn't you say you got all your memories from me?

"...Plus extra."

Extra memories that you can't even remember properly.

Grumbling, Hyde turned back to the glass. Jekyll, however, sat back thoughtfully.

Maybe he wasn't an expert on the supernatural but why wouldn't telekinesis be like any other skill? If Hyde had been able to do it before without even trying, why wouldn't he be able to do it now that he was actually trying?

Do me a favour, stop trying so hard for a second.

"I'm close, though!"

No you're not. We need to step back a second and think about this.

Edward gave one last hard squint at the glass and, when it didn't fall over, he crossed his arms and sat back.

"Fine, but just know that I would have managed it if you hadn't intervened."

What changed between the first time you managed it and now?

Hyde snorted, "Who knows?"

First, you weren't really trying. Secondly, you were panicking, maybe some sort of desperation played a part?

"I was not desperate and I do not panic."

Assume you were. If my emotions can play a part in your ability to possess me then maybe emotions control all of your abilities.

"You're trying to say I can't use my powers unless I'm scared. Great, so we'll never get them to work."

Biting his lip, Jekyll considered the situation.

Their emotions were connected so that could work but it wasn't like he could make himself panic on command...

What if..?

Do you think it would be easier if we worked together?

"Hm?"

We're connected. What if, hear me out on this, when you used your powers before, I was helping you in some way. Maybe it wasn't the emotions itself that caused your abilities to work but, rather, we both wanted the same goal?

"Sounds a little wishy-washy."

Well isn't it worth a try?

"You know what? What do we have to lose? Screw it."

With that, Hyde turned back to the glass. Unsure of how exactly to help out, Henry just focused on the glass, trying to picture it being lifted.

As soon as he did so, there was a painful sparking in his head like a broken computer. They both winced at the sudden pain and Henry felt flickers of Edward’s thoughts and intentions meeting his for just a moment, fleeting glimpses of a connection between them.

Wait, are you trying to fling the damn thing AGAINST THE WALL?!

"Yes? Why, what was your plan?"

Lift it gently, Edward! Why are you instantly jumping to break my stuff?!

"Can't we work together to smash it against the wall?"

No!

There was a bit of grumbling, then Edward changed his tactic.

As soon as he did so, it was like something had clicked into place. It was like whatever circuit had been sparking before was suddenly complete, cogs connecting and turning as one.

Henry felt a sensation like electricity start to through him, causing the hairs on his arm to raise in goosebumps and his hair to lift slightly. A painless sensation, almost euphoric, like a sudden power inside of him. Inside of them both.

Then, shudderingly, the glass began to lift.

For a while, neither of them dared to breathe in case the glass would drop.

It stopped, just a bit above the table, hovering silently.

Several seconds passed.

It remained there.

"Yes!" Hyde leapt to his feet and punched his fist in the air, breaking the silence.

A wave of excitement and joy zapped through Henry, coming from Hyde, and he couldn't help laughing along at their success.

Edward was practically vibrating with eagerness as he asked, "Shapeshifting next?"

Jekyll nodded vigorously, thrilled by his new power. The pair turned their attention to their body, mind still buzzing with their combined power.

This time, the effect was much faster, far more effortless than their experiments before.

As they watched, Henry's hand began to blur, shift and melt into a thick green liquid, twisting and forming into a new hand. Longer, sharper nails forced their way from the ends of his fingers as the fingers themselves cracked and stretched.

Hyde laughed maniacally, bouncing on the heels of his feet with glee. He danced about the room, revelling in the change that was taking place. At first, Jekyll joined in with his celebrations, the joy infectious.

It was working.

It was actually working!

He was changing right before his own eyes.

Frost skated its way up his arm in snaking patterns, the skin that it touched going pale and shrinking. From the frost dripped moisture, running down to his fingertips, a green fluid that quickly turned into droplets of ice in the air.

The few droplets that fell before they froze struck the floor leaving tiny gemstones scattered in the carpet, a glittering sea of stars that crunched underfoot.

In a way, the sparkling and glinting of emerald ice and frost in the light made the grotesque transformation strangely beautiful.

But, then something else began to change.

The thrill Henry was feeling began to steadily and almost unnaturally drain away and unease began to settle over him.

Something within him, some instinct, was beginning to flare warningly and he couldn’t tell yet what the problem was.

Steam rose from his mouth as his breath met the warmer air, the cold which he had adjusted to before becoming suddenly unbearable. A rougher texture entered his mouth as his own saliva began to frost over.

The temperature dropped lower and lower. His head began to throb painfully.

Wait, Edward-

What he was about to say, however, was lost as a sharp, twisting pain abruptly stabbed its way through them, spearing them both through the skull like a blade of pure ice.

Edward – Or Henry – stumbled, clutching his head. Through gritted teeth, he hissed as waves of agony swept through him. His muscles jerked in sharp, stinging motions like an electrical current was being run through them. They contracted so tightly that his bones groaned with the effort of not breaking.

Unable to stop himself, he screamed.

He screamed and screamed and screamed. He screamed until his vocal cords froze over and choked off his cries with a pitiful, throaty choking sound.

He wasn’t even sure which one of them he was anymore, Jekyll or Hyde, they both seemed to blend together, both in equal measures of panic and pain.

Whoever he was, he fell to his knees, desperately clawing at his head, whimpering and whining like a dog.

Memories melted, trickled and melded together in a haphazard mess until he couldn’t tell what was the present or the past anymore, couldn’t tell what was Jekyll’s memories and what was Hyde’s.

Before his eyes, the room before him changed as his memories and reality blended themselves together. It dripped and melted and warped until he saw a new scene.

It was his old room from university.

Blinking through the pain, Jekyll – Hyde – tried to reconcile their head. They were sat on the bed next to Lanyon after a party.

There was a warmth on their hands and they looked down to see that Robert was holding their hands in his own. He was smiling merrily as he spoke, mockingly complimenting a dress from one of the ladies at the party.

It was as though he was actually there again – he could see Lanyon right before his eyes, count every freckle on his face, even smell the last hints of perfume from the ladies at the party which had clogged up his nose a while back and hadn’t quite left since.

The pain, however, dominated his thought process.

It was difficult to think straight. He couldn’t even smile and laugh at Lanyon’s jokes, just pathetically clutch at his own hair, wishing for the agony to subside.

Then, again, the scenery blurred and changed to a different time. The same room but there was now more mess on the floor, a new empty pot set aside on the desk from where Jekyll had been eating instant noodles for lunch.

Jekyll rubbed his eyes, dizzy and confused before looking up again.

Robert was there again, in the same place.

He was clearly drunk this time, slurring as he tried to describe Henry's eyes. The eyes that he had told Henry time and time again were beautiful. Jekyll, mildly tipsy, laughed.

To his surprise, his head was throbbing already, a heavy pounding.

He didn't think he had drunk that much but it seemed he was wrong.

More surprising, he found that his fingers were entangled in his own hair, lightly pulling.

Slowly, carefully, Henry removed them and lowered his hand that he didn’t remember moving up there to begin with.

The bewilderment he felt at finding his hands there was overtaken, however, by the continuing headache that demanded his attention and an overwhelming feeling that what was going on was wrong. Just wrong. He shouldn’t be there. It wasn’t right.

He shook his head, trying to clear his head but it didn’t work.

A new ache was starting in his stomach, clenching his gut and making him nauseous. It seemed to spread through him and he knew he had to leave to get to a bathroom.

Unsteadily, he forced himself to his feet, swaying strangely. Lanyon didn't react even as Jekyll apologized and excused himself.

Henry struggled his way to the door and toppled through, wishing that the pain was gone and cursing himself for leaving Lanyon alone.

Ice had glued his tongue to the roof of his mouth by ice and, as he walked, he carefully wiggled it free, poking his fingers in there to try to prise his tongue away. It came away with an unpleasant sensation like peeling glue off of the skin and he took a moment to move it from side to side, working off the stiffness. Flakes of snow fell from his lips and he spat them out, clearing the last of it.

Finally satisfied with the freedom of his tongue, he looked up through bleary eyes and, to his surprise, it was their room again, just like he had never left.

Just like he was simply going around and around in circles.

Lanyon was facing away from him, rooting through their drawer.

(No, not this memory! He didn't want to relive this, he just wanted to forget about it! Please don't-)

“What do you mean we can’t continue like this?” Henry asked, the words already bitter on his tongue as he tried to remain as calm as possible.

Outside the window, the sun was low in the sky, painting the room in a dim light. It was ever so quiet out there which only made the returning silence from Lanyon all the more oppressive.

Instead of answering Jekyll, he simply continued to adjust his tie.

Finally, just as Henry was about to prompt Lanyon to continue, Lanyon spoke again.

“We just- we can’t, alright?”

“Why?” Henry pressed, wishing he could see Robert’s expression in the hopes that it would provide some explanation as to what was happening.

“Well, I’m sure you would rather move on, right?”

Somehow, Henry could have sworn he heard some kind of bitterness in that tone.

“This isn’t a real relationship after all. I mean, we haven’t been on a date or anything. If we just go back to being friends, nothing would change.”

Henry was confused. He was confused and his head hurt and he felt so cold, all sensations that only seemed to be worsening with every word that Lanyon said.

“I… Robert, what’s gotten into you?”

Robert flinched. (Why? Why? What was really going on? Don’t do this, please!)

“What’s gotten into me?” Robert spoke sharply.

Finally, he turned around and Henry regretted ever wanting to see his face. It was a smile like a snake that he was met with.

“Why exactly should I continue on this relationship for your sake? Hm?” Robert took a step forward, “Sorry, I meant affair. After all, I know you’ve been eyeing up other people, all those people who just utterly adore you. It would be messy for you, wouldn’t it? To have this affair going on while you leave me for one of your little admirers? Or would you leave me first? Well, consider this freedom to date whoever you want. Don’t let me stop you.”

(An affair? It wasn’t an affair. He wasn’t dating anyone else. He had never planned to.)

“I- Robert, I- What?”

“Go ahead.” Robert said simply, expression so very cold, “I know it was just a matter of time anyway.”

(He wanted to tell him he was wrong. To tell him the truth. He didn’t mean to hold back and he didn’t think it was an affair. He was sorry that Robert got the wrong idea, just don’t leave.)

His mouth opened to protest, to argue, to explain every reason that Robert was wrong.

Yet, he didn’t know what to say. His eyes landed on that spiteful expression, an expression he had seen before on Robert but never directed at him, and he couldn't speak.

(Did Lanyon have someone else? Was that why he was doing this? Had Robert finally grown tired of him?)

His mouth just remained open, not even giving a croak.

For a second, he thought he saw Robert flinch but maybe it was just his imagination. (Just like it was in his imagination that Robert ever cared about him.)

“It’s about time we moved on, don’t you agree?”

“I… Yes. Of course.”

Henry had wanted to beg, to cry, to plead. But he hadn’t. He had known it was coming, he didn’t feel like he had a right to throw a fuss, not when he could see the logic in it. Henry had always been too afraid to show any affection in public and this was the price he was paying for it.

So why did he feel so bitter?

"Right."

Henry forced a smile.

None of this felt right. This wasn’t right.

He exhaled and was surprised to see his breath come out as a cloud of steam. His arms wrapped around himself, shivering as the mental agony continued.

Robert took a glance back at him.

“I’ll turn on the heating if you’re cold.” He said simply with no more care than that.

Then, he left, leaving Henry to sit there alone.

Finally, with a harsh jolt, Henry’s memories started to fall back into their correct places. The room around him seemed to crumble and the series of memories he had been caught in fading until just one remained.

That one memory dangled before him, shifting the scenery around him to something that wasn’t that shared room.

It was that navy blue darkness that surrounded him, a stretching plane of nothingness. The same place he had been possessed by Edward for the first time except, this time, he was alone there.

This wasn't something happening now. It was just a memory. His mind, however seemed to fog up until it was difficult to tell whether it was real or not.

Like a dream, his thoughts seemed to simply accept it as truth.

Curiously, Henry looked down at his hands.

Or, rather, where his hands should have been.

There weren't hands and there was no body to speak of. Instead, before him was a wispy, smoke-like substance that formed a crude interpretation of hands.

It was cold and dark and, although he didn’t know why, he felt resentful. He felt like screaming, like crying,

Faintly, the sound of voices met him and he frowned, straining his ears to hear.

"Wow, I didn't really believe it when I saw you – you really did just carry all those boxes here at once."

It was a familiar voice but he wasn’t quite certain where he had heard it before. The voice was high – A girl, he thought.

"I kind of regret it."

Another voice, male. Even more familiar than the last. In fact, that sounded a lot like-

"You didn't even take the elevator."

"The what?"

His lip curled distastefully as he listened.

An intense, unexplainable hatred boiled within him towards the male and, in the dark, he reached out a hand. As he did, the strange smoke that made his body seemed to form something more physical, claws stretching out, grasping and hungry. His fingertips dripped something green, the liquid turning into icicles in the cold.

A glittering green droplet fell, hardening into ice as it went.

Edward gasped, struggling to get air back into his lungs as reality snapped back into place.

It seemed the pair were collapsed on the floor like a rag doll, staring up at the ceiling.

Sitting up, Edward coughed up several frozen green droplets, spitting them out on the floor and wiping his mouth.

"Well," Edward croaked out at last, "That was unpleasant. Was that supposed to happen?"

While Jekyll drew himself back together from the depths of their shared mind, Edward looked down at his hands. Sure enough, instead of Jekyll’s hands, it was Edward's long, slender, pale fingers that met their eye.

The transformation was officially a success.

Sadly, the thrill at managing the transformation was dulled somewhat by the pain and confusion that it had taken. This didn’t stop Hyde who stumbled to his feet and crowed his victory to the ceiling, unsteady like a drunk.

Henry, however, was still going over that flurry of memories.

In particular, the last one.

He knew for a fact that it wasn't his, therefore that must have been one of Hyde's.

Never before had Henry enjoyed the sensation of being upset or angry but, in that moment, in Edward's form, he had revelled in it. It had almost felt like the emotions themselves had been empowering him.

Like he was feeding off of them.

"So?" Edward cawed proudly, "Can I go to games night or what?"

Mm? Yeah, sure.

The demon hesitated, noticing Henry's strange melancholy.

"This is about those memories, isn't it?"

Well I certainly didn't want to be reminded of my breakup with Lanyon.

"That's in the past, get over it. We have mischief to cause!"

Henry was about to protest that "Just get over it" wasn't very good advice but, at that moment, there was a knock at the door. Edward frowned and went over to open the door.

To both of their surprise, Jasper was on the other side of the door. He blinked, equally surprised at the absolute stranger staring him down.

"Oh, uh, hi?" Jasper started, awkwardly, "...I... I heard Dr Jekyll screaming, is he ok?"

His eyes dropped slowly to Hyde's clothes which were, obviously, Jekyll's. Then his eyes slowly drifted back to Edward's face.

"U-um..."

"We're sleeping together." Hyde cut in and Jekyll spluttered indignantly as Jasper went bright red in the face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-!"

Edward laughed wickedly. "No matter. We're finished now."

Never before had Jekyll wished so hard to be dead in a hole far away from whatever was happening here.

"The name's Edward Hyde by the way." He offered a hand for Jasper to shake. Jasper cringed away from it, his eyes darting between the hand and Edward's face.

For God's sake, Hyde, put the hand away. He thinks you've just been having sex, he doesn't want to shake your hand.

Thankfully, he reluctantly lowered his hand. Jasper sighed in relief.

"I... I'm Jasper. I live here."

"A pleasure to meet you."

The pair fell into silence. Jasper glanced about, not quite certain what to say. His eyes caught on something out of Edward's line of sight and his face lit up.

"Rachel!"

Hyde peered around the door frame and, sure enough, Rachel was standing at the foot of the stairs, coming down. Her confused frown broadened into a grin as she saw Edward.

"You're back! You do know I gave you clothes for a reason, right?"

Hyde just grinned and winked. "Well, let's just say Dr Jekyll's a little too exhausted to show for games night tonight but," Hyde raised a single finger and wagged it, "I have graciously volunteered to show in his place."

Rachel's eyes widened a little, surprised, "Well, I'm sure that will be fine. It would be nice to introduce you to the others. Are you sure Jekyll can't make it? It would be nice to have both of you there."

Hyde snickered, his lips curling into a sadistic smirk, "Oh, I'm quite certain. The poor doctor is quite worn out."

Jasper raised an eyebrow, clearly catching Hyde's ominous tone of voice. His eyes flicked to Rachel who, if she had noticed it, wasn't reacting.

"Well," Rachel chirped, "See you then, Edward."

Edward winced a little at the casual and unthreatening name. "Yes," He drawled, "See you then."

With that, the door was closed.

"...Am I the only one who got the impression that Hyde murdered Jekyll from that conversation?"

Jasper and Rachel were outside Rachel's room, having walked there just after Jasper's first encounter with Edward Hyde. There was something off about the man, something unnatural in the way he moved, in the strange glow of his eyes.

It worried him.

Rachel blinked at the accusation then burst out laughing.

"It's a legitimate concern!" Jasper protested, "That didn't sound like... That kind of scream."

Granted, Jasper had thankfully never walked in on that sort of scene before or overheard such a thing going on but that had sounded like a man in pain. A man in terrible pain and absolutely terrified.

"Don't worry about it. I've met Hyde before – He likes to pretend he's some terrifying monster but he's harmless."

Seeing Jasper's doubtful expression, she winked at him, "Well, if Jekyll goes missing, we'll know who to blame."

This... Didn't help.

"It's sweet that you care so much, though." She gave him a warm smile.

"O-oh, it's nothing really. I'm sure anyone would be worried if they... Y'know..."

He laughed awkwardly and a silence fell between them.

"...I'm... Going to get back to my animals. If I miss feeding time, it'll be complete anarchy."

"See you tonight then."

He nodded, "Bye!"

The door closed and Jasper was left to his own frets.

Chapter Text

Alright, Hyde. Whatever you do, do not say I'm sleeping with you.

"Yeah, yeah. Ok, mum."

And don't say any other personal information either. As far as everyone will know, you're just an old friend of mine.

"Got it."

And I know what you're planning to say. I do not cry during sex.

"HmmMmmmM..?"

I don't!

"How about you quieten down and let me do my thing? Don't you trust me?"

You're currently talking to me aloud and Rachel and Jasper keep giving us weird looks so I know they've noticed.

"Maybe if you stopped talking, I would too."

Hyde was speaking in a low voice at least but, to anyone close enough, it was pretty obvious that the short blonde man was chattering away to himself. It wasn't like anyone could hear what was being said, though. He would just look a little eccentric to the outside eye.

We can communicate psychically, why do you feel the need to speak aloud?

"Hm..." Edward made a show of thinking hard. "It ticks you off."

Henry mentally rolled his eyes.

Rachel was leading Hyde down the stairs towards the common room. Jasper had tagged along but he lagged behind a lot, eyeing up Hyde suspiciously. It didn't bother the demon much, however. He revelled in it.

"Here we are." Rachel piped up suddenly and pushed open the doors, leading the trio into the common room.

They weren't early but they weren't exactly late either. A scattering of residents were setting up games and several people looked up as Edward entered.

"Well," Archer chirped, "Didn't realized we had a new resident."

"We don't. This is Edward Hyde, he's a friend of Dr Jekyll's." Rachel introduced.

Edward prowled forwards and, teeth gleaming in an animalistic smirk, offered his hand, "The dear doctor couldn't make it so I've come in his stead, a pleasure to be of your acquaintance, Archer."

"Oh, you know me already. I suppose Rachel's been talking again, then?" Archer cheerily took the offered hand, shaking it with much more enthusiasm than Edward had been expecting and nearly knocking the all-too-short demon off his feet.

"No, actually. Must have been Jekyll this time."

Hyde's face contorted into a grimace. His attempts to frighten Archer clearly hadn't gone to plan but he was at least satisfied to see Jasper become pale. He prised his hand back and looked about for a more suitable target.

Lavender was there. He considered her for a second but changed his mind. Maybe it was some instinct but he didn't think she would be so easily frightened.

Then his eyes caught on Ito.

She wasn't a target for him, he already knew well enough from Jekyll's interactions that she wouldn't be easily scared, but something in him softened a bit as he recalled how helpful she had been to them. It was kind of strange to think that she had been helping to protect him and she didn't even know he existed.

In fact, everything was a little strange.

It hadn't really struck him before – This was an entire building full of people he knew who didn't know him in return. Rachel was a close friend of his and she didn't recognize him at all, despite everything they had been through together, every time they had spoken or laughed at each other’s jokes or-

Wait.

Edward shook his head. He was getting himself confused with Jekyll. He hadn't met any of these people, he just had Jekyll's memories of them.

To the surprise of everyone, he abruptly slapped himself across the face.

"...Uh..." Rachel was giving him the old concerned look. A look, Hyde noted with annoyance, she gave to Jekyll often.

"Sorry," He smiled at Rachel as though nothing had happened, "Just needed a reality check there and I didn't see you leaping to it."

A long silence.

"Yeah," At last, Archer rolled his eyes and spoke up, "You'll fit right in. You sure you don't live here?"

Technically, he did but he wasn't going to say that so he just shrugged in response.

The door opened behind them and someone entered. They all turned to see who it was. Hyde froze as his eyes fell on the newcomer.

The other person froze as well, a single uncovered eye staring bug-eyed at him.

"Maijabi." Hyde greeted, his mouth stretching into a malicious grin. He didn't even need to try to scare Maijabi, it was so easy it was almost boring.

Almost.

The psychic swallowed, a chess set clutched in his hands, the knuckles white from gripping too hard. "Hyde."

"You two know each other?" Archer asked, frowning.

"Yeah, Maijabi," Hyde turned a sly eye to him, and spoke with feigned innocence, "Do we know each other?"

"He... He was a client of mine. Once."

Hyde couldn't help a cackle at that wording. "Wow, Maijabi, you make it sound like I died or something."

Maijabi gave him a sharp look before passing them, taking care to keep his distance from Hyde.

"So..." Rachel said slowly, "You believe in ghosts then?"

"Nope." Hyde popped the p, "I just really like demons."

"I didn't realize he did demons."

"He doesn't. Let's get going."

Hyde was determined to join the most chaotic game he could and dragged Rachel from game to game, looking for something sufficiently disastrous. His suggestions of Strip Poker got quickly shot down. So did Strip Chess and Strip Monopoly.

"Look, one of these games has to end with someone naked, someone crying on the floor or someone drunk. It's the law."

"I worry about the kinds of parties you go to. And what kind of influence you're going to have on Dr Jekyll."

"Bad influences only. His blood content will be 99% alcohol by the time I'm done."

His eyes settled on one game that he hadn't spotted yet. It was a little away from the others and sat on the floor, hence why he hadn't seen it before.

Better yet, Maijabi was there.

With a smile, he dragged Rachel towards it.

"Hey, what's this one then?" He proclaimed loudly. Maijabi looked up and Hyde was overjoyed to catch him mouthing a swearword to himself at the sight of him.

"Truth or dare." Lavender replied, beaming.

This particular group was made up of Maijabi, Lavender, Luckett and Sinnett.

Jasper quailed a little at the thought of playing truth or dare. Lavender saw the hesitation on his face and smiled, "Don't worry. We won't make you do or say anything too bad."

"And," Rachel popped herself down, "It's just a game. There's no magical contract that forces you to tell the truth or do whatever you're dared. You're just out of the game."

God, Hyde wished he could do that. He made a point of sitting directly beside Maijabi, giving the psychic a smug look, their knees touching. He responded by cringing away.

I feel like you don't like Maijabi.

"He tied me to a bed and tried to exorcise me."

On my request. You're just making things worse between us.

"I don't think there's anything we can do to fix this. Might as well have fun with it."

"Ok, Luckett, I believe it was your turn." Lavender cut in, ending Jekyll and Hyde's conversation.

The pyrotechnics expert looked thoughtful for a second before his eyes alighted on Hyde. "Well, we've got to find out more about our new guest. What's your name?"

"I believe you're supposed to say truth or dare." Hyde snarked.

"His name is Edward Hyde." Rachel responded for him with an amused shake of the head.

"Ok, Edward Hyde. Truth or dare?"

"Dare." There was no hesitation. This was what Edward was there for.

"Hm..."

"Luckett, please don't get too wild with the new guy immediately."

"No," Hyde protested, "All out. Go absolutely wild."

"Rachel, do you have makeup on you?"

"No. Lavender?"

Lavender fished in her pockets for a second before pulling out lipstick. "It's not much but this is all I have."

"It'll have to do." Luckett took the lipstick from her and turned to Hyde, "I dare you to put this on."

"On my lips or do you mean drawing on my face?"

"Lips."

"It'll be my pleasure."

Henry protested internally but Hyde wasn't listening as he, without a mirror, began to apply the lipstick.

The looks that the others were giving him were all that was needed to tell that Hyde was putting it on badly. Even without the looks, he felt every time the stick slid a little too far in one direction or another, felt the sticky lines that were quite clearly not on the lips.

When he was done, he clicked the lid back on and puckered his lips, "How do I look?"

"Like a clown." Rachel replied sweetly.

"Sinnett's turn." Lavender piped up, taking the lipstick back from Hyde without looking him in the face. She was making little snorting noises and it took a second for Hyde to realize that she was trying not to laugh.

...Oh God, it’s not that bad, is it?! Henry asked quietly.

Sinnett smiled and turned to his intended victim, "...Jasper?"

Jasper squeaked, clearly terrified after Hyde's dare.

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"What do you think of Rachel?"

Ah, Hyde thought, So either Rachel told everyone or it's kind of obvious when you spend enough time around them.

I haven't noticed anything.

You never leave your room.

"Oh? Rachel?" Jasper brightened at the easy question, "Well, she's nice. She's a great friend to have."

Ouch, the friend card. Never seen the guy do that before. Hyde noted. Rachel doesn’t seem too bothered at least.

Henry rolled his eyes before something suddenly occurred to him, Wait, why are you speaking to me internally now?

Hey, I'm no snitch. I'm not letting Jasper learn how Rachel feels about him.

That's... Weirdly considerate of you.

It is not! Hyde sounded rather offended, As I said, I'm just not a snitch!

Rachel beamed at the praise before turning to Lavender. "My turn next?"

At the nod, Rachel turned on Maijabi. "Maijabi. Truth or dare?"

"Truth." Maijabi was still giving Hyde the side eye.

"What did Hyde come to you for?"

"You could have asked me that." Edward grumbled.

"Firstly, you don't seem particularly honest. Secondly, you seem like the type who'll choose dare every time."

She's not wrong.

"Maijabi?"

The psychic looked at Rachel and sighed. "Edward came to me to help deal with a demonic possession. I'm afraid I couldn't help."

"Then what's with the weird animosity between you two?"

"One question per turn." Maijabi replied coolly.

"Demonic possession?" Jasper asked, "Who was possessed?"

"Me." Edward piped up cheerily, "I didn't appreciate the exorcism, by the way, that's why we don't like each other. Not that it worked but it's the thought that counts."

Hyde!

Everyone in the circle stared at him for a while.

"I said he didn't seem honest" Rachel said at last.

"I wouldn't say a psychic is particularly honest either," Luckett pointed out, "But I get what you mean. Lavender? Your turn."

"Sinnett. Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to ask Bryson about his childhood."

"But that'll take the rest of the evening!"

"Do it or you're out."

"Well I won't be able to play anymore if I have to spend the next 10 hours listening to his entire life story. Might as well leave the game a free man."

"Fine, I dare you to sit in Bird's lap without an explanation."

"...You know what. It's better than Bryson." Sinnett stood up and made his way over to the chess table.

"Wow." Hyde grinned, watching Sinnett, with no explanation, sit in Bird's lap. "You're ruthless. Why couldn't you dare me to do something?"

"It's not fun if there's no reluctance."

Sinnett was coming back now, ignoring the confused chattering behind him. He sat down and scowled at Lavender. "I'll get you back for that."

Lavender just smiled primly at him and turned back to the game, "Jasper. You're up next."

"Oh, um... Rachel, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Nice." Edward snickered.

"Um... I dare you... To... Sing?"

"Sure, what do you want me to sing?"

"I don't know. Bohemian Rhapsody?"

Hyde instantly pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened Youtube.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to play a Karaoke version of Bohemian Rhapsody for you to sing along to. I have to hear this properly."

"Hey, isn't that Henry's phone?"

"Mine now. Got it!" Hyde placed the phone on the floor, the tinny start of the song coming from the speaker, "Hit it, Rachel."

Rachel snorted at Edward's shenanigans and began to sing. She started off alright but, to Hyde's never-ending amusement, began to run out of breath the further the song went until she was taking breaks in the middle of lines to take a breath.

By the end, she looked exhausted.

"Sorry Rachel." Jasper said sheepishly.

"No, don't apologize," Edward cut in, enthusiastically, "That was great."

"Oh, thanks Edward." Rachel replied, a little surprised at the compliment.

It wasn't a complement, Henry knew. Edward just enjoyed how much trouble she had but he wasn't going to tell her and it seemed, luckily, neither would Edward.

There were approaching footsteps but, busy messing with the phone, Hyde didn't hear them coming. It wasn't until Rachel looked up and exclaimed in surprise that he turned to see who had approached.

And Hyde's blood went hot.

Standing there in a blue coat with yellow trimmings, the same coat he had been wearing when he showed up yesterday, was Robert Hastie Lanyon. He was looking at Rachel, ignoring everyone else in the circle. Completely ignoring Hyde.

"Rachel," Lanyon greeted.

There was something bitter in it. Robert didn't even spare him a glance nor a greeting, like he didn't even exist. Like he hadn't shown so much concern yesterday. Like he hadn't-

Wait, no, what was wrong with him? He shook his head vigorously to rid himself of the thoughts. It seemed he was muddling himself with Henry again, much to his annoyance. Lanyon didn't know him, it made sense that he would ignore him.

However, no matter how much he told himself this, something burned inside him at being overlooked by his – No, Henry's – friend.

"I was looking for Henry, I don't suppose you've seen him?"

"Oh, he should be in his room. He was tired."

"I already checked. He's not there."

Jasper looked up sharply at this.

"Are you sure? He might be asleep."

"He left the door unlocked."

Hyde!

It was an honest mistake!

I can't believe this. We're going to get killed by demons and it's going to be because of something stupid that you did, isn't it?

Look, I got us away from Moreau the first time, didn't I?

Rachel's eyebrows drew together in a concerned frown. "That's... Strange. I guess he went out."

"Where?"

She just shrugged in reply. Robert glanced around, a well concealed look of unease on his face that only Rachel and Henry could have recognized. And Hyde.

Then his eyes landed on the phone in Edward's lap.

"Isn't that... Jekyll's phone?"

The two of them met eyes and Lanyon pulled a face as he saw the person holding the phone.

"Might be." Edward met Lanyon's gaze. For all he tried to keep firm eye contact, something within him wavered and he was forced to look away.

What was wrong with him?

It must be his connection with Henry. It had to be.

"Lanyon," Rachel said slowly, "This is Edward Hyde. He's a friend of Jekyll's."

Robert's hard stare bore into Hyde's back. It burned but he refused to cringe away. Collecting himself, Hyde once again met Lanyon's eyes.

"Edward Hyde, huh? I've never heard of him. Why does he have Henry's phone?"

It was a cool tone of voice but something was boiling beneath the surface.

"Don't worry!" Rachel cut in quickly, sensing the tension in the air, "He'll give it back. I'll make sure he does."

"That's not what I asked. Why does he have Henry's phone? When Henry is missing, presumed out, no less? You mean to tell me that Henry left without his phone in a neighbourhood he doesn't know that well?"

"...Are you accusing Edward of something?" Rachel started but Edward, having regained his cool, was determined not to be outdone.

"Henry lent it to me for something and forgot to ask for it back before he left." Hyde glared at Robert, almost daring his friend to argue back.

For a horrible few seconds, it didn't look like Lanyon was buying it. His eyes narrowed, a hatred in those eyes that Henry just wasn't used to being directed at him.

Finally, he looked away, a haughty air about him. "Fine. Do you know where he went?"

"No."

"Rachel? I need you to give him these the next time you see him and tell him I'm looking for him."

Edward watched as Robert passed Rachel something small. As he looked closer, he was surprised to note that they were pills of some kind. Why did Lanyon want to give him pills?

Rachel seemed equally confused but she pocketed the pills without questions. "I'll do that, don't worry."

One last look was spared to Edward, a rather hateful look, then he turned and left with a smart click of the heels. He hesitated partway across the room before calling back, "Rachel, I want to speak to you later. Also, tell Edward that his lipstick is wonky."

His coat swished behind him and his disappeared.

"Well, bye then!" Sinnett called out to the disappearing Lanyon before turning to Rachel. "Who was that?"

"A friend of Jekyll's."

"...Jekyll keeps some unusual company."

"And so the pot calls the kettle black..."

Rachel was exhausted at the end of the game. Truth or dare had always been a dangerous game but, the moment Edward got involved, the intensity ramped all the way up. Jasper, luckily, had been let off easy.

To her surprise, after Lanyon had brought up the lipstick, Edward had taken out a tissue and wiped the lipstick off. She wasn't quite sure why. Edward had seemed so sure of himself, so confident and unashamed of everything he did but, the moment Lanyon had brought up that lipstick, he had removed it hastily.

When she tried to question why, he snapped at her that it was sticky and it made him uncomfortable.

In fact, he had seemed to quaver the moment he had seen Lanyon which was strange for someone he had never met before. Lanyon wasn't that scary, was he?

This didn't, however, stop him from getting wild the moment Lanyon left. Throughout the game, Hyde had:

-Eaten a dead spider he found on the floor.

-Sung Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift at the top of his lungs (She was surprised to note that there was a mild Scottish accent there that slipped out while he was singing which made her wonder if he was Scottish.)

-Made Maijabi pretend to be a cat until his turn.

-Made Rachel hug Jasper (An incident with a lot of flustered panicking from Jasper, although Rachel had went straight for it and they had both admitted it was kind of nice at the end. It also raised the question, Did Hyde know that she had a crush on Jasper?)

-Claimed that Jekyll cried during sex. Not as part of the game or anything, he just blurted it suddenly with a broad grin on his face. He wouldn't explain why he had said it or why he would think it was relevant in any way.

In the end, it took a lot of convincing and manhandling to get Hyde to go to bed. She wasn't sure where he lived so she just dragged him to Jekyll's room to sleep there. He had struggled the entire way and Lavender had, looking amused, assisted Rachel in her task. The moment they got Hyde to the sofa, the short man passed out almost immediately.

Rachel placed a blanket over him. She had noticed, while dragging Hyde up the stairs, that he was strangely cold to the touch and she couldn’t help wondering if she should get him some more hoodies.

Lavender clicked the light off and they left Hyde snuggled on the couch, quietly closing the door behind them.

"I never thought Dr Jekyll of all people would have friends like that." Lavender mentioned as the pair made their way back downstairs. "I mean, Hyde is... Well. Something. And Lanyon was rather intense."

"Lanyon's not usually like that. He just worries about Dr Jekyll." Rachel replied casually.

"It is strange isn't it? Where would Jekyll go at this time? Why isn't he back yet?"

Rachel looked over to see a worried furrow in Lavender's brow. She opened her mouth to ask what the matter was but Lavender got there first.

"I heard him screaming earlier."

Right. That.

To be perfectly honest, she had heard it too. Who wouldn’t have? It was a horrible shrieking, more like the screech of tearing metal than a human, and it had echoed through the building long after it stopped. Rachel had decided, instead of stewing in anxieties over the matter, to choose to believe that it was Jekyll and Hyde doing something together. A theory only backed up by Hyde’s presence.

Other residents had come to other conclusions from a pipe getting loudly bent that just happened to sound suspiciously like a person to Helsby’s fish tank had leaked on the electric again and the stuttering power had caused one of the alarms in the building to go off in a strange manner.

Only those closer to Jekyll’s room at the time of the noise could tell where it had truly come from.

"Oh, I heard that too." Rachel responded, ignoring a slight flutter of worry in her stomach. She considered keeping Jekyll and Hyde's relationship secret but it only took one look at Lavender's worried expression to realize that reassurances were in order. "Truth is, Jekyll and Hyde are sleeping together."

But Lavender shook her head violently, "Rachel, you know as well as I do that it wasn't that kind of noise. He's been acting strangely lately, too, and now he’s missing."

With forced positivity, Rachel chirped up reassuringly, "We can't just assume immediately that something's wrong. Let's wait until the morning and check on him then. I need to give him these anyway." She dangled the pill bottle between her fingers.

"...What are those, anyway?"

Carefully, she read the label on the bottle. "Paracetamol. Huh, I wonder why Lanyon thinks Jekyll would need that?"

Lavender pursed her lips and looked away. She appeared to be considering something.

In return, Rachel raised a curious eyebrow.

"There's... A lot of weird things going on with Dr Jekyll since he got here. I promised not to tell anyone but..."

The eyebrow was raised higher.

"Truth is, Jekyll got attacked by an animal during his first week here. The same one that attacked Jasper."

Rachel halted in her tracks and stared wide-eyed at Lavender. Wait, what?! “I haven't heard about this?!"

"Jekyll didn't want you to know about it. Ito got a couple of us to help clean up the blood but after that, Jekyll started confining himself to his room. Then, I heard he became sick at work too. And now this Lanyon is sending him Paracetamol..."

...Jekyll... had hidden this from her?

"What are you suggesting?"

"It was a lot of blood, Rachel. I may not know human injuries very well but I know enough from my veterinary work to say that an injury like that can cause problems. Infection, extreme blood loss, damage to internal organs. What if Jekyll's in the hospital right now?"

"He wouldn't-"

She was about to say he wouldn't go to the hospital with such an injury without telling her but he hadn't mentioned this injury at all to her either.

Could that be what was going on?

Sure, Hyde had seemed casual enough but she didn't know him well enough to say how good of a liar he was. He could have easily been covering for Jekyll after something went wrong with his injury.

"Well," She said at last, forcing down her nerves, "If he is in the hospital, he's in good hands." A pause. "Why wouldn't he tell me?"

"Didn't want to worry you, I suppose."

They reached the bottom of the stairs and Rachel spotted Lanyon, sat down waiting for her.

"See you tomorrow then?" Lavender said, also seeing him.

"Right. Bye, Lavender."

With that, Lavender turned and left, leaving Rachel and Lanyon alone.

There was a few moments of silence.

"I guess Henry's still not back then." Robert said, sparing a glance at the stairs.

"No."

Should she bring up the hospital theory? No, she still wasn't sure of that and she didn't want to worry him needlessly. Besides, Jekyll had wanted to keep that injury quiet. She wanted to know why before she told Lanyon anything.

"...Why did you bring him Paracetamol?" Rachel asked at last.

"He seemed ill the last time I came over. You remember how, last time I showed up, he was freezing cold?"

A nod.

"Well he's still cold. I don't know what it is but I know, somehow, Jekyll is ill. Paracetamol was all I could think of."

"Ah. Well it doesn't seem to be bothering him too much, at least."

"Yeah." Robert brightened a little at that, "At least that's a thing."

Then his face darkened again and he pressed his hands together thoughtfully.

"Rachel, who was the guy in lipstick with Jekyll's phone?"

"His name is Edward Hyde and we've been over this. He's a friend of Jekyll's. A new friend."

Robert pulled a face.

"We were playing truth or dare, that's why there was lipstick." She added.

"I've never heard of him before and, yet, Henry just lent him his phone? How close are they?"

Rachel shrugged. "They're friends. I don't really have a rating system for how close."

Robert sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, annoyed. "I mean are they close enough for Jekyll to actually lend him his phone?"

"You think Edward stole it." A responding tut.

"I just think it's unusual. Do you know the phone wasn't stolen?"

"Look, I'll make sure the phone gets back to Henry, I already promised that, right?"

"...I don't trust Edward."

"You don't trust anyone."

"He's suspicious, Rachel! Henry doesn't need these... Bad influences right now."

"Bad influences? I think you're jumping to conclusions about Edward."

"Potential phone thief."

"We don't know that for sure until we ask Henry about it."

"I get a bad feeling about him."

"You can't make assumptions on bad feelings." Rachel huffed, "I think Edward's fine. You're just jealous."

"J-jealous?! Firstly, Henry and I broke up, I don't care about his love life. Secondly, he isn't dating Edward. You said it yourself, they're just friends."

"Mhm." Rachel gave him a long look, "Is that all you wanted to say?"

"One more thing. If Jekyll starts showing any other symptoms or gets worse in any way, you'll tell me, right?"

Rachel thought again about the animal attack.

"Yes."

Click

"Maijabi speaking, what spectre, ghoul or zombie do you need help dealing with?"

...

"You're a demon expert? No, my apologies, that sounded rude. I just haven't had much luck in finding anyone so far so to have you call me up is an unexpected strike of luck. Although… It’s a shame you didn’t call earlier. Things haven’t really gone the best lately."

...

"Right, the demon. It's made its home in a friend of mine, one Dr Jekyll. He was able to resist it at first but… Truth is, I attempted an exorcism. I know it was a long shot given my limited knowledge but the situation was dire... Things went wrong and I... I haven't seen the real Dr Jekyll since. I can only fear the worst."

...

"Well, the symptoms may have changed but they were… Hang on, I have my notes.”

…

…

“Here they are! A cold temperature, hearing the demon's voice in his head, a difficulty differentiating himself from the demon, physical loss of control. After the exorcism, he also gained the ability to shapeshift, although I don’t know if that’s new or as a direct result of-"

...!

"Yes, shapeshifting. Is that unusual?"

...

"So this is an experienced demon then?"

...

"...That is strange. So this demon is either a fast learner or a very dangerous subspecies of demon?"

...

"...The more I learn about this, the more unlucky Jekyll seems…"

...

"Huh. That’s… Something. I wouldn’t really expect that. Are you sure?”

...

“Oh right, sorry. After so long of riffling through fake information I’ve learnt to take everything about demons with a pinch of salt. Does… Does that mean Jekyll could still be in there somewhere?”

...

"Oh thank the afterlife, I had almost given up hope. I can't thank you enough for this, truly. I assume you’ll be in touch?"

…

"Thank you and goodbye for now."

Click.

End of call.

Chapter Text

The sliver of light between the curtains of the rising sun landed directly on Edward’s eyes and ended up being what woke him on that sunny morning.

He blinked, squinting against the light as he slowly began to settle his mind back into place from whatever dream he had been having, the dream in question already quickly fading from his memory.

Lazily, he raised a hand to the light and looked at it. The pale, thin fingers of Hyde hung in the air.

So... We didn't change back this time. Edward said internally, too lethargic to speak aloud.

Seems not. I'm not exactly looking forward to doing that later.

Well, you have today off so we don't need to switch back in a hurry.

His arm dropped heavily back onto the sofa and, through slitted eyes, he stared up at the ceiling.

But Lanyon's looking for me.

He can wait one more day. I haven't gotten drunk yet.

I'm going to be hungover at work tomorrow, aren't I?

The lack of response was telling as Edward rolled himself off the sofa. He hit the floor with a heavy thud, knocking the wind out of him but clearing the rest of the fog from his mind.

To his surprise, there was a clear crunching noise as his body hit the floor and, between his fingers, he felt bits of something hard and smooth.

He sat up and looked down.

Still scattered in the carpet were the green ice drops from the transformation the day prior. From between the carpet fibres, he plucked one of them and held it up to the light.

It was cold to the touch like ice should be and the light was refracted through it, casting different shades of green on the floor. However, it didn't seem to be melting in Edward's hands.

He didn't know whether that was because his own body temperature was so cold or if the strange ice just didn't thaw easily.

Henry, ever the scientist, perked up in curiosity.

What is that stuff?

Edward didn't reply for a moment. "Demon sweat?"

Can I ask a favour of you? Can you put that under the microscope I have there?

Although he grumbled, Hyde did as he was told. Truth be told, he was just as curious as Jekyll was.

The tiny gemstone sparkled on the slide he had placed it on and he adjusted the stage, squinting through the lens until it came into focus. With the ease of one who had done this plenty of times before, or, at least, had the memories of such a person, he began to increase the magnification, subtly adjusting the stage each time to see it better.

Finally, he reached the maximum magnification that his simple microscope could do. The 3D structure of the gem made it difficult to see a lot and he scowled at it, the fractured light hitting his eye painfully through the lens.

We need to melt it so we can spread it out thinly. Said Jekyll, matter-of-factly.

"I know how to use a microscope." Hyde rolled his eyes, "How?"

Can't you change your temperature?

"No."

A wave of confusion from Henry. But you've done it before. I felt it.

Secretly, Edward didn't know how he had done that but he wasn't going to tell Henry that so he just crossed his arms and looked away. Besides, the cold was far superior. Why warm things up when one could freeze them instead?

At that moment Zosi padded up and stuck out his tongue, tail wagging. The little dog sat there as though Hyde were his owner, waiting to be petted.

Edward huffed at it.

"Why does your dog like me now?"

It was rather off-putting. So far, Zosi had been frightened by his mere presence but now it seemed to Edward that Zosi couldn’t even tell the difference between Jekyll and Hyde. He couldn’t be certain what had changed but something was different and, even if he wouldn’t admit it, it creeped him out.

Oh well, at least Maijabi seemed to have replaced Zosi as the easily scareable victim.

Jekyll didn't answer. Instead, he was deep in thought.

I suppose it's too much to hope that Zosi's body temperature could melt the ice?

Edward frowned at the crystal for a second, contemplating Jekyll’s words. Then, he moved it towards the dog.

There was a yell from Henry, stopping him.

Hyde glowered. "Do you want to melt the ice or not?"

We don't know what that stuff is and what it might do to living matter. I don't want to hurt Zosi.

Zosi sat down and, tongue out, cocked his head to one side. Hyde drew his hand back, unwillingly finding himself staring at the dog. It was… Admittedly sort of cute.

But that was, of course, just Jekyll’s emotions influencing him – the great Edward Hyde was a demon of the highest calibre, a creature of wickedness and cold-heartedness, he would never find any animal “Cute”.

That was the reason he felt warm on the inside at that moment. Jekyll’s emotions. No other reason.

Something wet dripped between his fingers.

Quick, the slide!

Without thinking, Edward quickly smeared the newly liquid crystal on his fingers onto the slide and applied a cover.

See, I told you that you can change your temperature.

Hyde didn't grace that with an answer. Instead, he placed the new liquefied slide beneath the scope and readjusted.

They hadn’t dyed it in any way but Henry hoped to see something. It was already bright green, after all. Maybe that would do just fine as the dye.

To his surprise, he did see something. Something familiar actually.

And very, very alarming.

"That's... Weird."

I don't like the look of that considering it came out of me.

It was a rather familiar shape he was looking at, although just different enough that one could argue it was something else. However, he could quite clearly identify some little wiggly lines here and there. One part with a little more wiggly lines around something, one longer line with more branching paths at the end. It was something that looked a little like an axon and dendrites. Potentially even a nucleus.

Like a neuron – a brain cell.

That better not be liquefied brain.

Between their shared knowledge, neither of them were a neuroscientist. At best, Henry knew the structure of a neuron from A Level Biology at college, something he hadn't taken in years. In university, his speciality had been Chemistry so hadn't seen a diagram of a neuron since.

He barely even remembered how they worked.

"I don't think you can liquefy a brain. Besides," Hyde began to count off reasons on his fingers, "Neurons aren't green, I don't think they can be seen under a microscope without using dye first and I don't think brains crystallize. Oh, and they don't leak out of skin pores like the world’s grossest sweating problem."

There were about fifty different trains of thought going off in Henry's head at once as he went through every theory he could think of. Conclusions ranged from "Hyde's presence was starting to cause those mutations that Moreau brought up, turning his sweat into green grey matter" to, "the shrinking body mass during the transformation caused his brains to be squeezed like a lemon out of his constricting skull."

As a chemist, he tripped up at every conceivable point, the holes in his knowledge making it painfully difficult to say what was and wasn't possible. If he knew neurology or biology, he could have done better but all he could really say was it probably had chemicals in it and it looked enough like a neuron to assume it also functioned somewhat like a neuron.

At long last, he settled on: That's gross.

"What a stunning conclusion from the knowledgable scientist."

I don't know brain stuff, I know chemical compounds.

Edward leaned back in the chair, the remaining liquid on his fingers turning back into ice. Casually, he broke it off and let it fall on the floor. Zosi sniffed at it curiously.

We should clean that stuff up. If it is bad for other organisms then I don't want a ton of the stuff just in the carpet.

"Zosi seems to be doing fine."

Right but leaving it there for days on end? It could be radioactive or poisonous. What if Zosi eats some of it?

With a groan, Edward set to work.

Obviously, they didn't get rid of any of the crystals – Henry was too keen to look closer at them later to even think about throwing them out.

Instead, Edward took care to collect up them all and, uncertain where to put them, found a mug that Jekyll never used and dumped them all in it before putting it with the rest of the mugs in the kitchen cupboard above the counter.

If that's not going to cause problems later, I don't know what will. Can't you at least separate it from the rest of the mugs?

"We don't use that one anyway and I can't be bothered. I'm tired and I want to have fun. You can deal with it later."

Christ, Moreau doesn't even need to kill us with you about.

"Tsk, tsk, Henry. Using the lord's name in vain? No wonder you're demonically possessed."

Jekyll scowled at him.

Just then, there was a knock at the door and, cheerily and deliberately ignoring the mug filled with potentially deadly crystals, Edward answered it.

Rachel was clearly surprised to see him there.

"Oh, hi Edward, is Henry in?" She asked casually, trying to peer past him into the apartment, clearly looking for the doctor.

"No, he went out."

To Hyde’s bewilderment, Rachel looked a little nervous at those words. He wondered what the matter was.

"Do you know where?"

Edward cocked his head curiously. "No. What do you want him for?"

A small pill bottle was pulled from her skirt pocket and held out for him to see. Light filtered through the transparent bottle, highlighting the small white pills inside, and Edward frowned. He still didn't know what was in that bottle.

"Just leave it. Jekyll can collect it later."

"Well... I wanted to talk with him as well."

"I can pass him a message."

"Face to face."

Edward crossed his arms grouchily. Why wasn't he good enough? Anything she told Jekyll, she would be telling him anyway.

Quickly, he shook off this thought. Rachel didn't know this, her response was perfectly reasonable.

Yeesh, what had gotten into him? He wasn't seriously getting jealous of Henry, was he?

"I see those weird crystals are gone." She noted, startling him out of his musings and causing Edward to stiffen.

"How do you know about-? I mean, what crystals?"

Jekyll mentally facepalmed and Edward internally scowled at him, almost daring him to say something. The doctor wisely chose to keep quiet.

"Who do you think took you here last night?"

"I don't remember that."

"You were absolutely exhausted, I'm not surprised."

At that, he bristled. "I am the spirit of London at night, I do not get exhausted!"

"We're not in London."

Hyde opened his mouth to protest that he used to live in London but, as he considered it, that didn't change the fact that he wasn't in London anymore.

Instead, he moved back to the crystals. "Jekyll cleaned them up. It was some experiment gone wrong, you know how mad scientists are. Although, you should have seen the crystal goo monster that came out of it. Hoo boy." He whistled and Rachel laughed.

"Well, it's more likely than you being possessed by a demon."

"I am the demon. Do you want to come in?"

Rachel hesitated.

"It's Jekyll's room, are you allowed-?"

Hyde dangled Jekyll's keys before her, "I have permission."

After considering those keys for a moment, Rachel shrugged and entered, plopping herself down on the sofa and turning to Hyde.

"I'm still curious about you and Maijabi. Do you really believe in that kind of stuff?"

"Ghosts?" Well, he had never seen a ghost before but... "Yeah. If demons exist, why not ghosts?"

There was a long pause, matched only by the long look Rachel was giving him.

"...So... Why get an exorcism from Maijabi? He doesn't even do demons and, well... You seem like you like demons. Why would you want to get rid of one?"

"First of all, I didn't get an exorcism from Maijabi, the guy who owned this body originally did."

I'm still here and please shut up, what if Rachel believes you?

"She won't, and, secondly the original guy was desperate. He was going to get that exorcism no matter what. Didn't like me much."

"...Is this a joke or should I be concerned about your mental health?"

"I'm not a snitch, figure it out yourself."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Do you know if Jekyll will be getting back soon?"

"Not until late, I should think."

"I see." With that, Rachel stood up and dusted herself off, "In that case, do you want to come out for lunch with me?"

"Huh?"

"Well, we've barely talked and, if you're a friend of Jekyll's then it makes sense that I should become your friend as well. Or at least get to know you."

"Ah, scoping out the boyfriend to see if he's good enough for your friend." He nodded sagely.

"Hey, that's not what this is!"

Edward snorted, getting up himself, "Oh Rachel, I'm not offended. It’s a perfectly reasonable reaction to your friend’s new boyfriend. Let's go."

Just as they swept out the door, Edward hesitated for a second, spotting something out of the corner of his vision. He considered it for a second then, making up his mind, collected it up and jogged to catch up with Rachel.

Rachel was getting a rather strange feeling of Deja Vu.

There she was, sat in the same cafe that she usually went to with Henry, watching with a mixture of fascination and disgust as Hyde all but decimated his meal.

Hyde had ordered a rather ghastly amount of food, almost as big as he was, and was devouring it with the savagery of a wild animal, leaving her to wonder how hungry Hyde must have been up until this point. She also couldn’t help but notice that he was still wearing the clothes that she had given him. If he didn't even have his own clothes, she worried that he might not have the money to feed himself either.

Yet, despite that, Hyde had insisted on being the one to pay. Taking in his ragged and starved appearance, she was already more than prepared to pay for him. Her purse was already in hand.

The scene before her, she thought, was oddly reminiscent of the last time she had taken Jekyll out for lunch. The specific one where he had been acting incredibly strangely.

It was a rather unnerving reminder that Jekyll was currently missing and possibly injured.

Hyde, cheeks full to brimming with food, looked up at her and frowned.

"You know, if I didn't know you, I would say you look worried." Came the muffled observation around his mouthful of food.

"You don't know me."

"Then I would say you look worried." He swallowed, "What's gotten you of all people in a twist?"

"...Where is Henry exactly?"

"I don't know, he didn't tell me where he was going." There was a long, examining look from Hyde. Then, "Is that what you're so worried about?"

Even without an answer, the moment of silence after he asked was all Hyde needed. It hung in the air for a while as Hyde considered the food on his plate, torn between listening respectfully like a good friend and stuffing his face as though there was no tomorrow.

"Did Jekyll ever mention an injury to you?" She asked at last.

A surprised look. His eyes drifted to the side, away from the food, as he thought hard.

Then, with sudden enthusiasm, he burst out, "Oh right! I completely forgot about that! The animal injury? Oh, shut up, she clearly already knows."

Rachel chose to strategically ignore Hyde speaking to thin air at the end there. "He told you about it?"

"I was there. I was the one who saved him." Edward puffed up with a smug expression.

Ok, she hadn't expected that. Was that how they had met?

It all sounded rather romantic: Edward stepping between Jekyll and an angry wolf to protect him, risking his own life in the process.

Had he fought the creature back or had he swept in and carried off the unconscious Jekyll in his arms, a snapping monster at their heels? Either way, it was no wonder that Jekyll had fallen head over heels for him.

If only she could do the same for Jasper. Jasper, however, had fared just fine alone against that creature.

She shook her head. This was getting off track.

Henry's romantic life came second, injury first.

"He didn't tell me about it."

"Of course not. You would freak out if you knew he was injured. In fact, I get the suspicious feeling that you are already."

"How bad was it?"

"Survivable."

Bad response. Not good sounding at all. She didn’t like that response one little bit.

"Edward." She lowered her voice and leaned forward, looking him directly in the eye. "Is... Is there any chance he's in the hospital right now? Because of that injury?"

Edward blinked, thrown off guard by the question and, for a few seconds, he just stared at her, wide eyed.

Then, slowly, bit by bit, his face cracked into a broad grin. His shoulders began to shake with mirth and, with a harsh cackle, he began to laugh. It was a loud, high sound like nails down a chalk board, one that drew the attention of everyone in the cafe. Rachel felt her face go red, both at the mockery and the amount of people who were now staring at the pair of them.

"It's a serious question!"

"Rachel, that injury was ages ago. Physically, he's fine." Hyde took a swig of his drink, his eyes fixed on her and one eyebrow cocked.

No matter how hard she tried, however, Rachel couldn't keep the concern off her face. Edward rolled his eyes and it became clear that he had noticed.

Finishing his drink, Hyde produced something from... Somewhere.

Actually, she was suddenly very confused on where he had been keeping it the entire time.

The object in question was slammed on the table in a heavy thud that caused the dishes to rattle. Yellowing pages fluttered from the edges and corners while the battered cover, pinned beneath Hyde’s hand, looked just about ready to crumble into dust at any moment.

"How about, instead of fretting over stupid things, I tell you about ghosts?"

Rachel just sat there for a long time, staring, dumbfounded at the unexpected change in subject and the surprising book that Hyde had seemingly pulled from nowhere.

"Wha- Ghosts?!"

"Heck yeah. I got this from Maijabi! Look, he's even written some stuff in there himself."

Hyde thumbed through the pages until he came across one particular entry. Rachel peered at it. Sure enough, Maijabi had signed his name at the bottom and it looked newer than some of the more other papers in there.

"Vengeful spirits." She read aloud.

Edward peeped at it. "To be perfectly honest, I haven't read this one before. Is it interesting? It sounds interesting"

"Uh... I don't know what an emotional spirit is."

"Common spirits are basically the classic dead kind. An emotional spirit comes from someone who's still alive."

"How does that-? You know what? Never mind."

"How dangerous are they?" Hyde was trying to read the book but, since it was facing Rachel, he was trying to read it upside down and failing miserably.

She summarised, "When a spirit becomes too emotional, they can become blinded by that emotion until they lash out irrationally."

"Do they get any cool powers?"

"Uh..." Her eyes skimmed through.

Vengeful spirits

A vengeful spirit isn't a subspecies of spirit on its own but, rather, a condition that spirits are susceptible of (Also known as corruption, enragement or spirit rot). It's believed that, without the physical mind and body, spirits are more likely to become blinded by emotions, causing them to react irrationally, losing sight of who they were in the process. Although spirits of the murdered are classically the more likely to become corrupted, other emotions can play a part. This makes emotional spirits surprisingly high risk for this condition. Vengeful spirits tend to be stronger than most spirits which had sprouted many theories that spirits are, in fact, powered by emotions or feed off of emotions in some manner. It’s uncertain whether those emotions need to be negative or whether positive emotions work just as well.

A vengeful spirit can be cured of this condition simply by calming the spirit in question. Unfortunately, most frequently, it's impossible to get through to them and it may be necessary to send them back to the other side. (See page 157 for more information)

"Doesn't say. Why do you have this?" Just then, a memory came back to her. Specifically, seeing Jekyll leaving Maijabi's room holding a book. This book. "This is Jekyll's, isn't it?"

"Well technically it's Maijabi's."

"No, I mean, Jekyll borrowed this from Maijabi first. He still has this?"

"Well Jekyll and Maijabi haven't been a tad at each others’ throats lately so there hasn't been much chance to hand this back."

...At each others’ throats?

She hadn’t noticed this but, thinking back on it, she didn’t remember the last time she had seen the pair of them talk to each other. Barely anyone hated Jekyll, though, how did he possibly get into a fight with Maijabi?

"Why?"

"I got involved."

"...And you and Maijabi are at each other's throats because of the exorcism." She concluded.

"Precisely." Edward finished smugly.

With that, Hyde began to show her other pages on Emotional and Common spirits. It only occurred to her later that, distracted by the completely absurd topic of spirits and demons, she had completely forgotten about Jekyll.

In hindsight, that had probably been Edward's plan the entire time.

Edward was still in a cheery mood as he hopped up the stairs. Rachel followed behind, a small amused smile on her face at Edward's antics.

"We should do this again sometime." Rachel said conversationally as Hyde attempted to leap up three stairs at once and nearly tripped in doing so. "Maybe with Jekyll here."

Edward rolled his eyes with a reluctant, "Sure."

Once again, he tried to leap up three stairs at once. This time, he really did trip, falling head over heels. Instead of hitting the floor, however, his head struck something softer and warmer, stopping his fall.

The something shifted and a pair of arms lifted him to his feet.

"I meant to do that." Edward muttered, almost on instinct, still recovering from the tumble. Dizzily, he rebalanced himself and looked up at the person he had crashed into.

He froze.

"That seems... Unlikely." The person he had fallen into said slowly, eyeing him up and down. Rachel sprinted up the next few steps and quickly apologized to the person for Hyde's clumsiness.

Edward would have gotten annoyed at the insinuation that he was clumsy but he was too busy glaring down the person he had found himself with.

"Maijabi." Edward almost growled.

Maijabi's returning glare was just as harsh. Although, Henry noted curiously, laced with some other, softer expression that he couldn’t quite identify.

"Edward." He greeted back, stiffly. Then, Maijabi turned to Rachel with a little welcoming bob of his head, "Rachel."

Edward sniffed haughtily, "Well, we have places to be. Let's go, Rachel."

Determined, he grabbed Rachel's hand to pull her up the stairs and away from Maijabi but a call behind him made him turn back on instinct.

"Actually, Edward, I was looking for you. I need to speak to you. Alone."

"You lost your chance." Again, he turned to leave.

"...If what you said last time we spoke was the truth, I might have some information that can help you."

Hyde stopped, mid-step. Then, slowly this time, he turned back to Maijabi. "What information?"

Maijabi was looking at Rachel when he replied, "We need to speak about this alone, Edward."

Rachel glanced at Hyde and, clearly spotting the reluctance on Hyde's face, intervened. "Edward doesn't need to do anything he doesn't want to. Besides, we were just going to Henry's room, weren't we, Edward?"

Hyde stared down Maijabi for several more seconds.

Inside him, he was roiling with mistrust and hatred but… Information? What information? Why would Maijabi, who hated him and probably wanted him dead, go out of his way to give Hyde information on something?

"Alright, Maijabi,” He said at last, curiosity winning out, “but no funny business. Rachel will be waiting just outside for me."

Rachel made that look of 'I didn't technically agree and I would have preferred that you ask to this but I'm going to do it anyway'.

"Don't worry, I'm not planning anything."

"I'll believe that when I see it."

Maijabi led Hyde into his apartment while Rachel waited outside. The door was closed behind them.

As Edward stepped inside, he noticed with curiosity that his reflection in the mirrors was taller than he was. It was obscured in the gloom but he could make out shorter, darker hair and the glint of eyes that could have been a shade of maroon.

Although Hyde ignored this, Maijabi stopped for a second to stare.

His single showing eye was large, the whites clearly visible in the darkness. There was a slight bob from his Adam’s apple as he swallowed hard.

Then, without a word, he turned and continued, keeping his eyes now fixed on the floor and away from the mirrors.

Maijabi led Edward to some chairs and allowed the demon to sit.

Hyde sat down heavily and crossed his arms, glowering at the psychic who hobbled right past the chairs, taking out teacups with a homely clatter. The illusion of homeliness, however, was broken by the way that Maijabi’s hands shook slightly as he worked, rattling the cups and, satisfyingly, betraying his true emotions.

Hyde inhaled deeply, fancying that he could even scent the fear in the air.

"I don't know if you and Jekyll have the same tastes," Maijabi said, trying to sound casual but coming out a little strained, "So I have to ask what you would like to drink."

"Do you have anything fizzy? Or an energy drink?"

"I have Sprite."

"Great. Dump some sugar cubes in that. Oh, and honey if you have it. Then microwave it until it's hot."

"Uh..." Maijabi made as if to protest but then, with a shake of his head, seemed to decide otherwise and began to pour out the odd drink, heating up the kettle. As the mug of Sprite went in the microwave, he turned to Hyde.

"I've had time to think things through." He started, not meeting Hyde's eyes, "And... I've spoken to some of my associates. I've... Decided to give you the benefit of the doubt."

Hyde raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going to accept, against my better judgement, that you might have made a deal with Henry. Not that I agree with making deals with demons and I’m quite certain that you must have some other nefarious plan but..." A deep exhale."I thought Henry might want to know more. About his situation."

Henry's heart lifted at Maijabi's words. Hyde, however, squinted at him.

"Sorry but that's awfully convenient," Edward spoke harshly, almost spitting the words, "So you promise that you'll do anything to stop me and then you 'just happen' to change your mind and trust me? Do you seriously think I've forgotten that bloody exorcism, Maijabi? The trickery you committed to do so?"

"I know how this must sound-"

"No. No and no. A thousand times, no."

"I've been speaking to someone and-"

"Not in a million years or a million more." For good measure, Edward stuck out his tongue at the psychic. "What was the phrasing you used? 'I refuse to listen to you and I refuse to be tricked by you? You and your lies are not welcome here?'"

"Can't I at least tell you what I've learnt?"

"As a deceiver myself, I know the old 'Foot in the door' trick. Work your way up to my trust through a couple of little truths? Well I'm not so easy to fool. I'm leaving."

"Edward, please. This is important! I think you might be in danger!"

Edward, however, was already on his feet and striding for the door. He spun on his heel and, with a theatrical flourish, "I believe Rachel is waiting for me. I bid you adieu."

As he put his hand on the door handle, he hesitated for a second then called over his shoulder, "By the way, tell me how that Sprite tasted later. I'm awfully curious."

With that, he was gone.

Jekyll's notes – Weird fluid?

Shifting forms between myself and Hyde appears to have caused a strange fluid to be excreted (or secreted?) from the skin pores.

At first, I thought it was the process of changing itself that produced it but, on second thought, I don't recall there being any such fluid in Maijabi's room the first time I changed. Moreover, when I changed back, there was no such liquid that I could see. This leads me to believe it wasn't the transformation itself that caused the liquid to be produced but something else.

Of course, more testing will be required to discern where this fluid came from. I also can't help but wonder if there are any uses of this fluid. After all, why would it be produced if there was not a purpose for it? This would be much easier to discern if I knew a lot about biology and, not for the first time, I wish I could ask Maijabi about this.

Can I produce it on command and, better yet, will this help me against the other demons in any way?

Chapter Text

Rachel was on edge as she waited.

It was rather early in the morning and she was on the landing outside of Jekyll’s room, leaning against a wall with her arms crossed. The sun was in the sky, the rays of light playing on the floor at her feet, spilling from the window.

From below and above her, she could hear the more early rising residents begin their daily routines. The sounds of Jasper being rudely awoken by his pet sheep eating his clothes, the sounds of Pennebrygg clanking away on some new creation of his, the sounds of Griffin banging on the wall to yell at Pennebrygg to shut up because he was trying to sleep.

The deeper sleepers, those used to the noises by now, were still snoring away. Jekyll wasn’t usually one of these, especially with his pre-existing habit of waking at stupid-o-clock in the morning even on weekends. The fact that he was new to the building certainly wouldn’t help.

She didn't want to believe that there was something wrong with Jekyll. She especially didn't want to believe the silly rumours rapidly swimming about the building like a school of hyperactive caffeinated fish that Hyde had murdered him.

On the other hand, he hadn't been seen by anyone besides Hyde in two whole days. Even for his recent strange behaviour, that was concerning.

Dr Jekyll wasn't one to miss work – his workaholic tendencies were just one of his bad habits that he almost never kicked. Therefore, if Jekyll didn't go to work that morning she would know for certain that something was wrong.

With the timing, however, he should come out soon. Then she could give him the pill bottle and call Lanyon to ease his fears and she could laugh at herself for listening to silly rumours for even a second.

Nervously, she glanced at her watch.

Despite all her self-reassuring, by Jekyll's standards he was already late. Of course, this just meant he wasn't stupidly early but, still. For him, this was worth a bit of worry.

Maybe she should knock? He could have overslept.

Another glance at her watch. It was on time, right? The clocks hadn't gone back recently and it certainly wasn't broken. She pulled out her phone and checked the time on that.

Yep, her watch was on time even if Jekyll wasn't.

The phone was slipped back into her pocket and she looked again at the door.

Alright. If this was how he was going to play it...

Determinedly, she marched up to the door and knocked.

No response.

Another knock. Louder.

Silence.

Her chest tightened and, with a stomach full of butterflies, she pressed an ear to the door, listening for any sign of life on the other side.

For a moment, all she heard was her own quickening heart rate.

Then, she thought she heard something.

It was too soft to tell if it had really come from Jekyll's room, or if it had happened at all, but she strained harder to hear anyway.

Her efforts were unpleasantly rewarded, the noise came again and she heard it properly this time. Hearing it drew cold claws up her spine, making her stiffen.

It was best described as a whimpering noise, something pained and unnervingly human like one trying not to cry out. Following it was a gagging and choking.

Something scrabbled against the floor. Nails against carpet, she thought.

Was Dr Jekyll ok in there? Maybe she should call a hospital.

"Dr Jekyll?" She called tentatively through the door. Her own voice was so loud compared to the little scrapes and sounds from the other side. It reminded her that the noises might not be coming from Jekyll's room at all but, perhaps, somewhere else in the building.

Well, she had to hope because those noises were horrible to listen to and she didn't want to believe that Henry was undergoing something terrible on the other side of that door without her knowing.

More scratching noises but no proper vocal response. There was a noise that could have been either a floorboard creaking or a strangled croak and, then, all the little noises went deathly silent.

She strained her ears harder.

In the quiet, she could clearly hear her own breathing and the Thud. Thud. Thud. of her heart against her ribcage.

Was that a scuffling noise in there? Footsteps perhaps?

Her ear was pressed even harder to the door as though it would somehow allow her to hear more. The position was uncomfortable but she wasn’t giving that much thought at that moment. All the while, her heartbeat continued, loud in her ears, drowing out any other noise that she could have heard through the door.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

She cursed it for being so noisy, shifting to a different position in a feeble attempt to hear above the sound of her heart.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud-

Just then, the door swung open and Rachel only just managed to jump out of the way, narrowly avoiding a door to the face.

From the now open door, Jekyll stared at her with wide, surprised eyes.

"Sorry Rachel, I didn't realize you were there."

Rachel took in Dr Jekyll's appearance, looking for any signs of illness or the secret injury of his. His hair, although short enough to usually avoid tangles and knots, was an absolute mess, and his clothes looked more like he had fallen into them rather than being worn. There was also an unhealthy paleness to his cheeks but that was nothing new.

Nothing else was particularly amiss.

"Where were you?" Rachel huffed, adjusting her skirts, "I knocked at least twice and called through the door."

Henry seemed genuinely surprised at that, rubbing his eyes. Flakes of something fell out of them. She assumed it was that weird stuff that people got in their eyes when they woke up in the morning, although she could have sworn it looked greener and flakier than usual.

"I... Didn't hear you. Guess I was sleeping too deeply."

Rachel jokingly glowered at him for several more seconds, arms crossed. Then, her face softened and she asked the question that had been eating at her for a while. "Where have you been the last two days? There was a rumour going around that you were dead."

"I went out. Wait- What do you mean 'There was a rumour that I was dead'?!"

"In all fairness, rumours around here get pretty crazy. There's a rumour going around that Griffin is on the run from the government. Oh and don't even get me started on the mermaid conspiracy!"

"...I... I'm going to want to know more about that one later." Henry closed the door behind him, "At the moment, though, I'm late for work."

"You're on time, actually."

"There's nothing wrong with being prepared for delays. Just because you play timing riskily doesn't mean I will."

Rachel opened her mouth to protest but then decided against it. There were more important things to talk about than Jekyll’s bad habits. "Lanyon was worried about you as well."

"Please tell me you didn't tell him I was dead."

"I didn't but he caught Hyde with your phone and he got suspicious."

Jekyll sighed long and hard. Not surprised, just resigned.

"Well, if you want to reassure him..." She smiled slyly at him prompting a suspicious cock of the eyebrow from Jekyll. "What if you two go out to lunch next Saturday?"

"...What are you up to this time?"

Rachel threw up her hands in surrender. "Nothing! It's just that Lanyon seems a little jealous of Hyde and – maybe – you should give some attention to the other guy in your life..?"

A strangled choke came from Henry, spluttering indignantly for a few moments before he recovered enough to speak. "Lanyon and I are just friends, I'm not going out on a date with him for... Whatever you're suggesting!"

"I'm kidding. Although, it would be nice if we all went out somewhere. The three of us, I mean. Lanyon and I have barely seen you in weeks and it would be nice."

For a thoughtful second, he looked at her, studying her expression. His eyes drifted to the side, and, for an amusing moment, the expression on his face made it look like he was listening to something. Possibly the distant yelling from Griffin, she assumed. It was quite loud.

Then, he straightened with a smile. "Sure, I don't think I have any arrangements that day."

"Great! I really miss those old days when we all used to do things together. You know, before I became the unfortunate third wheel and had to watch the pair of you making lovey-dovey faces at each other all evening."

Jekyll snorted, "Well, if you and Jasper become a thing, I can find out what that's like. Where are you thinking of going? Lunch again?"

"Well... We should vary it up a little. There's this arcade that I've wanted to go to for a while."

"An arcade? I haven't seen that."

"Oh, it's not in this town but it's in the next town over. It's not far, you just need to catch the bus."

Jekyll opened his mouth to ask more but, at that moment, she saw his eyes catch on his own watch and he stiffened as he remembered how "late" he was.

"I have to go. Text me the details later!"

"You're not allowed to call it off this time!"

Henry was already halfway to the stairs and, as he descended, he called over his shoulder, "Better make sure Robert's on board before you accuse me of calling it off!"

Then he disappeared around a corner.

To Jekyll's surprise, Moreau didn't do much over the next few days. There were no more attempts to get him alone and even the rats seemed to have backed off for the time being. Work was the usual, devoid of weird scuttling in the corner of his vision or suspicious requests to go alone to the old storage room.

For all he wanted to be relieved of the change, he couldn’t stop the crawling sensation up his spine.

He wanted to believe that Moreau had given up, left him alone and would never bother him again, but, every time he recalled the expression on Moreau's face when he found out that Henry was still alive, he couldn't imagine him giving up for even a second. Moreau was a scientist and he had found something that, according to all his research, shouldn’t exist, there was no way he was letting it go.

No, it was far more likely that he had a plan. The question was, what was he planning?

Ito had similarly noticed it. At one point, she drew him to one side to pointedly and quietly emphasise that he should not, at any cost, let his guard down.

Even without knowing everything, it seemed she could still tell that something was off. It made him wonder what sort of experiences she had had with Moreau in the past. Maybe she knew more than she let on. Maybe she was even keeping quiet because she thought he wouldn’t believe her.

Jekyll couldn't help a small stray thought that maybe he could tell Ito the entire truth.

But no. There was only so far that trust of hers could go and he didn't want to test that.

Besides, even if she did believe him, who would trust a guy possessed by a demon? It had certainly screwed with his relationship with Maijabi. No, better to keep things as they were: she clearly knew enough about the situation to keep herself safe and, beyond that, there was no need to risk messing things up between them by telling her.

In light of Moreau’s new distant behaviour, it became somewhat of an uneventful week.

The biggest highlights were a couple of incidents involving Jekyll's raised paranoia, a few moments of Hyde pestering him to transform at inopportune times, and someone spilling chemicals on the Bunsen burner, setting the table on fire.

The fire was interesting, sure, but Jekyll was possessed by a demon. Work slip-ups were no longer quite as special by comparison. Life went on.

It wasn't until Friday that things took a turn. Like usual, Jekyll left on time, taking deliberate care not to stay late.

For the past few days Ito had taken to walking with him back home. They did, after all, live in the same building so it wouldn't be much trouble for either of them and, even without the threat of Moreau hanging over Jekyll's head, it was pleasant to chat away idly to Ito for the simple matter of company.

This time, however, she had to stay behind after the usual hours to finish up some work she was late on. Work that she was late on, Jekyll feared, due to her leaving early with him so frequently.

After a bit of fretting over the issue, they had both agreed that Moreau wouldn't try to do anything in public so it should be safe enough for Jekyll to walk home alone. Of course, Ito had made a point of stressing that he was, under no circumstance, to stray off the public path. No wandering down darkened alleyways or taking the scenic route around, he was to take the quickest and most populated route home.

Jekyll wasn’t willing to let Ito risk her job because of him and his paranoia so, on that particular day, Henry found himself alone with Hyde on the way back. In all fairness, Hyde, the living embodiment of a radio on maximum volume with a broken off switch, made more than enough chatter for two people by himself.

You know, Moreau could be spying on us right at this moment.

The statement was more of a spiteful prod than anything else. Henry wasn't quite sure why Edward still did this kind of thing even after they had agreed to work together but the demon seemed to enjoy tormenting Henry just for the hell of it.

Isn't this just the kind of situation he would have been waiting for? Why wouldn't he take that chance?

Jekyll looked at the people passing around him to reassure himself that he was safe. It was too busy around here, Moreau wouldn't dare.

But there's so few of them. What if you turned a corner and there was just no-one there? You were just alone?

That doesn't mean someone won't turn that same corner and see me being attacked. Shut up.

He quickened his step and Jekyll cursed himself for listening to Hyde. A couple of people glanced at him, surprised at the sudden increase of speed but he ignored them.

Ah, but what is one person to a demon? What's stopping them from offing witnesses? So long as there's few enough witnesses...

Just. Shut up, Hyde. Shut up.

A moment of quiet. His shoes clicked and clacked against the ground.

We don't know what abilities other demons have, who's to say they can't make themselves invisible?

For the last time, shut-

Henry turned a corner and faltered mid-thought.

Before him was a quieter section of street, devoid of people. The only sign of human presence being a single car parked on the curb and a crisp packet lying on the floor just inches from the bin.

As the wind blew through, the crisp packet was caught in the gust and dragged along the floor with a faint, high scriiiitch of the packet’s corners against the tarmac.

See? Edward crowed. What now, smart guy?

It doesn't matter. Henry muttered, just as much to shoot down Hyde as to reassure himself, There's enough houses about the place. If someone looked out of their window, they would see anything that happened to me.

He began to walk again.

It wasn't like London where you could guarantee that there would be at least one person around every corner. Even in the less busy parts of the city, you could find a man leant against a tree, a cigarette between his fingers and a coil of smoke rising from his lips, or a rather lost looking mother with three noisy kids and one baby in a pram, all arguing noisily.

Of course, that wasn’t always reassuring depending on where you were but, at that moment in time, he would have been fine with it. This town was quiet in a way he just wasn’t used to. Unnervingly so.

Against his pride, he found himself looking about for any glimpses of rats or, worse, any other animal that could be working for Moreau.

As he glanced up, he felt his heart flutter just a bit when he saw several crows perched on the roof of a building. They were watching him closely, heads cocked and small, beady eyes glinting with dangerous intelligence. The bodies were packed so closely together that they almost looked like a single, oddly proportioned monster, covered in staring eyes, all fixed on him.

One cawed.

Feeling like a coward, he lowered his head and sped up.

There was a knife tucked in his shoe. A small, silver kitchen knife with a plastic black handle, tucked in his shoe, hidden beneath his trouser leg and wrapped in bubble-wrap as a makeshift sheath. Hyde had slipped it there the first time he had taken full control of Jekyll's body and, although Jekyll had taken it out once he regained control, he had put it back after things started to get more serious.

At that moment, he was strongly aware of that knife, the puffy feel of the wrapping against his skin, the slightly rougher handle, and exactly how difficult it would be to knife a bird flying at him at top speed.

He just needed to get somewhere busier, that was all. Nothing would happen if he got somewhere busier.

His footsteps quickened, faster and faster and faster. Soon, he was almost running, head down and heart in his throat, the booming of his heart melding together with the click, clack of his steps into a panicked cacophony in his ears, an orchestra of frightened animal instincts conducted by a jittery, headless chicken who had clearly never been taught musical theory before and most certainly did not want to be there.

Just then, there was a beating of many, many wings. He looked up to see the flock of crows, or, as Hyde was more than happy to point out, murder of crows, taking to the air.

Jekyll instinctively braced himself, the loud, echoing thwumping of their many wings ringing dangerously in his ears like an alarm.

They swarmed in the air, hundreds of black bodies moving out of sync in a fluttering, chaotic mess for a moment before turning in the opposite direction, vanishing as one over the roof tops and scattering.

Silence was left in their wake.

There. Was that so bad, you big baby? Edward gloated.

Henry opened his mouth to retort when something on the roof caught the corner of his eye. Distracted, he turned to better see what it was.

His blood ran cold.

It seemed that the crows hadn't just left on a whim.

Where the murder of crows had been just a second before was something large and black. Perhaps someone could have said it was a crow once, maybe a part of the murder that had just left, but it definitely wasn’t anymore. Oily feathers, ruffled as it moved. Its talons, longer and sharper than any he had seen on any normal bird – if that thing could be called a bird – gripped the roof tightly, digging into the roof tiles.

One bright green eye glinted as it cocked its head at him and cawed threateningly.

And, oh boy, the bird had teeth like a snake. Fangs. Long ones. The long, probably full of venom kind of fangs. In a bird.

God, why couldn't Moreau give me that instead of some stupid rat? I want snake fangs.

Hyde!

Slowly, threateningly, the bird it spread its wings, swelling itself up to its full size.

Moreau wouldn't dare. Was the desperate thought that Jekyll clung to, He wouldn't dare attack me in public, would he?

Then, with an audible crack of its wings, the bird shot upwards. The sleek body spiralled in the air before the wings snapped open again and it angled itself directly towards Henry.

Moreau wouldn't dare.

It was getting closer. The size of it, something he couldn’t quite grasp when it was up on the roof like that, was becoming painfully clear. Not that it was as big as a human man but those wings could certainly wrap around the head of a human man and suffocate him.

Bigger and bigger, closer and closer, the ruffling of feathers becoming audible to his ear.

Hyde, who had been enjoying the mockery up until now, had gone perfectly still, the reality of the situation hitting him. Cold dread leaked between their connection.

Duck!

Jekyll didn't hesitate to obey, practically throwing himself on the floor as the bird shot through where he had just been, the sharp snap of the beak way too close for comfort. His hands grazed the tarmac, drawing shallow scratches across the palms, but he didn't have time to think about it. Hyde had already seized control from him and, as Jekyll recovered from the fall, he found himself already on his feet and running at full pelt.

The bird wheeled in the sky and began to pursue.

Alarmingly, it was far faster than Hyde, quickly gaining ground on him. The tarmac was flat, an easy run, and Hyde was fuelled by adrenaline and whatever it was that kept a demon going, but, against the power of flight, it was useless.

What is he doing? Henry asked frantically.

Attacking us, what does it bloody well look like?!

No, I mean, he wants us alive doesn't he? And he can't possibly want anyone to see this, right? So what's going on?

Maybe that venom will paralyze us?

That's a big bird but can it lift a whole paralyzed person?

Demonic super strength , I suppose.

Henry yelled out when he saw the shadow unnerving close on the ground and, in response, Hyde ducked again. Once again the bird sailed over them.

Good news, they had avoided getting bitten. Bad news, it was now in front of them, hovering menacingly in the air.

We can't just run back the way we came. All that we'll end up doing is running back and forth. Either we keep running in the same direction and hope we survive or we stand and fight.

His thoughts were strangely calm for the circumstances.

Far more unusual, however, was the source of the thought. Although from time to time, it was difficult to differentiate Hyde's thoughts from Jekyll's, this one seemed to come distinctly from neither.

Or, rather, both. Simultaneously.

Something seemed to have clicked into perfect place in Jekyll's mind, a pair of disconnected cogs that, due to an unceremonious smack to the machine, had slotted back together with a judder. The machine was working again after so long of not even realising it was broken and everything felt right.

Jekyll, or whoever was in control at that time, stood up and stared down the bird daringly.

Well, this will be the first time we use our powers in a situation that really needs it. It's a good thing we practised telekinesis.

The bird flapped its wings once more and fired itself at them like an arrow.

He didn't flinch. With practised teamwork, their powers flexed and something invisible and non-existent snatched the bird from the air, forcing a startled squawk from its beak. Those powerful wings were snapped against its body and, with nothing keeping it up, it plummeted like a stone.

He smiled coldly at it.

As it fell, however, something else happened. It was as though something else had responded to their mental attack and responded in kind. A burst of power from elsewhere broke Jekyll and Hyde's hold on the bird and they both cried out. With an almost physical tearing sensation, they were both themselves again, separate. Hyde stumbled backwards and tripped, landing on the ground painfully while Jekyll reeled internally.

The other demon was already in the air and was rapidly approaching. There was nowhere to go and they were too dazed to make another attack.

We're idiots, Was Jekyll's last hysterical thought, That thing's also a demon, it has the same powers as us but it's probably more experienced with them. Of course we couldn't defeat it!

Edward raised his hands uselessly to block the attack. Just as it raised into place, something physically struck him.

Sharp talons pierced the flesh of his arms and a heavy weight forced him to the floor. Feathers beat at him in a barrage and the beak snapped.

To Jekyll's absolute horror, now that the bird was right in their face, he could now see the fangs properly.

They weren't just fixed to the inside of the beak. Instead, there was a second set of jaws like a bloody xenomorph, fixed in the mouth of a second animal inside the beak. The creature, which looked like it might have been a snake once, had unseeing eyes, a white murky film over them. It was moving jerkily like a badly played puppet, the dead stiffness of its body made it impossible to even twitch like a living creature anymore. It slithered up from all the way down the back of the bird’s throat, flicking in and out of its live cave to try to bite him.

He dodged the hideous Jack-in-the-box once. Twice. But not the third time.

The fangs sliced effortlessly into the skin of Edward's hands and, maybe it was simply a placebo effect, but Henry could have sworn he felt the venom inject in.

Edward clutched at the bitten arm, crawling backwards desperately in one last pathetic attempt to escape. A fuzziness began to creep in at the edges of his vision and he knew that whatever venom was in those fangs was quickly making its way through his body with each slowing beat of his heart.

The bird made a throaty cawing noise and it took a second before Henry realized it was laughing. Gleefully, it hopped forwards and strutted about them in a mocking dance, feathers rustling.

Their shared sight was quickly darkening and their limbs were becoming heavy. The bird demon made no move to stop him as Edward dragged himself across the ground. The tarmac chipped at his nails and dug into his hands but his body was becoming too numb to feel it.

If Henry was the one in control of the body, he would have given up by now. Dizzily, he wished Edward would stop scrabbling at the ground and just accept it. He was tired, he just wanted to sleep and the only thing standing in the way of that was Edward.

His connection with the demon was faint. Through it, he could feel the throb of Edward's animalistic need to survive, so distant to him at that moment. It fluttered like a butterfly beating its wings against a glass cage, frightened and so, so small.

Thankfully, Hyde seemed to be slowing. Bit by bit, the exhaustion caught up and it seemed, to Henry’s relief, that he was going to give up soon. Then, he thought deliriously, they could sleep it all off. The world, the demons, the messy relationships that he couldn’t quite manage. All of them would fade into blissful nothingness.

Scrape. Drag. Scrape. Drag.

Slower and slower.

Heavier and heavier.

Any moment now Hyde would collapse, no matter how hard he tried. That scraping and dragging that was so annoyingly damaging their shared body would stop.

Scrape. Drag… Scrape. Drag…

Scrape… Drag...

Any moment...

There was the faint sound of footsteps followed by the infuriated shrieking of the crow. Someone was speaking, their voice almost just static to Jekyll and Hyde’s ears.

With a flapping and a squawking, the bird took off, vanishing into the dark.

Edward shakily raised his head and opened his eyes to see a set of two feet before him. Then his eyes rolled in their sockets and he collapsed, the darkness finally engulfing them both.

Henry opened his eyes before his own mind fully caught up with him.

They were only half open and the light played through his eyelashes in images that he simply couldn't make sense of.

He thought he saw dozens of soft blue lights floating in the darkness. They blurred and danced in his fuzzy vision. Bobbing, flickering, whirling dizzily until he couldn’t keep up.

Slowly, steadily, his eyes began to slip closed again.

Then something cool was pressed to his lips. Hot air drifted to meet his face.

"Dr Jekyll, if you can hear me, please drink this."

The words took a moment to filter through his mind.

"Please, Henry. Please."

There was no energy left within him to protest or even think about disobeying. As the thing against his lips tilted, a hot liquid washed against his mouth and, unthinking, he swallowed it.

Distantly, he was aware of a rather awful taste but he barely even had strength to screw up his face in disgust.

Besides the hot liquid currently slipping down his throat, there was another liquid covering him in a slick, sticky layer.

Sweat, he thought disjointedly.

Clearly, he was hot. It was a strange sensation after so long being cold and he didn't like it.

He missed the cold. His cold.

The cold didn't plaster his hair to his face or cause sweat to drip down his brow. It didn't burn until his head ached and pounded like a steel drum in an echoing cave.

When would it come back?

As the liquid disappeared down his throat and the cool thing against his lips was removed, he tried to ask. However, it seemed his tongue just wouldn't work properly. It flopped uselessly, only succeeding making sad croaky frog noises.

If there had been any frogs in the room, he could have spoken rather fluently to them, most likely in a long, winding bout of complaining that would leave said frog very bored and wishing that Henry would just fall unconscious again. Sadly for him, it appeared that the mysterious other person couldn’t speak frog because they didn’t respond.

Instead, something cool was pressed against his head and, desperate for any semblance of cold back, he pressed himself into it.

The blue lights danced a little more erratically for a moment, spinning and twirling before his eyes.

Then, the blue lights flickered and went out, drenching Jekyll in complete darkness.

The next time Henry awoke, he was much more aware. He was also cold again which was probably a good sign for him.

For a moment he lay there, trying to figure out what had happened. As the memories hit him, he shot upright and looked around frantically.

To his relief and surprise, he wasn't in Moreau's lab or in some coffin six feet under. Instead, he was somewhere very familiar, a place with dim candles, more mirrors than anyone would ever need and a strange blue glow that seemingly came from nowhere.

It was Maijabi's apartment.

Wait, that wasn't good either.

Although, he didn't seem to be tied down. In fact, there was nothing he could see that would prevent him from simply standing up and walking out. It was, of course, possible that the door was locked but that seemed like a rather feeble attempt to confine him when it would have been easier to tie him up while he was unconscious.

Henry blinked and rubbed his eyes, taking in his surroundings. Just then, a mug of something was placed on the table before him, startling him.

Maijabi was stood in front of him, holding his own mug of tea. His single eye was examining Jekyll closely as he sat down across from him.

Henry looked at the mug. The liquid in it looked fizzy and a little transparent and, when he took it in his hands, obviously hot.

"Um... What's this?"

"Sprite, honey and sugar cubes. Microwaved." Maijabi sipped his tea.

His brain was working so sluggishly that it took him a long time to realize why he had been handed that. He coughed awkwardly as it struck him.

"I... I don't want to sound rude. I know what Edward asked for, last time he was here but... Uh..."

Maijabi frowned and raised an eyebrow. "I'm speaking to Jekyll right now then?"

"Yeah. It's me."

Not wanting to seem rude, he took a tentative sip of the Sprite. The taste was positively foul and he nearly choked on it. With great effort, he forced the mouthful down his throat, doing his best not to screw up his face in the process.

"Please don't force yourself. I thought I would be dealing with Edward but clearly I was too hasty."

Gratefully, Henry put the mug back down and wished for some water to flush out the sickly taste in his mouth. Instead, to distract himself, he turned his attention to Maijabi.

The psychic seemed perfectly calm. He was making no moves to exorcise Jekyll or take revenge on Hyde for taking his friend away from him. A little tense in the shoulders, perhaps, but that was it.

When Henry couldn’t take the silence any longer, he asked.

"What happened? How did I get here?"

Pursing his lips, Maijabi put his cup down. There was a ceramic clack as it hit the saucer, the only noise in the quiet.

Then, he spoke.

“You were attacked, do you remember that? By a monstrous bird?”

A simple nod from Henry.

“Right. That thing was another demon.”

Knowing this already, Henry kept silent in the ensuing pause. Maijabi met his eye for a second, clearly a little bewildered at the lack of reaction. Then, his eyes dropped to the teacup and he stared into it, a troubled air about him.

"I've been in contact with someone. A demon expert. They told me that there's been a surge of demons in this area recently and they might go after you as another demon on their territory. When I saw that... Thing, out the window, I feared the worst and followed it. It was much faster than I was and, for a moment, I thought I had lost it but... Then I saw you. On the ground." He shuddered, "I hate to think of what would have happened if I stayed at home."

"They knew about that?" Henry frowned. Moreau had seemed pretty good at hiding his activities but, by the sounds of it, one of these rare demon experts found out about it. Which raised another question. "You found a demon expert?"

"They called me first. Apparently they were attracted by all the demonic activity in the area, found that I had been looking into demons too, and called me up. They were the one that convinced me that you might still be Jekyll rather than... You know." An apologetic shrug. “Your circumstances are a unique one and that requires consideration. Besides, lying or not, the fact stands that these other demons are a threat and we stand a better chance working together than against each other. The lesser of two evils and all.”

Startled at the revelation, Henry just stared for a second.

"That's why you changed your mind..?"

"In all fairness, maybe I should have started with that last time we spoke but there's no changing what's already happened." Maijabi sipped his tea thoughtfully. Then, "You said 'They knew about that'..? Does that mean you already knew about this yourself?"

"Oh right, we haven't really spoken in a while." Dr Jekyll swallowed and began to explain to Maijabi the situation with Moreau and the demons.

Maijabi wasn't usually one to emote much but he seemed quite interested in the story. That single eye of his was fixed quite intently on Jekyll’s face throughout, studying him closely. It made Henry a bit uncomfortable but he continued through, trying to ignore it.

By the time he had finished, Maijabi's tea was gone and the Sprite was, as it should be, cold. After a bout of curiosity, Jekyll took a small sip of it, hoping it would be better now that it was its proper temperature.

Nope. Still absolutely horrendous. With an air of finality, he put it back down.

"Well. You... Certainly seem to end up in trouble a lot." Stated Maijabi.

"I honestly think this building is cursed." A nervous chuckle. "Nothing like this ever happened in London."

"I wonder if the high concentration of demons in the area could have caused your possession in some way." Mused Maijabi, "I would like to bring it up to that expert when it's possible." Then he glanced at Henry's mug and he straightened, "Oh, of course, I didn't get you a new drink. My apologies, I completely forgot."

"Oh, it's nothing really."

Maijabi scooped up the mug and began to make him a new drink.

"So how did you deal with that crow demon anyway?" Henry crossed his legs, looking about him.

"Well, I was taught how to make a demon repellent."

"I don't suppose I can get some of that?"

"I could give you some, I suppose, but I'm not sure how well you'll deal with it given your own condition."

“...Fair point.”

A moment of silence as he made the tea. In the meantime, Jekyll shut his eyes and tried to feel Hyde’s presence. It was quieter and a little weaker than usual, a result of whatever that snake bird had injected them with, but still there.

Maijabi placed a mug of peppermint tea down and, beside it, a small container of something that looked a little like salt. Henry looked at it for a second.

"The repellent." Maijabi explained, "I wouldn't recommend getting it on you but, with everything going on, I thought you would need it."

Jekyll thankfully accepted his tea and took a swig, ignoring the way it burned his tongue. The taste of the Sprite had lingered and he was glad to have anything to drown it out.

"I hope you don't mind but I have some questions I would like to ask you." Maijabi began.

"Go ahead."

"...Shapeshifting?"

"Ah, that. I... Don't actually know how it works." He shrugged. "Hyde has abilities but they only seem to work when we both work together."

A curious raised eyebrow. "When you both work together..?" Maijabi shook his head then, "You don't understand. Shapeshifting is an ability that demons can have but it's a power that demons don't gain until they're very old and powerful. You shouldn’t be able to do that."

Ha! Hyde crowed, I knew I was a powerful demon!

"So... Hyde's an older demon?"

"No, He is very young. He shouldn't have any abilities at his age."

"How can you tell? That he's young, I mean."

"Demons usually only have one host in their entire life. They are born in that host. Unless Hyde has been in you for at least 100 years, he shouldn't be able to shapeshift. And I don't think you're 100."

"...They're... Born in their host..?"

Jekyll thought about Edward's lack of memories. The only memories he had that were his own were of that empty void. Was that... Where he was born from? Like the demonic equivalent of being inside an egg.

Although, he wasn’t fond of the idea that Hyde had hatched from an egg inside of him. It brought up ideas of parasites, something laying its eggs in him. Henry shook that idea off.

No, no! Hang on a second, I am not some... Baby! I have abilities, that must mean I'm older than I seem, right?!

"Maybe Hyde's abilities have something to do with the fact that I'm helping him." Henry mused, regardless of the demon's crisis.

NO! I AM NOT A CHILD!

Maijabi looked at him, a little surprised for a second, then looked away. "It's possible. What other abilities do you have right now?"

"Just telekinesis. I'm sure we could do other things but neither of us know what to try. I don't know what other abilities Edward might have."

"I'll be sure to ask about it next time I'm in touch with my informant. One more thing.” Maijabi’s eye glinted in the low light as he looked at Jekyll, the lighting of the room casting long shadows across his face. “I finally know a working exorcism."

Jekyll and Hyde stiffened.

"I can get Hyde out of you. Properly, this time, you don't have to worry about any new problems. This expert of mine knows an exorcism, they've used it before with success or so I've heard, therefore-"

"No."

"Hm?"

A pair of bright green eyes fixed directly on Maijabi and the psychic went still.

"I said no. No more exorcisms. I'm staying here and if you think you can get rid of me then-!"

Maibi quickly raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. No exorcisms."

Edward glowered for several more seconds before sitting down and crossing his arms with an annoyed harrumph. "I'm not a child."

"...It's... Nothing to be ashamed of." There was a lot of uncertainty in that tone and Jekyll could tell he had absolutely no idea how to reassure a demon.

Hyde retreated, leaving Jekyll control of his body again. He shook his head and gave Maijabi, who had gone rather pale during all of this, an apologetic expression.

"Exorcisms aside," Henry continued, "What about the other demons? Is there anything we can do about them?"

"The repellent is the best I have at the moment but I'm working on it."

"So I guess all I can do is train Hyde's abilities."

"I..." Maijabi looked like he wanted to protest. He thought for a moment. Then, "...I suppose."

The reluctance made sense, Jekyll reflected. Just because Maijabi believed him didn't mean he trusted Hyde. On that note, was it really such a good idea to train Hyde to be stronger? They might be working together now but...

"Well. It's getting late." Piped up Maijabi suddenly, "I have a client over soon and I'm sure you would like the chance to rest up after everything that's happened."

"Ah, of course." Henry stood.

"I also think it would be best if you looked over your injuries yourself. I've done the best I can but there's a good chance I've missed something."

Henry smiled and nodded. Maijabi couldn't meet his eyes, a worried look on his face.

"Well, thank you. I hope, for both of our sakes, that this demon expert of yours pulls through."

"I hope so too."

It was as he left that Henry remembered the crystals in his kitchen. The next time he saw Maijabi, he promised himself, he would ask about those.

Jekyll's notes – Shapeshifting

A strange thing I have noticed in my studies is that transforming from Hyde to Jekyll is different from transforming from Jekyll to Hyde.

When I changed into Edward Hyde, the process was as easy to do as thinking about it. On the other hand, it was hellishly painful, both mentally and physically.

The transformation into Dr Jekyll again, however, was the complete opposite. For a long and rather frightening time, Edward and I couldn't shift a single inch of myself back to normal. I had a rather panicky moment where I admittedly assumed that I was stuck in this new form permanently. Thankfully, with a little more psychic nudging, I managed, bit by bit, to change back. The process was far less painful changing back, however. If anything, having myself back felt like a pressure had been relieved from my skull, one I hadn't even been conscious of until it was gone. Of course, there was also the matter of the cold. I've adjusted quite well to the cold that Hyde brings with him when he's in my body but it's still a relief to finally be warm again. There were also, thankfully, no hallucinations or weird memories this time.

During the transformation, I did notice that green liquid again but, once the transformation was complete, it was gone. I’m not entirely sure where it went.

I'm somewhat reluctant to change back into Edward again. It's euphoric, sure, but I'm terrified that, the next time I change, I won't be able to transform back again. I hope these worries of mine are irrational.

I don't know how I could go to work if I'm trapped in Hyde's body.

Chapter Text

Virginia Ito was surprised that morning to be awoken to a knock at the door.

The building was often a noisy place but, for the most part, people would just wait for others to leave their room if they wanted to talk. The residents of the building met often enough in the common room to talk about things, after all, and Ito had left most of her family and friends behind when she moved there so it couldn’t be one of them at the door. Not unless someone had decided to track down where she had gone, hop on a plane and fly all the way for several hours without contacting her first just to knock at the door at – she checked her clock – 8 in the morning.

Pushing herself up from her bed, she took a second to debate whether to get changed before answering but, at last, decided it was unlikely to be anyone she didn't know. She threw on a dressing gown and slippers and, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, answered.

On the other side of the door, holding a tray of cookies, was Rachel.

"Oh sorry, did I wake you?"

"Considering most people here wake up at 12am at the earliest..."

"Do you?"

"In all fairness, no, but it doesn't matter.” Her eyes were on the tray of cookies that Rachel was holding. They were still warm, a waft of banana scented steam rising into the air from the tray. “I suppose you're trying to outdo Doddle?"

"Well, a bunch of people went out drinking last night and I think Doddle was among them so he's probably hungover anyway."

"Probably not. Doddle likes sweeter drinks which are, usually, less alcoholic.” A pause. “I suppose if he drank a lot of them..."

Rachel raised the tray and Ito took one gratefully. Carefully, she bit into it, keeping a hand under her to catch the falling crumbs. She chewed a moment, swallowed, and smiled at Rachel.

"Your baking is great as always. Is Doddle the only reason you're doing this? Usually people just leave sharing food on the table in the common room, not going from room to room at 8am."

"Well, to be perfectly honest, I also wanted to talk to you and I decided I might as well bring the cookies with me."

"About what?"

"Well, Jekyll, Lanyon and I are going to an arcade today and I decided to invite more people. Jekyll still isn't that close with anyone here and Lanyon knows nobody properly. I thought having other people there would be good for them. They need more proper friends."

"Sorry, Rachel, I'm not really a fan of arcades." It seemed like a rather childish choice to her, more like the sort of place where teenagers would hang out. To go there with a complete stranger on top of that didn't feel like much fun at all.

Rachel’s face fell.

"I'm going shopping on Monday if you want to come, though. Blackfog Bazaar?" Ito continued, hoping to raise her spirits a little.

"I've been there so often lately that I don't really need anything more."

The pair trailed off into an awkward silence. Virginia continued to nibble at the cookie.

"I might invite Jasper." Rachel piped up conversationally.

"Hm?"

"To the arcade. He probably needs to get out more as well." Her eyes lit up again, the cogs in her brain clearly beginning to turn, "And he seemed to get along pretty well with Dr Jekyll so if I just push that friendship a little harder..."

"Is forcing a friendship really such a good idea?” Ito asked, doubtfully. “Besides, you said Lanyon would also be there, what if he doesn't get along with Jasper?"

"Well, how bad could it be?"

A sigh. "Jasper's not the bravest, Rachel. Try to be careful, ok? With Jasper and Jekyll? Don't take your eyes off them."

"Of course. Look, I'm going to take these to Jasper before they get cold so... Um... See you around!"

Virginia paused a moment, severely doubting how well this plan was going to work out.

"Bye, Rachel." She said at last.

Tray in hand, Rachel spun around and strode off, leaving the lingering scent of bananas in the air.

Ito had assumed that Jekyll would be safe in a group of people but now she was getting a little nervous. Not only for Jekyll but also for Jasper. She wasn’t sure he had the backbone for hanging out with strangers in a new place.

Maybe it wasn’t really her place to say. Jasper seemed quite skittish around her but Rachel seemed to know him far better. Hopefully that meant she knew his limits too.

With a sigh, she closed the door.

There were actually several reasons that Jekyll had agreed to go to the arcade with Rachel.

The one that stuck in his mind the most was that it was out of town.

Of course, he couldn't be sure how far-reaching Moreau's influence was – Who was to say that the demons in town were the only ones under his thrall? – However, if he had any chance of getting some time to himself without getting kidnapped or murdered, this would be it.

That wasn't to say he wasn't utterly terrified as he slipped out of his apartment and headed for the bus-stop. Every second or so, he would glance back over his shoulder, watching for birds or rats or flies. He saw a couple of animals, birds mostly, but he couldn't tell if any of them were strange and the crawling sensation up his spine only increased.

As he got on the bus, he found it to be mostly full, forcing him to take a seat at the back. On the trip to his seat, he passed a woman clearly wearing too much perfume and nearly sneezed, his nose overwhelmed by the scent of flowers. Hyde coughed loudly in his head, although, given that he didn't have a physical form at that moment, Jekyll wondered if he was really coughing or just being overly dramatic.

He sat down and stared out the window.

How long had it been since he had last left town? Well, he was quite sure he hadn't went anywhere outside of town since he had moved in so this would be his first.

The seat below him began to shake as the bus prepared to leave and, as it pulled away from the stop, Jekyll turned his gaze to the window.

There was still a lot of the town that he hadn't seen. The bus passed several new looking places as it chugged along and Jekyll eyed them up curiously, trying to make notes in his head of the interesting ones that he could visit later. Then, it turned onto a road and they were heading out.

He peered out the back window at his new home town that he was temporarily leaving. He took in the trees of the forest on the border of the town, the distant buildings that only shrank smaller and smaller as he moved further and further away. Then, he looked at the road behind them.

A chill ran up his spine.

Standing in the middle of the road, watching the bus leave was some creature. The shadows cast over it made it difficult to make out features but he could see a hulking, animalistic shape. It stood on two legs and, even in the gloom, he could see the shimmer of light reflecting through the long strands of drool oozing from its maw.

The bus hit a bump and Jekyll lurched, startled. Quickly reorienting himself, he looked back out the window.

The monster was gone.

Henry clutched his bag a little closer to himself for the rest of the journey.

When Henry got off the bus, he was already on high alert.

Judging by the monster that had watched him leave, Moreau knew he was going and, with the full knowledge that Moreau certainly had birds in his arsenal, it was unlikely that he hadn't been followed in any way.

The area was new to him and he had to look up directions on his phone. While he did so, his eyes would flit up and look around, searching for anything strange or out of place.

As he tapped the last few buttons, a mechanical voice began to come from the phone, giving directions. Henry took the chance to properly look up and around him.

The town was close to the sea and, as a result, there was the drifting scent of sea salt in the air. There was a gentle hush and shush of the waves against the shores and, in the skies, seagulls circled, crying loudly. A few smaller birds that he had no name for hopped about, picking at dropped chips or fluttering from place to place.

Quite a few people lingered about. Most of them had ice cream, some of them had fish and chips, and very few of them had nothing at all to eat in hand. In such a crowded area, Henry felt a little safer.

He weaved his way between people to the wooden boardwalk and, leaning on the metal railings, looked down at the sea, frothing white with foam and bubbles. The metal was cold against his arms and a cooling sea breeze ruffled his hair. In the distance, he could see several boats, sailing away. Below the railing was a pebble beach - No sand castles in sight but there were a few people bobbing in the waves.

It wasn't an amazingly warm day and Henry shuddered to think of just how cold that water had to be.

"Turn right." His phone buzzed irritably.

Henry glanced down at it and, with great reluctance, pushed himself off the railing and turned right, beginning to walk, his shoes click clacking against the wooden boards. He had to pay attention to the direction he was going to keep from bumping into people, swerving left and right to avoid groups of people.

In his head, Edward stirred.

Not to sound paranoid or anything, Hyde piped up, But did you see that too?

As a matter of fact, Henry had noticed something just as he started to move. Just out of the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw-

No. It wasn't worth thinking about, he decided – it was probably just coincidence.

...Probably.

Just as a precaution, he stopped where he was, pretending to check his phone for a moment and leaning against the railing again. Sure enough, behind him someone in the crowd had just stopped at the same time. The figure also leaned against the rails, looking out across the sea.

They were also stood at the rails and they only started moving when we did. Now they've stopped again when we stopped.

But what to do about that? Confront them?

Henry, trying not to stare, glanced at them, looking for any animalistic features, any signs that it was a bear or dog dressed in human clothes. A rather goofy image, he couldn’t help but think. It was a little like having three children stacked in a trench coat stalking him but each child had a knife and a thirst for his blood.

As morbidly humorous as the idea was, they appeared human enough. Although they had a hat pulled down so far on his face that it was difficult to make anything out and, combined with the distance they were at, the only thing he could really make out was that they were dressed rather raggedly. They actually were wearing a trench coat, though. Hyde snorted at that observation.

Too small to be a bear and no snout in sight, Henry noted. If it was an animal, it was a very cunningly disguised one and, with Moreau’s opinions on human-looking demons, he doubted that they were anything other than human.

That meant either it wasn't one of Moreau's demons or Moreau had regular humans working under him.

Or there was nothing strange or demonic going on at all.

It could just be a coincidence in the end. Or a perfectly ordinary serial killer.

Jekyll's brow furrowed at that last thought. He assumed it came from Hyde.

Right, but we can definitely kick the butt of a normal serial killer. Edward chirped.

What are the chances that, in all this, I end up getting targetted by a serial killer on top of everything else?

Well, no offence, doctor, but you seem to be somewhat of a bad luck charm.

He turned and started to move again. His tail paused a second and then did likewise.

I say, we take them somewhere private and then get the drop on them. Hyde suggested.

But if that's another demon, we'll be in danger.

We can kill a demon. The last one might have surprised us but, this time, we have the element of surprise.

Um...

He didn't really want this strange person to continue to follow him, especially not to his friends. It was risky but he needed a way to scare them off. Hyde’s idea was certainly dubious but what else did he have?

He ignored the navigation on his phone, continuing in a different direction while he thought.

Getting them alone was a bad idea but was he willing to confront them publicly? Was he absolutely certain he was being followed before he made the stupid decision to confront them? It would be rather embarrassing to find out it was all just a bad coincidence.

He swallowed and made up his mind. Then, he dipped into a side alley.

It was dark, the sun behind him as he entered the only source of light. Quickly, he dipped between two dumpster, crouching there and holding his breath. A seagull sitting on top of his hiding place glowered at him for a second before continuing to pick through the trash.

He waited a second. Then, the light at the entrance he had came through dimmed, a long shadow cast on the ground before him.

With the soft sound of footfalls, someone stepped into the alleyway.

They paused.

Best case scenario, they just left. Henry would lose his tail and no confrontation would be needed. That was what he was hoping for.

The figure took another hesitant step forward. Then another, then another. Henry held his breath.

It wasn't the best hiding place but he didn't exactly want to hide in the dumpster. If they just looked around, they would spot him immediately.

They continued onwards and past him and Henry could better see the patches sewn onto their brown threadbare coat. Their clothes were a tad too big for them and a flat cap sat on their head, hiding their face.

He held his breath. The figure looked around.

Are you really just going to cower here? Hyde asked disapprovingly. They're going to see you.

They might not.

The figure's head turned.

This is ridiculous. I'm not just going to cower like a bunny rabbit.

With those words, Henry felt a sudden coldness wrap itself around his limbs and a thrill ran through him as Hyde's consciousness took over.

Hyde! No-!

It was too late. Hyde threw himself forward just as the person spotted them. In the moment before impact, Henry recognized who he was looking at and, with what remained of his own awareness, desperately tried to stop himself.

Unfortunately, stopping there was no longer his call to make.

In a swift movement, Hyde had pinned their unfortunate tail to the wall, not even allowing them any time to react. His fingernails that were now just a little too long up were against their throat, the tips lightly digging into the soft, vulnerable skin in a clear threat. His teeth were bared in a snarl, prepared to snap at whoever it was. As Hyde registered exactly who was before them, though, his words died in his throat.

His tail, Jasper, just stared back.

"I... I'm sorry." Jasper said, the bewilderment evident in his voice.

Hyde didn't move for a very long time, simply staring back at Jasper, too busy trying to resolve what on Earth was going on in his head. The nails remained where they were. They looked far more like claws at that moment, sharp and curved, and the skin around his fingertips had gone so pale with cold that they were almost blue.

"...Why were you following me?"

"W...well... I... Thought I knew you. Sorry." Jasper cringed.

Hyde stared for another few moments, not comprehending.

"...You do know me."

"I... I wasn't sure. I mean, you know how it is. You see someone who looks like someone you know but you're not entirely sure so you don't want to say hi and risk embarrassing yourself so..." He swallowed. "I don't know where I'm going and I thought you might know so I just… Followed."

"Don't you have a phone?"

"I'm not great with technology."

"I can show you."

Jasper looked down pointedly at the claws poking his throat and Hyde begrudgingly moved them away. With that, Jasper pulled out his phone.

Hyde immediately pulled a face as he laid eyes on it.

"I don't think that has Google maps on it."

The phone in Jasper's hands was clearly an older model. It was a slide phone. Aka, a small, hand sized brick with a slidable keypad. Sure, it had a screen but it certainly wasn't a touchscreen and Henry was about 90% sure it couldn't download apps. At the very least, none of the apps he was familiar with.

"...It can play Tetris?" Jasper said. "It's a hand me down from my brother."

"And you never got a new one?"

"I don't really need a new one. I can call my family on it, I can play Tetris, and it never cracks or breaks. Those newer phone models are really fragile and I deal with some rather big animals sometimes so they could easily break a newer phone and... Yeah." He trailed off.

Irritably, Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ok. Fine. I can see why you were stalking me now."

"Sorry."

"No need to apologize. I should be the one apologizing for assuming the worst. And assaulting you."

Warm was starting to return to his chest and, with it, the thrill and adrenaline of Hyde’s control receded.

"I've had worse."

"Well. I'm sorry anyway. Are you ok, by the way?"

Henry rubbed his hands together in a sad attempt to warm some life back into them, goosebumps rising along his skin from Hyde's moment of control. He couldn’t feel his fingertips anymore.

"Of course. It was just a little surprising is all."

Jekyll looked over at Jasper and felt a stone drop in his stomach as he saw that, against Jasper's throat, was a line of red dots. Tiny pinpricks against the neck where Hyde's claws had just pierced the skin. They were small, barely there at all, not even properly bleeding and certainly wouldn't scar in any way, but that wasn't really the point. The point was that he had left marks on someone. He hadn't just bumped Jasper a little, he had cut him.

"Jasper, I'm so, so sorry!"

"You don't need to apologize so much, sir."

"But... Your neck..."

Jasper blinked, surprised, and raised a hand to his neck, touching the small pricks. There was a faint smudge of blood on his finger as he raised it to eye level.

"I... I didn't mean to. I'm sorry." Henry continued, blathering a little. He didn’t know what else to say or do other than to apologize.

Jasper didn't seem angry, luckily. He simply stared at his finger for a moment before feeling around the neck a little more. There was a rather bemused look on his face as he did so.

"It doesn't really hurt. Does it look bad?"

"No, no. It looks fine, it's just-"

"It's fine Dr Jekyll, really." Jasper quickly rolled up his sleeves to show Henry the numerous claw marks, bruises and grazes across his skin, "I deal with a lot of animals. I've certainly had worse, I promise you."

"But... I'm not an animal. I should know better..." Henry spoke quietly, almost more to himself.

"Well you're not going to do it again so it should be fine. You didn't mean to do it."

I don't know that for sure. I didn't mean to do it the first time. How can I really trust myself not to do it again?

Thinking about it, how could he be sure that the neck was the only place of damage? He had thrown Jasper against the wall, that was sure to cause pain. He couldn't quite recall exactly how much force he had put into his attack but he feared it was far too much. If nothing else, Jasper would probably have a bruise somewhere.

How hard had his head struck the wall?

Through all this fretting, Jasper was eyeing him up curiously. For a moment, it looked like he wanted to ask something but he seemed to decide better against it.

"So... Should we get going? Shouldn't keep Miss Rachel waiting."

Jekyll silently nodded and headed off, keeping as much of a distance between himself and Jasper as he could without seeming suspicious. It was stupid, but his fears from when Hyde had first shown himself, his fears of losing control and hurting someone he cared about were rekindled.

Something cold churned in his stomach. So distracted was he with his guilt that he didn't notice Jasper curiously eyeing up his now perfectly normal fingernails.

"Oh good, you all made it!"

Rachel was already with Lanyon when Henry and Jasper arrived. Lanyon was leaning against a nearby wall, examining Jasper closely as they approached with a hawk-like eye.

"So, you must be Jasper." Robert pushed himself off the wall and offered a hand to Jasper to shake. "Dr Robert Lanyon, friend of Henry's."

"Um. Jasper." Jasper greeted back, cautiously taking the hand. Lanyon shook it with professional firmness and pulled away, looking Jasper up and down.

"Aren't you hot?" Robert was looking at the large coat and hat.

"Uh, no, not really." Jasper tugged at his sleeves, picking at the loose threads. "We're next to the sea so it's breezy enough here."

Lanyon smiled and nodded but Henry and Rachel who knew him better could tell he wasn't really interested.

"So." Rachel clapped her hands together. "Arcade, anyone?"

"To be perfectly honest, I've never been to one before." Robert said, "But aren't they usually for children?"

"I think it's more like teenagers."

"Same thing, just scarier."

"Well," Rachel replied, "If you stop caring about how you look, it's a great time."

All three of them simultaneously gave her a long look.

"Oh come on. You can't tell me that none of you will do anything 'childish' just because it looks weird? You're not going to see anyone you know in there."

I would. Hyde sang, unheard by anyone besides Henry.

Everyone else remained absolutely silent. Rachel placed her hands on her hips and stared them all down.

Lanyon sighed long and hard. "What else is there?"

"There's a bowling alley in there?"

"You know what? Less embarrassing, let's do that. Everyone else in agreement?"

"Ever been bowling before?" Rachel asked.

"No. I think this'll be a first for everyone. So, Rachel. Arcade?"

Rachel glanced at the other two who had remained silent throughout. Seeing no objections, she turned for the building.

The glass automatic doors slid open to let them in, away from the cool sea breeze and into a heated, dark space.

Henry took in the scenery.

The floor was carpeted black with random splotches of reds and yellows and blues. The lighting was dim, most of the light coming from the machines, shining brightly and emanating noises of zombies having their heads blown off or race cars revving or more retro noises. He was quite sure he heard the pacman death noise somewhere in there.

There was a couple of people in there. It wasn't packed by a long shot but there was a family with a small kid near the back, a couple of groups of teenagers hanging out together, chatting.

The group weaved their way through.

"I tried to invite Ito." Rachel mentioned conversationally as they walked, "She couldn't make it. She's going shopping on Monday, though. Henry, you haven't been to Blackfog yet, right?"

"Where?"

"It's a shopping centre in town."

"I thought you only got shopping centres in cities? Wait, why haven't I seen it? Shouldn't a shopping centre be... Big?"

"It's underground."

"That's... Unorthodox."

"Probably a good day trip though? Instead of cooping yourself up in your room all the time, you could buy new clothes or something."

"Perhaps."

They continued to thread their way between machines to the desk.

An underground shopping centre, huh? Jekyll mused. That town really can't do anything the normal way, can it?

Rachel stared at the heavy bowling ball in her hands and frowned. Then she put it back and picked up one with smaller holes, experimenting with slotting her fingers into them. None of the exactly had the largest hands so it looked like the balls designed for big hands weren't going to be used.

Rachel and Jasper had the smallest ones but Henry's wasn't that much larger. Lanyon's was the biggest by only a marginal amount.

Just like the arcade, it wasn’t amazingly busy in the bowling alley but it certainly wasn’t empty either. Families mostly, with the occasional group of teenagers, drinks and food placed on the table between them.

There was a space theme to the room they were in. The sky was black, painted with planets and galaxies, small lights dotted about to give the impression of stars. Above each lane, the electronic screens that hung down had small, space themed mascots on them. Cartoon stars and planets, each with faces, arms, and legs and a perpetual smile that, instead of making them look welcoming, made them look rather creepy.

As the others took their turns, she sat back on a nearby couch and watched. On the screen above their lane, they had each been allowed to input their own names.

Not that any of them really had.

Jasper had went with the name "Wolf" and, seeing everyone’s confused looks, awkwardly explained that he kind of liked them. Rachel had initially tried to name herself something inappropriate only to find that it wasn't allowed and, in a last split-second decision, named herself "The Best". Jekyll named himself "Mad Scientist" and Lanyon had hesitated, almost putting in his own name before changing his mind and landing on "Rachel".

Rachel had given him a long look. Robert had just stared back, smirking.

After a bit of staring at her own group, barring Jasper, struggle with the weight of the bowling balls, her eyes drifted to the other groups there playing. They were clearly more experienced than their little team, frequently actually hitting the pins. One person knocked over all the pins and thrust his fist in the air with a triumphant yell. Meanwhile, in their lane, Henry's ball had slipped into the gutter and was, with a rather sad slowness, rolling towards the end of the lane while everyone waited for it to finish its trip.

She glanced back up at their own screen and Henry’s rather sad 0 points. The scores vanished to display the name of the next person to bowl. Her own name flashed on screen.

Rachel stood to play before she remembered and sat back down, glowering at Robert who was smugly approaching the lane, staring at her the entire time with a broad grin on his face.

Out of the corner of her vision, she spotted Jasper looking at her. He quickly turned away as she spotted him. She smiled and patted the seat next to her, inviting him to sit down.

Jasper hesitantly sat himself down next to her.

"I would like to say thank you for inviting me."

She looked over at him and smiled. "No need to thank me, it's nice to have you here!"

A small smile crossed Jasper's face and he picked at his sleeves. He was cute like that, Rachel decided. However, he was still wearing his hat, pulled down over his face, making it difficult to see most of his face and Rachel resisted the urge to push it up so she could see him better.

For a moment, they just sat there, not speaking. It wasn't quite silence between the noises emanating from the speakers, the sound of pins being knocked over and general chatter filled the air but there still wasn't enough going on for Rachel's liking.

"So, do you like anyone?"

Jasper turned red and stared at her. "W-what?"

"You know, like... Romantically?" She leaned in closer, peering into his eyes. "Any lovers? Crushes?"

She was very close. Probably closer than she should have been. At this distance, she could make out his features far better. She could even see the faint healing scratches from animals’ claws and the pockmarks from the old acne of youth as she studied his face.

These things were older and not really worth worrying about but there did seem to be something more recent.

A small row of four pinpricks were on his neck.

There was a miniscule amount of smeared blood on one of them, just enough to tell her it was recent. She wondered where they came from. They seemed too neat to be a shaving accident and she couldn't think of an animal that could make marks like that.

Rachel peered a little closer.

"Hey, Rachel!" Lanyon called out, "When you and Jasper over there are done, it's Wolf Boy’s turn!"

Jasper pulled away and stepped up to the alley, leaving Rachel to watch from her position on the couch.

He took his ball, tested the weight in his hand, and bowled. There was far more force into the throw than anyone else so far and it shot towards the pins at speed, knocking over quite a few of them.

Rachel clapped politely before standing and taking her own ball, determined to live up to the title she had given herself.

For the last time, she double checked the size of the ball and her hand size. Once satisfied, she took aim, took a breath, and bowled. The ball curved a little more to the right than she had expected and, for a worrying moment, she thought it would roll into the gutter. Thankfully, it didn’t, smacking into the pins and knocking over a decent couple of them.

She knocked over fewer pins than Jasper had but it was still more than Lanyon or Jekyll combined.

But then again, Jekyll hadn't gotten any so that wasn't exactly a feat.

Robert clicked his tongue against his teeth disapprovingly, looking at the board.

"Rachel, you appear to be second to last." He called.

"Eat it, Robert!" She called back and flopped back onto the couch with a soft thud. Jasper sat down next to her.

Once again, neither of them spoke for a while.

She wasn't sure whether to press him again on his romantic life so, thinking about the marks on his neck, she instead chose a new topic of conversation.

"So... I heard you had an injury on your leg from that animal attack?"

"Huh?” Jasper glanced at her, a little surprised at the change of subject, “Oh, yeah. Just a cut."

"How is it?"

"Not the worst I've ever gotten."

"Can I see?"

Jasper paused for just a second. Then, he rolled up the bottom of his baggy trousers. On his left leg was a long puckered line. It had scabbed over by now and showed some signs that Jasper may have been picking at it. She could imagine that it had bled quite a bit when he had first gotten it judging by how long it was.

Rachel whistled but it was probably drowned out by the other noises of the bowling alley.

"Did it hurt when you got it?"

"It stung a bit." He admitted. "Though, the animal that did it wasn’t like anything I’ve seen before."

"What did it look like?"

"It looked like a wolf but... Big. Big big." Jasper sat in silence for a moment. "It looked like a werewolf that I saw in a movie once."

"A werewolf? And you've been bitten?" Rachel grinned, "When's the next full moon?"

"I'm not usually one to believe in that sort of thing." Jasper paused, glancing at Rachel to gage her reaction. "...But there was definitely something off about that wolf."

"...In a werewolf way..?" She asked slowly, wide-eyed.

"I... I wasn't bitten, just scratched!" He said quickly. "So, it should be fine, I guess?"

Rachel laughed, missing Jasper's eyes flicking back to Henry who was sat alone on another couch, waiting as Lanyon left to get drinks. He studied the doctor for a moment, squinting.

"Hey... Rachel..? Was anyone else bitten?"

"Huh? Oh..." She hesitated. Henry was injured wasn't he? But no, that wasn't a bite.

Actually… Had Lavender told her what kind of injury it was? Maybe it could be a bite?

"I don't know." She answered truthfully. Then, with a sly look. “Anyone else? I thought you just said it wasn’t a bite. Don’t tell me..?” She put a hand over her mouth in mock horror, “You’re not turning into a werewolf, are you?”

“Huh?! No, wait-!”

Rachel burst out laughing again.

Chapter Text

Lanyon glowered at the bowling ball in his hand.

So many of his balls had swerved to the side that he was starting to wonder if he had chosen the wrong size. After all, Rachel and Jasper seemed to be doing fine with theirs, judging by their scores.

Jekyll and Lanyon were so far behind that they were competing to be not-last and Rachel was competing with Jasper for first position. Essentially, the competition between the four of them had shifted towards competing in twos.

Although it was close between Rachel and Jasper, between the other two Henry seemed to be lagging behind quite badly. At first Robert had assumed that the doctor was just bad at bowling but, the more he paid attention, the more he noticed.

He sat on the bench, fidgeting or staring blankly into space. On more than one occasion, someone had to call him to the lane because he hadn't realized that it was his turn. When he did bowl, he didn't seem to care, he simply threw the ball and went to sit back down the moment the pins were knocked over.

Jekyll was distracted and not in a happy way.

Hesitantly, Robert stared down at the ball in his hands.

Suddenly winning at bowling didn't seem all that important anymore.

Almost carelessly, he tossed the ball down the lane and made his way over to Jekyll, not even waiting to see if the ball hit the pins or not.

"Hey, Henry!"

Henry jumped in alarm and spun to look at Lanyon. There was definitely something morose in that expression, no matter how good he was at hiding it.

Robert threw himself next to Jekyll on the couch, crossing his legs with a grin.

"You're not particular good at bowling, huh?"

"Oh." Henry said with the best smile he could manage. "I suppose not."

It was certainly a good fake smile but Lanyon fancied himself better than Jekyll in that regard.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Robert asked casually, examining his nails.

"Huh?"

"Well, you seemed so deep in thought over here and I was thinking, 'You know what? I wonder what could possibly be going through the head of Dr Henry Jekyll at this moment? What amazing advances of science could our favourite mad scientist be musing about this time?' It must be pretty good." Robert gave him a look. "Especially since it seems to be losing you the game."

There was a flash of worry on Henry’s face as he realized he had been caught but it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared.

"Just thinking about work related matters. Sorry for worrying you."

Somehow Robert doubted that. However, he did have a good idea what might be the cause.

"Well, that's unfortunate but there’s no need to let work get in the way of fun, right?" Robert nudged him, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and all that?"

He got a weak smile in return and Robert huffed a little to see it. Although, he supposed if Jekyll’s mood was already so low, he would have nothing to lose by asking the burning question on his mind at that moment.

What was he going to do, ruin Jekyll's ever so amazing mood?

"So, Edward Hyde, huh?” He asked as airily as he could, “I've never heard of him before."

Henry winced immediately.

"Oh right. Sorry Lanyon, I forgot about that."

"You forgot to introduce me to your 'new bestie?'" The words were intended to be light-heartedly mocking but there was a definite a hard edge to those words.

He supposed there was no real reason to hide his disdain towards Hyde from Henry. The two of them had been friends long enough to share who they hated to one another and he didn’t see why he should pretend to like this strange new man just because Henry seemed to know him.

"It slipped my mind, sorry."

Robert gave a long, theatrical sigh.

It wouldn’t be so far out of the question, he supposed. A lot had happened recently and it would be easy for one new friend of his to slip under the radar.

"Did you get your phone back?"

Henry blinked, looking a little confused. "What?"

"Hyde had your phone." Lanyon sniffed. "He claimed you lent it to him."

"I did.” The doctor confirmed. “He lost his own and he needed to call a relative of his."

"And you forgot to ask for it back?"

There was a hint of barely masked suspicion to his voice.

"Yeah," Jekyll laughed nervously, "Kind of stupid of me, huh?"

Robert’s eyes narrowed.

Most of the time, Henry was a pretty good liar – one could never tell if he was being honest or not. Right now, however, he was lying so awfully that Robert had to suppress a cringe.

With Henry’s usual ease of lying absent, it was clear that whatever was troubling Henry must have been bad indeed.

Moreover, if Jekyll was lying, there were very few ways that his phone could have landed in Hyde's sticky paws, none of which painted Hyde in a very good light.

The fact that Henry would lie to hide it was even worse.

"How did you two meet?"

"Oh... Um... I..." Jekyll floundered for a second.

Of all the questions to struggle at, Lanyon hadn't really been expecting that one.

Curiously, he cocked an eyebrow at Henry, waiting for him to continue.

"Truth be told, I found him on the street."

Robert must have looked absolutely bewildered by this answer because Jekyll quickly continued.

"He was just living out on the street and I felt bad for him. He seemed like a good kid, just... One who had fallen on bad times so I may have kind of, sort of..." An awkward shrug, "...Invited him back to my apartment without telling anyone. Sorry."

"Inviting strangers into your home is dangerous." Robert replied warily, doing his best to mask how aghast he was.

This meant that there had been a strange kid from the street just living in Jekyll's home. That kid could have been anyone. He could have been a thief or a murderer on the run from the police or maybe even a serial killer. Even if he wasn't any of those things yet, it was far too easy to make Dr Jekyll his first victim, taking advantage of that kindness to-

"That's why I didn't tell anyone." Henry spoke up, cutting through Robert’s train of thought.

With a blink, Lanyon looked at him. Henry had guiltily averted his eyes.

"I've been spending the last several weeks trying to get Hyde back on his feet.” Henry explained softly, “I suppose between work, the new apartment, and the new secret flatmate, I must have seemed rather out of sorts lately.” A pause. Then, shamefully, “I'm so sorry, Robert."

"What about that relative Hyde needed to call?"

Lanyon didn't mean to press his friend like he was some kind of liar but, for all the story explained, he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right with all of this.

"We were hoping they could help. They refused."

Thoughtfully, Robert tapped his foot.

The story seemed to add up, that was sure.

If Jekyll got so caught up in fixing Hyde's problems – something that certainly wasn't out of character for him – he could have ended up neglecting his own health. He could have been avoiding people because he hadn't wanted anyone to find out about Hyde. Then, the mixture of stress and ill health could have caused Jekyll to become ill, perhaps even causing his seizure.

Everything should have added up yet, somehow, he felt like there was a hole somewhere that he was missing.

It took a moment of pondering before he picked out one odd detail.

This sort of reckless behaviour just didn't seem in character.

Sure, Jekyll was nice and all but inviting a kid from the streets into his home in secret? There must have been other avenues, other ways to help that put him in less danger. He knew his friend had more common sense than that.

There was more that Jekyll wasn’t saying.

On the other hand, he felt he couldn’t drill the information out of him. As annoying as it was, Robert had to drop the issue until he had better evidence.

"You'll be careful, won't you?" Lanyon asked quietly. "I don't like this."

"You don't trust anyone."

"And apparently you trust too much.” At Jekyll’s dubious look, Robert continued with a sharper note to his voice, “I'm serious, Jekyll. You haven't left him alone in your apartment right now, have you?"

"No, Hyde wanders off a lot."

"Does he have a key?"

No response.

"Henry, you really need to get that key back from him." Robert insisted, anxiously. His mind swam with images of that man sneaking into Jekyll’s room at that very moment and pinching something of value, or hiding something nasty in the cupboards. It was just all too easy for someone like that to slip poison in the teabags or the food and just get away without anyone being any the wiser.

He shuddered at the thought.

"He's proven himself trustworthy enough."

"Not giving you back your phone?"

"That was an accident."

Robert’s gaze hardened and, under it’s scrutinizing glare, Henry shifted uneasily, looking about frantically for something else to talk about.

Finally, his eyes landed on Rachel and Jasper who were chatting away to one another while Jasper bowled.

"They seem to be getting along well." Henry hurriedly noted, obviously changing the subject.

A pause. Lanyon pursed his lips, disappointed at Henry's rather blatant subject dodging, but he relented anyway

"More like Rachel's trying to distract him to win." He said cynically. "Maybe I should try it."

There was a moment of silence.

For a second, Robert thought Henry wasn’t going to say anything more. Then, to his surprise, the tense look on Jekyll’s face began to soften. Before Lanyon’s eyes, a wistful smile flickered on his lips.

"No, look." Henry insisted gently, "They both look so happy."

Instead of looking where Jekyll was looking, Robert couldn't help but stare at the other doctor.

There was a fond look on Henry’s face, the fear and concern melted away into a look of wonder and hope. His eyes twinkled with a familiar light.

It was an expression of one who didn’t know they were being watched at that moment, filled with nothing but genuine feeling.

Recently, he hadn’t seen much of this earnestness from Henry and it hit him hard to realize exactly how much he had missed it.

Lanyon felt his cheeks heating up.

"Well-" His words came out so shrill and he had to take a moment to cough and pretend to clear his throat. Quickly, he glanced at Jekyll again and was thankful to see that the other doctor remained oblivious. "Well, I still think Rachel's taking an advantage. See how Jasper messed up that ball? I'll bet it's her fault."

Henry snorted a little.

They both stared a little longer, both at different things.

Then, finally, that fond look faded and, once more, a troubled expression grew on Henry’s face.

At last, he turned to look at Robert, brow creased. When he spoke, his voice was hesitant.

"Uh, Lanyon? I... Can you... Cut Edward a little slack? For me?"

"Henry-"

"Please?"

Abruptly, Robert found himself staring directly into Henry’s best puppy-dog eyes.

He could practically hear the little pleading whimpers and, as he watched, the look only intensified. Struggling with the feelings of shame that such a look elicited, Robert bit the inside of his cheek hard.

It almost made him feel bad for hating Hyde.

Almost.

With a hint of frustration, Robert looked away first.

"I won't ever like him, Henry."

"I'm not asking you to. I'm just saying if...” A hard, audible swallow. Even out of the corner of his eye, Robert could see the doctor rub his hands together worriedly. “If I'm ever not around, can you take care of him for me?"

Something cold landed directly in his gut like a punch.

Robert’s head whipped back around to stare at Henry. To his alarm, Henry was avoiding his gaze.

"Henry, what do you mean, not around-?"

"Hey, ‘Rachel!’" Rachel yelled sarcastically at him, "It's your turn."

Desperately, Robert looked back at Henry but he couldn’t catch the other’s eye no matter how hard he tried.

The message was clear: The conversation was over.

Just when it was getting to the information he was looking for.

Finally, reluctantly, Robert shoved himself to his feet and marched over to the alley, snatching up the ball. For a moment, he just stood there, eyes squeezed shut and ball cradled to his chest, breathing deeply.

Had anyone looked closely enough, they would have seen the way the ball shook ever so slightly in his hands.

There would be other chances to ask, he assured himself. He just had to bide his time.

Soon enough, whatever Henry had gotten himself into, he would save him.

He promised.

Upon leaving the bowling alley, Rachel took the opportunity to drag Jasper to an air hockey table in the arcade, making use of the families hanging about to prove that it wasn't strange for a group of adults to be there.

It took a lot of sweet talking but, eventually, everyone gave in to her. That was how the group found themselves looking through machines for what was worth playing.

Henry eyed up some of the machines, looking for one worth spending money on.

One pound per go wasn't a lot but he still fretted over spendings. If he lost immediately or he didn't enjoy himself, it would feel like such a waste of money. It was that same philosophy that kept him away from the slot machines or other gambling games.

Lanyon was eyeing up a racing game. Hyde's eyes were flitting between shooters.

"I've never played one of those arcade shooters before." The demon chirped conversationally, watching zombies splatter one by one on screen with awe.

"Well. You were quite possibly born this year." Jekyll replied under his breath. With how loud it was, between the wac wac noise of the pacman machine and the blaring music and talking from dozens of machines at once, he felt safe with mumbling aloud to his companion.

"Oh, shut it. Look, that one has ghosts. You think Maijabi would like it?"

Henry turned to see what Hyde was looking at and, sure enough, there was a machine designed to look like a haunted house.

On screen was a bunch of horrifying looking spirits rattling chains or missing their heads

He felt a spike of excitement pass between Hyde to him when a shadowy creature appeared on screen, a pair of large horns looming from its head and eyes blazing with hellfire.

Hyde didn't say a word but the thought in his head was so strong that even Jekyll picked up on it.

Demon.

"You chosen what you want to do yet?" A voice piped up suddenly.

Besides him, seemingly out of nowhere, was Robert looking as amiable as ever.

As his friend's eyes settled on what Jekyll was looking at, a queezy look crossed his face.

"Oh, how... Pleasant." Robert muttered in disgust.

Jekyll nearly laughed at that.

Robert had never been a fan of scary things. Just the mention of ghosts and ghouls were enough to put him off.

The pair of them had most certainly never watched a horror film together.

"Uh... Is that what you've chosen?" His friend continued, frowning disapprovingly.

"Ah, well..."

Hyde was practically thrumming with enthusiasm. He had seen a demon – one that didn't want him dead in real life, one he could kill – and he was excited.

"Look, I'll play one round of this and then we can play whatever you want to. I've just... Never played a shooter before."

At that, Robert's eyes flicked dubiously towards the more kid friendly nerf gun machine and then looked back at Jekyll, cocking his eyebrow to very clearly say 'Yeah, right. That's all it is.'

"Just please tell me you haven't become some horror fan." Robert pleaded.

"Um..."

Henry must have hesitated a little too long because Robert slumped dejectedly and a little dramatically.

"My own friend. A horror nerd!" Robert lamented to himself. "I never thought I would see the day. You do what you like, you awful monster, but if you ask me to watch a horror film with you I'm leaving."

Henry snorted a little at Robert's antics. "Wouldn't dream of it."

With that Robert split off to eye up a claw machine.

Once he had found the coin slot, Henry popped a pound in and watched as the machine started up with some cutscene involving a lot of dramatic lightning and howling winds.

In childish glee, Edward giggled and snatched at the second gun with his non-physical hands. For a second, Henry paused, uncertain whether to allow Edward to publicly poltergeist it up.

Then he looked back at the game they were playing.

It wouldn't be so crazy to believe that, just for the gimmick, the game wouldn't have a gun that could move on its own. The gun was fixed to a movable stand so it wasn't like it was floating in the air.

Nobody had to know it was a demon.

With that satisfied, he selected the start option and, with one more stereotypical scream, the starting screen faded and the game began.

The pair began to play.

It was a peculiar experience to watch ghosts shot down one by one by his invisible second player, hearing Hyde's thrilled whoops and yells loud in his head. Hyde was taking down most of the ghosts, firing with a reckless abandon while Henry focused on properly aiming.

Although, it was noticeably difficult to focus.

As a result of Hyde's telekinetic abilities in use, it felt like Henry was trying to focus on two things at once and he couldn't help his attention dipping.

Through their connection, Hyde's excitement was infectious. On occasion, overwhelmed by Hyde's euphoria, he found himself frozen in place, not shooting and staring blankly into space, as though he had slipped into some kind of trance.

He kept shaking himself out of it and powering on but it was never too long before his concentration would slip away again and the gun would once more dangle loosely in his hand.

It was becoming increasingly clear that it might have just been easier to let Hyde control his body to play rather than them both playing at once.

During one of these dips of concentration, Henry began to take notice of something.

The game had its running themes and motifs – ghosts mostly – but he couldn't help but notice another reoccurring image.

When a ghost on screen died, it exploded in a splatter of glowing green goo. That same goo was dripping from both players' health bars and the text on screen. It was painted on the machine itself. Time and time again, it came up.

His eyes flicked to the points system. It wasn't described as points, it was called "Ectoplasm collected."

Even if he hadn't recognized the term from Maijabi's book, the term was common knowledge from anyone who had ever read a supernatural horror.

Henry may have secretly read a few horror novels or watched a couple of movies in the past.

Between Lanyon's dislike of such things and the general bad reputation that came with liking such things, he had kept this love of his quiet.

Ectoplasm was a term he had heard often in movies involving ghosts. Usually it was some kind of black or ethereal blue sludge that appeared when ghostly activity had transpired.

However, this machine painted it as green. For whatever reason, this detail piqued Henry's interest.

"Hey, doctor distracted! We're getting overwhelmed here!"

Henry raised the gun and began to fire again, taking more notice of the goo, the ectoplasm.

The creature that was designed to look more like a demon flew at the screen and Hyde shot it. Like any of the other ghosts, it exploded into ectoplasm on death.

A thought was growing in Jekyll's head.

Again, he looked over at Hyde. It really did look like a poltergeist controlling that gun, watching it move on its own. If he focused, he could almost fancy that he saw the outline of that small figure gripping the gun, a huge grin stretching from ear to ear, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet.

The screen flashed to show that a boss was coming up.

Henry snapped back to the game and tried to focus. The screen was cleared of other ghosts and ominous music began to play from the speakers as, slowly, the boss began to approach.

Shambling, twitching, lurching towards them like a marionette was a figure. The figure was small, dressed in an old fashioned Victorian style dress with long bouncy hair.

It could have looked like a cute little girl.

It was not.

The face was disfigured with rot, the clothes stained with blood and filth. Hanging above her like a sickening cloud, was a shadow. Horns arched from its head and long, sharp claws were outstretched.

It was a classic horror movie trope, a small child possessed by a demon.

He had seen it countless times in the past and, this time especially, it was corny and even laughable.

Therefore, it shouldn't have hit him as hard as it did.

Henry froze right there, gun still in hand, staring as she lurched closer.

The more she approached, the more he could see a terrified expression on her face, the twitches in her expression as though she were still trying to escape or fight for control.

She looked pleading.

Hyde just continually shot her in the face.

The shots clipped straight through her without touching the health bar and Hyde grumbled about it, just continuing his assault even harder, completely unfazed by Henry’s reaction.

Henry, forcing down bile, raised his gun upwards and fired at the demon instead. It was a hit.

The pair continued to fire but they had realized too late where to aim and, soon, the girl was upon them. With one last close up of that decayed face, there was a splatter of blood on the screen and a high shriek.

Shakily, Henry lowered his gun.

"Hunk of junk." Hyde snapped bitterly, "I can't believe it wouldn't let me shoot a kid!"

A thoughtful pause. Then:

"I wonder if we could play again without paying..?"

Henry felt a tug at his mind as Hyde began to try to fiddle with the machine, poking his powers into every inch of it like shoving a stick into a hole and hoping that something popped out.

The screen flickered and crackled under the assault but the game over screen held steady, flashing mockingly.

The doctor just stood there blankly, staring at it.

It was only when the machine gave out an ear-splitting shriek, causing several people to look over at what was going on that Hyde finally let it go with a huff.

"It's not worth playing again anyway." He drifted away from it and looked over at Henry.

At long last, the demon took notice of Henry's uncharacteristic silence.

"What's gotten your knickers in a twist?"

Ignoring Hyde, Jekyll looked over to Robert.

It seemed he had been forced into an air hockey match with Jasper at Rachel's hands. He was too focused to have even looked up at the noise.

Good, he decided. He didn't want Robert to see him like this.

Stumbling a little, he made his way towards the toilets. The toilets were, thankfully, empty and he tottered into the nearest stall, locking the door behind him.

He sat himself down on the toilet seat, eyes shut and taking a few deep breaths.

For a little while, he just sat there, calming himself down.

When he opened his eyes again, his shadow loomed in front of him. A pair of hollow eyes stared at him from the shadow, looking rather confused.

"Considering tormenting you is my job, I don't suppose you can tell me what happened. For notes, you know?"

When Henry didn't reply, he felt cold fingers slipping into his mind, unpleasantly sorting through his thoughts and memories with a curious humming.

Finally, the demon pulled up the memory of the boss from the arcade game. Hyde snorted in derision.

"The game? You've seriously cooped yourself up in the bathroom because of one possessed little girl in an arcade game? Aren't I good enough for your possession fears?"

"It is you."

"Huh? Me?"

Jekyll winced as, once more, the demon sifted through his head, examining things carefully. The moment seemed to last an age.

Abruptly, there was a whoop of glee from Hyde.

"It is me! You're scared of me!" Edward crowed proudly. "You're afraid of losing yourself entirely!"

"I'm going back to Robert."

Jekyll stood to leave.

To his alarm, there was a bolt of ice in his head and, before he knew what was happening, he felt himself physically yanked back down.

He blinked for a few seconds, wide-eyed and bewildered, his cold breath visible before his eyes.

"Now, now. Wouldn't want to leave so soon, would we?" Hyde purred.

There was malicious intent threaded through their connection.

Steadily becoming more anxious, Henry began to struggle a little harder but he was stuck hard, the presence of the demon seeming to freeze up every muscle in his body. Even his lungs struggled to fill, his breathing becoming thin and wheezing.

He wasn't in the mood for losing control of his body at that moment.

When he thought about the demon taking control, all he could feel was Jasper's throat at the tips of his fingers, the slight pressure of his claws in soft flesh.

A move that could have killed Jasper had it been just a little harder.

"Hyde. We have a truce."

"Right, when it comes to Moreau we work together and all but, look," Hyde grinned wickedly, "No Moreau. Looks like that truce doesn't apply. You know, I'm growing bored of sitting down and being polite. After all, I'm still a demon, remember? I'm not just your talking powerhouse. Besides, didn't you come to this place alone so you could speak to me? To hear my advice? Came to little old Hyde for help?"

"No. No, I wanted-"

"To be alone with your thoughts." Hyde whispered with mocking softness, "Except, I'm your thoughts now, don't you remember, doctor? It was me that you came for."

The cold in his muscles spilled into his head and his thoughts and, as he desperately choked for breath, even his own thoughts were twisted against him at the demon's whim with horrifying ease.

In his head, he could vividly see that little girl again, an image that Hyde cruelly forced into his mind.

With a sharp, almost painful stab from Hyde, the picture altered and he vividly saw himself.

His face was rotted in that same way that the little girl had been and, hung above his head, was a shadow, horns and claws and teeth. He could see a pleading, terrified look in those eyes, that green fluid dripping from the mouth and eyes.

Then he saw this version of himself pinning Jasper to the wall.

The other version of Henry was babbling, begging for forgiveness and begging for his body back even as the claws began to sink into the soft skin, even as blood began to run.

There was anguished screaming but he couldn't tell who it was, Jasper or himself.

Henry struggled to think of something, anything else.

Fluid. Red fluid dripping between claws. Red fluid staining the ground in vivid hues.

Green fluid dripping from Jekyll's mouth and eyes. Green fluid dripping from his fingers. Green fluid freezing into shards and crystals as they hit the floor like ice.

Frozen green crystals.

"Ectoplasm!" Henry gasped out. The images froze along with Hyde.

"Ex-cuse me?"

"Those crystals. It was ectoplasm!" The grip on his mind seemed to loosen and Henry struggled his way out, gasping for breath. "You remember the crystals in my room. When we transformed? In Maijabi's book, it said that a ghost's physical form is a substance similar to neurons. And ectoplasm is the physical form of a spirit." A pause, "Or something like that, I think?"

"I'm not a ghost!"

"You can't tell me that the ectoplasm in that game didn't look a thing like those crystals." Unsteadily, Henry forced himself back to his feet. "That's what it is! I need Maijabi's book, I need to find out what ectoplasm is."

He unlocked the stall door and, as Hyde scrabbled to get a purchase on his mind, the doctor left, completely forgetting the demon in his hurry.

Hyde watched him leave, teeth gritted furiously.

As the door swung open, Henry didn't check outside and the door nearly swung directly into someone's face. There was a surprised yell and the person stumbled back. A little abashed, Henry peeped around the door, preparing to apologize.

When he saw Rachel stood there, his words dried up in his throat.

"Henry." She quickly looked him up and down, looking concerned. "Are you ok?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

Filled with new excitement, he tried to make his way past her but Rachel stopped him.

"I saw you run to the bathroom."

Oh. Someone had seen that after all. He had been so focused on making sure that Robert hadn’t seen anything that he had forgotten Rachel.

"You've been out of it all day." She continued, "I just want to know if everything's ok?"

"Just fine, Rachel." Once again, he pushed past her and began to casually make his way back, "Now, I promised Robert a game of his choice so-"

"Is it your injury?"

Henry paused mid-step.

Confused, he turned back to look at her.

"What injury?"

"I know you got attacked by that animal."

It was pretty telling of how much had been going on lately that it took Henry several seconds to realize what she meant.

Oh, that first demon attack. From the day he had first found out about his own possession.

"...How do you know about that?"

"Everyone's getting worried about you." She answered softly, not elaborating any further. "Is it ok? It's not infected, is it? Can I see it?"

"Robert-"

"Is currently playing Jasper at air hockey. We have time."

For a moment, he hesitated. It wasn't like there was any point in hiding it anymore, he supposed. She knew it existed.

"It's... Uh... Under my..." Henry looked away, a little embarrassed.

There was a little pause as Rachel processed his vague warnings. Then her eyes widened, a little embarrassed.

"Oh, right. Sorry, I didn't think-"

"I just don't want to publicly take my top off. If it helps calm you down, I'd be fine with quickly showing you in private."

The injury was about healed besides the scar by this point. Showing her this felt like the best way to prove to her that there wasn't anything worth fretting over.

Silently, he gestured at her to follow and began to lead her somewhere quieter.

"But please don't stare too much at my chest." Jekyll added.

"There's probably not much there to see."

"Rude."

He found a spot behind a vending machine and brought Rachel back there. With one last peek out to make sure that nobody would mistake what was going on, Jekyll lifted his top, just enough to reveal the injury.

At the sight of it, Rachel's eyebrows drew together.

"Is it... Infected?"

Jekyll frowned.

"Of course not, why would you think-?" He looked down.

In all fairness, he had been rather preoccupied with other things lately.

Since he had gotten it, he hadn't paid much attention to the injury. It didn't hurt or catch enough on his clothes to catch his interest so, when he got dressed in the mornings, he had barely even looked at it.

Now that he was really looking, he realized why Rachel was so concerned.

The puckered seam over the injury that he had taken to be a scar in the short glimpses he had seen wasn't a scar at all. The light danced and glittered through a thin, clear line of ice, holding the cut closed.

Through the ice, he could see a fractured image of the injury. Instead of the raw pink of newly formed skin, the cut was healing into a pastel green.

Carefully, he prodded it. Like a scab, some of the ice crumbled off.

Oh.

Maybe he should have looked at it before he showed Rachel.

"It's not infected. Bad chest injuries just heal that way." He said nonchalantly, quickly pulling his shirt back down over it. "Sorry, I forgot that you're not a doctor, you wouldn't know that."

"I've never seen something like that before." Rachel countered dubiously.

"You wouldn't have. It's rare." A warm smile. "It's fine."

"It... Looks like ice."

"Cartilage." Henry explained, just throwing out the first word that came to mind. "It's a layer of cartilage. There's a lot of it in the ribs region and, an injury around that area causes some to leak out and harden there."

Of all the lies that Henry had ever told, he knew full well that this was the most ridiculous. He may not have been a biologist but he knew enough about cartilage to know that it didn't do that.

Thankfully, Rachel – who knew even less about biology than him – was just nodding as though that made perfect sense to her.

It also always helped when you said something with a stupid amount of confidence, he supposed.

"Anyway,” He changed the subject as subtly as he could, “I should get back to Robert. He's still waiting on a game with me and I'm sure you would like to get back to Jasper."

There was a moment of silence, Rachel's expression unreadable. Then she nodded and they began to walk back together.

As they walked, Henry mused over the injury's state.

It was clearly some sort of side effect of Hyde but in what way?

The obvious option seemed to be some kind of healing factor. If that were the case, how well did it work? Did he heal faster than regular people or was it more like he could heal from more serious injuries?

He mused on how to test this potential new ability but, unfortunately, a healing factor wasn't something easy to experiment on. Not unless he wanted to risk serious permanent damage. At least, with the current situation, he had a good chance of getting badly hurt anyway.

Pushing the thought from his mind, he turned back to Rachel.

"By the way, just keep this between us, ok?" Henry continued, giving her a look, "I don't want Robert to worry."

"Of course." Rachel replied, not looking back at him.

They continued the rest of the way in silence.

After seeing Henry having so much fun on a horror themed game, Robert was relieved to hop onto a normal, non-scary racing game with his friend.

They played several rounds and even occasionally switched with Rachel and Jasper so everyone could play each other.

It was during one of these switches, when Jekyll was playing Jasper, that Rachel quietly took Lanyon to the side.

"Why am I getting a bad feeling that this is something serious?" Lanyon asked wryly as he was tugged behind a vending machine. "Not to sound like an alarmist but this is weird behaviour, even for you."

"It... Might be? I don't know yet." Rachel fiddled awkwardly with her fingers, "Listen, you're a doctor, right?"

"Depends. Did you hit your head?" Lanyon snarked.

At the long look that Rachel was giving him, Lanyon just cocked his eyebrow, daring her to say something back.

"I was wondering..." She said slowly. A pause. Rachel fiddled with her hair as Lanyon waited patiently, wondering who was winning between Jasper and Jekyll at that moment.

Probably Jekyll.

Jasper had proved himself way too cautious of a driver to win any of the races so far but he could probably win points for the least crashes caused.

Then, interrupting his thoughts in an abrupt babble of words: "What's cartilage, what does it look like, and what happens when it leaks?"

Lanyon blinked, taken aback.

"Uh... That's a lot of questions." He took a moment to recall what he had learnt from university and began to count off his answers on his fingers, "It's the material found in bone joints, it's kind of transparent and elastic-y, and it can't leak. It's a solid." Finished, he narrowed his eyes at her. "If I may ask a question of my own, why do you you need to know?"

Rachel seemed to have gotten even more nervy at his words and she increased the amount of fiddling with her hair. She had managed to get very distracted by one particular strand which seemed to want to stick out of her head at a weird angle.

"See... I wasn't really supposed to tell you this but... Henry might have an injury..?"

Robert froze.

"What?!"

"From an animal attack – it's a bunch of scratches on his chest. But it's also gone really weird looking and Jekyll told me it was cartilage but it looked really, really weird so I kind of suspected something was off so I wanted to ask you and-" She took a breath from her quickening speech. "Yep. That's it." She finished, voice high.

In return, Robert just shook his head violently.

He wanted to shake Rachel down for answers. How did Henry get involved in an animal attack, how big is it, how much is it bleeding, shouldn't he be in a hospital?

However, he needed to remain calm. Rachel seemed just as concerned as he was and getting hysterical would be of no help.

"It can't be cartilage. What does it look like?"

"Well. It looks like it's frozen over. Like ice."

He frowned at that, double checking Rachel's face for the hint of a smirk that would tell him that this was a prank in poor taste.

"...Are you sure? Have you seen it?"

"I have."

Brow furrowed, Robert bit his lip as he flicked through every bit of medical knowledge he had. There was absolutely nothing he could think of that would cause such a thing.

"Sounds like there's something wrong with the scarring. Maybe there's something still stuck in there." He mused aloud.

Rachel had said it looked like ice. Clearly it had to be something else that she was mistaking for ice and Robert's brain wouldn't stop slipping back to glass. Glass was the closest material he could think of that would look like ice – glass or some kind of transparent plastic.

If that were the case, it would mean that there was glass embedded in the cut and, possibly, the body had healed over it without Henry getting it removed first.

Except, that would mean that somehow, from an animal attack, broken glass had gotten involved which seemed unusual and, secondly, Henry hadn't gone to a hospital about this.

It wasn't the most out of character for Jekyll to ignore when he needed help but surely anyone would decide that medical attention was needed if there was something as dangerous as broken glass stuck in there.

Things didn't really add up.

He swallowed.

"So," Rachel looked up at him, "What should we do?"

Lanyon paused for a moment.

Then he opened his mouth.

"Rachel and Dr Lanyon are taking their time, aren't they?" Jasper mentioned casually.

Henry looked up from the steering wheel at him.

They had just finished that round of the game and Henry kind of wanted to move onto something else but he didn't want to make any decisions without Rachel and Lanyon present.

Except, Jasper was right, they were taking a little too long for his liking.

His eyes lingered where the pair had disappeared to the toilets together.

In his mind, he remembered when he had left on the bus – the creature that had watched him leave – and his skin crawled.

Rachel and Lanyon were just two humans. To the monsters chasing him and Hyde, they were easy pickings.

"I'll check on them." Henry said abruptly, standing up.

"I'll come with." Jasper added.

Dubiously, Henry glanced back at Jasper at those words.

He didn't want to put Jasper into any more danger than he already had and, if there was a demon there, taking him with would certainly be dangerous.

On the other hand, would it be safe to leave Jasper alone?

His eyes scanned the room. It seemed decently busy there, one or two families lingering about. He wanted to believe that Moreau wouldn't strike with so many witnesses and, yet, he couldn't know that for sure. Besides, if those few families left and Jasper was placed on his own...

What was more dangerous?

"Dr Jekyll?" Jasper pressed, "...Can I come?"

"I... I shouldn't be long."

Jekyll stood and made his way over.

It shouldn't be long. It should just be Lanyon and Rachel taking too long doing makeup or their hair. Or maybe there was a queue.

He was just being paranoid, that was all.

As he left, something small on the ceiling watched him leave. In the blink of an eye, it shot after him.

Jasper, meanwhile, watched for a little longer, then followed after.

Chapter Text

No matter what Dr Jekyll seemed to think, Virginia Ito wasn't ignorant to what was going on.

It had been a few years since she had moved to the small town and, over time, she had learned to deal with the weirdness.

The apartment building she had chosen to live in was chock full of the strangest characters, she often caught glimpses of unusual shapes moving in the forest, and there was always the oddest gossip.

Then, of course, there was the matter of Dr Moreau.

The guy seemed alright enough, quiet, maybe a little threatening looking, but he seemed to adore the animals under his care. He could tell anyone any number of facts about almost any animal with a particular fondness for the more deadly kind.

At first, she didn’t give it much thought. He just liked animals, there wasn't a lot else to it.

Of course, she heard drifting rumours that Moreau did horrible things to the animals under his care but his cage full of rats always seemed happy and cared for. She could almost see their eyes light up whenever he walked into the room.

Rats were very intelligent animals, even if most people didn't realize – like dogs, rats could even be taught to do tricks and play games – they would understand if they were being mistreated, therefore the rumours couldn't be true.

People were like that sometimes. It was best not to listen to them.

Since she was somewhat new to the job, she didn’t know anyone in the area yet and, as it was, she ended up striking up somewhat of a friendship with Moreau. She did her best to be pleasant to him and, over time, she got to know him better.

When one got past the rumours, he was actually surprisingly easy to talk to. In fact, if he really tried, she would swear he could dispel those rumours about himself with ease and she didn’t understand why he wouldn’t try.

When she asked about it, he simply said that he didn’t like getting close to people and that was that.

Things took a turn, however, one late night in winter.

The apartment building had been noisy when she had left that morning.

Bird had dropped an entire plant pot of Venus fly trap down the stairs which had been promptly stepped on by Pennebrygg and the whole morning had been loud with a mixture of angry yelling, the scraping of Bird and Archer trying to scoop up the dirt and flattened plant back into the pot, and the cries of a very sleep deprived Griffin who had taken one step out of his room to see a plant with teeth and immediately started screaming.

Dirt was trodden into the carpets, Helsby had tried to save the plant by dumping a bunch of salt water on top of it, fish included, and it was far too early in the morning for anyone to be doing anything half intelligent. Overall, it was absolute chaos.

Ito had picked her way around it all and taken the elevator instead.

The fire alarm starting blaring the moment she stepped out of the building, only to be instantly cut off into complete silence as the door shut behind her.

The street, in contrast, was absolute blissful silence.

For a second, Ito breathed in the frigid air, sighing and watching the steam curl in the air.

It was early in the morning and mostly everyone outside the chaos of her new home were still asleep.

As it was, Ito hadn't awoken early due to the commotion. By that point, she had learned how to sleep through it.

The reason behind her early departure was, in fact, the weather.

It was thick with snow outside. The roads and pavements were scattered with salt but there were still the occasional patches of black ice. It was a day for cautiously edging ones way along, keeping an eye out and a steady foot to avoid a painful slip-up.

Thick grey clouds gathered above, blotting out most of the sunlight but there was still a glaring shine off the piles of snow.

She had worried, with such thick snowfall, that her trip might be delayed. Not wanting to be late, she had set her alarm early, minutes before the Venus fly trap incident.

Her coat was buttoned up to the throat and thick mittens covered her hands. Light flakes of snow nestled in her hair as she tiptoed her way around the icy tarmac.

The peace and quiet was nice.

It had been equally silent when she had slipped into the lab. She was the first to arrive and, therefore, the one to switch all the lights on and start setting up.

It was just her and the cage of rats that Moreau had left on the nearest table.

The rats watched her curiously as she darted from place to place, pulling out Bunsen Burners, pipettes, and burettes. She shot them a quick smile as she went.

It was just as she was passing the cage, a small bottle of indicator in hand, that something caught her attention in the food bowl.

She did a double take.

Frowning, she looked at it again. Her eyes narrowed.

All her common sense told her that she couldn't be seeing what she thought she was seeing.

Carefully, she placed the indicator down and approached the cage.

The rats just stared up at her innocently, whiskers twitching, oblivious to the dubious appearance of their food bowl.

Slowly, she plucked off her mittens and put them down on the table.

With that done, she unclipped the door of the cage and gently took the bowl in her bare hands. It felt warm on her bare skin as she lifted it, already a bad sign.

As her hand was just exiting the cage, she bumped the bowl slightly against the side.

As she did so, the red fluid inside sloshed over, spilling just a little onto her hand.

For a moment, Ito could do nothing but stare as it ran thickly down her fingers and wrist, pattering softly down on her gloves below.

This was certainly not in her imagination. That dark crimson was ever so horribly warm and anyone could have seen exactly how it looked.

In her throat, her heart fluttered anxiously, her breaths quickening. However, she scarcely acknowledged it.

Her eyes were fixed on the fluid, on her hands that were just starting to shake, threatening to slosh more over the rim.

She couldn't pry her eyes away.

Not because of the way that the fluid appeared, not because it reminded her dangerously of something else.

She couldn't look away because that meant looking at what was in the bowl.

She couldn't look away because that meant seeing the source of the fluid and having her suspicions confirmed.

Hundreds of small beady eyes watched her. Every last one of them were perfectly still. There wasn't even a twitch of a whisker.

Trembling, her eyes darted to the rats. Now that she was looking – truly looking – she could see the faintest red stains around their mouths, in their fur, clinging to the whiskers.

Ito shut her eyes for a moment and took a deep, shuddering breath. It was nothing but a mistake, she told herself. When she looked, it would turn out to be something completely harmless and she would continue her day as usual without a care in the world. Things like this just didn’t happen, not like this.

At last, she looked in the bowl.

The bowl looked back up at her.

Bobbing silently in the red pool was a single eye. Rather, what might have been an eye.

It was completely coated in red and about half of it had been eaten away, however, it was impossible to deny the outline of half an iris and pupil.

A very human looking iris and pupil.

All of a sudden, she was very, very aware of how alone she was.

She hadn't gotten around to turning on all the lights just yet so a thick darkness still lurked in the corners. Enough darkness to hide a person with ease.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the rats begin to move ever so slowly. They slunk along the cage, every last eye fixed on her, steadily forming a half-ring.

She should shut the cage. She needed to shut the cage.

Except, she couldn't move.

The red was still dripping down her wrist steadily, staining her mittens with agonising slowness. Every muscle was tensed like a spring, her throat felt thick, like there was something lodged in it.

One by one, the rats crouched, a pose that reminded her far too much of cats about to pounce on their prey.

Lips curled back, revealing teeth that seemed just a little too sharp for normal rats and the tails flicked back and forth.

The one in the middle looked up at her.

She could have sworn that, as impossible as it seemed, it was grinning at her.

An almost human grin.

Move.

She needed to move. She needed to shut the cage and get out of there now.

Why couldn't she move?

Her legs felt locked in place. They didn't even shake, rigid like they had been carved from stone. It felt almost as though she was being held there and, staring into those dozens of tiny eyes, she had the craziest thought that the rats were the ones responsible.

The bowl was still gripped in her hands, fist squeezed tight enough around the edge to hurt. It was sloshing more onto her hands now, trembling too much to stop it.

From behind her, she heard a footstep.

Biting the inside of her cheek hard, Ito closed her eyes. She didn’t want to see what was about to happen. She didn’t want to know.

"Miss Ito?"

Ito's eyes shot open.

Almost instantly, whatever force had been holding her in place let go and she stumbled, startled at her new freedom.

Immediately, heart thundering in her ears, she spun around.

There, carefully plucking the food bowl from her hands, was Dr Moreau.

His face was perfectly calm as he placed the bowl back in the cage beside the rats which, somehow, were now scattered about the cage, nibbling and running about just like normal rats.

It was as though everything that had just happened was some strange waking nightmare. Abruptly, it was just a cage of rats, rolling around and playing with each other as usual. No sharp teeth, no readying themselves to pounce on her.

The bloody bowl, however, was still clearly full of blood.

"Dr Moreau," She pulled herself away from him, drawing as far back as she could before the table hit her back, "Why exactly is there an eyeball in the food bowl?!"

It probably wasn't the smartest choice – confronting a man while completely alone about something as suspicious as what looked like a human eyeball in a room where no-one would hear her scream – but she was far too panicked to think straight at that time.

Thankfully, Moreau didn't pull out a knife and kill her right there and then. He simply hummed, slipping the cage shut.

"Rats are omnivores – they eat meat as well as plants." He said at last, with perfect calmness, "They prefer fresh meat and I know it simply isn't healthy to indulge them like this but I can't help it. Not when they get so excited over it."

He turned to her, not the slightest waver.

"I would ask that you don't mess with my rats while I'm not around. I've been trained on how to raise them properly and I wouldn't want you to do something like accidentally set them free or,” Oddly, he shot the rats with a pointed look, “feed them something they shouldn't be eating."

It gave her the strangest feeling that the last statement wasn’t directed at her. She didn’t like that at all.

She swallowed shakily. Her legs still felt weak from the strange paralysis but she refused to sit down just yet.

Carefully, she edged her way closer to the door.

"What kind of eye is it?"

"A pig from the local butcher. The butcher doesn’t use the eyes so it’s easier to get a hold of them for cheap than, say, a chicken leg." Moreau picked up the cage and, with an amiable smile, turned to her, "I'm so sorry about this. This must have been startling for you and I know I should have warned you sooner about it. I just didn't expect you to be in this early in the morning."

With that, he began to take the cage over to his office. Ito just stared after him.

He was so calm and collected that she was almost tempted to believe that it was all just what he said. It was a pig eye as a treat to the rats, like feeding raw chicken to a ferret.

Yet, she couldn't forget that hungry look in the eyes of those rats as they had stared at her. The way they had looked ready to pounce on her. The way that it had only stopped when Moreau showed up – when there was going to be a witness.

In her mind, she recalled the rumours about Moreau.

He hadn't done something to those rats, had he?

It seemed like the thing that only happened in horror movies. Rats didn't attack people. Rats didn't eat people.

At last, it was too much. She had turned on her heel and strode right out of the lab.

Once she was out in public, she stood there in the cold outside the lab, rubbing her hands together to try to get warmth back into them, not willing to go back inside for her bloody mittens. She waited there until the first of her co-workers arrived and, although they gave her a strange look, they didn't question her as she descended into the lab with them close by her side.

Lying on the table where she left them were her mittens.

There wasn't a single drop of blood to be seen.

Virginia almost felt bad.

After the eyeball incident, she had done her best to avoid Moreau. At first, he had tried on numerous occasions to speak with her as usual but she had slipped past him on every occasion, every time exceedingly aware of his gaze on her fleeing back.

Bit by bit, he began to stop trying. Instead, she would often look up to catch him staring after her, stood alone across the room looking lonely and regretful.

She wasn't backing down for his sake though. There was something severely wrong about all of this and she refused to take a part in it. She didn't want to ever be alone with him or those damnable rats again.

It felt frustrating though. Her work day was spent clinging to others, arriving and leaving precisely on time – never showing too early, never leaving late, never doing any kind of overtime.

Although the others had their rumours about Moreau's unethical work practices, she felt like she was the only one who truly knew. No-one else was quite as afraid of being alone. The others would play with or coo over the rats in their spare time, when Moreau's back was turned, while Virginia would do her best to keep far away from that cage.

They would watch her closely as she walked past and she could swear that there was something malicious in those black button eyes. Never did she dare to get close enough to check but, now that she knew where to look, she knew that those teeth looked sharper than they should have from a distance. She now noticed smears of blood around their mouths some mornings where they hadn’t quite managed to clean up in time.

Every time she passed the cage, she shut her eyes, ignoring the imagined feeling of her legs completely held in place, ignoring the memory of those too-sharp teeth, and continued past.

Maybe it was nothing, maybe it was all in her head, but she couldn't forget it. Not when she might have gotten so close to a gruesome death because of Moreau’s experimentation.

She almost felt bad.

Almost, but not quite.

Dr Jekyll was just another person – another co-worker who didn't know anything.

He looked considering when she warned him about Moreau's experimentation but he was still fine with being alone in a room with Moreau, he still cooed over the rats in spare moments like the others.

Well, she had been alone in this for quite some time. It didn't matter if she remained alone.

Over time, she began to notice things.

Moreau had been starting to take his attention off her for quite some time now but she was starting to notice that he had abruptly stopped entirely. In fact, he had started to move his attention to somewhere quite different.

The first time she saw Moreau staring at Dr Jekyll when his back was turned, she didn't think anything of it. After all, Jekyll seemed to get along quite well with him, Moreau was probably clinging to the only potential friend he had.

It actually made her feel better, seeing them together. She no longer had to feel bad at all about leaving Moreau alone – he could make new friends when he wanted to.

She saw Moreau watching him time and time again.

Then, it started to get creepy.

It seemed that, every time she looked at Moreau, his gaze was always on Henry. Whenever Henry wasn’t looking, Moreau’s eyes would be on him.

Moreover, she was starting to notice that it wasn't a warm, friendly look.

It made her think eerily of how someone would watch a friend who was deathly sick. Although Henry’s health seemed fine, Moreau had a constant drawn, worried look, studying Henry’s every feature – As though looking at someone he wouldn’t be seeing for much longer.

Worse, those demonic little rats of his also seemed fixated on him. Not in the concerned way that Moreau was but in their own little sinister way.

Henry seemed not to notice.

Later, when Henry's health began to dip, Ito couldn't help but wonder if Moreau had somehow known all along that it was going to happen.

Things began to take a turn.

She didn't know quite when it had happened but one day things had simply changed.

While plucking up vials from the cupboard, she had looked up to see Moreau was staring at Dr Jekyll again.

The strange part was, it wasn't with his usual concern. Instead, with a spike of fear, she noticed that it was an almost anguished desperation.

Moreau was strange but he was usually quite calm. He could look concerned, lonely, friendly, but they were always small expressions. Just the slightest creasing around the eyes, the smallest pursing of the lips or change in intonation.

This expression looked absolutely dreadful, so out of place, to the point that every bone in her body began to scream that something was very wrong here. It was an expression that dragged at the heartstrings, so genuine and utterly pained.

Almost afraid of what she would see, Ito held her vials close to her and peered around the door of the cupboard.

Henry was there, staring back at Moreau.

Fearful and guarded weren’t any new expressions on him but she had never seen it directed towards Moreau before. She had never seen the underlying of something so hateful behind those eyes.

Something had changed. Something had really changed.

She didn't know what and that worried her.

It wasn't difficult to see the way that Henry didn't like being alone anymore.

He clung to people, he avoided the quieter rooms, he never worked overtime anymore, he wouldn't go anywhere near the rats no matter what.

They were the exact same mannerisms that she had picked up after the rat incident.

Some more selfish part of her crowed in glee that she wasn't alone anymore but she always pushed it down.

Henry felt a little stranger as of late.

Of course, she hadn't known him for long so she couldn't know for sure, but he kept doing strange things.

Part-way through an experiment, he would freeze, cock his head slightly to one side as though listening to things only he could hear. Sometimes he would silently mouth things to himself, seeming not to notice that he was doing so. His skin would often become suddenly cold, even in a warm room. So cold that, without even touching, she could feel the heat being sapped from the air around him.

Somehow, she thought of the altered rats. She thought of Moreau's obsession over Henry, the strange concern as though he knew something was going to happen, his desire to keep an eye on Henry's condition. Then she thought of the way that Henry seemed to have changed and a dangerous thought began to take root in her mind.

It was crazy. It had to all be in her head.

Moreau wouldn't experiment on people, would he?

She shuddered at the thought of something being done to Jekyll like whatever had been done to the rats. She imagined Jekyll, his mouth streaked with blood, teeth just a bit too sharp.

Once more, she looked over at him. He was mouthing to himself again and she turned away.

She wasn’t sure if she really wanted to know but at least she was no longer alone.

Ito was thankful when Henry asked her to come to storage alone with him.

In part, she didn't want him to be alone, in part, she didn't want to be alone herself. In part, she needed to ask about things.

"Doctor Jekyll-"

The doctor in question let out an undignified squawk of alarm and spun to face her. There was a small croak of laughter when he saw it was just her and, for a second, he gasped for breath, hand clutching at his chest.

Ito waited patiently.

"S-Sorry." Henry said at last, still huffing from panic, "These corridors look like something out of a horror movie."

He laughed and shuffled a little, looking rather embarrassed.

"That's actually why I wanted you here." He said quietly, scratching the back of his head. "It's embarrassing to admit but I'm somewhat afraid of being alone here."

For a moment, Ito just stared at him.

"Is that really why?"

"Of course." He scoffed, a little too quickly, "Why else?"

She studied him a second longer.

Yes, things really had changed with him. He had a haunted look to him – his cheeks had become just a little more gaunt, his skin just a bit more pale.

Had Moreau really caused all of this?

Of course, the evidence was all there. It all added up way too strongly to be a coincidence at this point.

Maybe she still recalled all to clearly his calm and collected demeanour, the air of someone who had never done any wrong.

Or, she reflected, believed that they weren't doing any wrong.

"I've seen the way Moreau keeps watching you."

At that, Jekyll froze and she knew for sure that he had seen it too.

"Dr Jekyll, I'm not ignorant. I know Moreau is bad news and, for whatever reason, you've caught his attention. I don't want you left alone with him as much as you do."

He looked over at her, wide-eyed.

"I wouldn't have agreed to come if I didn't think it was important." She glanced at him one last time before continuing on. They still had to get those new vials from storage after all. "So?"

Jekyll scrabbled to keep up, looking almost comically dazed at the turn of events.

"...So what?" He asked, faintly.

"What happened?" She pressed, doing her best to bite back her curiosity. "Why has Moreau taken such an interest in you?"

"...I don't think you'll believe me. It's kind of a wild story."

Try me, she thought.

"Maybe, maybe not. How about a simplified version of events?"

A long, slow blink from Henry. Then, hesitantly, "Moreau is working on things that he shouldn't be and I have something he wants but... But for certain reasons, I can't let him have it. Does that make sense?"

At that, Ito mused a little. She took a breath.

"I've kind of suspected that Moreau was doing something terrible in that lab of his." She confessed. "This 'something'... Is it something you have on you right now?"

Reluctantly, Henry nodded.

"And you can't just leave it at home?"

"I wish."

She wondered if she should say her conclusions aloud. It was such a wild jump of logic if she was wrong, yet the evidence all seemed to add up.

Well, no harm in asking.

"Am I making a leap here by saying Moreau has graduated from experimenting on animals onto people?"

Jekyll spluttered at that.

"Well you seem a little too on edge for this to just be a family keepsake or some dangerous scientific discovery so I assume you mean your body," She continued, determined not to sound like she was just throwing out wild theories, "or something in your body. He wants to do something terrible to you."

"Uh... I... Well..." Jekyll stuttered, looking taken aback, "Sounds a little... Crazy, you know? Like a story."

"But am I right?"

He fell silent and it told her all she needed to know.

"Jekyll, I believe you. If Moreau tries anything, just ask me. I'm willing to help."

His eyes met hers, studying her face with worry, as though she might be joking.

"Thank you." He said at last, with such genuine feeling that she smiled.

"You would do the same for me."

Nearly two weeks later, Ito was in the Blackfog shopping centre.

It was one of the town's peculiarities, a shopping centre entirely underground. If one went down the wrong path, they could even accidentally land themself in the sewers. The occasional rat or mouse would skitter from the sewers under the feet of nearby shoppers and one could catch glimpses of the occasional old lady on one of the benches feeding groups of rats like they were pigeons.

No matter what the urban legends said, they had never gotten an alligator in Blackfog yet, but people claimed it was only a matter of time.

Despite this, it was brightly lit, the shops brightly coloured with neon signs, the walls painted in colours and stripes that were almost gaudy.

Odd shops dotted the place – a shop for circus equipment, another for spiritual things, and a wide array of shops that didn't outwardly reveal what they sold, the racks and shelves empty with the clause that anyone who came in them to buy had to know beforehand what they sold or no service.

One could tell when they were getting too close to one of the paths that lead to the sewers because the number of perfume and scented candle shops would suddenly go up, filling the air with a misleading strong floral scent.

For a place jutting out of the literal sewer system, it was kept surprisingly clean.

At that time, Ito was in a clothes shop, admiring a nice looking dress.

She was the only customer at the time and the shop owner had nipped into the back for a short while leaving her alone.

Usually shops had windows to see inside but this was just another oddity of Blackfog really – Most of the stores didn't have any windows. Once one was in, they couldn't see out and those outside couldn't see in. The bustle of people outside was dimmed by the walls and, overall, it created a strange feeling that she was the only one there.

She knew that, just nearby, were dozens of people but they seemed so distant from her. It was a half-comforting, half unnerving sensation.

Earlier, she had chosen to text Henry to let him know where she was in case he needed her but he hadn't responded to any of them yet. When she had texted Rachel to check if he was ok, she hadn't responded back either.

She feared that the underground nature of the shopping centre was preventing any messages from getting through. Worse, that they couldn't respond at all.

It was probably nothing but, with Moreau about, she couldn't help a twinge at worry every time she looked at her phone to see nothing.

Putting it out of her mind, she looked closer at the dress. It was a lovely deep green colour and could be buttoned up at the front all the way up to the throat. There were even pockets.

It had a rather quaint look to it but she wasn’t sure if she would wear it or not. That was the trouble with new clothes, they could look as nice as ever in the shop but she kept leaving new outfits for nice occasions only to almost never actually wear them. She supposed it would be fine as casual wear.

As she was looking at it, she spotted a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye. With a blink, she lowered the dress, glancing over.

There was nothing there. The shop was still empty.

It must have just been her imagination.

After a moment of hesitation, she drew out her phone and shot another text to Jekyll, watching to see if it went through.

Thankfully, it did. It seemed that the ground above her wasn't quite stopping any messages from getting through.

Ito turned back to the dress.

Sightlessly, the thing on the floor slithered wetly behind the nearby clothes rack. It left behind a slimy trail of sewer water in its wake but Ito was too far away to spot it.

Eyeless, mouthless, featureless – what it was doing could hardly be described as "staring" but, in its own way, it was watching the scene was before it like a hawk.

Like a thermal vision camera, it saw in temperatures rather than sight, feeling the subtle vibrations through the floor of every small movement made. From the smallest click of a heel to the subtle movements of the lungs, what it couldn’t see in heat was seen in motion.

For example, it couldn't see the dress but, rather, it felt the slight, light rustle of it in the air. It couldn't see Ito's heels but it heard them against the tiles.

Slowly, hesitantly, it squelched its way over the wheels of the rack, getting closer to the source of the heat before it. With a little bit of impatience, it wriggled in the air, trying in vain to "see" better.

To the thing, the heat source certainly looked human. It had that natural warmth of something alive, a heart in the chest beating ever so steady.

Fresh blood gushed through the veins, the heat as it travelled around the body tracing glowing rivers on the thing's "sight", the shush of the fluid coursing through creating almost comforting vibrations in the air.

The thing quivered a little, lulled by the gentle sounds and tremors like one listening to the sea lapping against the shore.

Bit by bit, completely unintentionally, it found itself being soothed. Its form drooped languidly over the rack and, for a little while, it just watched.

As it lay there, however, something else began to slip its way into the edge of its awareness. The distant sound of someone talking to it, as though from miles away.

The exact words washed over it, not quite registering but some kind of anxiety welled up inside it at whatever was being said. A throat that didn't belong to it at that time tightened with worry, arms pulled fearfully at restraints, muscles tensed.

Vaguely, there was awareness of something small and annoyingly bright being waved in front of a face as the voice continued, almost mockingly. Eyes fluttered and squinted. Consciousness hung at the cusp of waking, threatening to tip over at the words, the fear, the light, the general confusion.

Another room somewhere else. Darkness and cold and faint scuttling and scratching of unseen things moving about. A damp smell. Something glinting on the table. Feeling hazy and disconnected, not knowing why.

Just then, there was a clatter as the dress fell to the floor. Someone cursed out loud.

At the sound of the voice, the thing watching stiffened as it snapped back to attention. The words on its ears fell away into white noise once more and the room was gone.

Then, like an animal striking at its prey, it shot forwards.

Back in the present day, however, two days before that happened, Jasper was busy wrestling a gecko.

Chapter Text

Jasper knew this was wrong as he trailed silently behind Dr Jekyll.

This was the second time he had secretly followed after the doctor that day and it wasn't as though the first time had gone so well. However, for one, he didn't want to stand in the arcade alone, awkwardly. There was an awful lot of groups of people there and it made him feel very self-conscious to sit around playing games alone while everyone else seemed to have at least one friend with them.

Secondly, something was up.

Jekyll had been so strange and shifty just before he had left. He had been strange all day.

Other people seemed to underestimate Jasper a lot. He assumed it was because he didn’t talk to them a lot, preferring the company of animals than small talk. Jasper, however, knew a lot more than people realized.

Griffin, for instance, was doing experiments into invisibility in his room, a fact Jasper had learned when one of his mice had been chased down by Griffin’s invisible cat. The others would probably pay in blood to know what on Earth Griffin was doing in there but Jasper kept quiet about it.

It wasn’t his secret to share and, besides, who was he to tell?

“Oh, hi Rachel! The weather is nice today, isn’t it? Anyway, just out of curiosity have you ever had to pry a mouse out of the mouth of an invisible cat before? How do you tell where the teeth and claws are or how far down the cat’s throat the mouse is?”

Then there was Bird. Bird had once accidentally grown weed in his room after trying to grow a packet of bird seed just to see what it would produce and, when he realized what it was, thrown it out the window in a blind panic before anyone found out. He had never found out where it went after that point. Jasper had learned of it when Bird and Archer had been chatting together, forgetting Jasper’s presence in the room.

Helsby had one of those old fake mermaids in his room. One of the ones that were made long ago for freak-shows, created from sewing the top half of a monkey onto the bottom half of a fish. Occasionally he invited people over to his room and told them it was a real mermaid just to see how gullible they were. Once, when she was drunk, he had managed to convince Ito and she was still bitter about it.

Pennebrygg was the one who had tampered with Doddles’ alarm clock so it would turn on at random intervals of the night and, therefore, was the cause of that one day when Doddles had laced a batch of chocolates with very hot chilli peppers and given them to everyone in the apartment.

People tended to say a lot in front of him, forgetting that he was there or, at least, correctly assuming that he wouldn’t spread the information. As a result, Jasper knew an awful lot about the others.

He also knew not to discard the weirder theories. Around that area, the weirder theories tended to be the truer ones.

The werewolf theory was ridiculous, he knew that, but he also knew what he had seen in that moment when Jekyll pinned him to the wall.

Jekyll usually had short nails, cut to perfection, filed down into a smooth edge, which Jasper assumed was so they wouldn’t get in the way of his work.

In that moment, they had been claws.

His eyes had seemed to glow in the dark, cold and full of malice, and he had spoken with such uncharacteristic gruffness.

Maybe a werewolf, maybe something else. Whatever it was, something was up and, judging by the way Jekyll had behaved just before he went looking for Lanyon and Rachel, for whatever reason, Henry thought that the rest of them were in danger too.

With that in mind, he didn't want to be alone in the arcade with some unknown threat on the prowl.

He had enjoyed horror stories a lot over the years. Particularly, he liked stories with monsters. Monsters with fangs and fur, talons and feathers, scales and stingers, monsters that looked just like people, that could look like anyone and sweep away prey without anyone noticing a thing, monsters that could assume the form of whoever they ate to hunt down their next meal.

It was these ideas that his mind conjured now even as much as he knew he was jumping to conclusions.

No, he was sticking with the people he knew, thank you very much.

At least until he knew what he was up against.

"Robert? Rachel?"

Jekyll called out hesitantly as he headed towards the toilets.

It was quieter in this part of the building but he could still hear the muffled sounds of arcade games and chatting through the walls. Despite the tension in the air like an electrical current, it was somewhat comforting to know that there were people so close by. If he screamed, someone would hear him.

Although he would rather not be in that sort of situation at all.

Neither of his friends were stood outside the toilets waiting for the other so Jekyll headed into the men's room. If they weren't outside, surely Robert would be inside.

"Hello?"

Silence.

He pushed the door further open and slipped inside. As the door closed behind him, the sounds of the arcade were shut off. All he could hear was the faint thrum of the air conditioning.

As he looked around, a frown began to form on his face.

All the stall doors were open. The room was completely and utterly devoid of anyone.

"Robert?"

His heart was starting to beat just a little faster and he wrung his hands together nervously.

"Robert, this isn't funny."

He crept up to the toilet doors, peeking into each one in turn. All empty.

Slowly, he turned back to the door and, legs starting to shake just slightly, slipped back out.

It was fine. It was all fine. He had probably just missed them knowing his luck and they would be in the main room with Jasper right then.

That was all.

They were fine.

"Watch out!"

"What?"

Just then, he felt his limbs yanked out of the way just in time to miss something small ping off the floor next to him. Jekyll stumbled at the abrupt, involuntary movement and turned sharply to the thing he had just dodged. It took a moment of searching before his eyes caught on what it was.

On the floor, glistening in the light, was a glob of something clear.

For a second, he just stared at it, bewildered. Then, Hyde yanked him yet again just as another shot past him. Finally, Jekyll spun to face the source of the attack.

To his surprise, there was nothing there.

His eyes darted left and right.

An invisible attacker?

"Look up you bloody idiot!"

Jekyll ducked just in time to miss another and his eyes shot upwards.

He caught on it immediately.

The demon was absolutely tiny, no longer than one of his fingers. In fact, he wouldn't have seen it all if it wasn't an obnoxious shade of yellow.

Comically large eyes peeped down at him, too big for the head. The mouth was wide in a goofy looking smile and a cherry red tongue hung out of it, just as luridly coloured as the rest of it.

It... Looked like some sort of gecko.

The gecko cocked its head and smiled widely at him. Then it spat at him again. This time, he didn't need Hyde’s help to sidestep out of the way. Jekyll glanced back over his shoulder at the blob of spit on the floor.

Compared to the bird, this seemed... Harmless?

It was spit. A tiny, tiny ball of spit from a tiny, tiny lizard.

It wasn't burning through the carpet or anything, it was just sat there. Shining.

Gross, yes, but not harmful.

Almost incredulous, Jekyll looked back at the lizard.

Those large eyes blinked once and, slowly, a sly grin crossed its face. It turned to the side and drew in, chest puffing up with the effort and then spat again directly at the floor.

This time, Jekyll didn’t even see it move. There was a woosh of air, a blur of movement, and, then, like a firecracker, an ear-splitting bang.

Jekyll jumped back in alarm.

Sat there in the floor, still smoking, was a small hole like a bullet had gone through it. Shakily, Jekyll looked back at the gecko. It hung out its tongue playfully.

"I think it has a sense of humour." Hyde chirped dryly. "And I think that's our cue to leave."

Henry decided he agreed. With that, he spun on his heel and was out of there.

Jasper jumped as, from his hiding spot behind the corner, Dr Jekyll sprinted past like a pack of rabid dogs were at his heels.

He pinned himself harder against the wall, watching as Jekyll disappeared away, confused but, more than anything else, suddenly very, very worried.

What was he running from?

Forcing his back even harder against the wall, as though he could phase straight through the wallpaper and escape from whatever the heck was out there, Jasper waited with baited breath. He expected to see some monster follow after, or a person at least.

However, to his confusion, he saw nothing of the sort.

Instead, the only thing he saw was a small lizard scuttle its way across the floor, clearly visible with its mustard yellow skin. The lizard turned and blinked at him.

Cautiously, Jasper peered around the vending machine. His heart thudded in his throat, his fingers trembling against the machine's glass. There was nothing there at all, an empty hallway.

This was somehow even less comforting.

Once more, Jasper's eyes turned to the lizard. It had skittered up a little closer to him in a rather bold act for such a little thing. He didn't recognize the species but he had to assume that it was someone’s exotic pet. It didn't look native to England, that was for sure.

He squinted at it.

Well, actually, with a colour like that, it was probably very poisonous. It couldn’t be a pet.

The small thing seemed to suck in for a second. Its cheeks bulged comically until each was nearly the size of the head itself, chest swelling.

Jasper frowned at it.

Then, with an audible sound, it spat at him.

In all his instincts from dealing with animals, Jasper was out of the way in a second. Not a second too soon either. There was a cracking sound and Jasper turned to see a small hole in the wall where he had been a second ago.

That was... Definitely not English native.

In fact, he didn't think he had ever heard of such a creature before. He had heard of lizards that could shoot blood out of their eyes, there were multiple lizard species that could lose their tails when threatened, lizards that could glide, lizards that were venomous, but bullet spit?

That was-

Before he could think any further, the lizard's cheeks puffed up again and Jasper immediately realized exactly why Jekyll had been fleeing.

Could he really outmanoeuvre something like that though? It was a straight corridor, there wasn't a lot of room to swerve. In fact, if this thing hadn’t become distracted by Jasper, it occurred to him that Jekyll probably wouldn’t have escaped so easily.

It was great that Jekyll was safe but Jasper wasn’t exactly sure about accidentally being sacrificed in his place.

Jasper sprinted out of the way as a rapid fire of bullets came, spraying the wall in dozens of tiny holes.

Well, chances were, Jekyll wasn't coming back for him, not until he realized that Jasper was missing which might be too late.

Another spray. Jasper zigzagged to dodge them, feeling one catch his sleeve, tearing the fabric clean through as it went.

Alright, how did people usually deal with dangerous wildlife? Well, with snakes, you grab the head so it can't bite you.

The head. He had to get the head. If it couldn't move the head, it couldn't aim at him.

Except, that required him to get close.

The closer he was, the bigger of a target he was, there would be no dodging from there. Besides, the colouration might mean that the skin was poisonous, he couldn't risk touching it with his bare hands.

There was the vending machine still there which, unfortunately, wouldn't provide cover given the location of the animal. A few benches at the side, bolted to the ground. Again, unable to provide cover.

Unable to provide cover like that but, on the other hand...

Another fire. He nearly slipped in the scrabble to get out of the way. Already, he was tiring of dodging while the lizard hadn't moved an inch besides turning its head and seemed to be still going strong. He had a bad feeling that outlasting it wasn't an option either.

No other plans, his heart pounding in his chest, his breaths already too heavy, Jasper sped to the nearest bench and, against every survival instinct screaming in his head, crouched down in front of it, raising his hands over his head as if to defend himself. His eyes fixed fearfully on the lizard as the cheeks swelled again, his legs trembling with the desire to run.

Breath held, he waited for the shot.

The lizard twitched ever so slightly and, in that instant, Jasper rolled.

A series of bullets were fired off with a shriek of metal as they went straight through two of the metal legs of the bench like a knife through butter. The metal was warped out of the way by a couple of tiny holes, although most embedded in the wall behind or through the wood of the bench itself.

Still panting heavily, Jasper looked over at it. At the sight, his eyes lit up.

This could actually work.

Gritting his teeth, Jasper darted in front of the other two bench legs.

Instead of preparing to fire again, Jasper was surprised to see the gecko stop, regarding him curiously.

Jasper stared back fearfully as the lizard sat on its haunches, head cocked to one side as though musing.

Surely it didn't know what he was doing? Lizards didn't have a high intelligence like primates, corvids, or elephants, yet... Somehow, it suddenly seemed dubious.

Jasper stared back, biting his lip as he caught his breath.

Well, if it chose to stop attacking him, it wasn't like that would be a bad thing. Let it doubt him. In the meanwhile, he could catch his breath. While Jasper could catch his breath, the lizard couldn't keep regenerating spit eternally. There was only so much fluid in a body.

It either had to attack him or give up. Otherwise, even if it realized what he was doing, it would have to stop every time he was in that spot. He could take a rest whenever he wanted. It was checkmate either way.

Still trembling, Jasper waited.

A blink. It shifted.

Finally, a decision seemed to be made. Its cheeks swelled and Jasper crouched down.

He had to confess, he had been somewhat hoping that it would give up entirely but this was the way things had to be.

Too bad. He had never seen a creature like it before and every animal-loving bone in his body cried out at the idea of killing it. Sadly, his own survival came first.

Jasper darted out of the way and the remaining metal legs were peppered with holes in a second. There were still bits of metal clinging it together but they were warped, barely holding on and slightly melted.

In one movement, Jasper had grabbed the bench and, with all his might, heaved. The last gooey strands of metal were pried loose and, in his hands like an oversized club, sat the wooden bench. Although he was pretty strong, his body tottered a little under the weight.

Closing his eyes and taking a breath, before he could give a single more thought to what he was doing, Jasper swung it over and let it drop. From there, he simply let gravity do its thing.

There was a crash as it struck the floor and, even beneath the heavy weight, he felt the slight resistance of a small, soft body being flattened beneath it. The floor seemed to shake with the impact and the damaged wood cracked, sending splinters flying up. The reverberation of the bench seemed to ring in Jasper’s ears for several seconds.

There was a weak gurgle like water down a drain.

Then silence.

Jasper was still panting, adrenaline pounding through every inch of his body. Shaking like a leaf, he stood there a second, staring at the spot where the lizard had been.

An unknown green fluid leaked out into a tiny puddle, even tinier air bubbles drifting across its surface. A small, flattened tail poked out from under the bench and lay in the puddle unmoving.

Finally, with a gulp, Jasper turned and fled.

"Look out-!"

That was all Henry heard before he smacked straight into someone.

Henry hopped backwards, stumbling as he attempted to regain balance without falling over. Gasping for breath, Jekyll looked up at who he had just hit.

Robert and Rachel stared back at him, looking concerned.

"Where-" Jekyll gasped, crouching to regain his breath and glancing over his shoulder for any sign of his attacker. Thankfully, maybe it was too small to chase him quickly enough because he couldn't see it at all. "Where... have you... two... been..?"

"Well, we went to the toilets and then came back." Robert replied slowly. "I think we just missed you. Are you ok? We were just gone for a few minutes."

"You... spent ages... in there..."

The pair of them glanced at each other for a second. Jekyll narrowed his eyes at the look as Rachel cleared her throat.

"I was doing makeup. Robert stayed behind to wait for me."

"You wear makeup?"

"Oh, just... Basic stuff. Nothing particularly visible."

They were almost certainly lying but Jekyll was more worried about that lizard catching up than whatever the pair of them had been up to.

"Where's Jasper?" Robert asked.

"I asked him to wait behind." Jekyll took one last deep shuddering breath and straightened himself.

It was fine. They just needed to collect Jasper and they would all be out of there before the demon could catch up. They would all be safe.

However, as he looked up, he saw to his confusion that Rachel was frowning.

"We just came from the arcade though. He wasn't there."

And with that, Henry's heart stopped.

"...What?"

"Don't look so frightened." Rachel said, looking mildly amused at Henry's reaction. "He's not a lost puppy, he's probably fine, we just need to find out where he went."

Swallowing, Henry glanced behind him at where he had came once more.

Surely one would have expected that demon to catch up with him by now. Maybe it wouldn't attack in broad daylight but there was no reason to give up following him so quickly.

No.

"I..." His voice trembled as he spoke. "You two check the arcade again, I'll check the toilets."

"Henry, are you ok?" Rachel asked, reaching out a reassuring hand, "You're acting kind of-"

As Rachel's hand touched his arm, without even thinking, Henry had flinched away, raising his arms to defend himself. The adrenaline was still pounding, fight or flight racing through him like a torrent, making his muscles twitch under the skin as though agitated. Rachel took a quick step backwards, raising her hands in a non-threatening manner.

"Hey, Henry, it's fine, ok? What's gotten into you today?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all, I'm fine. I'm fine."

The look he got in return burned with scepticism, concern, and a frustrating pity.

"Look,” Jekyll huffed, averting his eyes. “I'm going to go find Jasper, you two stay together, alright?"

"Henry, why can't we search together?"

“Because- Because we’ll cover more ground if we split up!”

“So why shouldn’t Lanyon and I split up as well?”

“Because don’t!” Henry snapped back, temper rising at the back and forth.

“...That horror game you were playing earlier didn’t get to you, did it?” Lanyon abruptly piped up for the first time in the conversation. His words were annoyingly laced with the fake sympathetic tone of ‘Ah. I know the feeling. I’ve been there.’

Jekyll’s blood was boiling but it was Hyde’s cold ice that was spreading beneath the skin involuntarily, threatening to overtake him. He could tell he was losing himself, his own rational thoughts replaced by Hyde’s animalistic hatred and desire to hurt, the desire to see those two lose their temper at him rather than this maddening pity as though they understood how he felt when they couldn’t possibly understand.

Cold liquid was running down his arms. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the almost luminous green of that ectoplasm again, running ever so subtly down his fingers. His nails lengthening and fingers growing thinner, more crooked.

This all took second place though. There was too much panic, too much of his heart thudding in his ears, too much of that tight sick feeling in his throat, of his stomach churning, of his thoughts of Jasper being hurt, of thoughts of how he was being held back by the people he thought were his friends. It was so overwhelming that he could scarcely care about Hyde overtaking him. That fact simply lingered at the edges of his peripheral. A fact, nothing more.

Edward opened their mouth, hundreds of words bubbling at the back of his throat, each one more acidic, more painful than the last, each spitefully chosen to tear the two before them to shreds, nothing but the intent to make them feel the way he did. To make them hurt the way he was hurting whether they were true or not.

He needed to leave now and he would be damned if he was letting a pair of worthless humans stand in his way so they could fuss over his health just to fuel their own forsaken bloody egos!

Before he could rip their friendship asunder, however, he was snapped out of it by a figure sprinting down the hall.

Jekyll regained control of himself just as that figure skidded to a halt in front of them all, nearly tripping over in their abrupt stop.

The trio blinked in surprise.

A shock of brown hair poked out from beneath a hat, currently even more of a mess than usual.

Jasper straightened himself up, looking a little flushed.

"Uh, hi." He smiled and waved awkwardly at them.

Henry could do nothing for a second but blink. He felt a little out of it by the near possession just a second ago but, recovering as quickly as he could, he examined Jasper closely for any signs of injury.

It was difficult to tell with Jasper.

His clothes had already looked a little like patchwork so any tears or loose threads could easily have always been there and he already dealt with enough animals on the regular to be covered with animal related scratches and grazes. His eyes had to skip over many scratches, reminding himself that, on this occasion, he wasn’t looking for claw marks, just bullet wounds.

Jasper wasn't out of breath but there was something mildly hunted looking in his eyes. He kept glancing back over his shoulder nervously and, even when he wasn’t, his eyes shot this way and that.

Jekyll's own eyes narrowed back.

"See? Jasper's fine." Rachel said at last, coughing a little awkwardly. "I take it it's a good time to head back?"

"Yes!" Jekyll and Jasper said in unison, both a little too quickly.

They side-eyed each other for a moment.

"Um... Seconded." Robert said, raising an eyebrow at the pair. "I do believe I have a train to catch."

“Is the train station on the way to the bus stop? We could walk you there.” Rachel asked politely. Her eyes kept darting back to Jekyll and Jasper, giving away where her mind was actually focused on at that moment.

“Some of the way.”

Lanyon’s eyes also drifted over to Jekyll. Unlike Rachel’s curiosity and worry, however, his eyes were far sharper as though they were trying to drill their way into Jekyll’s head and read whatever was inside. Under that gaze, Jekyll shifted uneasily.

Over time, a shame had begun to fall over him. He had been so close to blowing up at Lanyon and Rachel and for what? For caring? For trying to sympathise with him? He had been willing to let Hyde to take him over for something as weak as that.

What sort of friend was he? To get so angry at his own friends? To almost willingly allow a demon to possess him so he could lash out at them?

If Jasper hadn’t shown up, that would have gotten messy fast.

Once again, he glanced at Jasper.

Jasper was looking down at Jekyll’s hands and Henry’s eyes flicked downwards to see what he was looking out.

To his alarm, green crystals clung to tips of his fingers in little frozen rivulets, in clear view of the other two. The fingers were still changed, the longer and thinner fingers of Edward Hyde rather than his own normal ones.

His hands immediately went behind his back and he carefully picked at the ice with his lengthened nails, trying to crack the worst of it loose.

The shame only grew, the evidence of his own unjustifiable rage physically clinging to his skin, out there for anyone to see. His nails scratched harder and harder at the ice. It hurt as the ice was prised off, clinging to his skin like glue and tearing out hairs as they went.

Even when the worst of it was gone, he continued to scratch at the smaller spots and patches, the sharpened nails catching at the flesh. They nicked the skin, the knife-like slicing only reminding him further of his near transformation and shame.

Instead of increasing his care, he dug the nails in harder and more fervidly, the desperation to get rid of it all increasing as though maybe this sick feeling in his stomach would go away if the physical evidence just wasn’t there anymore. If he could just ignore it like it had never happened then-

A hand gently took his wrist, stopping him before he could break the skin.

Surprised, Jekyll looked down.

Jasper met his eyes and, without a word, simply nodded at him understandingly.

“So, nobody needs to do anything else, right?” Rachel asked cheerily. When there was no response, she clapped her hands together and spun around. “Then let’s get back home, shall we?”

Chapter Text

On the bus ride back home, Rachel wanted to sit with Jasper and there were no free sets of seats for all of them to sit together. Henry tried not to look too relieved as took a different seat further away from them.

It wasn't that he didn't want to be around them, particularly Jasper who he was itching to talk to. However his hands were still very obviously wrong at that moment and he didn't want Rachel to see them.

Sitting nearer to the back of the bus, Henry turned to the window to use his body to shield any onlookers from his hands and looked down at them.

He flexed his fingers experimentally.

Shutting his eyes and breathing deeply, like his past transformations he focused as hard as he could on changing back.

When he reopened his eyes though, nothing had changed.

Gripping one of his wrists, he focused on just the one hand.

Then, focused on changing just a finger.

It was like being a kid again, pretending that just maybe he could move things with his mind if he focused hard enough, doing his best to focus on random objects to see if he could nudge them just a little.

Right there, focusing on the tiniest bit of his nail, begging it to change back, the futility of it all felt the same. He wasn't feeling any spark, any powers. His hand was just like that and there was no supernatural ability that could change it.

"Hyde, are you helping?" Henry whispered quietly to himself.

"Yes." The demon huffed indignantly, "Are you?"

If anxiety wasn't building inside him at that moment, Henry would have rolled his eyes at Hyde. As it was, fear was building in his throat.

He couldn't change back.

He couldn't change back.

There hadn't even been an intent to change to begin with. If he could start changing like that without his own input but couldn't change back, how long would it take before he changed completely and permanently?

" Personally I don't see a problem with that. Maybe you should sleep it off?"

"That didn't work last time!" Jekyll hissed sharply, fighting back the urge to yell at Hyde. "Oh God, what am I going to do? I can't lose my body, I- I'll lose everything!"

From Hyde, there was just a pleased snicker at his distress.

Henry trembled, doing his best to force down his anger upon hearing it.

Anger was what had gotten him into this situation to begin with, maybe he just had to remain calm and he wouldn't transform any further. After all, he wasn't a short-tempered man, surely it wouldn't happen that much?

"Right, because it's not like there's a lot of stressful things happening right now that could, say, cause you to transform any further..?"

Henry's sharpened nails bit into his trousers hard, shaking violently.

He looked out the window and, for the rest of the journey, tried to pretend that nothing was going on.

Nothing was going on at all.

Really, Henry wasn't that surprised that, when they got back, Jasper wanted to speak with him for a moment.

It wasn't that Jasper said it directly. Instead, when they got back there was a lot of awkward shuffling and glancing between them. However, Henry wanted a moment to talk just as much and, as the better talker in that situation, Henry ended up inviting Jasper back to his room.

Rachel seemed delighted that they were getting along and left them to their own devices.

Outside the windows, the town outside was growing dark as the night drew in, the shadows lengthening and the streets becoming quieter.

When they reached his room, Jekyll had to switch on a few lights in his apartment.

"Do you want tea?" He asked, opening a cupboard.

As his hands settled on the doorknob, he once more saw the sharpened nails and wiry hairs. Even though he knew Jasper had seen them already, he still had the urge to hide them.

"Oh, no thanks."

Silence.

Jekyll got out some teabags for himself and started brewing. He needed something to calm himself at that moment and some peppermint tea sounded like it might be a good option.

Truthfully, he had never found tea as calming as people said it was but, maybe, this time, it would work.

"So... Jasper. I don't suppose you... Uh... Saw anything of interest while we were out bowling?"

"...Like?"

Jasper met his eyes almost daringly, a way that already said that he knew something but was testing the waters to see how much he could say.

"Oh, I don't know... Like... Weird... Animals..?" Henry cringed even as he spoke the words.

"Way to be subtle." Hyde quipped.

Not looking up, Jasper simply nodded.

"Do you know something about that?" Jasper asked quietly. "I saw this lizard…"

He trailed off, watching Jekyll closely from the corner of his eye warily, as though Jekyll may just laugh at him.

"Are you ok?" Jekyll asked instead.

"I... Had to kill it." Jasper drew into himself a little. "I- I didn't want to. I mean, I've never seen anything like it. It could have been rare, or maybe even the last of its kind and I just... Killed it."

"Trust me, it was already practically dead."

The kettle boiled away and Jekyll waited impatiently. Once more, his eyes caught on his nails and, with nothing better to do, he picked at them. Maybe, some small and hopeful part of his mind said, maybe they would just... Come off.

They didn’t.

"Can I... Can I ask about... What that was..? I mean, not to assume you know what it was but... Do you have an idea..?"

"Well, it's, uh... That was-"

The kettle clicked off and Jekyll, eager for something to soothe his nerves, snatched it up quickly. After pouring it into the cup with the teabag, before he had even taken it to the table, he was already sipping at it. The hot liquid scalded his tongue.

Careful not to spill the tea, he sat himself down with Jasper. As he drank, he continued to pick at his nails absent mindedly.

When the silence drew on too long, he slowly looked up over the cup rim to look at Jasper.

Jasper’s eyes were staring down at Jekyll’s hands.

Feeling a little embarrassed, he placed down the cup and hid his hands beneath the table.

"Oh, you don't need to hide them. I don't mind. Uh... not to say that they're bad or anything, but you seem a little uncomfortable with them and I would just like you to know that I don't think it's all that bad that you're some sort of monster-" Jasper cut off. "Monster? Non-human? Is... Is there a polite way of putting that?"

Jekyll choked, the hands instantly forgotten.

"Monster?!"

"Sorry! I don't know what the polite term would be!" Jasper squeaked.

"Wait, wait, wait-! You think I'm some sort of monster?"

Rather pointedly, Jasper's eyes drifted down once more to Jekyll's changed hands.

"Ok, maybe I see why you would come to that conclusion but that's not the case."

"So you haven't been bitten by a werewolf?"

Jekyll choked all over again.

"A werewolf?!"

"Well you were bitten by a very big wolf in the woods, weren't you? And then you started to act very strange so I kind of thought... that might have been how this all started..?"

Henry hadn't really considered that before.

He hadn't been transferred Hyde through some kind of cursed scratch or bite had he?

"No, I was here before that."

Never mind.

"I wasn't bitten, it was just a scratch.” Henry explained, “And this all started before that."

"Ah."

Reluctantly raising his hands back to eye-view, he took his cup of tea once more, swirling the liquid around the cup. Steam rose faintly from the hot liquid, warm against his face.

"That lizard that you killed? The giant wolf in the forest? They're demons."

He sipped. Still scalding.

"Biblical demons?"

"Honestly, I don't really know but the evidence seems to say no. The implication seems to be that they're some kind of spirit but I don't know where they come from specifically."

"Dead people?"

Standing, Jekyll wandered over to the drawer where he had last left Maijabi’s book. "I'm... Not sure." The drawer was opened and he pulled the thick, worn tome from inside before making his way back to Jasper. "Ghosts can come from dead people but it seems that's not the only place they can come from."

He handed the book to Jasper who took it delicately, as though handling something as fragile as a moth. With that same level of extreme care, he began to leaf through it, only touching the very edges of the papers.

As he did that, Jekyll raised the cup to his lips once more and proceeded to burn his tongue more.

"Well I'm not sure about how it is in the bible but, in TV shows and books I've read, demons are corrupted human souls." Jasper chirped up.

At that, Jekyll paused mid-mouthful, tea still sizzling his tongue.

"Can... You explain that?"

"Well, human souls get sent to Hell and they get tortured into becoming demons." Jasper replied matter-of-factly, with a little shrug of his shoulders. "That's how it worked on this one TV show I watched once."

The cup was lowered.

Had... Hyde been to Hell? Sure, he didn't recall his past life, was it possible that it was so terrible that he couldn't remember it? Perhaps he had simply blotted it all out of his memory.

Hyde was notably silent at the idea.

Well, this wasn’t necessarily true, Jekyll reminded himself, it was something from a TV show.

Continuing to burn his tongue on the tea, Jekyll proceeded to explain the situation with Moreau – the demons, his experiments on animals, the recent attacks. Jasper remained silent throughout, staring at him, awestruck by the entire wild story.

At long last, after avoiding it for the entire conversation, Jekyll took a deep breath and, finally, explained Hyde.

"HYDE IS INSIDE YOU?!"

Jasper was perched on the very edge of his seat, eyes so large that one could probably go bowling with them.

Henry coughed awkwardly at the bad phrasing as Hyde fell into hysterics in his head.

"Well I wouldn't put it like that but Hyde is the demon possessing me."

"So everything he said – About the exorcism – It was true?!"

A sigh. "Yeah.” He admitted reluctantly, “I tried to get him exorcised."

"But... But he doesn't- he doesn't look like you?"

Now it was Jekyll's turn to look down pointedly at his hands.

"Ooooh." Jasper breathed out. He sat back heavily in the chair, pressing his hands together. "Can you give me a second to process this?"

"Demons were fine but this isn't?"

"Well demons are... They're not something I've dealt with before, they're foreign to me. I mean, it’s still worrying to me but... You? Hyde? I know both of you, I've met you, I've spoken to you, I- I need a moment."

"Ah, right."

Jasper massaged his temples as though trying to rid himself of a headache.

"Wait, if Hyde is in you, is he here right now? Listening in to all of this?"

Jekyll nodded. Hyde rose as though to take control but he jammed the demon back down immediately. He was not overwhelming Jasper this early.

"Besides Hyde, have... Have you been dealing with this alone?"

"Well, Maijabi is helping me out and Ito is helping out as well as she can for someone who doesn't know the whole story."

"It still sounds like a lot."

"I... get by."

"What about Rachel and Lanyon? Can't you tell them about it?"

"Well besides the unbelievability of all of this, the pair of them are always so worried about me when it comes to normal things. How could I tell them that I might be possessed by a demon, it might not be reversible, and I could die any day now? They could put themselves into a dangerous situation if they try to protect me." He ran a finger over the handle of his cup. "And I don't see how they could really help. They'll just spend their time pointlessly fretting over me.”

His eyes drifted to the closed curtains. The slightest chink of amber light fell from between them, quickly dimming as the sun set.

“If I do die, that will be the last we ever see of each other – them being afraid for me, me probably getting smothered. I don't want to die like that and I don't want that to be the memory of myself that I leave them.” Softly, he touched his new claws. “...As a monster."

"You're talking as though you're definitely going to die."

Henry cringed when he saw the expression on Jasper’s face, a look that could only be described as ‘The Puppy Dog Eyes.’

"What other option is there?” He protested. “Moreau will probably chase me to the ends of the Earth, even if that means hurting those close to me to do it and, say I avoid him – I can't change back. At some point, Hyde will probably take me over completely and, like every person before me to ever get possessed, I'll die. It'll happen one way or another and thinking anything else is just blind optimism." He paused. "I need to work on a will."

"What do you mean, ‘You can't change back?’"

Jekyll wriggled his fingers again.

"I'm noticing that it gets harder and harder to change back each time. Right now, my hand is stuck like this and I have a bad feeling that it's not going away if I just leave it."

"Can't anyone help?"

"How? There's not exactly an instruction manual for any of this." He swallowed hard. "Imagine if Rachel and Robert knew about this. They might have to watch me change slowly, unable to do a thing to help. I can't force that onto them."

Silence fell.

Jekyll sipped his tea, avoiding Jasper's eyes.

He had said too much, he knew. Jasper didn't deserve to have this heaped on him either, even if he didn't have as much reason to care as Rachel and Robert would have. Hopefully Jasper wouldn't be too bothered by all of this, he would just know to be more careful around strange animals in the future.

"Have you dealt with any non-demonic animals lately?"

Jekyll nearly choked on his tea as Jasper piped up. He spun to stare at Jasper, absolutely bewildered.

"I was just thinking, it sounds like you've had a lot of bad experiences with animals lately and... Would you like to deal with some less monstrous ones?"

"What?"

"I have some animals in my room. I'll admit that they aren't therapy animals but you've been dealing with a lot and it always makes me feel better to be around my animals. It's fine if you don't like the idea of being around any animals right now but..."

"Are you... Inviting me to see your animals?"

In his mind, he imagined the demons he had seen so far. The rats, the bird, the lizard.

Frankly, he wasn’t fond at the idea of seeing animals at that time and Jasper had clearly noticed the way his face had screwed up at the prospect because he quickly explained.

"I thought it might make you feel better! I’m pretty sure they’re not demons. I’ve known most of them since I lived on the farm and none of them have been acting strange since we got here."

For a moment, Jekyll simply stared. His eyes drifted down to his cup of tea which, despite what people said about it, had done nothing so far to make him feel better.

"Sure." He found himself saying. "That would be... Nice."

Jekyll hadn't seen the extent of Jasper's animals yet and the rumours didn't disappoint.

The moment he stepped through the door, he was hit by the warm scent of farmyard and it wasn’t difficult to guess why.

Tubes and see-through plastic animal cages had been hung up on the ceiling by ropes and snaked along the floor in a complex labyrinth. Sawdust and straw had been trodden into the carpet and in one corner of the room was a full on metal water trough. From above, dozens of bird cages dangled down, each filled with brightly coloured toys and equally bright birds. The cage doors hung wide open.

There were several little wooden houses set up on stilts with steps leading up to them and, in one of them, Jekyll was alarmed to see a literal peacock staring out at him curiously, shiny blue and green feathers glinting proudly.

A small group of rats scampered past in the tubes close to his head, rattling the precariously held-up plastic as they went.

Despite everything that had been going on lately, he couldn’t help gaping awestruck around the room.

As Jekyll stared, there was a nibble at his arm.

He looked down to see a sheep chewing his sleeve, staring up directly into his eyes with all the lack of care in the world.

"Darwin, no." Jasper gently pried the sheep off, earning an indignant baa in return. "Not food."

Henry couldn't help cracking a small smile at Darwin as the sheep trotted off to chew on the curtains instead which had been practically shredded by this point.

His attention was drawn to the rats which were bouncing up and down at the door of their cage, peering excitedly at Jasper. Jasper wandered over and opened the cage, allowing them to scamper up his arm. They hung precariously on his back, nestled in his hair, running up and down his arms with all the playfulness of energetic children.

And, more importantly, none of the keen malicious air of Moreau's rats.

He had been prepared to be anxious amongst all those animals, however, there was something different feeling about them compared to the demons. Although there was a twitch of fear, he found them actually rather cute.

"Is this... All of them?" Jekyll asked.

There was a wack on his head and he looked up to see a chicken perched there, chest puffed up as it ran its feet through his hair, messing it up.

"Most of them. I couldn't fit too many larger animals in here so they're elsewhere.” Jasper began to count off on his fingers, “There's also a few crows that I've been feeding that tend to follow me around. They're not really mine, though. Then there's the local cats that I've been feeding – again, not mine – and this dog which I think might be a stray who I've been trying to befriend for a while now. He doesn't trust me yet."

Despite himself, Jekyll couldn't help scanning the animals in there for any watching him too closely, with too much intelligence. A lot of them seemed curious about him but not in a sinister way, just in the way of animals seeing a new face.

Just then, a bag of some kind of seeds lightly struck his foot. He looked over at Jasper who had nudged them over to him.

"Food for Faraday since she's decided that she likes your hair so much. Be careful to feed her a little at a time, she has a sensitive stomach."

The chicken in his hair clucked, peeping down at the bag.

Bending slowly as not to knock Faraday off, Jekyll picked up the bag and poured a small pile into his hand. Cocking her head, Faraday considered the seed for a second, then pecked at it. The beak was a little sharp but not too painful.

Jasper, meanwhile, was trying to feed the peacock as it preened about, pulling the usual cat trick of pretending not to care even as it shuffled closer to the bird feed that Jasper was offering.

Darwin trotted back over and, without Jasper to pull him off, was back to chewing on Jekyll. Fondly, Henry petted the sheep, feeling the soft fur of the head and the thick curls of wool.

His entire hand sank into white wool, buried halfway up the arm. Darwin gave a satisfied baa and nestled closer to him, taking the opportunity to gnaw at Jekyll's collar.

Faraday clucked on his head, beating her wings and Jekyll fed her a little more with one free hand, still petting Darwin in the other.

"I, uh..." Jasper broke in abruptly as the peacock began to root through the offered food pickily. "I've been thinking. About that book, about you and Hyde, about demons."

Jekyll looked up, just in time to to get surprise-headbutted in the chin by Darwin's fluffy head, causing him to stumble back a step. Faraday squawked angrily at the sudden movement.

"Y-yeah?" He asked while trying to soothe Faraday.

"Well spirits can be created from emotional moments right?"

"Mm."

Darwin pushed. Then pushed a little harder, baaing pointedly.

"I don't know what you want." Jekyll told him quietly. "I don't speak sheep."

"So negative emotions can cause a spirit to form? And vengeful spirits exist?"

"Yeah?"

"So, therefore, what is a demon is formed from negative emotions? Like, uh... How do I explain this..?"

More baaing and headbutting.

"This is bird seed. I don't think you can eat it." Henry told Darwin firmly, trying to push the sheep away now.

"Say a person gets really angry at some point in their life – maybe someone unfairly slandered their name or they were betrayed by someone close to them – it could produce an emotional spirit. Except, since it was born from negative emotions, it's just born vengeful without ever knowing who it's angry at or why. So it lashes out and it keeps lashing out."

Darwin was getting a little more forceful now.

Jekyll was forced back step after step to avoid being knocked over, Faraday continuing to cluck frustratedly as her perch kept unfairly shifting about while she was trying to sit there.

With one last huff, Faraday jumped off in a flurry of feathers and trailed by his feet instead, clucking.

"What if that's what demons are?" Jasper finished. "Just... Pure negative emotion?"

Despite the sheep bother, Jekyll did a double take.

Was it possible? Had someone felt so negatively towards him that some angry emotional spirit had latched onto him?

Hyde didn't remember anything, just like emotional spirits, he lashed out at people, he had strange emotions that couldn't be explained.

And Hyde wasn't fully vengeful.

His eyes widened at the realization.

It made sense. Demons were some sort of specific set of circumstances, a convergence of the formation of an emotional spirit directed at a human host, the corruption of that spirit into a vengeful spirit, and... Probably something else that he was missing.

Zosi had interrupted the initial possession.

Maybe Hyde had started off as vengeful but Zosi had calmed him and snapped him out of that state. One of the features required for a demon had been stopped and so he had ended up half-possessed.

Of course, there were gaps. Surely there had to be some other details required for something to properly become a demon otherwise they wouldn't be so rare compared to other spirits, otherwise the host wouldn't die upon full possession.

If that was the case, was Hyde not truly a demon then but some half-demon? Half-demon, half-emotional spirit?

"Well after all the talk of me being a spirit, I will begrudgingly accept half-demon." Hyde grumbled.

If he could find out what else was required, maybe he could find a way to fix this.

He was broken out of his musings by Darwin. The sheep was no longer chewing on him, some unexplainable new directive set into motion in its woolly head.

As Henry took another step back, his foot caught on one of the rat tubes and, with a squawk not unlike Faraday's, he toppled over, falling flat on his back with a splash of soft hay. The seed he was holding scattered across the floor.

For a second, he just lay there, spread eagled on the floor.

Darwin trotted up and, at long last, began to chew his hair. Faraday hopped onto his stomach and sat down, pinning him there.

"Oh dear." Jasper had looked up at the commotion. "Sorry, I should have warned you. Darwin loves to eat hair. I don't know what the deal is."

"It's fine." Jekyll replied, staring at the ceiling and making no attempt to move. "Sorry about dropping the bird seed."

Cautiously, he raised a hand and touched Faraday's feathers. When the chicken pressed into his touch, puffing up happily, he began to scratch and pet her.

Closing his eyes, Jekyll let his world fall into darkness for a short while. The straw beneath his back, the warm bundle of chicken on his stomach, the slight tug of his hair being chewed.

It was... Nice.

They didn't seem to care about his changed hand, or the demon he was holding inside him, or the demons out there possessing their kin. In here, there was nothing of that.

With that, he allowed himself to exhale gently, a smile spreading over his face.

When Jasper had finished feeding the animals, cleaning up the spilt bird seed before Faraday could eat too much and upset her stomach, he finally checked in on Jekyll again.

To his amusement, Darwin had curled up next to him, fast asleep and, equally fast asleep was Jekyll. One arm hugging Darwin like a stuffed animal, his face partially pressed into the wool, looking more peaceful than Jasper had ever seen it before. His chest rose and fell evenly.

It felt wrong to wake him.

Regarding the scene one last time, Jasper turned and, tossing a spare chewed up blanket over Jekyll's form, headed to bed.

Chapter Text

That morning, Henry awoke to a face full of sheep wool.

Spluttering, the taste of farmyard clinging to his tongue, he looked up into the morose eyes of Darwin.

For a second, the pair just blinked at each other, Jekyll's exhausted mind trying to comprehend exactly what he was looking at and how he had gotten into this situation. Then, Darwin baaed in his face and got back to chewing his clothes which, Jekyll was now noticing, were a soggy pulp.

The rising sun shone through the window, just between the holes in the curtains, and, around him were the clucks, cheeps and squeaks of Jasper's animals as they too roused themselves for the day ahead.

Henry forced himself to his feet and checked his hands. As predicted, they were still transformed. Sleeping hadn't fixed that problem.

From his sleeves, there was a tickle as a couple of rats scampered out, ran down his clothes, and escaped across the room. A couple of chicken feathers were dislodged from his hair by the movement and drifted slowly to the ground.

Henry just stared at them for a second.

Clearly, the animals had used him as a bed overnight.

Quietly, Henry picked his way around the playing rats and the pecking chickens, heading to Jasper's room to peer in. The door had been left open.

In the darkness, with Hyde's night vision, he could see Jasper still asleep in the bed. There was a rather large snake curled around him, his arms wrapped lovingly around it like one would cuddle a stuffed animal, and a parrot nestled in his hair. Jekyll was relieved to see a smile on Jasper's sleeping face.

It seemed the trouble of the night before hadn't kept Jasper from getting some proper sleep.

Smiling himself at the sight, Henry turned and picked his way back across the room.

He found some spare paper and a pen, covered in chicken droppings and quickly wrote a note to let Jasper know that he was awake and had gone back to his own room. Once finished, he left it on the kitchen counter, hoping that the animals wouldn't destroy it.

With that done, he headed out.

Once in his own room, he rooted around in his drawers until he found a pair of gloves and put them on, covering up the transformation. From his cupboards, he produced the cup of what he believed was ectoplasm and checked inside to confirm it was still in there.

The crystals had melted into a thick, featureless green sludge that glowed slightly.

He wasn't sure if Maijabi was awake yet but he had to talk to him as soon as possible, both about his transformation and the ectoplasm. The situation was becoming more urgent and he desperately needed some kind of advice.

Maybe even Jasper's theories about demons could be useful. Maybe they were a step closer to finding some way to fix this.

Cup in hand, he turned and swung open the door.

Only to find himself face-to-face with Robert Lanyon.

Clearly his friend had been about to knock because his fist was raised in readiness. At the surprise open of the door, he blinked at Jekyll, seemingly still registering what had just happened.

"Lanyon?" Jekyll exclaimed, equally surprised by the turn of events. "What are you doing here? I thought- I thought you went home yesterday?"

"Briefly." Lanyon quickly recovered himself, smiling broadly at Jekyll. "I was... I thought you might not be taking care of yourself properly so I brought you some things."

"Some... Things..?"

For a moment, Lanyon rooted around in his bag until he pulled out some small boxes. Jekyll was surprised to see a number of painkillers, antibiotics, and vitamins.

"...Oh I... Why would I need..?"

"You know... In case. Somehow, I doubt that you're keeping things as stocked up as you should. May I come in?"

Henry blinked at him.

"Uh, sure."

Robert swept past him into the room, raising an eyebrow at the cup in Jekyll's hand as he went.

"Is that coffee?" Lanyon asked.

Jekyll took a second to stare down at the mug in his hands, the goo inside starting to glow mildly.

For the strangest moment, with his own face a little hot from the fluster of seeing Robert there so early in the morning, he almost thought it was like the goop was blushing too.

He shook off this strange notion.

"No, I... I caught a rather nasty insect in it and I was planning to take it to Flowers. She studies them so I’m sure she would be delighted given the size of the specimen I’ve caught in here." Nervously, he tapped the mug once for emphasis.

Lanyon with his forever dislike of insects pulled a face and looked away, seating himself.

"Ah... That's... Nice."

Well, the good news was he didn't have to fear Lanyon trying to peer into the cup and ask him strange questions about it anymore.

The mug was placed down and Henry made his way over to the chair.

"...Are you cold?" Robert asked abruptly.

"Huh? Why?"

"You're wearing gloves indoors."

"Oh, hah..." Jekyll placed them in his lap awkwardly. "Well maybe you were right that I'm not taking care of myself properly. I seem to have developed a rash."

He had been hoping that the concept of a disgusting rash on his hands would put off Lanyon's delicate sensitivities like the insect lie had but, to his surprise, Robert instead leaned forwards.

"Can I see?"

Quickly, Jekyll pulled back.

"O-oh it's... It's not very pleasant to look at. I think I'll spare you the horrible details."

"Well, I'm a doctor. Maybe I can tell what it is and what may have caused it?"

"Ah, I- It's... I'm a doctor too. It's merely a rash from exposure to chemicals. That's all. It'll fix itself up by itself."

"It wouldn't hurt if I still gave it a look over to make sure that it's nothing serious. You are, after all, a chemist. I'm better studied in biology than you are."

"No, no, it's fine!"

Jekyll pushed himself further back, bewildered as to this turn of events.

Why did Lanyon want to see it so much? He hated this sort of thing, he hated anything off-putting – it was why he had known with so much certainty that his insect lie would work – yet he seemed determined to see the "rash."

There was a flash of fear in his head.

Was it possible that Robert already suspected something was off?

That was when, in his head, he heard Hyde mutter.

"The pair of you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Henry thought back, trying to separate his focus between Hyde and the concerned and partially suspicious look that Lanyon was giving him.

"He's concerned about you. It's sappy is what it is." Hyde cleared his non-existent throat and began to do a frighteningly accurate mimicry of Lanyon's voice. "Oh Jekyll, have some medicine. Oh, are you hurt, can I see? I could help. Oh Henry-"

"It's friendship. Maybe you don't have that in Hell but friends care about each other."

"Do you care about me in that way?"

"I... Don't actually think we're friends to be honest with you. You have tormented me several times."

"...Fair."

"Rachel's the same way." Jekyll explained internally. "It's nice and all but they're getting far too close to everything."

"Jekyll?" Robert asked and Jekyll drew his attention back to his friend.

He smiled back.

"I'm just trying to spare you the unpleasant details, Lanyon. It's not the nicest rash to look at."

"Are you at least treating it properly?"

"Yes."

Instead of reassuring Lanyon like he had hoped, Henry instead received a very dubious look.

"Where are your medical supplies?" Lanyon insisted firmly.

"Look, it's fine, I-"

"Would you like me to do something to get Lanyon off your back?" Hyde asked innocently.

"Absolutely not."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Hyde pressed and Jekyll could practically hear Hyde batting his eyelashes. "I can be awfully persuasive."

"I... Um..." Keeping up both conversations at once was proving to be difficult. "No, it's..."

"...No? Jekyll, I asked you where your medical supplies were. What do you mean, 'no?'"

He really was not paying enough attention to what Lanyon was saying. Hyde kept buzzing around him like an annoying fly and his head was practically spinning with trying to handle them both simultaneously.

To his relief, Lanyon turned and began to root around Jekyll's drawers, continuing some rant about Jekyll's lack of care for himself.

It all faded into white noise, picking up the occasional “Really, Henry, you’re acting way too oddly for this to just be nothing.” and “If it gets infected, it could get even worse.”

It wasn't something he needed to pay attention to so, while Lanyon continued to yatter on, Jekyll focused back on Hyde.

"No means no. Are you trying to ruin my relationship with Lanyon or are you trying to get free control of my body for a bit?"

"...Both?"

Lanyon paused, mid-search, staring into the drawer with an odd expression.

“Fine, what if I shoo him off extra politely? It’s not like you’ve done much better by yourself in the past.”

Slowly, like one approaching a potentially venomous snake, Lanyon reached a hand into the drawer and began to lift something.

“I mean, really. Remember your track record? How can I really do any worse than you?”

“You could do far worse, you little-!”

"Henry?"

Just then, Lanyon’s voice cut in.

The object in Robert’s hands was lifted fully from the drawer and, as Jekyll’s eyes fell upon it, his blood ran cold.

"...What is this?" Robert asked quietly.

'This' was, in fact, Maijabi's book.

Lanyon was currently rotating it in his hands, holding it at arm’s length and staring at it like he had just found an inappropriate magazine or something.

"It's a book I borrowed from someone else."

"...Why?"

Lanyon had opened it now, flicking through the pages warily. The further he went, the more Jekyll saw the fear dawning on his expression.

Jekyll cringed, wondering whether it was too late to snatch the book away.

"Jekyll? Is this a book on the occult?"

"I was curious?"

"...Why did you say that as a question?"

Then, to Jekyll’s alarm, Lanyon reached the newer pages. The ones Jekyll had written himself.

Just as Lanyon's eyes widened to almost comical levels, Jekyll launched himself forwards and snatched the book away, clutching it to himself and as far away from Lanyon as he could.

For a second, the pair just stared at one another.

It was useless really. Jekyll knew he had been caught.

Lanyon had seen the book, he had seen the contents, and, although Henry didn't know how much he had managed to read, Lanyon had certainly seen one of his own pages on demons. He knew Jekyll’s handwriting well enough and, even if he didn’t, Jekyll had signed those pages with his own name.

Given that everyone before him had, it had only seemed right, but he was regretting it now.

Lanyon swallowed hard.

"...So…” He began, awkwardly, “You have a book on the occult... A book you're seemingly adding to yourself."

"It's... It's a creative writing thing." Jekyll replied back lamely.

"If that were the case, why are you acting so cagey about it?" Lanyon crossed his arms. "Can I read what you’ve written?"

"No, no. It's... It's embarrassing. I'm not a good writer and-"

It only took one look at Lanyon's fearful expression to know that there wasn't anything he could say that would deter Robert from this.

"Henry, what's the truth? You've been acting weird in every way possible lately and now I'm finding out that you have some sort of new interest in the occult? This isn't a cult thing, is it?" Lanyon pressed. "You're not being coerced into summoning the devil or something? Is Hyde forcing you to do this?"

"No! No, not at all!"

"Alright then. Look me in the eye and tell me this isn't what I think it is. Tell me you're not meddling in some sort of... Dangerous... Stuff!"

A tremble was starting in Jekyll's legs.

"Lanyon, this is ridiculous, I-"

"I've heard stories about cults before. Even if it's not, if you genuinely believe this stuff, it can't be good for your psyche at all. Please just... Promise me you're not in danger, Henry. That is all I’m asking."

Henry took a breath, did up his best smile and looked Lanyon in the eye.

"I'm perfectly safe, Robert."

Silence fell.

Robert took a shuddering breath and closed his eyes.

Then, he said the words Henry had been dreading hearing.

"I know when you're lying to me."

Jekyll paled.

The room became horribly silent.

Like that, Robert seemed to draw in on himself, staring down at the floor, unspeaking. His eyes darted about, clearly thinking, but Jekyll had no idea what was on his mind, what he was feeling, anything.

It was a maddening silence. The kind that made you want to hear someone scream, yell, shout, cry, to grab you and shake or hit you or to do literally anything else. Anything that wasn’t this horrible silence.

When Robert finally spoke, his words were so quiet that Henry nearly missed them.

"...I... What am I supposed to do in this sort of situation?"

Henry swallowed hard, and forced a smile on his face.

"This isn't the sort of thing they teach in university, huh?" He joked half-heartedly.

Nobody laughed.

More silence.

Even Hyde didn’t say a word.

"...Henry, can you... Can you please give me that book?"

"What? Why?"

"Because clearly someone's putting stupid ideas in your head and all I can really think of doing right now is taking away the source!" He threw up his hands in exasperation, "I don't know, Henry! I just need to try something! You think you’re in some kind of danger and that book is all I have to go off of!"

"I- I need this book!"

"Need it?!"

"Look, I understand how this all sounds but this isn't mine to give away! I can't just hand you something that someone else gave to me!"

"Yet writing in it yourself is fine? If this is so important, why can't you explain it to me? I could help!"

"You can't help with this!"

"Why? Because it's demons and ghosts? Let me guess, someone else gave you that book and they're 'the only ones who can help you' and I'm just an ordinary guy so your own friends can't help you? Don't you see how that sounds?!"

"It's not like that! You're making assumptions!"

"Then tell me what's going on and I won’t have to make assumptions!"

"It's- It's..."

Seeing his distress, Lanyon’s face softened. His lips pressed together into a tight line.

"Why wouldn't I be able to help, Henry?" He pressed quietly.

Jekyll screwed his eyes shut, trembling in every inch of his body.

This was too much. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have right now – to have ever – and all he could feel was all the recent stress and dangers pressing down on him from all angles. He was suffocating and the single gap he had to breathe through was being blocked by Lanyon extending his hand to help.

He needed space to breathe. He needed to breathe, he needed space, he needed to breathe, to breathe, to breathe-!

"Because there's nothing anyone can do!" Jekyll exploded, "Because even the experts don't have a clue and I'm not letting you all try and try to do something only to blame yourself when you can't do anything because there's nothing anyone can do for me! I'm not saddling you with my problems!"

His yell faded into silence.

In his chest, his heart still pounded away painfully and his breath was laboured from shouting. Finally, the words he had screamed registered in his head and he felt himself go quite cold.

With shame, he turned his gaze back down to the floor.

He hadn't meant to confess so much to Lanyon. In his head, his own words rang out, mockingly, precisely as Lanyon would have heard them. His own anger, his own terror, his own guilt and frustration and sorrow laid bare for all the world, a tone of voice unmistakable for utterly genuine.

Nobody said a single word.

Ears still ringing from his own shout, Jekyll reluctantly looked over at Robert, already terrified of what he was about to find.

The poor man looked absolutely ashen, like Jekyll had already dropped dead right before his eyes.

"Robert... I-"

Yet, his words dried up in his mouth.

What was there to say?

“Oh, I didn’t mean for you to find out that I might die soon. I was hoping to just die without you noticing and pretend it’s not a big deal. I mean, a little bit of dying never hurt anyone, right?”

The story was so wild, so crazy, Robert would never believe him.

...Yet, he had the transformation as proof, didn't he?

His hands were still Hyde’s. Surely Robert couldn't deny what was before his own eyes. If he removed those gloves, there would be nothing that Robert could say to deny the facts.

As much as he was trying to pretend that things were normal, to be treated like normal, Robert and Rachel were far too suspicious for him to not tell them anything. If anything, his secrecy was only causing more problems. If they knew, they could protect themselves better from the demons, from Moreau, from… From Hyde, unfortunately.

Surely, no matter what, he had every reason to tell them the truth?

Yet, he was still struggling to get the words out.

Struggling to tell him that there was this monster inside him and it was possible that, rather than simply dying, they would some day have to look at Henry's walking, talking corpse and there might be no coming back from that.

Robert was staring, eyes pleading, begging for answers and Jekyll just couldn’t choke them out.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

They both looked up.

"Well," Jekyll stood up sharply, "I think it's about time we got away from these heavy subjects, right?"

"Henry! Don't you-!"

Henry pulled open the door, stepped sharply out and instantly slammed the door behind him, holding it shut. As the pounding and yelling began on the other side of the door, Jekyll turned his attention to the person who knocked.

Standing there was Maijabi, looking quite bewildered.

"...Is everything alright? There's not a demon in there is there?"

"No, no. Just-" There was a push at the door, making Henry stumble forwards a second but he managed to hold it shut, "Just a difficult conversation."

"Um..."

"I could use a quick break. So what are you doing here?"

Maijabi eyed up the door.

They were both fully aware that Lanyon could probably hear them quite easily through it if he just stopped yelling for a second.

"...I need to speak to you in private.” Maijabi said uncertainly, “I might have something of use to you."

It was then that the door behind Henry suddenly fell oddly quiet and Jekyll eyed it up uneasily.

"Well, you could come back at a later time..?" Henry said slowly.

"...That may be best.” A hesitation. “...Do you..? Do you need any help?"

"Um... This feels like the sort of thing I should sort out myself but thank you for the offer. Besides all this other stuff, how have you been doing lately?"

"Dr Jekyll, you really shouldn't be avoiding whoever is in there like this."

Henry gave a queasy smile. Obviously it was what he was doing but he wasn’t ready to just be called out like that.

"I just... I need time to think."

"This doesn't strike me as a good way to find that time."

"I know, I know, I just..." He ran his fingers through his hair, "It's a rough conversation I..."

He hesitated, glancing at the silent door, narrow eyed.

Then taking a deep breath, he raised his voice so he could be sure Lanyon could hear him if he was still there.

"I'm not ready to talk about it just yet.” Henry said as clearly as he could manage, noticing that his throat was a little thick, his eyes prickling just slightly, “I need time. A day or so to think things over. I at least need to figure out what I want to say. Is that so much to ask for?"

Silence from Lanyon.

Jekyll wondered if he was even on the other side of the door or whether he was climbing out the window or something.

Pursing his lips together, swallowing down the thickness in his throat, Jekyll pressed his ear against the door, trying to hear if Robert was doing anything on the other side.

"Rather than doing that, may I suggest you go in there instead?" Maijabi said, quietly.

Henry exhaled reluctantly and pulled away from the door.

Maijabi was right. This was only making the matter worse. Even if the thought of facing Lanyon again made him feel sick to his stomach, made his insides twist and crawl, he couldn’t put this off forever.

"See you tomorrow?" Henry said at last, his voice barely over a whisper.

"See you tomorrow, Dr Jekyll.” Maijabi repeated back as gently as he could. “Now, don't leave your... friend..? Any longer than you need to."

With that, Maijabi turned and hobbled away.

Jekyll took a few last deep breaths, calming his pounding heart, then shakily opened the door.

Robert was not directly on the other side listening in like Henry had thought he was. Instead, he seemed to have sat himself back down on the couch. His eyes were fixed quite firmly on the floor and Jekyll was left wondering how much he had heard of the conversation.

Then, at last, Robert spoke.

"Just a day or so, right?"

Upon hearing those words, Henry knew he had heard enough.

"If you promise that you will tell me the truth, I'll... I'll give you time." Robert continued reluctantly. “Just, promise me that you will.”

"...Thank you Robert. I promise on my life. I'm so sorry that I have to keep this from you."

"Don't thank me yet. You need to tell me sooner rather than later, Henry. Before whatever this thing is goes on too long.”

Finally, he raised his eyes to Henry’s, fixing him with a stern look. For all his bravado though, Henry could quite clearly see a tremble behind those eyes.

“Before it's too late, Henry."

It was obvious that it was taking every ounce of Robert's willpower to sit there rather than grabbing Henry by the shoulders and shaking him down for information. Every inch of his expression was pained, an expression like one pulling teeth.

"And no lies, Henry.” Robert suddenly continued just when Henry thought he was done, startling Henry. The words spilled in a quick torrent from his mouth, a frantic babble, “I want to know everything, every little bit of it. I don't care if you think I'll blame myself or you think I can’t help or whatever other moronic ideas you’ve gotten through your head about this. I'm not letting you go through whatever this is alone. For as much as you say I’ll blame myself for not doing enough, imagine how much I would blame myself if I couldn’t even find out what the problem was before something happened."

A pause.

"You don't really believe that demons exist, do you?"

Jekyll chuckled nervously and Robert groaned, falling back on the sofa theatrically.

"You know how you get when you're sleep deprived, Jekyll.” He chided. “Remember when you claimed that a 'maggot dog' was stalking you back in university? I..."

Lanyon swallowed nervously.

"...I'm sure that, whatever this is, it's not as bad as you think it is.” A little more quietly, Robert continued, “You've just lost sleep and now you're blowing whatever is stressing you out of proportion. Making up these stories of demons and that."

From Lanyon's tone of voice, it was clear that he was assuring himself more than Jekyll.

Then, came one final mutter, so quiet that Jekyll nearly missed it.

"...And someone's taking advantage of this sleep deprivation of yours..."

"What?" Henry asked, surprised but Robert simply clapped his hands together and stood up sharply.

"Never you mind that." He declared, "There is only one thing for it: I will be staying the night."

"WHAT?!"

"Well it's obvious, isn't it? You think you're in danger. Regardless of whether it's all in your head or not, I can't just leave you alone if you're under threat. As a doctor, it wouldn’t be right. Therefore, I will be staying at your place for the night."

"But- But your father!"

"He can bite me. It's not like I can please him no matter what I do."

"But- but-!" Jekyll stuttered, looking for a single excuse out of the ocean of reasons why this was a bad idea that he was practically swimming in. "I only have the one room!"

"You have a couch?"

"You can't sleep on a couch!"

"I slept on far worse back at university."

"When you were blackout drunk! Lanyon, be reasonable! You've made absolutely no preparations to stay over! Toothbrush? Toothpaste?! ANYTHING?!"

"It's one night without these things. This isn't the end of the world."

"But-"

Robert raised one hand sharply, "No more excuses. I'm staying the night with you and that's final." A sly grin, "Tomorrow I can nip home and get some proper overnight gear for the next few nights."

"WHA-?! THE NEXT FEW NIGHTS?!"

"Well I'm not visiting my poor endangered friend for only one night, right? I'm staying until I know what's actually going on here. So, if you want me out of your hair, you'd better think of your little explanation quickly."

Henry quavered.

This was truly the worst thing that had happened to him yet.

Chapter Text

In. Out.

In. Out.

In. Out.

The shush of liquid, going In. Out.

Back. Forth.

It was like a beach, he thought vaguely.

The world around him was completely dark, disallowing any kind of sight. In fact, he couldn’t even feel his eyes which was a strange sensation to have.

As such, he decided that he must be on a beach even if he couldn’t see it.

That sound, a sound like waves against the shore.

In. Out.

In Out.

Yet, it wasn't warm like a beach. The sun didn't beat down on him, on bare skin. In fact, it was so very cold.

He couldn't feel his skin either, couldn't figure out where his limbs were. They felt... Gone. But he knew he was physical in some way. There was some kind of body there.

Cold.

Just then, something trembled in the world around him. It was the slightest vibration, the feeling of something moving, yet he picked it up so keenly.

So keenly, in fact, that he could feel precisely where the vibration came from. It came from the source of that calming shushing noise.

He tried to open his eyes, to look around, but there were no eyes to open, no vision to see.

Yet, as he peered into the darkness, he began to make out something.

Traces of a warm glow, like a thermal camera. Once again, coming from the source of that noise.

As he peered closer, he could see it was in the shape of a person, lying down on something. They were rolling over constantly, causing the little vibrations that he was feeling.

How... Strange.

They were certainly warm, far warmer than he was now, but they still seemed uncomfortable, distressed. Distantly, he wondered why they seemed so unhappy. Why those little noises of grumbling and sighing sounded like a familiar voice even if it just wasn't enough to figure out whose.

With that in mind, he crawled himself closer, trying to get a better look.

He could feel those tiny frustrated breaths even from all the way over there, feel their skin rubbing against something fabric as they tossed and turned, feeling these little vibrations through his body.

He wanted to go to them, to feel that warmth, those gentle noises, to soothe them, to take that warmth from them for himself, to nestle inside their warm ribcage and no longer be so cold, to simply bask in their presence.

Where was he? What was he? How could he feel these things but not see them?

Where was his body?

No.

This wasn't right.

Wake up.

Wake up!

WAKE UP!

WAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEU-!

Edward Hyde bolted awake.

His heart was pounding so hard that it was painful and sweat soaked his skin, despite being as cold as he always was

For a second, he just sat there, panting as he recovered from whatever strange dream he had just had.

It had felt far too real for his liking.

"Jekyll?" He hissed into the darkness.

No response. Jekyll was still sleeping away in his mind.

It seemed, whatever strange dream he had just had, it was Edward's alone. Henry hadn't gotten a flicker of it.

Only more reason to feel unnerved at it.

Quickly, Edward thrust the sheets off himself and flexed his arms and legs, checking that they were there. Then, he threw the lights on.

He could have sobbed from relief to be able to see something that wasn't that strange darkness and lights. He could see colours. He could see his room, he-

It was a dream. It was just a dream.

He clutched his chest, internally pleading for his heart to slow down. Finally, eyes still wide open, Hyde collapsed back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

What was that? Some kind of demon thing? A… he hated to suggest it but a ghost thing..?

He rolled over and stared at the clock. To his annoyance, it had barely been more than a few hours. It was still ages until the morning would come and he couldn’t sleep, not after that.

Reluctantly, he shoved himself to his feet and paced the room a moment, thinking.

Now what?

The light of a phone always seemed so blinding in the pitch black.

Robert squinted angrily at the screen, eyes burning, as he flicked through his dad's increasingly furious texts and missed calls, ignoring every single one.

He was going to get absolutely chewed out for this one but he didn't care. It felt like his father only looked at him when he was angry or disappointed anyway and Robert hated it far more when he was ignored.

It had started when he was little, when he had cried and cried and cried over one thing or another. Reaching out for comfort or attention, like a small child naturally tended to do.

He remembered the many times his father had scolded him for crying in public but he remembered in such a worse light the many times his father had simply rolled his eyes and ignored him. No matter how hard Robert wailed, no matter how many tears ran down his face or how much he sniffled or how much snot bubbled in his nose, he was treated like he wasn’t even there.

"He's only doing it for attention." Robert recalled him saying to his mother once, right in front of him. "If you ignore him, eventually he'll stop."

Robert had only cried harder upon hearing that. However, true to form, nobody had asked, nobody even looked at him. Instead, they had started to talk about scandals and business instead.

His father wasn’t the only one either, his parents’ friends never wanted to bother with a child having a tantrum. Robert still vividly recalled multiple times breaking down into tears at one of his father’s big social gatherings and watching as everyone walked past him with barely a second glance.

It had felt like he didn’t exist, like he was a ghost, like he wasn’t really a person at all. The world passed him by and Dr Robert Lanyon didn’t matter any further than a disappointment or a status.

It wasn't like his father had been wrong, though. The tears had stopped.

Years of being ignored and they had dried up. They never achieved anything either way so there was no use in them. He had gotten used to the world passing him by and gotten on with taking care of himself alone.

Besides, it hurt less.

It hurt less when he could argue to himself that nobody knew he was hurting and that was why they were ignoring him. Not because they didn’t care about him, even if deep in his heart he already knew, but simply because they didn’t know.

Robert wasn't even sure if he could physically cry anymore.

Sometimes he fancied that it was like a little block in his eyes. When he was particularly upset over something he could still feel that prickle, like tears were incoming, but nothing would ever come out like something was in there keeping them in.

Or maybe he had simply trained himself out of crying so much that he unconsciously held them back whenever they tried to rise up.

No, he was never properly looked at by anyone. Never treated like a person.

Well, he hadn’t been. Not until...

Shaking himself off, he put down his phone and turned over on the couch.

Admittedly, the couch wasn't comfortable in the slightest, despite his strong words to Jekyll. It was hard and cold and too small to roll over on. He was lacking pillows or sheets or the level of drunkenness needed to pull this off.

No, this was going to be a long night.

If he showed such a weakness to Jekyll though, he knew Henry would only pry into it to kick him out and Robert refused to give him any leeway.

It didn't matter if he didn't sleep a wink for the next month, it didn't matter if his father got really truly furious, he would be damned if he was leaving Jekyll alone like this.

Although, he wasn't going to stop wishing for time to just pass faster. Laying there doing nothing was driving him crazy.

Sighing, he sat himself up.

Just then, there was a noise. He stiffened up, staring into the darkness.

A tightness gripped his chest.

It was ridiculous to believe in demons and ghosts and monsters but Jekyll’s book had put him quite on edge and, alone in the dark like that, his imagination was running wild.

Silently, he scanned the area.

He saw dark shapes, the objects in the room twisted into any manner of figures. What looked to be a tall, thin man in the corner of the room that may have been a hat stand, a shorter, more well-built creature, sets of crooked teeth and reaching arms, all of which were probably nothing but the darkness playing tricks on him. However, he couldn’t help staring at them, daring them to move.

Then that noise came again and Lanyon went perfectly still.

His heart was thudding painfully, a rapid pace, and he felt his own breaths becoming sharp and shallow.

No, he wasn’t mishearing things.

That had been a footstep.

Could it be Henry?

But why would Henry be here, in the dark, watching him silently?

Every inch of his skin had gone horribly, horribly cold and it was an effort to make his eyes sweep across the room slowly, looking for the source of the noise.

Was it Hyde? He had a key to the place.

Finally, his eyes caught on one particular shape in the doorway across the room. It was shaped like a human but, unlike all those other shapes, he could swear that the way between him and that doorway had been clear before.

His heart leapt to his throat and his breathing choked.

No.

No, no, no. There was certainly something there that hadn’t been there before, it wasn’t his mind playing tricks on him.

And now he could see something else. A pair of eyes opening up.

Except, they couldn’t be human. They were a sickly, glowing green that seemed to ooze and drip, something toxic and foul.

The figure took a step forwards.

What should he do? WHAT SHOULD HE DO?!

There was a strange figure slowly approaching him and he had to think fast.

If he screamed for help, Henry would probably hear him but he would never get to Lanyon in time and, besides, there was little Henry could do but suffer the same fate as Lanyon.

Other people in the building would hear but it would be the same problem.

Calling the police could never work, he would be killed before he even got through and it was too dark to see if there was anything around him that could be used as a weapon. Regardless, Lanyon snatched up a couch cushion he was using as a pillow, wielding it like a shield.

At least he could catch a knife with the thing.

Or… Or claws.

No, don’t be stupid, Robert, it was a home invader not a monster. The… The glowing eyes were probably something else. Monsters didn’t exist.

The situation was already dangerous enough without stupid ideas like demons.

Although, maybe it was no wonder that Jekyll got so caught up with ideas of demons if Robert was already thinking like this after just skimming that damnable book.

No, bad Robert. Bigger things to think about right now.

The figure moved like a predator, the steps perfectly silent with the grace of a hunter. Those eyes were fixed on him, all the while, impossibly bright.

Robert whimpered and screwed his eyes shut.

This was it. He was going to die here. He was going to be chopped into tiny little pieces by some axe murderer and-

“Oh cut out that whining, the couch isn’t that bad.”

At that voice, Robert startled.

Hang on. That wasn’t the voice of some monster or some stranger with a knife, that was-

“By the way, quit staring at me like that, it’s creepy.” Henry grumbled, flicking on the light switch.

Lanyon blinked rapidly in the sudden light, trying to look back at Henry as soon as he could.

He could have sworn those eyes had been glowing in the dark. However, as his eyes adjusted, he could see just fine that they weren’t. They were quite normal.

Well, almost.

Even if he had been deceived about the glowing in some way, he couldn’t deny that Henry’s usual brown eyes looked oddly green. A rather startling shade of green too that made him think of radioactivity in movies.

No, that was ridiculous. It was the sudden light and his half-asleep mind playing tricks on him, that was all, like the imagined glowing.

Henry was looking far grouchier than Lanyon had ever seen him before, telling of a bad night, and he was still wearing those gloves even with his pyjamas and slippers on. It created a rather odd fashion combo.

“What are you doing here?” Lanyon asked, recomposing himself as quickly as he could.

“I- I thought- I…”

Henry pulled a face, gritting his teeth. Then he took a breath and tried again.

“I was wondering if you were sleeping ok.” He ground out slowly between his teeth, his voice grating with reluctance like he was dragging the words out over sandpaper.

“Just fine, thank you.” Robert replied back curtly.

He still wasn’t showing any weakness, regardless of how off-guard he was.

“...Good. Good.” Came the muttered reply.

Henry just stood there.

“...So..?” Robert asked.

“R-right. I’ll just be… going then.”

Robert hesitated, eyes narrowing at Jekyll’s odd behaviour.

“Uh… Henry? Are you sleeping alright?”

“What? Of course I am! What kind of question is that?!” Henry snapped back.

“Well, you seem a bit… unhappy.” Understatement of the year. Robert gave a pause. “Do you… want to stay with me a bit? Since we’re both up and all.”

Henry froze there for a second and Robert thought he was going to turn it down.

“I- Well- If you’re so desperate to not be alone then I suppose I should stay. Wouldn’t want to be woken up in the middle of the night by you crying or something.”

With that said, Henry clambered onto the arm of the sofa and, rather oddly, perched there like some kind of bird, arms crossed.

Robert pulled a face and bit back the instinctive returning snipe to Henry’s nasty words.

It was undeniable that Henry was acting strangely.

Henry was usually the sweetest person alive, not this bitter, aggressive, grumbling mess and Robert couldn’t help but wonder if he had some kind of nightmare. Maybe that was what was bothering him so much – Henry being half-asleep, dealing with the lingering vestiges of that nightmare.

Looking closer, he could certainly see that Henry was fidgeting a bit like something had put him on edge.

Sitting himself up properly, Robert crossed his legs and peered at Henry as his friend chewed absent-mindedly at a nail.

Finally, prompted by the stretching awkward silence, he gave in and asked.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

The response was instant. Henry leapt to his feet in indignation, still balancing precariously on the arm of the couch.

“WHAT? NO! I don’t get nightmares!” He cried out, making Robert wince.

Other people were trying to sleep.

“...What was it about, if you want to talk about it?” Robert pressed, now almost completely convinced that it had been a nightmare.

Henry sputtered for a few seconds longer.

Then, his head dropped shamefully and all the bluster seemed to drain from him. At last, slowly, he crumpled back down onto the arm of the sofa and hugged his legs to him.

“It… It’s stupid.” Henry admitted quietly.

“Nobody can control what sort of dreams they have. Does it have-”

He was about to ask whether it had anything to do with what was happening to Henry lately but he decided not to press on it. Forcing too hard would only make Henry curl up on himself harder.

“It might make you feel better to get it out there and hear it aloud.” Robert said instead. “To properly understand how stupid it is.”

“The thing is, I’m not even sure what it was.” Henry confessed. “I… It was like I… I didn’t have a body. I didn’t have eyes or limbs or ears or anything.”

Robert cringed at the mental image.

“Sensory deprivation?” He asked, aghast at the idea that Henry had gone through such a thing. “That doesn’t sound stupid, that sounds horrifying.”

Robert was still wondering if this had anything to do with what was happening to Henry.

Henry was afraid of losing his body? What did that mean? Paralysis?

The thought seemed to put a heavy pit in his stomach.

“No. No it wasn’t… I was still experiencing something. I could feel, I could move, I could…” Henry stared down at the sofa, picking at a loose thread. “...But everything was wrong. I wasn’t fully there. I could still feel my real body out there somewhere but for a moment I couldn’t properly connect to it. I couldn’t wake it up and I panicked.”

Lanyon wasn’t quite sure he understood what Jekyll was talking about but Jekyll sounded genuinely distressed.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have panicked.” Continued Henry, his voice a bitter mutter. “It wasn’t all that bad until I panicked.”

“It was a dream. You’re never quite in control in dreams.”

“I don’t know. It felt very… Real.”

Henry looked back up at Robert and Robert could see his eyes up close.

There was still a strange green tint to them but he could see the familiar saturated brown colour he knew so well beneath.

Maybe it wasn’t the time but he was thankful to see it.

With all his thoughts on demons and monsters and Jekyll’s unusual behaviour it had been putting him on edge, but it really was just his Jekyll at heart.

“Henry, it’s alright.” He assured softly. “If you want, I’ll sit with you for a bit. Until you feel better.”

“I-!” Henry started, as if ready to yell again. Then, he just deflated. “That would be… Thank you Robert.”

“To tell you the truth, I…” Robert swallowed and took a breath. “...I’m having difficulty sleeping too.”

“I told you that you can’t sleep on a sofa.” Henry instantly bit back.

At that, Lanyon spluttered.

“I-! I-!”

Furiously, he attempted to find some other excuse. However, the only thing he grasped from his head was “I’m worried for your well-being.”

He was not letting Jekyll know he cared. Not in a million years was he dealing with that.

“Tomorrow, I’ll grab my pillows and sheets from home and I’m sure I’ll sleep like a baby.” He gave in.

A scoff. “Good luck with that. You’re like a Victorian gentleman. Delicate sensibilities.”

“Hey, I can fight when I want to! I know how to do a bit of fisticuffs!”

“And how often have you won? Better yet, how often have you done that with a person at all?”

Silence. Jekyll barked out with laughter, a laughter that was oddly enthusiastic for Jekyll.

Lanyon couldn’t help but stare at Jekyll’s cackling, taken off guard.

Jekyll really did have a lovely smile.

It was just then, as he was thinking this, that the lights above flickered. Frowning, Robert tore his eyes away from Jekyll’s mirth and looked up.

Just as there was a sharp fizzling sound and a shower of sparks. With that, the lights went out. Robert shrieked once.

Jekyll seemed unsurprised by the occurrence, merely glancing up disappointedly at the lights.

“Looks like Helsby’s water tank leaked into the electric again.” Henry grumbled, “It probably won’t be fixed until the morning.”

The moonlight cast across the floor, highlighting Henry’s face in a silvery light as he turned his gaze to Lanyon.

“...Well…” Robert said slowly, trying to ease the burst of adrenaline that was now pounding through his system. “It’ll probably be tricky to get back to your room in this light. You’ll probably trip over things.”

“It’s not like I have a choice.”

“...What if you did?”

Robert bit his tongue instantly, internally demanding to himself why the Hell he was doing this.

Henry raised a dubious eyebrow at Lanyon.

“And what would that be? Not sleep tonight?” Henry snarked.

“Why don’t you sleep here on the couch with me?”

“WHAT?!”

Lanyon winced at the sudden shout. However, the suggestion was out and there was no turning back now.

“Think about it. I’m having sleeping troubles, you’re having nightmares. We can help both of our problems if we sleep together.” Robert explained. “If nothing else, if we’re both still unable to sleep, at least we’ll have someone to talk to until morning so we won’t get bored. It’s not like we haven’t done it before.”

Admittedly “before” meant when they had been in a relationship together and, therefore, it was appropriate to do so.

Surely it didn’t matter though, he reasoned to himself. They weren’t in a relationship anymore so there wouldn’t be any connotations to it. Just two guys sharing a couch.

Two guys who used to date one another.

“I- Kck.” Henry grunted, crossing his arms. “Well, if you’re so scared of being alone in the dark, I guess I have to keep you company.”

“Oh this is more for your sake. It’ll help me keep a better eye on you, as your doctor.”

“Yeah, yeah. Keep lying to yourself, princess.”

“Doctor.”

“Oh sorry. Princess Doctor.”

A glare.

“Your majesty.” Henry finished wryly.

With that said, Henry fell back, sprawling over both the sofa and Lanyon’s lap and Robert squeaked in a rather undignified alarm.

He hadn’t been prepared for that at all.

“Hey! Get off me!”

“I thought we were sleeping together?” Henry almost purred.

“I- I’m not lying down yet!”

Damn. Henry was like a damn ice cube.

Robert had thought the sofa was cold but Henry’s room must have been utterly freezing if he was like this.

“How are you this cold?” Lanyon demanded, trying to shift to the side to ease his legs free of Henry’s body so he could lie down.

“Cold hearted, cold blooded.” Henry chirped back, looking Lanyon dead in the eyes.

“Coming from the man who let a random homeless guy live in your apartment.”

Lanyon finally pried his legs free and laid down. With that, he wrapped an arm around Henry’s body, shuddering at the new cold.

Henry’s body stiffened under his arm.

“What are you doing?!” Henry choked out.

“Well we don’t have blankets and you’re practically on the edge of frostbite. Doctor’s orders demand some heating.”

“You’re not going to manage to warm me up! You’re only going to make yourself cold!”

“We’re already sharing a sofa.”

“I could sleep on the floor!”

“Shush. You’re sleeping with me and that’s final, you God-damned ice cube.”

“Well don’t complain to me about being cold then.”

“I won’t.”

Lanyon started to shiver, the cold seeping through his bones and numbing the tips of his fingers.

This was nothing like the times he had cuddled with Jekyll in the past.

“Really,” Henry tutted, “You’re clearly not enjoying yourself. You just sleep on the sofa and I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“Not happening.”

“You’re being stubborn.”

Henry squirmed a little in Robert’s grip, trying to worm his way out but Robert just hugged tighter, his teeth chattering against Jekyll’s back.

“Really, what is up with you tonight?” Robert grumbled, “You’re acting like an unruly teenager. I know you had a bad dream and all but you could at least try to be a little nicer.”

“And you could stand to let me go!”

Robert responded by hugging tighter and Henry struggled harder, trying to pry Robert’s arms off of him angrily.

Finally, after a while of kicking and wriggling, Henry went limp with a grumble.

Reluctantly, he rolled over to face Lanyon.

The couch was too small for them both to have their own space so the pair were nose-to-nose.

Henry’s eyes met his own for a second and fixed there. He watched as Henry’s expression suddenly softened, eyes widening with with an entranced wonder, studying his eyes in almost rapture.

Robert had to fight back a smile. Henry had always liked his eyes.

He couldn’t imagine why – most people would say brown eyes were boring. However, Henry had always found them utterly enchanting. It was quite flattering.

“Henry?” Robert mumbled quietly, keeping in mind that they were a little too close for shouting.

“Mm?”

“I… Um…” He swallowed. “No matter what’s going on with you, I hope… I hope you feel better soon. In some way or another.”

Henry’s eyes widened further.

It was strange, Robert thought. That green colour seemed to be leaking from his eyes now, retreating away like a fog clearing, as clear as day with the two pressed so close together.

More strangely, beneath his hands, Henry’s body seemed to be rapidly warming back up.

The ice thawed away under his fingers, the colour spreading back into Jekyll’s cheeks while his face and expression likewise seemed to thaw.

“I… I…” Henry stuttered, his voice barely a breath.

A pause.

Henry studied Robert’s eyes closely, as though he may find a lie in there.

Robert knew that there was nothing short of completely genuine to be found.

“...Thank you, Robert.” Henry said at last, “I hope so too.”

Then, Henry’s eyes fluttered for a second and he blinked, suddenly looking rather bleary and dazed, like one who had just woken up.

With that, the last of the cold seeped away like it had never been there at all. Robert was left with a thankfully warm body pressed into him and, as cruel as it was, he relished in finally having heat again.

That cold had felt almost unnatural with how determinedly it had sunk into him, refusing to warm up or leave. Now, Robert was starting to regain the nerves in his face and he had to resist the urge to bury his face in Henry’s chest and leech off this new heat until he was fully back to feeling.

Henry blinked a few more times, brow furrowing and Robert could almost see the thoughts turning in his head.

Then his eyes shot wide open.

“ROBERT?!” Jekyll practically screeched, abruptly trying to force himself back in alarm but failing. Robert was hugging Jekyll for warmth too closely to him for Henry to pry himself free so easily.

Robert winced. “You know, Henry, there are people trying to sleep right now.”

“I- How did I-? When did-?” Then realization dawned on Henry’s face and he smacked his face against the sofa, squishing his cheek up to it. “Oh God.”

“Are you alright? Did something happen?”

“No, no. It’s fine. Just…” Henry rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking nothing short of annoyed, although Robert couldn’t guess what at. “Let’s get some sleep, ok? I want to forget that today ever happened.”

Robert raised an eyebrow. “Well that was the plan. I mean, not the forgetting part but you know what I mean.”

“Right. Right…” Henry mumbled. “...Thanks for letting me sleep with you like this.”

“It’s fine. Yet again, it’s my duty as a doctor. Besides, you’ve warmed up now.”

Then, Robert frowned, wondering about Jekyll’s strange reaction just then.

“...Are you sure you’re ok?” He pressed anxiously.

“Of course I am.” Came the dismissive murmur back. “...Good night, Robert.”

Robert nestled a bit closer to Henry, closing his eyes.

Well, it probably didn’t matter.

Let Jekyll have his privacy. He would tell Robert when he was ready. Hopefully.

Besides, Robert was distracted by other things.

Namely the new pounding heartbeat in his chest, a pounding that, somehow, didn’t feel bad this time. It was like there was something fuzzy and warm inside him.

“Good night, Henry.” He whispered.

Chapter Text

The prior night really had been strange, Henry mused as he waited outside Maijabi’s door for the medium to open it.

After that one time that Hyde had called over Lanyon of his own accord, Henry had become fully aware that Hyde could sometimes take control of his body while he was sleeping to mess around with it.

However, he hadn't expected Hyde to use it to cuddle up with Lanyon on the couch.

If he poked his own memories, Henry could recall his – Hyde's – actions, his thoughts. They were fuzzy and he couldn't pick out all the details but he remembered something about fear, a nightmare of some kind.

Which was odd because Jekyll didn't remember having a dream last night.

As much as he remembered Hyde’s actions as though they were his own, like he had just been wandering about half asleep on his own free will, he couldn’t remember the dream for the life of him.

He decided not to dwell on it. Dreams were weird enough on their own without getting demons involved.

Besides, most of his effort and mental energy that morning had been spent trying to pry himself out of Robert's grip without waking him up. He was too frazzled to overthink anything at that moment.

As he waited, the memory of that morning still lay fresh in his mind.

It had been the rain pattering against the window that had first registered as he woke up.

A gentle patter, not enough to frighten him awake, just a soft thrum. Pleasant.

And it was warm, Jekyll realized. There was a warmth on top of him. A warmth with… Weight..?

Bewildered, his eyes blinked open. It was dim in there which made it difficult to see.

The power hasn’t come back on. Henry thought hazily and tried to raise a hand to wipe the sleep from his eyes.

However, his arm was pinned to him. Henry frowned, blinking and squinting. He could make out the back of the sofa in front of him, the cushions haphazard.

Then, his eyes drifted down and widened in alarm.

A shape was pressed into his chest, arms draped over him and face snuggled into Jekyll’s chest. There was a light sound of contented breathing from the shape, shoulders rising and falling gently. From where he was, Henry could see a soft, contented smile on the corners of that mouth.

Robert. Robert was sleeping on him.

Slowly, the memories of the night before fell back into place in his mind.

Right, they were sleeping together. Thankfully clothed. Not that Lanyon would do anything but Henry didn’t trust Edward in particular to be sensible.

He was surprised to see how close Lanyon had gotten to him in his sleep and, staring at that relaxed expression, feeling the arms wrapped around him and the gentle raise and fall of Robert’s shoulders against him, Henry felt his face becoming hot.

For a few seconds, he screwed his eyes shut and cursed Hyde with such vividness and creativity that a poet could have declared Henry his foul-mouthed muse.

Finally, Henry had taken about the agonisingly slow task of excavating himself.

It certainly hadn't been any easy task. Thirty whole minutes were spent slowly moving Robert's arm off him, freezing in place every time Robert mumbled in his sleep.

In those moments frozen, he could hear Robert's deep breathing, so calm, so content. He almost couldn't believe that just last night they had been discussing something so heavy.

It was like Robert was sleeping easier with Jekyll by his side.

He pushed away that stupid thought.

They weren't together anymore. They had both moved on, no matter what Edward Hyde said about things.

Yet, he couldn't help but be happy to see Robert looking so happy. It almost let him imagine, just for a brief while, that nothing was wrong at all.

Sat on the sofa, Jekyll raised his hands to his face, the gloves still covering them. With a quick glance at Robert to ensure he wasn't looking, he checked his hands underneath.

No, things were still wrong. He hadn't changed back in his sleep.

Pushing the hair from his face, Jekyll had sighed, slumping slightly.

No matter how much he wanted things to go back to normal, they couldn't. He couldn’t pretend nothing was wrong.

With that, Jekyll had stood and left.

Which was how he was now outside of Maijabi's room, waiting for the medium to answer the door.

He glanced back at the stairs, wondering if Lanyon was still asleep or whether his absence had been noticed. He hoped not. Robert would lose it if he found Jekyll was missing after all of that.

In Henry’s hands was the mug.

The green fluid inside glowed gently, acting as his torch in the dark hours of the morning. It cast everything around him in an emerald glow, a chill seeping through the mug and into his hands, turning the fingers numb even through the gloves.

It reminded him of some kind of alien in a horror movie in such a light. Staring down into the swirling depths of luminous green, bubbles frozen in the gel-like substance, somehow he was reminded of seeing Lanyon sleeping that morning. Like this thing was alive, just slumbering.

Waiting for something to wake it.

His thoughts were cut off as the door opened and Maijabi peeped out.

Instantly, Maijabi’s eye dropped to the mug, widening in surprise.

Jekyll wasn't sure what to say.

"Hi? Package delivery for Maijabi?"

The unamused look he got in return said that his joke unfortunately hadn’t landed.

"You'd better come in.” Maijabi said at last, slowly. “It looks like we might have a few things to talk about."

It was worrying to note that Maijabi's eyes didn't move from the mug all the time he was speaking. He was giving it a wary look like it might jump out of the mug at any time and bite him.

With Jekyll's personal lack of knowledge on the subject, the reaction was making him nervous.

He quickly followed Maijabi in.

As he stepped through into the strange blue lighting, a change seemed to come over the liquid. The green began to shift to a vivid blue, the same as the room around.

As it changed, Maijabi gave it another look.

"I knew it." Maijabi muttered darkly.

"What does it mean?"

"What it means, Dr Jekyll,” Maijabi said slowly, “Is that what you have in your hands is spiritual material. It's from a ghost. Specifically ectoplasm if I recognize it correctly. Where did you get that?"

"Weeeeell... I might have... Produced it?"

Maijabi stared at him.

"I think it came from Hyde." Jekyll added hurriedly.

"But ectoplasm is-"

"From ghosts, right?"

Maijabi stared at him silently.

"Yes. I think you'd better tell me what’s been going on lately."

Henry explained as best as he could. What had happened, his theories about Hyde, Jasper's discovery, Lanyon's suspicions.

All the while, as much as Maijabi was fixated on his story, his eyes continuously flicked back to the mug, still wary.

It almost distracted Henry from his story, his head whirling with every possibility.

What was so worrying about ectoplasm to Maijabi? Surely he had plenty of the stuff himself in that room.

"I'm glad you have someone else helping you with this now." Maijabi said at last, once Jekyll was finished. "It sounds like Jasper's good at handling animals and that may be of use right now."

“What did you think on his theory?”

“It’s interesting, certainly. I feel like it might be on the right track but there still seems to be something missing from it all.”

“Like who inflicted a demon on me?”

“That certainly would be one piece of the puzzle, yes, but I feel like there’s more to it than that. Is there anyone you know who might wish ill on you?”

“Besides Moreau?”

“Yes, someone who disliked you before all of this.”

Jekyll mused it over.

He was in a new apartment, nobody there had known him enough at the time to get that angry at him and the demon only seemed to show up once the move had happened. It wouldn’t make sense for some old enemy of his to suddenly gain a burning hatred for him the moment he left.

Which left Robert and Rachel. The only people he knew that he had been in touch with since the move.

Surely neither of them truly hated him, did they?

It was a terrible thought to think yet…

Maybe Robert wasn’t telling him everything? Maybe Robert was bitter over their relationship? After all, if they were caught, Jekyll could have ruined everything about Robert’s reputation. Or maybe the break up hadn’t been about that at all? Maybe Jekyll had done something else. Something that had gained him Lanyon’s resentment.

It was a weak argument but his only other option was Rachel.

Once, she had had a crush on him once that he had turned down but that had been ages ago, it wouldn’t be dredged up now and not with enough intensity to outright curse Jekyll.

Or maybe him moving in so close to her had turned her against him? She was now forced to put up with him far more. Or maybe he had done or said something to upset her without realizing? Or maybe she was only pretending to like him and she actually-

“Jekyll?”

He pried himself away from his mental spiral.

“I only have two options and… I don’t… I don’t want to believe it was them. They’re my closest friends, I just… I can’t believe either of them would…” He trailed off.

Not because he genuinely couldn’t believe it. The worst part was, he did believe it.

In fact, the more he thought on it, the more he was convinced.

Was he a bad person for doubting his friends so much? Was it all in his head? Or was it one of them who had turned on him, even unintentionally?

“If you only have two options, it must be one of them.”

“I know, it’s just- I don’t know…”

“Well, who does Hyde remind you of? He most likely shares traits with the person he came from if he’s anything like other spirits.”

“He doesn’t remind me of anyone. I suppose if I squinted, I could think he shares some similarities with Rachel and Robert but not enough to say he’s one or the other. We don’t know to what extent that Hyde works off the logic of other spirits anyway, he might not resemble his creator at all.”

“So there must be a third option. One you’re not thinking of just yet.”

“Yeah,” Jekyll said, doubtfully, “It must be that.”

His paranoia bubbled inside him, a sickening lurching in the stomach.

Wanting to do anything to rid his mind of these fears, he quickly turned to the next subject.

"What about Lanyon? What do you think I should tell him?"

"I think you should tell him the truth. He's worried about you and keeping quiet isn't going to make everything go away."

"...I... I know, it's just... Surely it would be better if he didn't know? Knowing what's happening to me... Wouldn't that just be worse?"

Especially if Lanyon was the cause. He would never be able to forgive himself.

Or he would forgive himself easily and, if that were the case, Jekyll did not want to know about it.

"No. It wouldn't." Maijabi replied firmly. "The unknown tends to haunt people far more than the known."

Jekyll's shoulders slumped and he sat back in his chair.

"...You said something about your hands." Maijabi cut in. "May I see them?"

Henry glanced up. Then, reluctantly, he slipped off his gloves and showed off his hands. Maijabi sucked in a sharp breath between his teeth.

"And you can't change back?"

"Not at all. And it's not going away either. I don't suppose you..?"

Maijabi's mouth closed into a tight line.

"I... I might be able to help. Maybe it's a fools hope but..."

Jekyll shot up, energy rekindled. He leant forwards eagerly.

"You know something?" He asked, almost frantic.

"No, not personally. However, my demon expert has asked to meet with you. Tomorrow, in fact. The Monday. That was why I was asking for you yesterday. My hope is, he'll know something that I do not."

Jekyll's hopes sputtered a bit.

"...Oh."

"Don't look so disappointed. He's told me already, he has ideas in mind on how to e- how to help you."

"...Sure." Jekyll gave his best smile. Then, he saw Maijabi's eyes drift to the mug once again. "...So... What's the deal with ectoplasm?"

Maijabi glanced at him for a second, studying his face with a strange amount of suspicion. It felt like an innocent enough question to Jekyll.

"It's a broken-off piece of a spirit. Spirits produce it under moments of high emotion or stress." Maijabi replied back dismissively.

High emotion. That would explain why it only happened during one transformation and not the other. It wasn't a part of the transformation itself.

"...And..? You keep looking at it like it's a threat."

"Well... It's... It's a piece of a spirit. By the sounds of it, Hyde to be precise. A physical piece of a demon of all things existing in the world doesn’t bode well."

"So what does it do?"

Silence fell. Maijabi fiddled with his eyepatch.

"I'm afraid I don't want to give Hyde any ideas. If he's currently unaware of what can be done with it, I would like to keep things that way."

"What? I'm keeping that stuff in my apartment, if it's dangerous-"

"Please leave it with me."

"What?"

The speed at which Maijabi had cut in frightened Jekyll. There was something going on. Something bad.

"I can ensure it's stored safely and you don't have to worry any further about what it's capable of." Maijabi continued insistantly.

"Maijabi, is everything ok? You're really worrying me with this."

Maijabi shut his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply. When he next spoke, his voice was far softer.

"I promise you I don't mean to. I merely don't trust Hyde. Ectoplasm is already dangerous enough when it comes to vengeful spirits and I fear what ectoplasm from a demon is capable of.” Maijabi explained gently. “It might be nothing. There are plenty of harmless spirits out there with their own ectoplasm and it's just as harmless as they are. Hyde is merely… Less than trustworthy."

"...Then…” Henry swallowed. “Can it be used to help me?"

"Excuse me?"

"With the other demons. Would ectoplasm be useful? As…" He glanced at the liquid, doubtful about what he was about to say, “...As a weapon..?”

His mind conjured a rather amusing image of Henry tossing balls of goo at some attacking demon but he had a strong feeling it didn’t actually work that way.

However, he was really unsure what else it could possibly do.

It didn’t burn to the touch or anything else that distinguished it as a threat.

"I don't think it's worth the risk, Henry. I'm sorry."

Maijabi gently took the mug and walked across the room, looking musingly around.

"Now, where would a safe place to keep this be?" Maijabi muttered to himself.

Instead of the quip of "Well if you told me, maybe I could help" that was on Jekyll's mind, Jekyll bit his tongue and stayed silent.

"Well, I suppose I can find something better later." Maijabi said at last and, with that, placed a plate over the mug.

Then weighed it down with another mug.

A pause.

Then he added yet another mug on top.

"Um... Do you need that much?" Jekyll asked.

"Better safe than sorry." Maijabi replied back, placing yet another mug on the stack and surrounding the small tower with some kind of herb. Rosmary or sage perhaps.

Then a circle of salt.

Then he redid a second circle of salt around the other salt circle.

"...I'm suddenly very concerned that I was keeping that stuff just out in my room."

"As I said, it's fine. I'm just staying cautious because it's from a demon specifically and it’s being kept in my room now. This is somewhat of an unknown for me.”

Hesitantly, Maijabi stepped away from the stack, eyeing it up and Jekyll knew he was fighting the urge to continue stacking.

“With that out of the way,” Maijabi said slowly, tearing his eyes away. “You never did say anything about visiting that demon expert tomorrow."

Jekyll paused, thinking over what was going on tomorrow.

If he remembered correctly, Ito was going to Blackfog but, besides that, he was perfectly free. It wasn’t like Ito had necessarily invited him.

So long as he could get away from Lanyon...

"I'll go."

"You don't sound very enthusiastic."

"...To be frank with you, my hopes aren't high."

Silence fell as Maijabi quickly stacked yet another cup onto the pile.

If anyone knocks into that, it’s going to fall over. Hyde pointed out and Jekyll felt like he was right.

He should tell Maijabi that. Whatever was going on with the ectoplasm, it was in his best interest to keep it safe.

Yet, something stayed his tongue.

There was a buzz of excitement from Hyde as he eyed up the prison, a new curiosity that threaded between their connection, the hunger of some new power they weren't being told about.

"It's worth a try." Maijabi said at last.

"It is." Jekyll admitted simply. Then, he moved on. "I should get back to Robert before he wakes up and wonders where I am."

"Yes. But, Henry?"

"Mm?"

"Let me know if you find anymore ectoplasm. Please."

"I will." Jekyll lied.

When Jekyll walked back into his room, Lanyon was already awake and pacing.

It was clear immediately that his absence had stressed Robert out. Even without the pacing, there was a worried crease to his brow and a tenseness to his entire body.

The moment Lanyon’s eyes fell upon him, the tenseness fell away instantly, replaced by pure relief.

Then, Lanyon cleared his throat and looked away sharply, embarrassed.

"Where did you go?" Robert asked, "I was- I was concerned when you weren't here."

"Sorry about that. Had to drop that bug off."

"Oh... Um... Lovely."

"Miss Flowers will love it immensely, I'm sure." Jekyll said. "...So what's going on today? Since you've decided to stick around."

"Well, at some point I'll have to pick up my stuff from home but that won't take all day..." Lanyon gave Jekyll a side-eyed glance. "What... What are you doing today?"

"I don't have work so... Nothing I guess."

"Right..."

As the room trailed off into silence, Jekyll made his way over to the cupboards and looked around. "What do you want for breakfast? I have... I have porridge, cornflakes... Um..."

"Is that all you have?" Lanyon raised an eyebrow. "How on earth do you finish breakfast in the morning when all your options are that bland."

Truth be told, Jekyll didn't usually eat breakfast. Mornings made him feel too ill for food. He kept the cereal around just in case but...

Now there was a point. Were the cornflakes stale?

"Um... Well, I have eggs but..."

"What about bacon?"

"Unfortunately not."

"Bread? Toast?"

"Um..." Jekyll opened another cupboard and checked the bread he had. Ok, no, it was growing fur. It was done. "No."

"Just eggs?"

"Uh... Depends..? How do you tell if eggs are out of date?"

A long suffering sigh from Lanyon. "Jekyll, what have you been eating the past few nights?"

"It's... Um..."

"Ok, right. We'll go out to eat then."

"I can't waste money eating out for breakfast!"

"Why not? We can go somewhere cheap like McDonalds."

"...You sure I can't tempt you with porridge? I have cinnamon and sugar too, you can add it on top to sweeten things."

"I'll pay."

"Oh, please don't. I was the one who didn't have any food. You shouldn't have to pay because of me."

"Henry, it's McDonalds, not a fancy restaurant. Relax." A pause. "I... Haven't eaten breakfast at McDonalds before. It IS cheap, isn't it?"

"...I haven't either. I don't know."

"It's... It'll be fine." Lanyon stood up, brushing the crinkles out of his clothes. His eyes flickered for a brief moment to Jekyll's gloved hands but he quickly averted his eyes. "This will be great. Early morning breakfast. Where would we find McDonalds anyway?"

"I... I'm not sure. Probably in Blackfog."

"The shopping centre you mentioned before?"

"Right. I don't know where the entrance is yet but if you're really insistent that you don't want porridge..."

"Well, you should know the town you're living in, Henry. What better time to learn than now?"

"Ah..."

Chapter Text

Robert was starting to genuinely believe that, whatever place Henry had moved into, it wasn't a real town. Secretly, Robert theorised, the entire place was a construct that manifested straight up from the bowels of Hell itself to torment anyone unfortunate enough to get trapped in it.

None of the roads made sense, every person they asked for directions pointed them in a completely different route, and why the hell was there apparently just an entire shopping centre right beneath their feet with seemingly no damned entrance?!

Jekyll seemed unbothered by it but Lanyon was very much bothered.

He had to at least wonder if this just considered normal when you had just lived here for some time or something because he couldn’t see why else Henry didn’t seem perturbed.

Maybe it was the hunger that was making him so much more irritated at it.

Actually, it was probably mostly the hunger.

"Jekyll, it's probably much closer to lunch than breakfast at this point and I'm starving. Let's just go to the nearest restaurant or something and find Blackfog some other time." Lanyon bargained, trying not to sound as desperate as he felt.

"Five more minutes. We've got to be close by now, I just know it."

Robert suppressed a groan of despair.

It seemed Henry wasn't giving up until they found it, no matter what.

He was just as stubborn as always.

"You might be able to survive for days without food but I can't." Robert mumbled under his breath and looked up at the sky.

To his bemusement, there was a pigeon above them. Not a sight that would be unique on its own but the strange thing was that it seemed to be circling like some kind of bird of prey.

Even after living in cities for most of his life, he had never seen a pigeon act that way before.

Lanyon mulled it over, staring up at it and not paying attention to where he was going. It didn’t matter. He swore they had walked around this exact street about three times already anyway.

Maybe pigeons were different in small towns, he thought, or maybe it was just this specific town continuing to be complete and utter devil spawn.

It really seemed to be circling over them specifically though, to his bewilderment. With each step they took, that specific pigeon remained above them.

Circling, circling, circling.

When he really thought about it, it was almost like it was-

Robert screamed.

The moment Jekyll heard Robert scream, it was like his heart had stopped.

Every muscle in his body was tensed and he had spun around before he had even thought about it, ready for a fight.

To his horror, he was met by an empty street. Silent, empty, and completely devoid of even a trace of Dr Lanyon who had been stood there only a second ago.

Henry swore under his breath. This had been a mistake. This had been a mistake, this had been a mistake, this had been a mistake.

As Hyde tried to calm him down, Henry sprinted over in a panic, hoping to find some clue of what took him or where they had gone.

Except, mid-step, the floor dropped out from under him.

One foot dropped straight downwards, hitting nothing, while his other leg crumpled, knee hitting the tarmac painfully. His body was thrown forwards and his hands threw up on instinct, catching an edge to hold onto with a scrape that probably would have grazed his palms if it weren’t for the gloves.

For the longest time, Jekyll just sat there.

His heart was pounding, body shaking, breathing quick, not even able to comprehend what had happened no matter how much he tried to get his shocked brain to just start again. It wasn't until there was a splash from below him that the world around him finally began to settle back into place.

Slowly, shakily, he looked down at the splashing sound.

To his surprise, there was Robert or, rather, Robert’s head. He was quite a distance down, coughing and spluttering. It took a moment for Jekyll to register that the murky dark body of movement around him was, in fact, water.

A sewer, he realized at last. It was one of those access hatches to the sewer, just left open and abandoned for just anyone to fall into. And it seemed Lanyon had just become its unlucky victim with Jekyll only just being spared the same fate.

The only light down in the sewer was the ring of light coming from the hole above, mostly blotted out by Henry, lodged in there.

As cautiously as he could, Jekyll levered himself out, sitting himself down next to the hole to give Lanyon more light.

"Robert?" Jekyll asked again. "Are you alright down there?"

A few more coughs and splutters and splashes, Robert paddling his way through the water to the side until he finally pulled himself up and out.

For a moment, Lanyon just sat there, dripping and looking completely and utterly miserable. Jekyll winced in sympathy.

"Well-!” Robert started, only to fall into another fit of coughing for a second. Then, “I have water up my nose but at least it seems weirdly clean for a sewer!"

"Oh dear. Give me a second, I'll come after you!"

"Oh, no! You don't have to do that!" Robert called back quickly.

"You think I'm just going to leave you alone in a sewer?!"

"I think that you're already ill enough as is and jumping in actual sewer water will probably be the death of you." Then, a grumble that Jekyll only heard because the echoing sewer intensified Robert's voice, "It'll probably be the death of me."

Jekyll was already moving to jump in after.

"Henry! Don't even think about it! I'll just find my way out and meet you somewhere. There must be a way out somewhere. In the meanwhile, you can go and grab help."

For a moment, Jekyll paused dubiously.

"The sewers are supposed to be connected to Blackfog somewhere along the line." He confessed hesitantly.

"Excellent! Then I'll find Blackfog and get out of here in the process."

"You are absolutely not doing that alone!" Jekyll insisted.

At the mere concept, thoughts of all the potential demons that could be hiding down there swarmed his mind.

It was the perfect place for something to hide in the water to snatch up any stragglers to eat. There had always been urban legends about alligators in the sewer systems and he didn't doubt for one second that this specific town might actually have at least one. A demonic one at that.

"Don't you trust me, Henry?" Robert called back as casually as he possibly could. Despite the effort though, there was an undeniable strain to his voice. Being hungry and being dunked in sewer water clearly hadn't been the plans for the morning.

"We've both been lost for hours." Henry pointed out, "It seems neither of us have a sense of direction."

"So having you down here with me will only be a bigger issue. At least from up there you can get help. If we both get stuck down here, we could both get lost."

Jekyll winced.

He had a point.

But still, there were dangers that Lanyon wasn't aware of. If he left Robert to get help, he might come back to find Robert dead.

"How about this?" Robert suddenly called out, making Jekyll look up. "I find my way down here and you follow me from above. That way, you can ensure I'm safe without literally jumping into a sewer and, along the way, maybe you'll find someone who can help. It's our best chance."

"How am I supposed to follow you from up here?"

"There should be plenty of access holes like this one. From up there, you'll have better luck at finding them and telling me where to go to get to whichever one is next. Then, we can speak at each one to check in with one another."

Jekyll didn't like it. He didn't like leaving Lanyon for a random period of time alone.

"And if you get lost along the way to the next one?"

"I'll go back the way I came."

"Robert, that's-"

If you're so fussed about this, I could probably improve your hearing so you can hear him beneath you. Then you would hear if there was a struggle or something. Hyde chipped in, rolling his eyes. I don't want to go in a bloody sewer, Jekyll. It's filthy down there.

"Alright, fine. But if there's any issue at all, I'm jumping in after you."

"Relax! There will be no issues whatsoever!"

If you asked Lanyon, this entire situation was a damn issue.

Falling into the water was probably better than hitting the concrete and breaking something and, moreover, technically it had seemed like surprisingly clean water for a sewer. (He could hope that it was just a cut off section from the actual sewage part of the sewer system for whatever reason and that was why it was clean but he still had a strong feeling that it would contain some horrible invisible bacteria that was going to wreak his immune system later.) However, he had still bashed his hip on something in the water so his hip was achy, his phone was probably destroyed, and he was still hungry.

It was lucky he had gotten so good at burying his feelings otherwise he would probably be screaming from frustration at that moment. Still, he would prefer dealing with this than dealing with his father and that was the kind of optimism he was keeping at that time.

Also, although he would never admit it, Jekyll’s concern for him was actually rather touching, if a tad bit frustrating. He was supposed to be there to take care of Jekyll and now it was Jekyll taking care of him, albeit from a distance.

It was… not how he had wanted this to go.

Their chats at each access hole brought a little relief to his miserable trek.

Jekyll would point out which direction to head in next, check up on how Lanyon was doing and if he was ok and if he was absolutely sure he didn't want Henry to jump down there with him. Lanyon always responded dismissively with something along the lines of "it's not that bad" or "I'm doing fine" and would have to spend an extra five minutes talking Henry down from jumping in with him again.

His first reason for doing so was that there was no way in hell he was making Henry worry about him or even jump down to join him.

Secondly, he would be damned if he let Henry know how he felt.

It was always embarrassing when he let his feelings slip to Henry. The last thing he wanted was to appear overly whiny to Henry of all people.

It wasn’t often that he genuinely cared what people thought of him but Henry was different. Henry was… special, he could admit privately to himself at the cost of sounding sappy.

People tended to give him a wide berth whenever he openly whinged too much.

The last thing he wanted was to see Henry do the same.

"I'll see you at the next access point!" Jekyll chirped, finishing their most recent conversation in the exact same way as their last.

"Yeah, see you there!" Robert called back.

The screeching grating of metal, the tunnels causing the sound to echo and ring in his head, forcing Lanyon to clap his hands over his ears. As the sound fell silent, once more the sewer fell into darkness.

Robert sighed.

There were small lights so he wasn't in complete darkness but it was still a strain on his eyes to see much as he meandered along.

There was the distant echo of water dripping somewhere far off, the faint skittering of rats, and the splash of his soggy shoes against wet stone. The noises kept him with some sort of company down there alone. That and the horrid smell.

It had been the same each and every time he had done this, darting from point to point, hoping to find some way out below, or someone to help above. This time, however, something different caught his eye.

He stopped for a second to stare.

Down one of the forks in the tunnel was a light.

It was far brighter than any of the other lights down there. In fact, maybe Lanyon was being very optimistic but it looked like it might lead somewhere.

A spark of hope kindled in his chest and he quickened his step to the next access point, waiting impatiently for Jekyll.

It wasn't long before the hatch opened and light spilled through. From far above, a face popped through.

"Henry!" Robert called up instantly before Henry could say a word, doing his best to keep the excitement from his voice, "There's a light down one of the tunnels! I think it might lead somewhere!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! It's about over there!" He gestured towards the location, "I can head over there, see if I can find anything!"

A pause. "Come back here if you don't find anything."

"I will!"

"And also please come back if you do find something too. I don't want to mistake you getting lost with you finding Blackfog!"

"Right, right. Really, Henry, you do worry too much, you know that?"

"I don't think I worry enough." Jekyll muttered under his breath, the tunnel walls echoing it so Lanyon could hear.

A roll of the eyes from Lanyon.

"Well, see you in a second!" He called and, without even waiting for Jekyll to pop away, he started striding off.

Maybe he was being too eager but he wanted desperately to get out of the sewers.

As quickly as he could, he hurried down the tunnel towards the light.

Distant noises steadily began to meet his ear: The chattering of people, faint music played over a speaker, the clatter of shoes on tiles.

Soon, the water stopped and Lanyon was presented with a door. He was through it without even a second thought, throwing it open with the desperation of a man who had had quite enough of the sewers. Beyond, he found white walls and golden yellow tiles, shops lining either side. The occasional person darted here and there.

He paused for a second, frowning.

The sewers seemed rather directly connected to what he could only assume was Blackfog. Another abnormality of the town's design that really didn't do dwelling upon.

As quick as he could, he sprinted back to Jekyll to report his findings. He was held back by some time with Jekyll confirming that he would definitely be around other people in there and that he wouldn’t be alone at any time but, eventually, he was let go and he sprinted back as quickly as his legs would carry him, practically kicking the door down in his rush to get back to safety.

Usually he would worry about being in such a state in public but he had really lost his ability to care with everything happening so he simply trudged inside, trailing sewer water behind him.

As he took his first few steps inside, he was a little self-conscious about his state and the sad little puddle he was dripping onto the floor. Then, he started to really look at the other people wandering about and his fears went silent.

He was nowhere close to the most unusual person there.

In fact, the very first person he laid his eyes upon had the largest snake he had ever seen in his life wrapped around their shoulders like a scarf. It hissed lazily at him as they passed and Lanyon flinched.

Besides that, there was a person with an entire small tree in a plant pot strapped to their back in a baby carrier, a person wearing just the feet part of a what might have been a rabbit costume, a bunch of rather worrying looking hooded figures, and a small girl holding a very threatening baton in one hand and a rabbit in the other who seemed to be buying biscuits at a nearby stall. He wasn't even the only person there who was soaked through.

"Jekyll, where the fuck did you move into?" Lanyon grumbled under his breath, "Where did you find this place, Rachel?"

He had intended to mutter that to himself, considering there was no Jekyll or Rachel around to speak of, which was why he was so startled when there was a tap on his shoulder and he heard a voice from behind.

"Hello?"

"Ah!" Lanyon whirled around to face the speaker.

Stood there was a man he didn’t know. He looked friendly enough if a little awkward, eyes shining brightly and looking quite neatly groomed. There wasn’t a speck of dirt on his clothes.

"My apologies!" The man spoke, "I didn't mean to startle you!"

He had an accent but Lanyon had failed geography miserably and didn't think for a second he could pinpoint where it was from.

"It’s, um… You looked a little bedraggled there. I was wondering if you needed to know where the showers are?"

"There are showers?" Robert asked, relieved, then added, "I very much do, thank you."

"If you follow the signs to the nearest toilet, you should find them. There are also many shops along the way that you could buy a new change of clothes if you need."

"Thank you so much. That’s a relief to here."

"My pleasure."

“I assume I stood out to you because I look lost as well as wet?” Lanyon asked, looking at the other bedraggled looking people about. He wondered if they also fell into the sewers.

“Oh, ah…” The man looked a little embarrassed. “Actually, I… I found you quite curious for other reasons.”

"Me? Curious? Amongst these people?" Robert asked dubiously, "What did I do to stand out?"

A pause from the man, as though considering. Then a laugh.

"Well, I don't think you want to hear my blathering right about now. I think you would much rather visit those showers first. I have a shop around here, 'The Restless Coffin' just down that corridor there. On the right, you can't miss it. Of course, you're not obliged to but I would love to have a chat with you once you’re done."

"The Restless Coffin?" Lanyon asked.

It sounded like a morbid shop. Maybe some place that sold horror paraphernalia or maybe it just sold goth stuff.

"Yes. I hope we could learn from one another, if you don't mind my forwardness."

Lanyon didn't really see what sort of information he could give this person but he seemed to know more about Blackfog than Robert did. If anyone could help him find the proper exit – and, by extension, the entrance for Jekyll – it would be this guy.

Besides, there would be little point dealing with a second stranger for that information when one had already offered their help. The last thing Lanyon wanted was to deal with more people than necessary.

With that in mind, he said goodbye and headed off to the showers.

Along the way, he bought a new phone and a new set of clothes as well as the first sandwich he could find.

Surprisingly, none of the shopkeepers seemed to care much about the water he was dripping everywhere but he still chose not to try on any clothes in the shop while he was soaked.

He wasn't going to push it. He would just have to hope that they fitted.

There was no signal to call Henry on the new phone but Henry should already know he was safe anyway so he took his time in the shower, hosing down all the water and muck he had accumulated over the morning.

It almost made the filth and frustration feel worth it for that single moment of bliss when he was finally clean, when he was wrapped in fresh new clothes, still warm from the shower and the gnawing at his stomach had been silenced.

Taking a second, he checked himself out in the mirror.

It wasn't a bad outfit for something he had grabbed as quickly as he could. The long coat and popped collar rather suited him, he thought, so long as nobody saw the more childish shirt underneath with a cheap printing of a piranha on it proclaiming "Careful, I Bite."

He had sort of grabbed the first shirt he could find that was in his size range.

At least the coat covered it up just fine.

Finally, he headed back through the shopping centre, following the directions he had been given.

As he walked, he scanned neon sign after neon sign, looking for the shop. Sure enough, he saw the shape of a neon coffin before he saw the text proclaiming its name.

For a second, Lanyon paused to stare at it.

The sign was designed to look like a coffin with a skeleton crawling its way out, all made up by bright, flashing neon lights. It was animated in a small loop of the skeleton clawing at the air in front of it.

Now that he could actually see the store, he could also see that his initial thoughts about it being something morbid were absolutely true.

There were shelves through the window. Bottles containing eyes and jawbones, entire skulls staring with hollow black eyes at him, and phials labelled as things such as "Grave dirt" or "Goat blood."

Lanyon winced. It felt like he was about to walk into being the victim in the first five minutes of a horror movie.

Regardless, though...

With a deep breath, he pushed on inside.

A bell above the door gave a tinkle to signal his arrival.

The inside was no better than the outside. In glass display cabinets were entire skeletons and what he hoped was just really realistic fake corpses.

Really... REALLY realistic.

Lanyon wondered if maybe he actually should leave and find someone else.

"Ah, so you did come. A pleasant shower, I assume?"

The curtains to the back rooms swished aside to reveal the man from before.

"Uh, yes." Lanyon replied hesitantly, trying not to make eye contact with one of the display corpses which still had a single eye in its socket, staring right at him with what felt like judgement.

“Well, are you just going to stand there or are you going to come with? We can talk in the back. I've made biscuits if you want some."

"Uh... I'll pass on the biscuits." Lanyon replied, following the man through the curtains to a small table and some more storage space filled with more items. Somehow these were even more realistic than the ones on display and it sent a shiver down Lanyon’s spine.

On the table was a jar with a rather strange looking animal inside. He frowned as he approached, trying to see what it was and why it seemed so strange.

It looked like a rat. Looked like a rat. It was just... There was something off about its-

The man plucked the jar off the table and tucked it onto a shelf. "My apologies, that's not relevant to this conversation."

"So... What do you sell here?" Lanyon asked conversationally.

"Halloween decorations but I believe they should be allowed all year you know?"

Lanyon raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, not a fan of Halloween I see. A shame."

"They're very... Real looking."

"Oh, thank you so much! I do try my best." The man sat himself down neatly and pulled out a bunch of biscuits, placing them where the rat had just been. "Now, I believe you must have come here because you have something to ask me yourself?"

"Yeah, I... I don't actually know where the exit to this place is. My friend and I are kind of new to this place you see."

"Ah, you got in through the sewers?"

"...Is it that easy to guess?"

"Oh, a few people do that. It's why there are free showers. Some people take the sewer just because it's quicker."

"Because it's quicker? It's the sewer."

"That's simply the way it is. Anyway, there should be signs for the exit but, if you think you'll have trouble, I can lead you."

"That simple?"

"This place is a maze but it's at least well signposted."

"So, you said I stood out to you. How come?"

At that, the man held up one finger in the air to gesture to Lanyon to wait. "Can I see the clothes you were wearing earlier if you please?"

Frowning, Lanyon produced them. He had been planning to throw them away anyway so he didn’t care about handing them to a stranger.

With that, the man rooted around in the pocket and drew out a small pinch of something, dropping it onto the table.

Lanyon squinted at it. It looked like sparkly green dust.

"I don't suppose you've brushed against anything or anyone lately that could have transferred this to your clothes have you?"

"...What is it exactly?"

A smile. Then, the man gave one simple answer that completely knocked Lanyon off balance.

"Ectoplasm."

For a moment, Lanyon just stared at the man.

Oh.

Oh no.

Apparently this town had a thing for people believing in spirits and nonsense like that. He quickly shook off the rudest of his thoughts at that moment, knowing that Henry, in fact, now seemed to have a thing for that kind of nonsense but he still kept his scepticism fully intact.

"Uhhhhh... Weeeeeeell…” Lanyon replied awkwardly with a clap of his hands, “I haven't brushed with any 'ghosts' so I would say it's probably just glitter or something."

"And is there anywhere you could have picked up this 'glitter?'"

A reluctant sigh from Lanyon.

"I've been with a friend of mine but that's all."

Speaking of which, they did sleep together the previous night, maybe it did come from Jekyll somehow. Glitter did tend to get absolutely everywhere.

"A friend? Close enough for this to get applied to you?"

"Yes."

"Interesting. You like this friend of yours then?"

Lanyon raised an eyebrow. "Prying a little, are we?"

“Ah! My apologies, I forgot how that would come across!”

Lanyon paused, considering this man. Well, he didn't really care for what a stranger thought about him, it didn't matter to him what came of this conversation.

"Yeah, we're good friends." Lanyon admitted back. "Henry Jekyll, I don't suppose you two have met?"

"We have not, no."

Good, Lanyon thought to himself. Anything he said wouldn't get back to Jekyll then.

"He's a scientist. Really good at it too. Moved into town recently in that big apartment block near the centre of town?"

"I know of it."

"Yeah. He's a little odd at times but he's... So genuine. Really enthusiastic too. Like, he was just so... Full of wonder for everything."

"Ah! A very good friend then!"

"...Yeah. Friends." Lanyon muttered bitterly.

The man blinked, looking rather bewildered at Lanyon's tone.

"Is something the matter?" He asked gingerly.

"I..."

‘Whatever,’ he told himself. It didn't matter what a stranger heard and he was dying to say what was on his mind.

What had been on his mind for a long time now.

"The problem with someone that perfect," Lanyon said slowly, his eyes drifting down to stare at his own hands, resting on the table, "Is that they can pick and choose who they want to be with. Oh sure, they're nice. They're nice to everyone, that's just how they are but... There are always favourites. They can always surround themselves with whoever they want whenever they want because everyone likes them."

The man just cocked his head to one side, bemused.

"I'm... Not. Perfect. I've never had the same kind of presence as Henry. I don't know what to say to comfort people, I can never be as enthusiastic as they are about the things that they love or match their energy, I burn out too quickly to keep up with long conversations. I'm just not interesting enough to be around. Henry is nice to me - he's like that to everyone whether he likes them or not - but..."

He stopped to take a breath.

"Whenever he's around other people, he tends to just completely forget that I'm there," He explained slowly, "Doesn’t matter who the person is or how long he’s known them for. Once, I took him on a holiday. It was supposed to just be the two of us.” A huff. “He spent the entire time sneaking off to visit some girl from the forest called Morcant every night. Didn’t care about anything else the entire time except her. They met for about five minutes and he was utterly smitten with her instantly after it took years for me to finally get him to just- Well anyway I... I’m never going to be as important to Henry as he is to me."

"...Oh."

"He was always going to leave me eventually, the moment he found someone better."

Everyone always does, he left unspoken.

"Ah, um, well-" The man cleared his throat. "That was... A lot more than I anticipated."

"Well you did seem interested in my personal information."

"I suppose I was. Well, I’m... sorry that you feel that way about your friend."

"Eh, it's a part of life. Do you have friends around here?"

"Ah... Aha... Not yet. I moved here... Sort of recently. Like, not recent recent but I haven't been living here for a whole year yet, you know? Anyway, I haven't really gotten to know anyone yet. Besides... Well, the skeletons and corpses."

"The Halloween decorations?"

"The Halloween- Oh! Yes! Halloween decorations! Those!"

"You're a little strange, you know that?"

"Well, I think we make quite a pair then. Do you live around here?"

"No, just visiting."

"A shame. I think we could have been friends."

"We literally just met."

"And you literally just dumped a good portion of your personal feelings about your friend on me."

"Because we're never going to meet again so it doesn't matter. Anyway, Henry is waiting for me so I really can't keep him any longer."

With that, Lanyon stood, getting himself ready to leave.

"Because we're-? Oh, how devious. Well, I will be here if you ever want to visit again." A frown, "Oh, and… Whoever you are?"

"Yes?"

Oh yeah, Lanyon remembered. They hadn’t exchanged names. Well, whatever.

"Your friend... Have you considered that maybe he- Maybe he cares for you more than simply 'being nice'?"

Lanyon just sighed. The bitterness inside him seemed to seep away for just a moment like waves on a shore, leaving behind a familiar, crushing weight of guilt.

"Maybe. But it's too late to take things back now."

With that, before the man could question what he meant, Lanyon turned to leave. He was already quashing his brief spark of feelings back down into comforting spite, bitterness, and apathy.

“Uh, sir?” The man called out. “I would just like to say- It’s Tanis.”

“What?”

Lanyon had intended to just leave no matter what the strange man might say but the sudden, seemingly out-of-nowhere declaration threw him off balance and he found himself glancing back.

“My name.” Mr Tanis confessed awkwardly, “I thought we should be properly introduced. My name is Mr Tanis.”

Lanyon stared at him for a moment.

In his head, he knew he shouldn’t give his name back, not after all he had revealed, all the worthless feelings he had just blathered to the man. He didn’t want to have any sort of connection to this Mr Tanis with what he knew now, he never wanted to see Mr Tanis again.

Yet, it was almost without thinking that he found himself replying in a distant voice.

“Lanyon. My name is Dr Lanyon.”

The entrance to Blackfog came out relatively close to the forest at the edge of town. When Robert emerged, he wasn’t surprised to find that Henry wasn’t there. Doubtless, he was still lost and wandering about.

With a fond sigh, he pulled out his phone, dialled Henry’s number and held it to his ear.

The day had passed into afternoon, leaving the sun high and bright in the sky, and Lanyon cringed guiltily at taking so long. It wasn't like he had intended to but there had been a lot of things that needed resolving and it had just... taken a while. Although, he had to admit that he had taken longer than he should have, both in the showers and with Mr Tanis.

He closed his eyes for a second with a small wince, realising how little he had been thinking at the time. All he had been focused on was his own discomfort rather than how long he was leaving Henry to wait.

Above, a pigeon circled and Lanyon squinted at it, wondering if it was the same one as earlier or not.

It cooed, a rather strange sounding coo for a pigeon that made it almost sound like cackling and whooping.

The phone was still ringing in Lanyon’s ear.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

“This is the voicemail of Dr Henry Jekyll. I’m sorry to say I’m busy right now but I’ll get back to you when I can. Please leave a message!”

Lanyon frowned.

With how urgent Jekyll had been about Lanyon keeping safe, it seemed strange that he wouldn’t answer.

Taking a few absent-minded steps around, he rang again.

Around that area, the streets were empty, vacant from life and sound besides the rustle of wind through the trees, the call of that bird, and, of course, the incessant ringing of the phone in his ear.

The tarmac of the road changed rather quickly to forest dirt but there was otherwise little of note to be seen. A scattering of fallen dead leaves and the occasional twig, a few houses that didn't really stand out to the eye. Really, it was no wonder that they hadn't been able to find the entrance - It could have easily been mistaken for an abandoned bus stop from a distance.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

“This is the voicemail of Dr Henry Jekyll. I’m sorry to say I’m busy right now but I’ll get back to you when I can. Please leave a message!”

Lanyon was starting to get twitchy now. Hurriedly, he called again.

Henry wouldn’t just not respond, right? He wouldn’t abandon Robert alone in a town he didn’t know, not even for a joke. But, then again, neither would… would anything happen to Henry in broad daylight. Surely not.

Yet, if that was the case, where was he? Why wasn't he answering?

Above, that same pigeon whooped louder and, perhaps Lanyon was imagining it, but it sounded almost malicious, as though it was taking glee in his growing worry.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

“This is the voicemail of Dr Henry Jekyll. I’m sorry to say I’m busy right now but I’ll get back to you when I can. Please leave a message!”

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

“This is the voicemail of Dr Henry Jekyll. I’m sorry to say I’m busy right now but I’ll get back to you when I can. Please leave a message!”

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

“This is the voicemail of Dr Henry Jekyll. I’m sorry to say I’m busy right now but I’ll get back to you when I can. Please leave a message!”

Where was he? What had happened in that time? Was this some poor attempt at a joke? Had Henry finally grown tired of him?

The fear was gripping him by the throat now. Paranoia seemed to overwhelm him, every potential problem dancing in his head, as mocking as the cries of that damn pigeon. Again and again, he was pulled back to "Something is wrong here. Something is horribly wrong."

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he started to think rapidly. Rachel also lived in that town.

With any luck, she wouldn’t be too far.

With any luck, she could help him find Jekyll.

Breathing heavily in a poor attempt to calm himself down, he picked up the phone one last time.

And rang.

Chapter Text

"Henry!"

It was the moment that the hatch cracked the slightest bit open that Robert yelled, making Henry jump.

So far, things had been going pretty ok. They had made their way from hatch to hatch, looking for a way out and that was the extent of what was going on.

Jekyll had encountered a few people along the way and asked if they could help but, so far, nobody knew what to do. Understandably, nobody was just carrying around a ladder with them and neither did anyone have a map of the sewers just sat in their pocket.

However, nobody had been attacked. Hyde's enhanced hearing had allowed him to hear Robert every step of the way, including more swears than he was even aware that Lanyon knew and Jekyll knew that there had been barely another squeak from those sewers. Maybe the occasional splash but nothing the size of an alligator.

So, by Dr Jekyll's standards, the day was going great.

Well, until now when Robert's sudden yelling, intensified by the echoing down in the sewer struck him right in the enhanced ears almost loud enough to make his head ring.

He raised a hand to his ear.

"There's a light down one of the tunnels! I think it might lead somewhere!" Robert continued, not noticing Henry's reaction in his excitement.

At that, Henry looked up, blinking.

"Really?"

"Yeah! It's about over there!" Lanyon gestured off towards where they had just come from. "I can head over there, see if I can find anything!"

For a moment, Jekyll considered this. He didn't like going off script in this way. If he lost Robert along the way and something happened, Henry would be unable to help.

On the other, Robert couldn't stay down there forever. If there was a way out, he had to take it.

"Come back here if you don't find anything." Jekyll relented.

"I will!"

"And also please come back if you do find something too. I don't want to mistake you getting lost with you finding Blackfog!"

"Right, right. Really, Henry, you do worry too much, you know that?"

"I don't think I worry enough." Jekyll muttered under his breath, thinking of all the horrible things that could be down there.

A disapproving click of the tongue from Lanyon below told Jekyll that his mutterings had, in fact been heard, and Jekyll looked away, a little embarrassed.

"Well, see you in a second!" Came the merry call from below. Then, without even waiting for Jekyll, Robert started striding off at speed.

Jekyll watched him go, fearfully.

"Really, Jekyll, you're acting like a mother hen clucking around like that."

"Can you really blame me? There are demons in the forest, I don't doubt for one second that there's at least one down there too. Can you imagine Robert facing off against a demon?"

Hyde chuckled and Jekyll glared.

"Oh come on, that's a funny image! I'm allowed to laugh! Imagine Robert punching a wolf in the face!"

Jekyll rolled his eyes. Just then, there was the sound of something hitting the underneath of the hatch and Jekyll pulled it open.

"That was quick." He noted to Robert below who was holding a second rock, ready to throw.

By the startled look on his face, Robert hadn't expected Jekyll to hear the first rock and Jekyll wondered how quiet it would really have been without the hearing enhancements.

"I..."

"He ran." Said Hyde.

"It was merely closer than I expected. But, the point is, it does look like Blackfog."

"You saw people there right? You're not going to be alone?"

"There are plenty of people."

"And you're not going to go anywhere alone, right? You'll always be around other people?"

"Really, Henry, you sound like you think I'm going to be murdered!" Robert called back jokingly. "You know I have been on my own in a shopping centre without you before?"

He was right – Henry couldn't baby him 24/7 – however, it didn't help ease his concerns.

Something felt wrong and he just didn't know what quite yet. A crawling sensation down the spine like his instincts were warning him of danger, a similar sensation to walking around blindly in a pitch black basement.

It felt like something was going to go wrong.

"Just please be careful, Robert."

"Alright, alright!" Robert put his hands up in mock surrender. "I promise not to encounter any axe murderers down here! Cross my heart and hope to die!"

"If you encounter an axe murderer, you will die."

Lanyon just laughed. It was done a little nervously but it was still obvious he wasn't quite taking this seriously.

"Well, I'll see if I can find a way out from in there. Meanwhile, you can keep trying to find it from up here and we can meet at wherever the heck this entrance really is."

"And if I can't find it?"

"There will be some place to buy a phone down there, I'm sure. Or, in the worst case scenario..." Lanyon gave a mock shudder. "I'll ask a stranger to borrow theirs."

"Talking to strangers isn't that bad."

"Well it's easy for you isn't it?" Lanyon grumbled. Then, speaking louder, "The point is, it'll be fine."

"If you're sure..."

"Oh don't give me those puppy dog eyes. Don't you dare spend all the time I'm gone worrying about me, Jekyll. I need time while I'm down there to clean myself up from all this sewer muck and it's going to take time. If I find out you spent all that time fretting..."

"I... Stay safe, Robert. Please."

"Fine, fine. See you later, Henry."

"See you later."

Henry watched as Robert turned and trotted away, obviously trying a little too hard to look regal but the slight speediness of his step and stiff posture made it obvious that he was preparing to run again when Jekyll wasn't looking. In the background, Hyde burst into laughter to Jekyll's annoyance.

He considered quickly calling out to Robert to warn him not to trip in his haste but decided against it.

Let Robert keep some dignity that day.

With a sigh, he slotted the cover back into place and began to trail after the underground sounds of Robert, sprinting along.

It was as he was following this path that he began to spot something coming up.

At first, he thought it was a bus stop. A dirty plastic covered the roof and some equally run-down looking plastic seats sat inside.

Whatever he was seeing however was quickly forgotten as sounds from below began to reach his ear.

Chatting. Lots of it. Many footsteps and rustling and the sounds of doors opening and shop bells ringing and the latest pop music being played over speakers.

A bustle and murmur that was quite familiar because it was exactly the kinds of noises that one would hear in a shopping centre.

"Well damn. He actually found Blackfog." Hyde noted with surprise.

"It seems so."

Jekyll stood there for a second longer.

It was steadily becoming more difficult to pinpoint Lanyon over all the other sounds with each passing second but that didn't really matter.

He was around other people. He was safe.

The last he managed to hear was what might have been Lanyon having a conversation with someone about where the showers were before Hyde shut down the superhearing.

It was an abrupt change and Jekyll was startled by the sudden change of sounds. The chatter and clatter of people went immediately silent like a door had slammed shut and, all of a sudden, there was nothing but silence.

There was a moment that Jekyll needed to adjust.

For a bit, it was like he had went deaf. There was nothing. No chatter, no music, no Lanyon.