Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Henry Jekyll is sitting on a couch with Robert, the lodgers chattering close by. He isn't really paying attention to the conversation, more focused on Robert, who is carding his fingers through his hair whilst he reads, Jekyll staring into the warm fire, content. Then, he hears a snippet of the squabble that intrigues him. "I'm just saying, its simply not possible! I don't care what the stories say! If you don't have magic, you can't turn someone into a frog! You can't turn people into anything! Its just a thought experiment, like soul alchemy!" 

Well. That's interesting, he thinks. Hyde's head pokes up in the mirror, a grin stretching across his face as he says, "soul alchemy has always been a thought experiment, and we accomplished it. Do you think we could turn a person into a frog?" Oh. My. God. He's right. They could. It wouldn't be that different! Just switching the soul part with matter! He sits up, a Mad Scientist Grin™ on his face. Robert looks up and raises an eyebrow, confused. Henry rounds up, running off to the library. 

He grabs all the books he can find about physical transformations, and enters his study. Hyde cackles in the mirror, rubbing his hands together evilly. They both grin wildly as Jekyll gets to work.

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Mad laughter fills the air, not a rare sound in the society by any means, except for the person behind the laugh. Muddy green fog seeps from the space beneath the official door. Rachel, having heard the laughter and seen the smoke, refuses to let whatever this is go on without ensuring that her friend is safe and as mentally stable as he usually is (not at all). 

She kicks the door open, poised to attack, only to drop her position, head tilted in confusion as she takes in the sight of Dr. Jay with....a frog? Why is he holding a frog? "Why are you laughing maniacally and holding a frog?" she asks, blinking. Jekyll freezes, smile half pulled into a Mad Scientist Grin™. 

"Uhhhhhhh," he replies intelligently, clearly possessing his sanity. Cough cough, not cough!

.....Shut up Hyde. 

More lodgers race to the scene, smelling the drama from a mile away, Robert in tow, having also heard the laughter of his boyfriend and had become concerned.

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Robert knocks on the door, the lodgers peaking over his shoulder nosily. "Henry?" He asks, "are you alright?" He receives an answer via the sound of glass breaking permeates through the door, along with a high pitched yelp. He throws the door open in a panic, then stops, standing awkwardly in the doorway. Henry Jekyll is leaning precariously over his desk, holding a large green frog. Pieces of an empty vial are scattered on the ground. The lodgers and Robert stare at him, gobsmacked. The poor frog is being squeezed a smidge too hard, its eyes bugging out. Henry notices this and releases some of the pressure. The frog looks significantly less distressed when he does so, and lets out a high pitched sigh, like when air is let out of a balloon.

Helsby points and asks, "why do you have a frog? Where did you get a frog?!" 

Henry smiles far too widely, his eyes manic and gleaming as he holds out the frog from its armpits, its little feet kicking about as it dangles uselessly. In a voice that is unnervingly cheerful, he replies, "this is Ribbit! Ribbit the Rabbit!" Ito blinks. "Uhhhhh," she says gently, " I'm pretty sure that's a frog." Jekyll grins even wider somehow. How does he do that?! "Well...." he says mischievously, "he is now." His tone becomes slightly sinister, which is odd and shows how long he hasn't slept, because they are talking about a frog. There's no need to sound sinister...

At least, until you think back to a few days ago. When the lodgers had been arguing. About if it was possible to turn people into frogs. Fuck.