Henry Jekyll was a very stressed, busy man.
He was always scrabbling to get everything done and skipping meals and sleep so he could finish.
The blackouts didn't help either.
The blacks outs had first started when he was a young lad. He didn't remember what had caused them but according to his parents he had been witness to a murder which was probably what caused it.
They went away for the most part, but came back in college with a vengeance. Robert had always just assumed he didn't remember anything because he got drunk.
But now, with a reputation to uphold and the exhibition coming up, it was getting harder to hide.
He sat there working at his desk hoping when he passed out it wouldn't lead to blacking out and missing valuable work time.
When Jekyll awoke it was to the sound of Robert dramatically monologuing about the evils of science or something like that and banging on his door.
He got up, staggered a bit, an answered the door.
"Good day to you to Lanyon."
"Oh! what took you so long?"
"You're hours early"
"Oh come on, you can't expect me to-"
Robert stopped midsentence when he caught sight of something behind him.
"Oh Henry..."
"What?"
"You didn't."
"You'll have to be more specific."
"These!" Lanyon said, gesturing to various bottles and weapons that Jekyll hadn't had enough time to notice when he woke up. "Did you go to Blackfog? You KNOW the society can't afford any bad plablicity right now."
There was a long moment of silence and Henry looked more horrified then anything.
"Henry? Are you alright?"
"Robert there's something I need to tell you. I didn't think it was this bad but... I- I wake up often with no recollection of anything that had happened recently."
"What are you saying?"
"I don't know I don't know what wrong with me I just- there's SOMETHING! I obviously do things when I can't remember or control it, I thought I could handle it but I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO."
Lanyon just stood there for a second. It was after all, a lot to take in. He had never heard of anything like this before.
It only lasted a second though before he had Henry in his arms.
"Hey, it's ok, we'll figure this out alright? We can hire a doctor and have this all sorted out in no time."
Jekyll curled up against him and wept.
"Where are we going again Lanyon?"
"We're going to see Dr. Bucknill, it's Thursday."
Hyde didn't like this at all. He was a grown ass adult he could take care of himself.
"But why?"
"Because? Of your blackouts? Did you just have one? Are you alright?"
He was 90% certain that he never said a thing to Lanyon about his black outs but there wasn't much he could say on the matter.
"Yes I'm fine. I'd be a lot better if we didn't have to go to this stupid Doctor though. Let's skip and get a drink."
"Henry I know this is all frightening to you but I don't see why you're suddenly against going so much. You were on board with it earlier."
"I never said anything of the kind."
Lanyon looked like he was about to say something but stopped himself.
"I- fine look. If you behave well in there I'll buy you as many drinks as you want is that fair?"
"... Fine..."
"Good."
With that he got out of the carriage and entered the stupid doctors office.
"Good morning Henry."
"Why are you using my first name?"
" well I can refrain from it if you wish I figured that we were on good enough terms for it by now is all."
Hyde narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously.
"Is this some sort of trick? This is the first time I've met you."
"Really now?"
Bucknill started scribbling something down Hyde couldn't see.
"What are you writing I haven't barely said anything."
"Nothing of importance. Now, how have the blackouts been doing? You mentioned last time they were getting more frequent is that still true?"
He just stood there for a second taken back by the change in subject.
"Um? No? They've always been frequent but seem to have been backing off recently. I've missed entire years at points and wake up later bandaged up, figure it's some form of amnesia. Why?"
"Last time we spoke you said the blackouts were infrequent and you were usually only out for a few days at a time. You said it usually happens when you're stressed and you wake up with wounds."
"That's not right, I'm always getting into fights, I know exactly were the wounds come from."
"Hen-"
Hyde gave the doctor a glare.
"Dr Jekyll, this may sound weird but have you ever found odd items that you can't explain where they came from?
Whoa, how'd he know?
"More frequently then not."
"That's what I thought... Have you ever heard of dissociation?"
"No I think not."
"Please try not to get angry with me when I tell you this. Disassociation is a condition where someone has gone through a tough experience and the core pets ability can't handle it so they make an alter for that purpose."
Hydes hand clenched angrily at his side "are you insinuating I'm not real?"
"In a way yes."
"Fucking- this is bullshit in leaving."
"The session isnt even half over we still have a lot to talk abou-"
He smashed a bottle and held it out threateningly. "But nothing. I'm leaving, or so help me I will end you."
The doctor looked terrified and let him pass, only coming out to inform him and Robert he didn't want to see them again.
"What the hell happened in there?"
"The doctors a moron."
"Henry..."
Hyde hugged himself and muttered something.
"What?"
"He said I wasn't really okay!? That I'm just- just some hallucination or delusion to help the real Henry through his stupid shit that I didn't ask for! I'm just a stupid coping mechanism that only exists because of how fucked up his life is and I've never even known he existed! I'm just- just- some- a-"
Robert had pulled away at the initial outburst and was understandably freaked out to learn that he had no idea who this guy was but he knew that he had Henry's face and was hurting and broken and that was enough.
He wrapped his arms around the now sobbing/ hyperventilating man and did his best to calm him down.
"Hey now, calm down its alright, you'll be ok, it's not the end of the world. Deep breathes."
It took a few minutes but Hyde eventually got there.
"There we go that's better now isn't it?"
"You- you don't hate me?"
"Hate you? I don't even know you this is my first time meeting you."
"No it isn't, we went to college with each other."
"Well this is my first time I've known you existed and weren't some mood swing of Jekylls. I- speaking of which is there some... I don't some other title you would like to go by for the sake of simplicity?"
Hyde took in a deep, shuttering breath at the reminder that he wasn't Jekyll.
"I- I never really thought about it I don't know I suppose... The name Edward Hyde has a ring to it."
"Alright then, I believe I owe you a drink Edward Hyde."
Hyde narrowed his eyes in a mix of curiosity and doubt and Lanyon had to wonder for a second how he had ever thought he was Jekyll, same face or no.
"You said if I was good. I almost mudered him."
"Because you were in the middle of an existanceal crisis, we can wave it this once. Now are you in a white or red wine mood? Or- wait do you even have the same tastes? What do you like?"
"I'm more of a whiskey or rum fan honestly."
"Whiskey it is then."
It took a long time but things eventually came along quiet nicely. Robert had had to explain the whole thing to the real Jekyll who took it surprisingly well (by which he meant he fainted and then seemed bound and determined that Hyde MUST be bad and that he should be in bedlam. When Hyde heard that he had been an utter mess and practically begged Lanyon not to send him away but that's not the point, the point is he eventually learned to cope with it). It was actually slightly unsettling how easily Hyde had managed to seemlessly fit into everyone's lives. They started picking up on the hints of how to tell who was in control of Jekylls body (Hyde was terrible at keeping his hair combed or honestly keeping any sort of formal appearance, loved baggier clothes, and seemed to be much more expressive) and Henry and Edward worked out a system where they wrote down whatever the other needed to know.
It was far from a perfect situation, and both men, (or rather the one) came out on the other side quiet strange but well, who isn't a bit off?