#i saw dark haired doctor childhood friends to lovers and fucking ran with it i think i got to like affection lvl 60-smth before i quit

[song-tam]

can't tell if my replies actually sent pls know if they didn't i also loathed rafayel with a burning passion. xander was second least favorite for the SAME REASON (both of them grab u without consent literally on the first meeting) but at least he wasnt a little BITCH

NOOO THEY DIDNR SENT BUT IM GLAD YOU AGREE i cannot STAND rafayel. ugh. im gonna be real i kinda forgot the grabbing thing i just remember thinking that he was SUCH a cunt. total trash. i hate the way that you talk the way that you walk i hate the way that you dress <- me abt rafayel. xander was like……… whatever i guess??? like he was FINE he was just so BLAND i didn’t care for him at all. anyways!!!! love & deepspace was an Experience

[melodiouswhite]

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde rewritten - Ch. 59

59. Warnings and awkward emergencies

Lanyon was having tea and cakes with Lady Summers, when her butler announced a visitor.

“Who is it?”, she inquired.

“It's Dr. Faust. He says it's urgent.”

Lanyon blinked.

He hadn't heard anything from Dr. Faust since the day Lady Summers had introduced him as her childhood friend.

And honestly, he was fine with it. Childhood friend of his Lady or not, he didn't need to deal with the likes of the brisk German alchemist every day.

Lady Summers thought differently of course, and so she ordered her butler to bid him come to her.

“Shall I go?”, Lanyon asked, “In case-”

“Go, if he asks you to, but otherwise I wouldn't see why you couldn't stay”, she replied.

As soon as she had finished that sentence, the alchemist in question came in.

He stopped short, when he saw Lanyon.

“Have I interrupted something?”, he asked, but before either of them could answer, Lanyon saw the oh-so-familiar flash run through the other man's eyes.

“Ah, alright. Well, as much as I hate to ruin your tea party, I need to tell you something urgent – no, no, you can stay”, he added hurriedly, when Lanyon stood up. “It concerns you and your friends too.”

“Before you tell us, sit down, Johann”, Lady Summers requested. “You look awful.”

That was true: Dr. Faust was wan and had dark rims under his eyes. He looked, as if he had been plagued by nightmares for weeks.

“I have been”, the redhead confirmed Lanyon's suspicions, as he sat down. “It's been two weeks, since I got a good night's sleep.”

Lady Summers frowned. “They must have been really nasty. Did you relieve your traumata from the Thirty Years War?”

“Haha, I wish!”, the alchemist hissed. “In the last two hundred years, I have learned to deal with those! No, it was different this time. At first I thought they were normal nightmares, but they're not.”

“What was it?”

“Prophetic dreams.”

Lanyon's curiosity was awoken. He could recall the older man mentioning that, just like Alma Donovan, he had the gift of precognition (in addition to his telepathy, witchcraft and alchemy).

Dr. Faust continued: “I dreamed about the organisation that kidnapped you and Victor, Perenelle and Nicolas. They're still kidnapping people for their … scientific crimes against humanity.”

What a befitting description to what they did to my Lady, Lanyon thought grumpily.

“They did it to the others too”, the alchemist informed him. “Apart from the vasectomy, of course. But back to the matter at hand. Like I said, they're still looking for victims. And they have their eyes on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. And of course you, Luise. But they're far more careful, since you shot their spy in the arm. They're more interested in victims who can't defend themselves.”

“Figures”, Lady Summers snarled. “I knew it – verdammt¹, I knew it!”

“Compose yourself, Luise”, Dr. Faust told her. “Anyway, I just wanted to tell you, that going to Soho during the following two months won't be wise. Especially for Dr. Jekyll, considering that Mr. Hyde and you are professionals at combatting several opponents at once and Dr. Lanyon and Mr. Utterson always carry a revolver on them.”

Gabriel has taken to carrying a gun? Good! One thing less to worry about!

“And if he has to go there – be it to visit Mr. Hyde, for whatever reason – he shouldn't stray from the way under any circumstances. Abductions always happen in small alleys, where no one can witness it.”

Lady Summers nodded: “Right. I'll let them know.”

“And also tell them, that those bastards found out, that they're actually one and the same person – and that you gave Mr. Hyde your blood.”

The Countess paled. “Wie zum Donnerwetter² did they find that out?!”

“I don't know that either”, Dr. Faust admitted. “I have yet to find the answer. But I do know that they're interested in Dr. Jekyll's scientific work – and they want to test his blood and see, if he is now ageless, like you and me.”

“He is”, Lady Summers informed him. “He and I both made tests on both his blood and mine. But unlike them …”, she scowled, “… I had his consent and cooperation.”

“Of course, we all know that”, the alchemist tried to appease her, “It is a problem though. If you're both immortal and ageless. It gets harder and harder to hide these days.”

“Was it easy in your time?”, Lanyon asked curiously.

Dr. Faust chuckled: “Certainly, as long as you didn't stay in a place for too long. The only registries we had were the parish registers and they only recorded the baptisms, not the actual birth dates.”

“So you know, when you were baptised, but not when you were born?”

“That would be the case, but I got an emergency baptism. But we're digressing from the original topic. Just tell your friends to be careful.”

“You too”, Lady Summers replied.

“Oh trust me, we do”, Dr. Faust muttered, “Nicolas and Victor always take a loaded gun, when they leave the house and Perenelle and I never go out alone – and no, I didn't come here on my own either; Victor is waiting in the parlour. Accompanying me where I go is one of the few things he's useful for-”

“Don't be so hard on him”, Lady Summers scolded him. “He accompanies you everywhere, because he loves you and because he's just as paranoid as you are.”

The alchemist gawked at her. “Holy Mother Mary! Call me out, why don't you!”

Lady Summers rolled her eyes. “Good grief, Johann, just admit that all the traumata of your past have made you so paranoid that you're frightened of leaving the house alone! And that you're taking him alone, because he's equally paranoid!”

“He already knows that”, Dr. Faust growled. “I would rather burn on the stake than show the weakness to admit to that love-sick fool, that I'm afraid of something!”

Oh, I can sympathise with that.

“Johann, I know that you value your pride, but you should put it aside for a few-”

“I know Victor, Luise! That child will put it into his head that he needs to protect me – me! Like he doesn't know who he's dealing with and what I'm capable of!”

That sounds like Utterson.

Dr. Faust inhaled sharply. “Let us not talk about that! I refuse to turn this into a discussion about my paranoia or Victor's puppy love!”

Lanyon decided that this conversation was none of his business and let his focus wander. That way, something caught his attention; the alchemist's breathing was growing shallow and laboured, close to hyperventilation, like he was struggling to breathe – just like a woman whose corset was too tight.

Hardly noticeable, but Lanyon was a physician – he knew dyspnoea³, when he saw it.

Lady Summers however didn't seem to notice. “… Fine. Be that way. You're as stubborn as a mule – don't you dare flaunt your age! I don't give a damn about it, ich kenne dich doch!⁴”

“Nun hör mal zu, Frau Markgräfin …!⁵”

Whatever he had been about to say, he didn't get to finish it. Instead he supported himself on the table, coughed and gasped for breath.

Lanyon jumped up and ran over to support the other.

Lady Summers' smug demeanour crumbled immediately. “Johann?”

“Can't … breathe!”, he wheezed.

Her eyes widened and she quickly shooed them into the next best empty room.

On the way Lanyon caught her exchange a quick glance with the alchemist – telepathic communication.

Then he too heard her mental voice, speaking to him this time: “You need to help him take off his vest and shirt – but don't be shocked at, nor question what is beneath.”

Lanyon nodded and readied himself for something that would probably be as disturbing as Lady Summers' surgical scar.

Dr. Faust obviously wanted to protest against being stripped of his shirt, but was too busy trying not to suffocate.

When the other man saw what was beneath, he realised why.

But he ignored it, apologised for what he was about to do and took the binder off.

That solved the other doctor's breathing problem, but he promptly snatched a blanket to cover himself and glared over his shoulder at Lanyon.

“I can't believe you just did that!”

“Look, I'm sorry for invading your intimate space like that!”, Lanyon spat angrily, “But it was either that, or you would have suffocated! Don't you dare start raving! I'm a fucking doctor and chemist, I have been called a freak for almost my entire life, I have a best friend who is also my ex-lover and split his own fucking soul like the madman he is and has now an even madder alter ego, the woman I'm in love with is an aristocrat, who can read minds and handle a sword better than any man could and you think that I give a damn, that you're … whatever the word is?! Newsflash, I don't fucking care! My priority is the fact that your binder just nearly asphyxiated you–”

He stopped short.

The ginger-haired alchemist had turned his face away and his head was drooping. He was clutching the blanket tightly to his body and shaking, as if he was-

Guilt set in with a vengeance.

“I'm sorry”, Lanyon apologised regretfully. “I didn't mean to make you even more upset.”

“I'm not upset”, Dr. Faust said quietly and wiped his tears away forcefully. “Not really.”

Now Lady Summers, who had watched the argument with obvious discomfort, spoke up again: “How are you feeling now, Johann?”

“Better, thank you”, the alchemist replied. “Sorry for that. I didn't expect it to happen now of all times. It's been more than ten years since it happened last.”

“That was the stress”, Lanyon pointed out, “Stress always alters breathing patterns. And with the chest binder cutting off your air supply, the lack of oxygen made you panic.”

“You know this from Luise”, Dr. Faust noted. “Anyway, I should pick up Victor and go home.” He stretched a hand out from under the blanket. “My clothes, please.”

Lanyon saw himself out – he had ignored the rules of decency enough for one day.

“Thank you so much for helping”, Victor Frankenstein told Lady Summers, as he and Dr. Faust were saying goodbye. “I've been worried about him for weeks.”

Lanyon almost laughed, when the red-haired alchemist behind Frankenstein grimaced and threw his hands up in exasperation, as if to say: Just as I said earlier!

Suddenly the hoary doctor had an idea and addressed it mentally.

Both telepaths present blinked at him in surprise.

Then Lady Summers looked at her old friend, excited to see his reaction.

At first the immortal alchemist didn't react. But about thirty seconds later his face flushed lightly, his eyes shone and he smiled – that was answer enough.

Frankenstein looked between the three in confusion. “Am I missing out on something?”

“No”, the older immortal told him. “Nothing of your concern.”

The black-haired mad scientist looked a bit doubtful, but then he shrugged and dropped it.

Dr. Faust turned back to Lady Summers and Lanyon: “Thank you two. Much obliged. Also, as I said earlier, don't forget to tell your friends about my warning. And wish Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde a happy birthday from me.”

“Will do”, Lady Summers told him. “And you, Johann, make an appointment with my dear doctor still this week. I happen to know that he's-”

“Free next Friday afternoon”, Lanyon finished her sentence.

Dr. Faust chuckled: “Right, I'll come to make the appointment tomorrow.”

Lanyon smiled back: “See you then.”

“You know”, the ginger-haired alchemist said, “I'm beginning to actually believe that you're truly deserving of her.”

“Johann!”, Lady Summers chided.

“Doctor!”, Frankenstein exclaimed.

But Lanyon took it with good humour and laughed: “Well, who am I to contradict your verdict, Dr. Faust? Have a nice day, you two.”

“You took it really well”, Lady Summers remarked, once they had left.

Lanyon shrugged. “I wasn't that surprised, honestly. But I had never thought about it in his presence.”

She blinked. “You figured it out?”

“I had suspicions”, he told her, “But they were based on vague ideas and a bit of a long shot. A few physical traits I noticed, because I'm a doctor. But even though they're assigned to females, they aren't necessarily. So I didn't want to assume anything, before I knew the truth – and honestly I didn't think that I ever would.”

They went back to the greenhouse room.

“Speaking of the truth – it is like this, right? That he's a man despite his female biology?”

“Exactly”, Lady Summers confirmed.

Lanyon exhaled in relief. “Oh, good. I've seen someone like that before, but I wasn't sure.”

The Countess sighed: “They're called 'deviants', but I don't like that word.”

“Of course you don't!”, the doctor snarled, “Because it's bullshit and you have more than two braincells!”

Lady Summers laughed heartily. “And that, Hastie, is why I love you!”

---

1) Verdammt! - German: Damn! 2) Wie zum Donnerwetter - German: How the heck / literally: How to the thunderstorm 3) dyspnoea: breathlessness 4) "...ich kenne dich doch!" - German: "I know you!" 5) "Nun hör mal zu, Frau Markgräfin!" - "Now listen up, Madam Marchioness!"