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Sharp teeth. Red eyes. Pointed ears.
Lanyon sighed, turning away from his portrait. He had always looked like this, since birth. When he was younger, his Father had told him stories of vampires and other night spirits, recounting tales of heroes and villains, of victorious battles and crushing defeats, some he had witnessed himself, and some only told to him by others of his kind. Not that too many others knew of their true identities - It was a well-kept secret that the Lanyons were vampires.
Whether turned, like his Father, or born, like Robert himself, fate always seemed to want to condemn the family to a life of eternal damnation, to a life of secrecy, to a life that wasn’t truly living.
Lanyon sighed again, and finished packing his bag, ready to leave the Lanyon Hall for at least the next thirty years, though he knew he would eventually return, once it was time to fake his death and learn French or something.
Picking up his bag, he walked out of the room, feeling no need to see something ‘one last time’, and went into the foyer. There he saw his Mother - Human, naturally knowing of neither of his nor his father’s condition - and approached her.
“I wish you the best, Hastie dear. I hope you take full advantage of the opportunity you have been given, and that you spend your time wisely.” She nodded and walked off. He did the same, getting into the carriage that awaited him outside of Lanyon Hall. He did not bother talking to his Father, as Robert was sure any sort of goodbye from him would end in a lecture about the dangers of ‘fooling around’ with any young women he might meet. Hah, what did he know?
Lanyon smiled as the carriage departed, eagerly anticipating a new life outside of his strictly controlled one at St. Paul’s all-boy school.
——————————
“And don’t even get me started on having to completely change my notes from Dalton’s to Newland’s periodic table - By God, do I hope that they don’t change it again!” Robert’s roommate ranted to him, a hint of Scots still in his voice, but with a little more training, it would be completely undetectable. “Almost all of my theories are wrong, there’s more elements, and even a law of octopusses, or something stupid like that!”
“Octopi, darling, but I think it’s the law of octaves.” Lanyon offered, smiling genuinely at the man across the room from him. God, how did he get so lucky as to have the most perfect man in the world to be his?
“Octaves! That’s it. Thanks, Robert. God, how am I ever going to pass my exams if I can’t even remember basic terms like that? Christ, I’m going to fail, and it’ll be a waste of my parents’ money - They worked so hard for me to be here, only for me to throw it all away…” He trailed off, his passionate rambling turning into muffled sobs as he buried his head in his arms, crying.
Clearly sleep-deprived, then, Lanyon assumed as he walked over to his lover’s side, gently massaging his shoulders and giving calming reassurances. “It’s okay, Darling, I promise you’re not a waste, or anything less than worthy of being here.” Robert lifted his head up, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “You’re certainly not a waste to me.”
The crying man subsided his tears, and sniffed. “You really think so?” Lanyon nodded, filling him with warmth. “Thanks.” Then, he jerked his head to the side, eyes wide and full of inspiration. “That’s it…” He whispered.
“What’s it?”
“The answer to my theory! I’ve been purifying the salt that goes into the formula, but what if that’s the problem? What if I instead need to use the waste?” He jumped up and ran over to his chemistry set, uncorking beakers and opening packets as if there was no tomorrow.
“Whatever you say, Darling.” Robert chuckled, happy to see the spark come back to his roommate.
“Mhm.” Clearly, he wasn’t listening - He was too far ‘in the zone’, as Lanyon liked to call it, to pay any real sort of attention to anything else besides his work.
Walking towards the door and grabbing his cloak, Robert called back, “I’m going out for a while, don’t be awake when I return!” Before exiting the room, locking the door behind him, not waiting for an answer for he knew he wouldn’t get one.
Lanyon walked into the forest, the uneven terrain barely lit by any stray beams of moonlight to peek through the canopy of leaves above him. It was the perfect time to go hunting, twilight, and he sure as Hell was going to live up to his mother’s expectations, planning to ‘spend his time wisely’.
As he looked back, he could just about see the on-campus houses, and the flickering lights of his own room. What was his beloved roommate doing this time?
The last of the town faded into darkness, his vision obstructed by the many branches and trees of the forest, and Robert decided that now was a good time to properly take off into the night. With a running jump, he lifted up off the ground, and flew through the night sky, dodging trees and the occasional bird as he soared far above the ground, too far for anyone to see him, but just enough for him to see them.
He heard a massive boom come from the direction of his block of flats, followed by high-pitched maniacal laughter. Looking over the treetops, he discovered green smoke pouring out of his windows, accompanied by a lot of coughing and choking. Upon seeing that, he smiled knowingly to himself.
Dear God, what was he going to do with Henry Jekyll?
——————————
This is the moment! Finally, all his nights of evading sleep and instead researching and experimenting have paid off! The old Henry Jekyll shall be no more! He thought, collecting the waste leftover from his now purified salt. Now, there will be a breakthrough in science the way humanity sees it, forever changing the way we live our lives! No more hate, violence or discrimination! No, the world would never see such terrible actions taken out ever again! He hummed to himself whilst pouring the new substance into the crimson solvent, gleefully watching as it turned to purple - The colour of a failed mixture - to a bright, sickly green.
“Finally…” Jekyll said, moving the beaker into the light to get a closer look at it. “And now, I shall see the fruits of my labour at last!” And with that, he downed the entire formula in one swig.
For a second, nothing happened. All Henry felt was confusion, then-
“AH!” He threw the beaker to the side, falling to the ground in agonizing pain, clutching his sides, clutching his arms, clutching whatever he could get a hold on to just MAKE IT STOP! It felt like all-consuming fire was burning him alive- No, it was an ocean of ice, freezing him from the inside out- No, just pain. Wracking, excruciating, unbearable pain coursing through every vein of his body, making him contort his body in ways previously unknown by mankind.
He had never thought how much he loved life until it was threatening to escape from his grasp. His vision blurred, then slowly faded to black, the pain going with it. “No… no…” He tried to fight for control, but it seemed to be slipping away from him, his mind being forcibly removed from his body.
Now Jekyll only felt the remnants of what he had previously endured, but his vision was still hazy. He could just about make out someone laying on the floor in front of him, breathing shakily, looking around the room as if for the first time. The man on the floor got up on to his hands and knees, and crawled towards where Henry now stood, a massive grin stretching out across his face.
“Free…” He whispered with a hoarse voice, and looked up to Jekyll’s face, and faltered for a second, before croaking out. “Oh, and you’re here too… Pity that your-” He coughed up some of the green mixture Jekyll had consumed mere minutes ago, not bothering to wipe it off on anything. “Experiment didn’t work out, huh?”
What do you mean it didn’t wo- Why’s my voice like this?! It’s… Floaty? And Echo-y, but… Not?
The man before him chuckled, and got up off the floor. “Don’t worry too hard about that, Jekyll.” As soon as he’d gotten his footing, he tested out his legs by leaping across the room, landing on Henry’s desk of essays, homework and the like, knocking a couple papers off in the process. “Good God, what is this feeling of power and drive? I feel alive!” He laughed wildly whilst leaping to another desk, this time the one with Jekyll’s chemistry set, still brewing a couple draughts, landing with an overwhelming CRASH as all the glassware smashed against the wall and the reckless man, although this didn’t seem to phase him, except make his manic smile even wider. He broke out into more hysterical laughter, deeply unnerving the student from across the room.
What are you doing?! You’re either going to explode something, or get us both killed! Henry tried to run across the room and get him away from his precious chemicals, but instead only succeeded in smacking into some invisible barrier. Ack! What in God’s good name-?
The blond man seemed confused, cocking his head to one side. “You’re in the mirror, haven’t you noticed?”
I- What?! How is this possible?!
“I think it was something to do with the random chemicals you downed a couple minutes ago. I… I think I used to be you, but now I’m not sure. I feel more evil, more impulsive, more… What did I say before… Ah! Alive.” He leapt up off the desk, and attempted to catch a glass bottle that was about to fall off the desk.
I don’t think I under- WAIT DON’T LET THAT TOUCH YOUR CLOTHES!
“Wha-?”
But it was too late. The second the blond caught the bottle, it shattered, spilling all over his top and trousers, triggering them to explode into a cloud of dust. The victim immediately started coughing and attempted to find a window to open. Successfully navigating his way through the mist, he threw it open, ravenously breathing in the fresh air, allowing the smoke to pour out behind him. Then, he looked down at himself.
“Ohhh, I see now.” He moved to the side of the window, just out of sight for anyone looking in. “Well, those were too big for me anyway. What are you, a beanpole? Doesn’t matter, d’ya got anything a bit smaller?”
Those were MY clothes you vaporised? Hell, they were some of my nicer ones, too.
“Anything a bit smaller?” He repeated, gritting his teeth in annoyance.
Right - I don’t have any smaller shirts, so you’re just going to have to roll up the sleeves, but I did accidentally bring a pair of trousers a few sizes too small with an elasticated waist, and my cape is one-size-fits-all, so…
“Perfect! I’ll get right to it, then.” The man walked into Jekyll’s room, and found said clothes, putting them on. Once he’d done that, he made his way to the front door, preparing to leave, but not before he was stopped by Henry.
Wait! I didn’t even get a name!
The blond stopped in his tracks, turning back towards the mirror. “Huh, didn’t think about that. How about… Hyde! Edward Hyde, at your service.” He bowed dramatically, then spun around and left, slamming the unlocked door behind him.
——————————
Out of all the places you could’ve picked, the forest? Really?
“What? I like nature! Aaand, nobody else is going to be here at ridiculous o’clock apart from us, so that means it’s a free space to run around and climb trees!” Hyde proudly stated his reasons, gazing at the night sky above him instead of the shadow that was bearing the resemblance of Jekyll.
I… Actually see where you’re coming from. Do be careful, though, this area is known for its wolves and bears.
Edward waved him off. “Yes, mother. Now, I’m gonna see how cool this cape looks in the wind if I’m running as fast as I can! Science, you see?”
That’s not-
But the blond cut him off by sprinting with inhuman speed through the dense forest, and, in all fairness, his cape did look incredibly cool, flourishing out behind him as he dashed through the night.
“HAHA! YES IT FUCKING IS! THIS IS AMAZI- AH FACK!” Hyde tumbled and crashed to the ground, having previously tripped on a stray root sticking out of the ground. In an attempt to stop his rapid momentum, he grabbed onto a tree, just narrowly avoiding hitting his head into it, but wasn’t so lucky with where his legs landed. He looked down, and winced when he saw a giant, sharp rock impaling his leg, blood dribbling everywhere. “Hah, not dealing with this. Hey-” He sucked in a sharp breath when he tried to move to face his shadow, then deciding it wasn’t worth the effort, instead talking to the air in front of him. “You’re gonna be a doctor, right? You can handle this.”
What? I mean, yes, but not a doctor of medicine, you-
“AH!” They screamed in unison, and the all-too familiar wracking pain of the transformation started up again, this time happening a lot quicker.
Jekyll looked over his hands, before sighing with relief, and slumping against the tree. “Thank God I’m back to- SHIT!” He looked down at his leg, which had come out of the rock, but was still leaking blood everywhere. “Do we share fucking injuries now? Great.” Henry lifted his trouser leg, expecting to find a gaping hole covered in gore, but was pleasantly (Or as pleasantly as he could be, all things considered) surprised to find only a massive white scar taking over most of the inside of his leg, the only blood about his person being that of Edward’s stuck to his trousers, not coming from him. “Oh, thank God for that.”
Jekyll used the tree for support in getting up, took one step, and immediately fell over again, not realising that just because what he could see was healed, didn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt. Oh well, he supposed, staying here for a couple more minutes didn’t seem that bad.
——————————
Robert peered out from behind the tree he was definitely not hiding in, watching the person below him sink against the trunk, sitting beneath the tree with one of their legs stretched out. It seemed like they’d had some sort of injury there, something stopping them from moving or running away. Easy target.
He could already smell the blood coating their limbs, could already taste the metallic flavour upon his tongue. And he couldn’t wait to take a bite.
He floated down from the treetop, descending slowly upon his target, ensuring to strike fear into their heart. He always found that blood tasted better tense. “Hurt your leg, have you? How unfortunate - Perhaps you shouldn’t have been out after dark in the first place, don’t you know how dangerous it can be?” Lanyon couldn’t see the person’s face due to how dark it was, but he knew from their increasing heart rate that they were scared - Good. He kept approaching, still monologuing. “There’s so many creatures out here that want to eat you: Wolves, bears… Vampires?” He grinned, showing off his fangs. “It’s more likely than you’d think, my dear.” Then he pounced upon the unlucky traveller, just about to sink his teeth in, when he got the feeling of… familiarity coming from the person. Robert paused, flew above the trees with the person to get a better look at their face, and almost dropped them when he realised who he was holding. “Henry? What the actual fuck were you thinking, coming out here in the middle of the night? I almost killed you!”
The person in his arms was almost too terrified to speak, his breathing shallow. “R-Robert? Are we… Flying?” He looked down at the ground, and started hyperventilating. “Good God… Wait, did you say vampire?!” Now he was too terrified to speak.
Christ, Lanyon thought, he’s going to pass out on me if things keep going the way they are. So he gently floated back to the ground, hugging and consoling Jekyll the entire way down, trying his best to make sure his lover’s state didn’t get worse.
He placed the sporadically breathing person against a tree, trying his best to be mindful of his hurt leg, and lifted his chin up to ensure he was looking Robert in the eye. He’d never tried this before, but some of the vampires in his Father’s stories were able to control humans' minds, so Lanyon hoped he was one of them.
“You will forget you ever saw me, and forget about my vampirism. You will go back to your room, and sleep for once in your insomniac-wannabe life.”
He was not one of them.
Henry looked confused, before laughing. “Are you trying to… Hypnotise me? Can you even do that?”
Robert looked away, embarrassed. “…No. But it was worth a shot.” He wanted to change the topic, so he went back to fussing over his lover. “But what were you doing out in the forest in the first place? I thought you’d be up all night tucked away in the kitchen, experimenting or whatever you were doing when I went out earlier.”
It was Jekyll’s turn to look away in guilt. “…Besides the point. Since when were you a vampire? I’ve definitely seen you age, no offense, so unless you were turned recently…”
“No, I’ve been like this since I was born.”
“You can be born a vampire?”
“Yeah, and it sucks. Ha, no pun intended. The aging stops at around thirty, so that’s why.”
“Makes sense. So, er… Were you actually going to kill me if you didn’t realise it was, well, me?”
Lanyon thought about it for a second, before giving him a chaste kiss, deciding that this was not his problem. “Let’s not think about that, Darling. We should probably get you back to bed - God knows you need the rest - and I’ll find something else to eat before coming back again. Does that sound good?”
Henry thought about it for a few seconds, before a smile crept onto his face. “Only if you’ll fly me there.” He said with a cheeky grin, not expecting Robert to follow along.
So naturally, he did. “If you insist, my spoilt Darling.” Another running jump, and Lanyon was soaring through the air, holding on to a terrified Jekyll, who was clinging to the smug vampire as if there was no tomorrow. He considered pretending to drop his lover, but decided that he didn’t want to carry a dead corpse back to his flat, so didn’t. That didn’t stop him from doing tricks like loop-de-loops and barrel rolls in the air, however.
After he’d finally descended to the ground and put his nervously shaking partner on the ground, he pushed open the door of their room, remembering that Henry always forgot to lock it, and led/pushed him back into their flat, and closed the door behind him, wishing his lover a good night before departing yet again.
——————————
The door was locked shut behind him, and he was left alone in the darkness, silence surrounding him.
What the Hell was THAT about?!
Almost.
Jekyll jumped when he heard the voice from earlier again, only this time, it sounded more like his had when he was apparently ‘in the mirror’. He turned around and saw his shadow stretching out on the wall behind him, although it was now shrinking to match the height of the self-proclaimed Edward Hyde, before talking again.
Seriously though, what’re the odds both you AND your boyfriend aren’t human, and you only find this out tonight? On the same day??
Henry had to give it to him - The chances were slim, if almost impossible. “I suppose that’s just how the universe wanted it to go, Edward. I’m not complaining though - It’s good to be open with each other about everything.”
His shadow gasped. You’re asking for an open relationship ALREADY? Jekyll, you whore!
Henry groaned and buried his face in his hands. “Not what I meant, you disgusting pervert!”
I think I am part of you, so~
“What the fuck?!”
After their playful argument, Jekyll finally went to bed. Since Lanyon wasn’t human either, he thought about sharing his secret with him too, one day. Not today, though. Or tomorrow. But one day, nonetheless.