Work Text:
Free!
Finally, he could do whatever he pleased. No rules, no restrictions, just him in the world, living life to the fullest.
He ran about the rooftops, dressed in nothing but a thin shirt and pants. No stuffy waistcoat, no suffocating cravat. It was so invigorating - intoxicating, even - up here, above the dreariness and monotony of London’s streets. Why didn’t everyone live like this? Why confine yourself to the streets, to society, when the whole world was out there, filled with wonder and excitement?
A shrill whistle broke out above the soft din of the night. “Oi! You!” called out a policeman. “Get down from there!”
Bother.
He clambered down to the street level, falling the last several feet. Right. He’s shorter now. That would take some getting used to. With as much dignity as he could muster, he stood up and brushed himself off. “What d’you want?” he asked curtly. “I ain’t got all night.”
“Settle down, buddy,” the officer said. “What were you doing up there?”
“None of your business!” he retorted.
“Watch your attitude!” the officer growled. “What’s your name?”
Crap.
A name! What would he say? He couldn’t say Jekyll, he looked nothing like that anymore! “My- my name,” he said as he looked around desperately for something, anything, to help him. What would he say what would he-
There!
“Hyde,” he blurted out, a note of triumph creeping into his voice. “… Edward Hyde.”
“Well then, Mr. Hyde,” the policeman said, “what were you doing up on the rooftops? Why were you running?”
“Why wouldn’t I be running?” Edward retorted. And before the officer could reply, he bolted away, bounding back up to the rooftops.
Yes, he could get used to this feeling. The rush of exhilaration, the chill of the night, everything about it was so new, so different, from everything he had experienced before. If this was the feeling of being Edward Hyde, he never wanted it to go away. For the first time in his life, he felt truly alive.