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Jekyll and Lanyon had thankfully, finally gotten back together the day prior. The exhibition had been a success, and there was high moral through the society. So why did something feel....off? Why did he still have those pains in his chest and the feeling of something crawling up his throat. Maybe it was the fact that Frankenstein hadn't left yet? A strangely familiar sensation begins to spread throughout his body. Oh no. Oh god no. His spine clicks uncomfortably as HJ7 creeped up his esophagus. He mumbled some excuse and walked briskly to his office, trying to hide his panic. He barely makes it into his office, locking the door(I put locks and handles on the door) just before he doubles over, heaving. 

HJ7 spews from his mouth, leaking from his eyes as he chokes on it. He muffles his scream with a fist jammed in his jaws. Bones crack and limbs pop out of place as his body gets smaller. His hair lengthens as Hyde takes control. He lies on the floor, panting. He sits up and stares at the mirror, sharing a panicked look with Jekyll. "What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck" he hyperventilates. Jekyll sinks to the bottom of the mirror, the floor feels as if been knocked out from under him. "This can't be happening. This can't be fucking happening! We finally make up and get our shit together and the universe decides to snack us upside the head! What the fuuuuuuck" Hyde has reached the point of no return. Jekyll just feels numb, as if he's underwater and drowning. Their heartbeat rings in their ears. Bah bum bah bum bah bum bah bum bah bum bah bum! Hyde lets out a cry as they shift again, finding back and forth.

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Jasper had just been celebrating with everybody else when his sharp hearing picked up on a strange noise. It sounded like someone was in pain! "Um, Rachel?" He says, "I think someone's hurt." She turns to him, her smile slipping off her face. "What?!" She says, "who!?" "I don't know," he replies, "it came from a different part of the society. Who's missing?" She looks around and then her face pales. "The only one missing is Dr.Jay." Lanyon walks over. "Rachel?" He asks, "what's wrong?" She looks at him, solemn. "Dr. Jay might he hurt." The cheerful chatter stops as all eyes fall upon Rachel as Lanyon takes off.

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His entire body feels like its on fire, caught in a panic induced, continuous shift, muffled screams unable to make it past his door to the ears with those of typical hearing. Even his eyelashes hurt. HJ7 stains the ground beneath him. He's surprised that he still has any to cough up. Noises are muffled, including the frantic knocking on his door as he blacks out, letting out an unmuffled scream as he transforms for a final time.

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Lanyon pounds on the door. No answer. He's about to try again when a wailing scream rises from behind the door, spliting in pitch as if two were screaming instead of one. His blood runs cold, shivers running down his spine. "Henry?" He whispers, voice trembling. The sound of static echoes in his ears as people rush around him, brushing past him like shadows, their touch clinging to him as though they are cobwebs. The lock clicks, the door creeeeeeeaaaackkkkss open. There is a person on the floor. Henry is on the floor, still and pale. Green goop clings to his face, streaming down his cheeks like tear tracts, pooling below his mouth. There are gouges in the floor, desperate and pain filled. And even though he is asleep, Henry is not resting. His face is tight with pain, his body trembling. 

His knees crash to the floor as he cradles his loves head. "Henry..." he whispers, distraught. His face smooths slightly as he brushes trembling fingers over his cheek. Henry is gasping, letting out little choked noises as he struggles for breath. Actually, he thinks distantly, he is choking. A voice, thick with a German accent, coaxes him to move Henry's head and body to the side. The choking finally stops when Henry gags, coughing up more of the strange, thick, green liquid that covers his face. Frankenstein swipes a sample with a piece of cloth. He cradles Henry to him, desperately trying to center himself. He helps another person lift him, carrying him to an infirmary. 

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Frankenstein is deeply confused. There is nothing laying around Doctor Henry's office that he could have been messing with! She had checked! Not a single stray bottle, no strange concoctions that could cause such a thing. True, he does have an impressive collection of poisons, but nothing that could cause this! No, she thinks, this is the work of something else. Something...new. Just what has he been creating, she wonders, mouth curving into a wicked grin. Well, it doesn't matter how hard he has tried to hide it, she will find out. She will. Wait! He had told her, hadn't he. She thinks back, delighted. He did! That strange day, when she could have sworn his eyes had turned the same toxic green as the substance that had covered him. A split soul! It should be impossible. But it would seem that the doctor has done it! For he is no fake scientist, no! He is instead a fake gentleman! And she will free him and share his brilliance!

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Henry has been asleep for hours, pale as death and still trembling every so often. Frankenstein has been acting....odd. Tottering about with a maniacal grin on her face. Whatever, its not his problem right now. No, right now he is far too concerned about Henry to be worrying about whatever it is that Frankenstein is cooking up. Robert is pulled out of his thoughts by Henry stirring. His eyes flutter open before fixing on Robert, confused. "Robert?" he asks sleepily, his throat raw from screaming.

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Everything hurts. It feels as if his body is one giant bruise. He's lying against something... soft? Isn't he in his office? His eyes open. Oh fuck. He is not in his office. He stares at Robert. "Robert?" he croaks, blinking sleep from his eyes. Ugh, even blinking hurts. He tries to move to sit up, but his limbs aren't cooperating right now, as if they are stones in water, and his head feels as if its been filled with bricks and shaken. His entire body is heavy and aches dully, like when you press on a bruise. Robert squeezes his hand and says, "don't try to move darling, you sounded like you were in a lot of pain, and we still haven't figured out what's wrong with you yet. We were hoping you could tell us?" We? His head lolls as he scans the room. All of the lodgers have hunkered down in the infirmary, making the large medical wing feel small and cramped.

Haven't figured out what's wrong with him?.... OH FUCK! His face must convey his inner dialogue, because Robert rushes to reassure him, unaware that every word only causes Henry's horror to grow. He has to get out of here. Runrunrunrunrunrunrun. There is ringing in his ears, his heart is in his throat. He moves, faster than he had thought possible outside of being Hyde. He leaps out of the bed, pain be damned. Shrieks and squawks break out as he moves. He reaches the door, throwing it open before declaring, "IM FINE NOTHINGS WRONG!" over his shoulder as he runs out. 

A hand reaches out from the hallway and grabs his wrist. "Going somewhere doctor Henry? Are you perhaps off to continue your self experimentation?" asks Frankenstein. He stares at her, terrified. He tries to pull his hand free, but she has an iron grip. He can hear the sounds of people coming after him. He panic and grabs her wrist, squeezing it. He hears the cracking of bone as she yelps and pulls away. He takes off like a bat out of hell, running towards his office. The lock is busted. He curses, rummaging around to find something to hold the door closed. He finds a piece of rope and wraps it around the handles.

His heart pounds. Bahbumbahbumbahbumbahbum. He can't breathe. What was it he was supposed to do? In through the nose.....out through the mouth... He starts to breathe calmer, noticing the effects melting away. It would seem that his emotions trigger the transformations! All he has to do is stay calm and he'll be fine! He pulls out a calming draught and downs it. Its not a perfect solution, but it will do until he figures this out.

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Frankenstein has been avoiding him like the plague. He had apologized for her wrist, but still he hadn't seen her in days. He still feels really bad about that. The calming draught has been working for the most part, except when he gets too angry or upset for the draught to hide. That's when he has to rush back to his office or some other hidden place to transform. Luckily, there haven't been too many instances of that.

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Victoria has been following doctor Henry around for the past few days. She doesn't think he's noticed. He has seemed to have a lot on his mind, so she supposes that he must be too preoccupied to realize he is being followed, which is really all the better for her observations. He seems to be taking a calming draught to try and control himself, how ridiculous! No matter, for they are easily overridden if you push enough buttons. And she has had a first class seat into his life, noticing his affection for doctor Robert. Yes, she thinks, that will do nicely.

So, she goes over to Lanyon, and she picks a fight, hurling insults about doctor Henry to him. He snaps. Doctor Henry comes out to see what the commotion is. She grins to herself. Her plan is working! Doctor Robert quips something about her being crazy. Well now, she frowns to herself, that is much too harsh! She pushes him back, getting up in his face. Next thing she knows, she is slammed against the wall by doctor Henry.

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Robert and Frankenstein are fighting when he walks out, in each others faces. Then, Frankenstein pushes Robert. Green blooms behind his vision. His mind blanks, and next thing he knows he has her slammed against the wall. He grabs her shoulders, towering over her. His face is dark save for the toxic green glow of his lamp like eyes. "If you touch him," he says, attempting to reign Hyde in from the forefront, "I will hunt you down and break you apart, piece by piece. There will be nowhere you can run that I will now find you. Is. That. Clear." His voice is like ice, piercing and cold, yet the blistering flames of Hyde lurk beneath the surface.

She nods, eyes full of fear and curiosity. He drops her, having lifted her up a few inches off the ground. He whirls around, stalking back to his office. Robert stands, frozen, then follows.

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He lost him. He can't believe he lost him! He turned the corner and vanished! How did he do that! And what was that! He's never seen Henry get that angry before. Something is wrong. Something is really wrong and he is going to find out what.

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Jekyll turned sharply, ducking into a closet. He gasps, stuffing a fist into his mouth to muffle his sounds of pain as a transformation takes hold. His bones shift and crack, joints pop out of sockets. Edward Hyde lays on the floor, gasping, HJ7 running down his face like tears, staining the floor beneath. He stumbles out of the closet and immediately runs into Jasper. He freezes, looking up at him, eyes wide and terrified. Jasper stares at him before slowly asking, "Mr....Hyde? What are you doing here?" His words aren't working. HJ7 crawls up his throat, causing him to double over and cough some of it up. 

Jasper watches him, concerned. "Are you alright?" he asks gently. Hyde nods, wiping his mouth with a shaking hand. "I--I'm fine wolflet, I'm fine." Jasper just stares at him, unconvinced. He opens his mouth to say something, but Hyde groans, knees buckling as he pitches forward. He coughs up more HJ7, stomach writhing as his bones shift slightly before settling. Jasper exclaims, "Mister Hyde! You are not fine! " as he catches him. He settles him on the floor and says, "stay here," before taking off to go fetch Rachel. 

He stays for only a second as he catches his breath before hoisting himself up and clutching the wall as he treks towards Jekyll's office, shivers wracking his frame. He doesn't make it though. Rachel pull him away from the wall and into her arms. "Master Hyde!" she says, "you're burning up!" Burning up? No but he is freezing. When did it get so cold in here? His teeth chatter as he gazes up at her blearily. She and Jasper help him up, bringing him to the others as Hyde continues to slur out protests. 

The room is spinning. Why is the room spinning? Where is he? A light shines in his eyes and he shys away from it. Ow! That's bright! His head is stuffed with cotton and his ears feel clogged, everything is muffled, as if he is underwater. Water. Water would be nice. His throat feels like sandpaper. Soft. The ground is very soft, but he still hurts. Everything hurts. He curls into a ball.  The surrounding whispers leave. He sits up. He's alone. He looks around, then takes off. He slips out the window, climbing up onto the roof, hiding behind a chimney stack. The bricks enclose his back , and a rise in the rooftop shields his front. It is impossible to see him from the sides. Finally, safe. His vision blurs at the edges before fading to black.

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"So," he says, rubbing his hand over his face," not only is Henry missing, but Hyde showed up, hurt, and now he's missing too! Why is everyone going missing!? " Rachel nods, "yup," she says with a sigh,"that's pretty much the jist of it... What do we do? We have two missing people that can't have gone far!" Robert thinks for a moment and say, "We split up, leave no stone unturned!"

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Henry wakes up back in his own body, curled up against the chimney pipe. Everything aches and his head feels like its been stuffed with cotton. His breathing is raspy and painful, every breath sending spasms of pain through his lungs and ribs. His head lolls forward as he shifts, but even the tiniest of movements take far too much energy. They'll be looking for him. Robert will be looking for him, he thinks deliriously. He has to get to him. He just wants to cuddle with his boyfriend, is that too much to ask?! With a groan, he finally manages to pull himself to his feet by clutching the wall. 

His legs quake beneath him, his body feels like its simultaneously been weighed down and floating. He stumbles forward, walking slowly, shuffling across the roof. Then, his foot catches at the edge of something, and he falls through the skylight with a slam! Hitting the floor hard enough to see stars as the wind is knocked out of him. His head pounds, swirls of color flicker across his vision. He hears muffled footsteps as someone places two fingers on his fluttering pulse point. He wheezes, a small, pain filled sound. The person freezes, speaking softly, but her words are muddled by the ringing in his ears that has only grown worse since he first woke up.

The footsteps leave. No! Don't leave him! He lets out a shaky little sob, a tear running down his flushed face as he shivers pitifully. The footsteps return, louder, heavier. He is scooped up into large arms. He watches the world pass by through glassy eyes, not really taking anything in. His surroundings shift and change as he slips in and out if consciousness. He is set down on something soft. A voice whispers,"I knew it. I knew he wasn't fine." He shifts towards it, reaching a hand out as he searches for connection. A hand settles over his own as he clutches at the sheets below. It soothes with a single touch. Safe. Familiar. 

A cool hand brushes against his brow, settling the inferno within. The hand leaves, but then returns with a cool cloth, sending relief throughout his fevered body. His eyes flutter, but they are too heavy, its as if weights have been attached to his eyelids. A stick is placed in his mouth. He squirms away. In his mouth?! Why?! A hand settles on his shoulder, providing comfort. He tosses his head, trying to dislodge the invasion. His hand tries to weakly bat the intruder away. Muffled chatter permeates his skull. He slips back into the static filled dark.

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Of course he's passed out. He's been doing that a lot lately. Time to get that checked out. He doesn't want to take care of himself? TOO BAD! Time to figure out what's wrong with him. Its time for a checkup. (doc mcstuffins theme plays. Help. I have a toddler cousin who is obsessed with this show. It haunt my nightmares.) He is still on the bed, his face pale and wane, matching the colour of the linens, starkly contrasting the climbing red thermometer. 38.8 (102 F). Well that's not good. As Robert places a cool rag on his forehead to try and cool him down, the others check him for injuries. A few cuts and scrapes, but nothing serious, thank god. 

He shivers, and his eyes flick back and forth beneath his lids, restless even in sleep. He places his hand on top of Henry's, rubbing soothing circles into his palm. He checks his pulse. Its fast and weak, fluttering like a caged bird that has rammed itself against the bars far too many times, but refusing to five in to exhaustion. They Do their best to keep him cool and still, though he budgets quite a lot in his sleep. They found that the best way to keep him still is to have Robert next to him, because he will immediately curl up on him. They have been able to determine that his illness is not contagious, but from overworking. 

Robert swears that they've had a conversation about this before, but alas, it seems that Henry shall need to be reminded once more. And this time, there will be no getting out if it, because the lodgers have been made aware, and are already planning schemes to keep him from doing any work when he wakes up for at least the next week. He knows that Henry won't like it and will try to get around it, but he feels secure in the knowledge that the lodgers are an incredibly crafting bunch, and will ensure that he can't sneak around them.

Henry shifts, curling closer, his face pale except for two spots of colour in his cheeks, sweat soaking his fevered brow. Rachel walks over with a fresh cool towel and lays it on his forehead, placing a calming hand on Henry's shoulder and shooting a smile at Robert. She tucks a strand of hair behind Jekyll's ear before going to sit with the lodgers beside Jasper. A chorus of giggles breaks out among the large group as they huddle around the blackboard. He can just make out a few words such as: Operation Shuteye, blanket net, and Anti-Burnoutinator 3.0 'revised designs'. He feels a smidge of concern before deciding that that is a problem for future Lanyon, and holds Henry closer.

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He wakes up to gasping. The lodgers are staring at Henry, and he looks over, confused. But its not Henry. Its Hyde. What. What. He jerks up, eyes wide as he stares at the sleeping man. He rubs at his eyes, as if he rubs them hard enough, the image will disappear. But it doesn't. "What's going on," he croaks. Ito stammers, " he was fine! And then...he wasn't. He cried out and then his bones started to move and he coughed up some weird stuff and then next thing we knew Jekyll was gone and Hyde was in his place! " "what do you mean he's gone!" he shrieks, and Jasper replies, " well, he isn't gone, but he just...became?" He snarls, "became?" Jasper gulps, shrinking as he quietly says, "became Hyde." 

He just stares at them, not understanding, going over every interaction with the both of them. How familiar Hyde had felt, the way he spoke as if they knew each other. Because they did know each other. They do, or at least he thought they did. Has this just been a game to him? Toying with his feelings and everyone around him? No, that's not Henry, that's never been Henry. And Henry has always strived for perfection. But, he is human, and humans aren't perfect. Hyde is Henry, Henry is Hyde, and he can't figure out why he did it. He knows why he didn't tell him, didn't tell anyone.

But he does know, he realizes with horror, this is his fault. He is the one who put this perfectionist ideology in Henry's head, who had said, 'it doesn't matter what's on the inside as long as you're perfect on the outside'. Put this crushing expectation on his shoulders and then left him in the dust, as he had so many boys before him. And now he knows why Hyde is so familiar. Its because he's Henry, the parts of himself that he hides, the first part he fell in love with. The part that had gotten crushed, put in a box, and then forgotten.

But Robert hadn't forgotten. Hadn't forgotten the wild experiments at all hours of the night, the crooked grin when he was especially pleased with himself, the cackling laugh he would let out when he thought he wasn't being watched. Yes, Hyde is all of that charming chaos distilled. And he has to make him understand thst. Understand that he is here for him now, that he knows and he is not going to run away, is never, could never run from him. He runs a shaking hand through Hyde's wild mane and curls around him once more, a tear slipping out. Yes, he will make them all understand. He will not let amything happen to him. He loves him, all of him, and he will let him hide in the shadows no longer. So, he sits up, and begins to explain his realizations, and his plan.

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Hyde's eyes flutter as he sinks deeper into Robert's embrace with a content sigh and a tiny smile as he purrs like a cat. Robert holds him closer, as if he'll vanish. As if? No, when he wakes up, he will absolutely try to escape. And that can't happen, because they need to have a little chat about secrets.

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He is surrounded by warmth, and he tries to absorb it, holding tighter. An arm is wrapped around him. He smiles, for he knows whose arm that is. "Robert," he says with a little sigh, snuggling even closer, wrapped around Lanyon like an octopus. He mumbles into his boyfriend's shoulder, cozy and safe----

Wait a damn minute. His eyes snap open and he scrambles back, falling off the bed, chest heaving and eyes wide with terror. No. No. Please no. Nonononono. 

Robert clears his throat and says, "hello darling. It would seem that we need to have a chat." 

His breathing picks up. 

His heart pounds.

Bahbumbahbumbahbumbahbum!

Hyde lets out a cry of pain as he shifts, Lanyon flying off the bed, reaching his side in the blink of an eye. He hesitates before rubbing soothing circles on his shoulder, wincing as he hears bones crack and joints pop. His hair recedes and darkens as Henry Jekyll opens his eyes, gasping as he rides out the aftershocks if the agonizing transformation.

He sits up slowly, shaking slightly. His horrified gaze meets Robert's steady one, though his boyfriend is slightly green in the face. Robert swallows and asks, "are you alright?" His eyes are wide with concern. Jekyll doesn't know why though. Doesn't understand why he's pretending to care before he calls him a disgusting abomination and leaves him. Why is he touching him? Why hasn't he left yet? Hasn't run screaming for the hills? 

He opens his mouth, taking in a shaky breath. Robert sets a finger in front of his lips.

"Me first darling." His heart sinks. Here it comes. 

Robert takes a deep breath, closing his eyes in preparation before opening them, fixing Jekyll with his lovely gaze as he says, "at first I was angry. I thought it was some sort of trick. But then I realized something. I realized why Hyde had seemed so familiar when we first met. It was because he's a part of you. The wild, emotional part of you. The first part I fell in love with. And I realized that I am partially to blame for his creation. I taught you the impossible standards  of the upperclass, how to put all that made you so wonderful in a cage. But its okay. People aren't perfect. And...I understand why you didn't tell me. I wouldn't have listened."

Henry opens his mouth to interrupt, but Robert holds his hand up, "I'm not finished yet. I also want to tell you..." he fidgets, nervous, "I love you," he blurts out. "I love you!" A tear runs down Henry's face. His eyes flicker from amber to green and back again. He launches himself at Robert, pulling him into a hug as he lets out a little sob. "I love you too," he says, sobbing completely now. Robert brushes away his tears, his own eyes glistening. "You do?" he asks, unsure. Henry nods enthusiastically. Robert grins at him, pulling him into a kiss. Henry squeaks and then melts into it.

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Sometime in the near future:

Life had been rebuilt slowly. Trust and fractured relationships mended. (Jekyll and Hyde had both sworn that there would be no more secrets that would impact anybody's mental of physical health, upon pain of Rachel and Robert fussing over them until the day they die. As if that wouldn't happen every time they sneeze.) Edward Hyde is currently headed to the kitchen, having been promised a tasty treat. 

Robert is already there, drinking a cup of tea whilst chatting with Rachel. Hyde grins wickedly, sneaking up behind his lover. He pops out from behind him, letting out a shrill screech. "BOO!" Robert jumps out of his chair, almost falling if not for Hyde scrambling to catch him. He snatches him around the waist, landing in a dip. Robert looks at him crossly, before softening, grinning mischievously. He straightens up, throwing Edward off his balance. As he lets out a shriek of surprise, Lanyon catches him, now pulling him into a dip. Hyde blushes, grinning sheepishly as he stares up at him. 

Robert scoops him up bridal style, spinning him around in his arms as he protests, Rachel laughing from behind the counter. Hyde pouts. He sets him down, Edward swaying slightly from the change in position. He leans down and presses a kiss to his lips, causing him to blush even harder as he returns it. Henry is laughing from a mirror, causing Hyde to pout and say, "everyone is ganging up on me!" Robert chuckles and replies, "well, you make it so easy darling." Hyde pouts even more, sulking. 

Robert scoops him into his lap, resting his head atop his wild mane. Hyde rolls his eyes and snuggles into the embrace as Rachel pulls out a tray of fresh cookies. He reaches across to snatch one, and Rachel smacks his hand lightly with a spoon, scolding him teasingly. He looks at her with big, watery puppy dog eyes, betrayed. Robert laughs at his dramatics. He s age a cookie and hands it to Edward, who is immediately distracted from his performance by chocolate. Rachel mock scolds Lanyon as well before grabbing a cookie herself, hopping up on the counter. The rain gently falls outside the walls of the society, bringing about the promise of new life.