Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Jekyll long ago decided to split the evil and the good from the soul. He traveled the world collecting ingredients and studying. And in that moment he would finally execute his grand project. He was scared but it's not like he could test it in another human being. Of course there were a lot of things wrong with him, but he wasn't that kind of person. 

After mixing the contents of the portion, which unlike the prototypes had the color of wine, he took it to his lips and drank. It tasted like syrup mixed with sea salt. Jekyll imagined that his throat would burn and that his whole body would twist in pain, but nothing happened. 

He sat at his desk thinking about what could have gone wrong. The dosage, the ingredients... 

Henry then decided to test the clarity of mind. Immediately remembering that it was useless to someone who had neglected their sleep for the past few days. 

The doctor rested his face in his hands frustrated. 4 o'clock in the morning. Anxiety grew inside his chest. He felt an unusual pain in his lower back. His fingertips began to itch and his nails began to grow longer, the sensation more uncomfortable than painful.

"Great I created a nail growth elixir" 

Jekyll got up and went to the closet to get a nail clipper and cut a sample. 

All he wanted to do in that moment was go to bed and sleep for a week. Why was he doing this? He was a respected man in society, people liked him, he had his created a haven for science amidst superstition and none of that was enough. 

"Well that's why I'm creating this experiment" 

Jekyll returned to his position at the desk, with his hand supporting his face. 

He woke up with the light coming into his laboratory. He fell asleep in the middle of the experiment. 

"That was dangerous, but well...nothing in this building isn't dangerous." 

The clock said 2 pm. If anyone asked he would say he had been working since 9 am. 

Looking in the mirror, his clothes were askew, but his skin was great and his face hadn't any dark circles. The elixir was not useless after all. 

He fixed his clothes and went in direction for the door, but before opening it he remembered that he had only cut one nail. 

Before he got away from the door he noticed that his nails were perfectly cut. He deduced that he cut them in the middle of the night and forget it. Sometimes we forget things when we are too tired. 

Henry left the room, greeted Rachel and Ito. Ito said he looked fine and Rachel responded by saying that he had probably had a full night's sleep. 

He went to the kitchen, had breakfast with the dog, talked to everyone, helped with experiments, and then started helping them move boxes downstairs. A great day until he felt something on the back of his thigh. 

OK it was almost certain that one of the jasper snakes that had run away again, they weren't venous... as long as it wasn't the Basilisk baby that disappeared two weeks ago, everything would be fine... 

He made up an excuse to go back to the his lab and left the box halfway. He climbed into a brisk and gangly walk and slammed the door behind him. 

He looked for the most comfortable place to sit and in the most gently way put his hand under the fabric so he wouldn't be bitten. His fingers felt an odd mixture of mammal skin and scales. It was scarlet red with a triangular point in the end. It was then that he pulled it out and realized what it really was. 

Two and a half panic attacks later...

"No no no no no no no no no no no no. This can't be happening!!!!!" 

Would it be that instead of separate the good from evil he did just made the bad side visible? 

A tear came out of Henry's left eye. His tail twitched and cleaned his face. 

"GO AWAY, BASTARD!!"

The tail slowly go back to it place. It looked emotionally hurt. 

Chapter Text

Jekyll opened his eyes, getting out of a deep sleep. His old habit of sleeping at his desk in the lab had evolved and he constantly found himself sleeping on the floor. The floor was strangely more comfortable than the desk. He slowly got up from his position on the floor and walked to the mirror. The healthy glow on his face was gone and he looked tired. Jekyll went to the closet and changed clothes to pretend that he gone home in the night. He went downstairs and found almost everyone in society sitting around playing cards. Jasper invited him, but Jekyll said that he would play after check if Griffin had already ended the Invisible Rat Plague.

Griffin was one thing...well all mad scientists were one thing...but he was a little harder to deal with. He didn't like constructive criticism or people complaining that their notes were being eaten by invisible mice.  

Jekyll sometimes asked himself why rogue scientists couldn't all be a little less proud (he included). Jekyll walked in and started the conversation just to be treated like a mother is treated by her teenage son. He was a little frustrated and he swore that all his problems had been caused by his pride or others people's pride. It was in the midst of that thought that Griffin passed out.

Griffin was upset that his projects hadn't gone ahead for a few weeks and everyone kept bothering him with the Invisible Mice Subject. Yes he understood that it was a problem, but what did they want him to do?

He just wanted some alone time, he even refused to play cards with everyone. Then Jekyll entered the room and...you know everything was going to restart. He tried to end it as fast as possible.

...

?

That was the part where Jeky smiled and walked away, but this time was different. Jekyll didn't go away he keep staring. He was staring for a long time. That make the situation become awkward... Griffin turned his head and continued his experiments. He was still behind him and this time closer. Griffin thought:

"Ok this is weird... calm down Griffin he's probably there for 5 seconds it just seems half an hour.

AND JESUS HE IS EVEN CLOSER!!!"

Griffin tried to catch his not invisible cat. He needed to end this awkward situation. Maybe lie saying the cat need some sun? When he turned around again he was nose to nose with Jekyll but before, but he could make any sign of surprise Griffin felt all his body's weight fell.

Griffin woke up with thousands of eyes staring.

"MOUSE KING, PLEASE I ASK FOR MERCY!!!!"

"What?"

Griffin looked again to see the lodgers. He was lying on a bed with all of them looking down, he heard Jekyll's voice saying:

"We were worried. Your blood pressure dropped to an absurdly low level, a little bit lower and you would be a corpse."

It was at that moment that Griffin stopped listening to any explanation or scolding. The important was the last minutes of his life now made sense. He probably inhaled his project and Jekyll realized. His brain influenced by chemicals screw up everything.

He had to get out of there soon to see if there were any side effects.

"Invisible lungs would be amazing!!!"

While Ito passed by the hall helping Griffin. She thought:

"Mental note. Asking Jekyll why his skin is gorgeous."