#tgs seward griffin

[trans-rockstar-art]

MR. GRIFFIN!!!! had to draw him, honestly- he's one of my favorite lodgers<3

#the glass scientists #tgs #mr griffin #tgs mr griffin #seward griffin #tgs seward griffin #mr seward griffin #tgs mr seward griffin #the invisible man #my art #art blog #trans rockstar art #trans rockstar's autism #trans-rockstar's autism #fanart

[bansheeoftheforest]

Jekyll, staring on Griffin's cat: If cats knew what sin was they wouldn't even care.

Griffin: I don't care either, fuck trigonometry.

Jekyll: I meant religious sin, Griffin.

Griffin: Well I don't care about that either.

#heehoo #tgs #the glass scientists #tgs jekyll #tgs henry jekyll #the glass scientists jekyll #the glass scientists henry jekyll #tgs griffin #the glass scientists griffin #tgs mr Griffin #tgs seward Griffin #the glass scientists mr griffin #The Glass Scientists seward griffin #daily post #daily chat post

[yahikuro]

#tgs #the glass scientists #seward griffin #mr.griffin #yahikuro #the invisible man

[bansheeoftheforest]

Griffin: *Carries his cat out of the room for being naughty and having knocked over an experiment*

Cat: *purrs*

Griffin: You are being punished. Please do not purr. I love you, but you are a bastard.

#I... Am tempted to do one of those art progression posts but... Mortifying ordeal of showing embarrassing shit sdfsdf #Also tiny chat post! With no Lanyon Jekyll or Hyde! Who could have THUNKETH #tgs #the glass scientists #tgs griffin #tgs mr griffin #tgs seward griffin #tgs griffin's cat #tgs cat #the glass scientists griffin #the glass scientists mr griffin #the glass scientists seward griffin #the glass scientists griffin's cat #the glass scientists cat #daily post #daily chat post #the invisible man #jack griffin #seward griffin #gothic lit

[bansheeoftheforest]

Griffin, looking at his cat: I want to know what kind of deal felines made with God for such flexible, well-working spines. Was it merely luck? Did they managed to trick God into making them superior to humans? What test did they endure or what quest did they complete that made God grant them with a spine that won't break by sitting weirdly in a chair? Why did God grant them the ability to sleep anywhere, in any position, with their spine bent like a pretzel, while not granting such for the creation he was supposed to favour? Why would he also curse them to not know their luck, or maybe it was merely a way to not give cats the hubris they so often possess otherwise? Or was it not God, but instead the Devil which the felines sold their souls to?

The Lodgers: huh-

Jekyll, known chair goblin: No no, let him continue. I think he is onto something.

#This is an original quote for once. Created yesterday night when I saw my own cat lay like a pretzel on the floor next to me #tgs #the glass scientists #tgs griffin #tgs mr griffin #tgs seward griffin #the glass scientists griffin #the glass scientists mr griffin #the glass scientists seward griffin #tgs henry jekyll #the glass scientists henry jekyll #tgs lodgers #tgs the lodgers #the glass scientists lodgers #the glass scientists the lodgers #daily post #daily chat post

[bansheeoftheforest]

Jekyll, cuddling with Zosi: If you don't kiss your pets on their tiny soft little foreheads what are you even doing with your life?

Griffin, holding his cat by the scruff of their neck: Yelling at them for trying to eat plastic.

#Exhibit A: Me with other's pets. Exhibit B: Me with my own cat #tgs #the glass scientists #tgs henry jekyll #the glass scientists henry jekyll #tgs griffin #tgs mr griffin #tgs seward griffin #the glass scientists griffin #the glass scientists mr griffin #the glass scientists seward griffin #daily post #daily chat post

[bansheeoftheforest]

Cat, banging on the cabinet door over and over: *bang bang bang*

Griffin: You will not earn what you desire by banging on the cabinet door.

Cat: This is a test of wills, is it not? We shall see if your ability to put up with my incessant banging outlasts my eternal lust for snackie treats. Years of conditioning have hardened me for this purpose. *bang bang bang*

Griffin: Stop it!

Cat, throwing themselves to the ground like they've been shot: Oh! oh I have been assailed in my own home! Have mercy, have pity! Surely in the cruel darkness of your heart there is some mote of goodness that might sway your hand! Do not strike me, I pray you!

Griffin:... Alright.

Cat:...

Griffin:...

Cat, five minutes later: *bang bang bang*

#This was supposed to be Henry n zosi but zosi would never think that Henry is cruel <3 #tgs #the glass scientists #tgs griffin #tgs seward griffin #the glass scientists griffin #the glass scientists seward griffin #the glass scientists griffin's cat #the glass scientists cat #tgs cat #tgs griffin's cat #daily post #daily chat post

[bansheeoftheforest]

Art collab time my dudes! This one is between me and @an-army-of-nightmares! She did the lineart and I did the colouring, featuring some cuddly jekffin combined with her wolf apple werewolf au, because what is better than some cute dorks and werewolves? Absolutely nothing <3

#tgs #the glass scientists #tgs henry jekyll #tgs griffin #tgs mr griffin #tgs seward griffin #tgs jekffin #the glass scientists henry jekyll #the glass scientists griffin #the glass scientists mr griffin #the glass scientists seward griffin #the glass scientists jekffin #jekffin #tgs werewolf au #the glass scientists werewolf au #the wolf apple werewolf #wolf apple werewolf au #Griffin x Jekyll #Jekyll x Griffin #art #banshees art #banshees fanart #art collab #an-army-of-nightmares

[bansheeoftheforest]

If I talked about my favorite ship I would be seen as a weirdo, so, please spam us with Jekffin 🤲

ehehe <3

Henry is a giant cuddler and craves affection all the time every day. Griffin is not very big on affection at first because he is incredibly reserved and doesn't like people touching him, but he quickly melts up to Henry. Soon the tables turn and Griffin becomes incredibly clingy.

They are the absolute dog/cat dynamic. Henry is hyperactive and energetic and social like hell and Griffin is shy, low on energy most of the time, and also does NOT want to be social with anyone that he doesn't need to be social to.

Griffin talks. A lot. When he and Henry are spending time together. Once he gets comfortable or it's very late at night he will talk. Henry wonders how his tongue hasn't accidentally tangled itself up, but always sits and listens with the biggest heart eyes.

Henry was, at first, incredibly worried by the thought of dating a Lodger. Not only is there a rift between him and them (created by Griffin included) but he also knows that it most likely won't last, and he fears that if it does, it will come back and bite them in the ass later. After all, he is already hounded by women who want to marry him and people will get suspicious. End up quickly deciding that fuck it, he needs to live a little too.

Much to Griffin's dismay, the other Lodgers (Helsby, Pennebrygg, even Maijabi and Ito) found out quite quickly that he had a crush on Henry. Cue a lot of giggling and trying to set the two of them up.

(Actually getting them together involves Helsby stealing a part of Griffin's experiment to get Griffin to chase him, and Ito asking Henry to help her find some extra supplies in a scrub. It ends up with Helsby pushing Griffin into the scrub when Henry is in it before locking the door.)

Griffin is incredibly asexual and thinks Henry will regret the relationship once he finds out, as Griffin is too scared to actually tell him. Henry is almost revealed, being incredibly sex-repulsed after his trauma with Morcant and Robert, plus Hyde taking all that energy out of him.

They spend a lot of their time together cuddling. Anywhere and everywhere. On the couch in Henry's office, on their respective beds in their bedrooms, on the couches in one of the parlors, on a blanket on the roof when they stargaze.

(Henry is big spoon and Griffin is the tiniest spoon imaginable. He curls up like a kitten and sleeps with his back or face against Henry's stomach or chest. Henry affectionately calls him an ice-cold pretzel.)

Neither is really big on pet names but Henry uses them the most. Griffin went from the normal "sweetheart" and "my love" to "my snow" and "my warmth", as well as "muffin" (winkwink) Griffin occasionally calls Henry "honey" and anything related to honey; "honeycomb", "honeybear", "honeymuffin" (Henry teased him relentlessly about that one).

Griffin has clinical depression and anxiety (on top of ADHD), Henry has depression, ADHD, and high functioning autism (is that actually an offensive term? Ahaha idk that's what I was diagnosed with and that's what I am projecting onto Henry). Cue a lot of nights cuddled up in each other's arms when the world becomes too much and many, many days just listening to the other rambling on about their latest project or hyperfixation.

Zosi and Griffin's cat (who I am now deciding that he just named "Cat") are best friends and love to terrorize their owners. It's not unusual to find Henry doing paperwork with Cat purring in his lap and Griffin distractedly petting Zosi while tinkering with his invisibility concoction.

Neither Griffin nor Henry is big on typical "couples stuff". Neither really says "I love you" on a regular basis and they don't typically go on dates, but they do enjoy a walk around the neighborhood at night every once in a while, and Henry was the first one to tell Griffin that he loved him when incredibly drunk and fixated on trying to curl Griffin's curly hair even more.

Griffin was the first one to get to know about Hyde. Henry was having a tough night and Griffin thought Henry was away on a meeting that he had canceled last minute. He found Henry incredibly drunk in his office halfway through a panic attack. Henry ended up confessing everything the moment he had calmed down and his head was clear enough to figure out and process that Griffin was the one helping him. Griffin was... Shocked, to say the least. Made sure that Henry was to bed and then went back up to his room and stayed awake the entire night, but inevitably decided to ask Henry more about it once he was sober. Henry confirmed everything he had told him the night before, and Griffin told him that he still loved him, he just... Needed to process things.

Took exactly like 3 hours of him processing it before he decided to just go and cuddle with Henry for a bit.

Hyde loves to flirt with Griffin, Griffin is unsure about what to do with it. Asks Henry about it and Henry just shrugs and tells him he doesn't care what he does with Hyde. Hyde manages to convince Griffin to make out with him, which Griffin regrets incredibly because Hyde becomes so clingy afterward.

Eheheh This is what I have for now, enjoy <3

#ask #goth-lit-aaron #uhhm... Maintag maybe #Yeah why not #jekffin #jekyll x griffin #tgs jekyll #tgs henry jekyll #tgs griffin #tgs seward griffin #tgs jekffin

[bansheeoftheforest]

How about a short n cute tgs Jekffin fic where Jekyll is falling asleep at his desk and Griffin gives him something (like a blanket or pillow or tea) And J mumbles "Thank you Muffin" and falls asleep. Leaving a very flustered Griffin (you can decide if they're actually dating or if Griffin has a huge crush)

Remember when you told me you honestly only expected around two paragraphs? Well... That’s not what ended up happening because I really had too much fun writing this. Got a bit off topic in the beginning but??? I hope that’s fine shfsjdhfsd 

Also, thank you for sending me so many requests!! Without you and my beta, I probably would barely have anything to write sjhdfsdfh 

Beta read by @ineffable-idjit as always!

——————————————————————————

Title name: Sleep-Sprinkled Muffin.

Wordcount: 6834.

Summary: Seward Griffin is merely sick, of course; nothing more and nothing less. That’s at least what he is trying to tell himself when Dr. Henry Jekyll catches his eye and his heart in a way he had never experienced before, and that’s at least what he tells himself when he finds himself facing his feelings while also facing an exhausted doctor. 

Relationships: Jekyll x Griffin.

CW: Light swearing.

——————————————————————————

Seward Griffin was not a happy man.

He remembered joining the academy in search of something to quench his everlasting thirst for knowledge, something that would answer all of his questions and criticism against the laws of physics itself, but he also remembered leaving to pursue his scientific studies, nearly landing himself a cell in prison or worse, Bethlam. The Society was in many aspects much better than any university or academy Griffin ever could have found himself in, but that didn’t change the fact that nearly every experiment and scientific study that the white-haired man set his eyes upon exploded in ill-fated failure. He was, to be frank, not quite sure why he was obsessed with the idea of turning things invisible, but while most people had thought he was mad, he knew that it was not impossible. Hell, his theory got proven during his first breakthrough, when he managed to turn lab rats invisible! However, now he couldn’t revert it, not to mention that any attempt at the same procedure for anything of bigger size or volume would backfire completely. His disapparative biochemistry was either too good or too bad but always doomed to fail in the end. He could never find the balance between failures and successes in his work which the other Lodgers easily could find, and while he would never, ever admit that he was jealous... It was honestly hard to hide it when everyone boasted proudly about their work with hubris while Griffin rarely could report any kind of progress in his research.

Not only was his work a complete disaster, but he was also always yearning so damn much.

He had friends, sure, even if said friends had just self-proclaimed themselves as Griffin’s companions without any input from the biochemist. He had a roof over his head and meals on his table, and yet it didn’t stop the fact that he constantly was in search of something more, something that could occupy that often emotionless mind and heart he kept locked away from everything else. It was empty, almost isolating. He hated getting sentimental so instead of trying to search for what was missing, he completely ignored it. He had friends, he had a stable living and he had his experiments so what more could he possibly want? He had, for the longest time, thought that the longing in him was just his desire to succeed with his work for once, but even when he imagined his dreams fulfilled or as he actually got one step closer to such a success, the yearning just continued to chew on him from the inside, making him feel hungry for more.

What more could he possibly want?

Griffin quickly realized that he didn’t want to know the answer to such a question.

The changes were subtle, barely noticeable at first, but they were honestly just confusing once Griffin caught notice of them; nervosity, a clenching heart pumping violently with adrenaline, his skin burning up with fever-like intensity, something tickling deep inside his gut that was so similar to the yearning and yet deeper, his attention span and focus diminish to frustration while his restlessness only grew and grew like those damned weeds and vines that kept escaping Mr. Archer’s and Mr. Bird’s lab, climbing all over the walls in the corridor before anyone could be bothered doing anything about it. Just like those weeds growing and taking over everything in their wake, Mr. Griffin’s little symptoms only got worse and worse as time passed. His normally pale skin was soon drenched in a light pink that almost disguised his lack of melanin, his appetite was reduced into a mere nothingness as that tickling itch in his stomach continued to flutter and that iron grip around his heart honestly made him worry that he always was on the verge of having a heart attack.

Was he sick?

Surely, he must just be sick.

He was no doctor, sure, but what else could it possibly be? He probably just... Caught a bug or something during the disaster of Blackfog, or maybe it was allergies? Well, he had never been allergic to anything before, so that seemed highly unlikely... But he had no idea what it could be otherwise.

That was, at least, until he realized that it only happened around one certain person.

Griffin was not around Dr. Henry Jekyll a whole lot, but after a while, he noticed that this little “sickness” he had caught only ever reared its ugly head when he was around the doctor. He didn’t even have to be around, because the moment Griffin even dared to think about the doctor, the symptoms flared up as if he was allergic to just the thought of the slightly older man. At such a realization, he was quite sure that it was no allergy because... Well, besides the point that you couldn’t be allergic to a single person, it almost felt nice. It had felt uncomfortable and awkward when the changes began but now it felt safe and warm and nice. No matter if the doctor came around to check in on Griffin and his work while smiling that charmingly dainty smile of his, or if the biochemist caught a slight whiff of something smelling like peppermint when walking past the kitchens; his cheeks would always flare up and his heart would beat faster and faster, spreading a pleasant warmth through his veins and cold limbs, almost comfortingly. He could only possibly describe it as the feeling of laying in a warm ray of sunlight; the soft heat gracing his skin, lulling him into such a cat-like state of comfort that it almost felt absurd. It was absurd, because why would the doctor have this effect on Griffin? It didn’t make sense and he could find no possible explanation. He had never felt this way for anyone before, so not only did he not know what it was but he also had no idea why it was happening as he just continued to feel like it devoured and consumed him; starving maggots called ‘feelings’ gnawing at his corpse. It didn’t matter when or how because it honestly felt like the doctor was always there, in the back of Griffin’s mind; while he was tossing and turning in his bed at night, not able to stop thinking about those silky gloves covering just as smooth skin on slender hands, or mindlessly wondering what the doctor was up to during the dreadfully boring hours spent cleaning his lab space after yet another mishap. It didn’t make sense and yet it just continued to gnaw at him from the inside. It was a horrible puzzle of weird behavior and intrusive feelings, driving Griffin into confusion and frustration, and yet... There was a piece missing. A puzzle piece that was so out of place that Griffin had no idea where to find it.

Much to his chagrin, that puzzle piece hit him like a brick over his head only a few days later.

It all started after Griffin had spent hours chasing his cat down the market district by the Society after that damned beast had decided to pull an escape act. The cat had decided that it was a grand time to jump out the window the moment the biochemist had wanted some fresh air, leaping through the groups of people and forcing Griffin on a chase of hide-and-seek. Not only had the albino man been in a horrible mood already, but chasing his cat through massively loud crowds did nothing to soothe his headache. It took until the afternoon to find that bastard and by that time, the entire block was filled to the brim of annoyingly snobbish aristocrats complaining about the dirt on the ground and beggars who seemed to have crawled straight out of the sewers. He couldn’t walk an inch without having to press himself through the human wall of people and- Jesus fucking Christ, why were people so loud? Not only that; half of the gits that blocked the street where couples linked arm in arm, taking up even more space than necessary while not sparing a single thought to the people around them. Young gentlemen leading their ladies through the streets while whispering flirtatious remarks and jokes that got their objects of affection to blush and laugh loudly, most of the couples clogged up the streets by the stands selling flowers, buying enormously expensive bouquets or flowers to tuck behind the lady’s ear, making the girls all swoony and blushy and ugh. Of course half of the entire market had to be vendors selling flowers. What grand fucking luck Griffin had.

If he was going to be honest, it made Griffin sick to his stomach to see so lovey-dovey couples, and yet, for some ungodly reason, it just gave him such a strange case of déjà vu. Not the flowers, not the couples, but all of the blushing and stuttering and swooning that the ladies did at just a mere smile from their lad, like their lover was the center of the entire universe.

But...

Why the fuck did that feel familiar?

Griffin had neither the time nor the energy to figure that out and instead just continued to push through the crowds. Seeing the Society felt like a saving grace and especially so when he finally managed to escape the terrific masses without his cat trying to claw his way out of the biochemist’s grip. He could barely even try to suppress the loud groan that escaped his lips once he pushed the gigantic doors open, barely bothering to close them again before he stormed up to his room once more, feeling how his headache thundered through his skull. Why the fuck was every hallway in this god-forsaken building so bright? It just made his migraine worse and even then, the strange feeling of déjà vu never left despite the sensation of someone trying to break through his skull with a hammer. It honestly just felt like it got worse, like a tight squeeze around his heart. Not the pleasant, gentle kind that he had felt for a while but instead a violent, iron-gripped one that made his heart feel like it was getting crushed and cracked, and yet he could not understand why.

Despite his sour mood and foul headache, he continued to ponder on why; why he got a déjà vu, and why it hurt so much. Maybe this was yet another testament to why Griffin was such a bad scientist, because he could not for the life of him figure it out as he made his way up to his room. Once he arrived at his destination, he closed the door and the window before letting his cat fall from his arms, allowing him to do whatever he pleased while Griffin sat down by his desk right in front of the window. The tight squeeze never stopped and yet he couldn’t find the energy to distract himself, so with a sigh, he looked around the room for a split second, although his eyes soon landed on the cup of lukewarm tea that surely would have been a nice, warm treat if he had not been forced to leave it on his desk while he searched for his cat. It would just be useless to let it go to waste so after only a moment’s hesitation, he reluctantly brought the cup up to his lips and took a sip, although he immediately pulled a grimace when the liquid hit his tongue. It tasted dull and washed out, almost like rainwater, and he did not feel like worsening his headache with sensory issues right now. Well, what else could he do with it? While the water wasn’t warm, he could probably crush in some more herbs to at least get it to taste... Less washed out. Now he just had to decide what herb.

While sighing once more, the biochemist regarded the handful of small, potted plants he had on his windowsill. He was no botanist, but he appreciated a cup of fresh tea made from fresh herbs once in a while, and he almost instinctively began to reach for the mint plant; nicking a few herbs before crushing them slightly beneath his fingertips and sprinkling them into the teacup. As he held the teacup in the palm of both of his hands, Griffin took another deep breath to calm his throbbing head before taking a light sip of the altered liquid, although he immediately began to choke as his taste buds picked up on the robust flavor he hadn’t had the chance to prepare for, making him cough for a few moments before he got it under control.

It tasted so familiar, and it only took a split second for him to realize why.

He probably could have gotten the same feeling by taking a sip right out of Dr. Jekyll’s cologne because not only could he only taste mint and nothing from the herbs of the original tea, but the doctor’s peppermint cologne was one of the strongest and most unique characteristics that the Lodgers knew him by. Just like always, the mere thought of the doctor and the realization of the similarities got Griffin’s cheeks to tint in a soft red, his heartbeat picked up ever so slightly while he secretly savored the feeling of the cold spice on his tongue, almost without noticing. Hold on... Why did that déjà vu return?

Wait.

WAIT.

Oh no.

Oh, fuck.

This could not be happening.

There was no way-

Oh, there was definitely a way.

The biochemist stopped, frozen in his seat while he blinked and moved the teacup away from his face. He couldn’t help but stare into the rich liquid, not being physically able to even try to bring his eyes away as he gaped, awfully aware of the quick, fleeting beats of his heart. Was he... Was he seriously getting a déjà vu from seeing all those swooning ladies... Because he was swooning? For none other than Henry fucking Jekyll? No fucking way.

Oh, he was done for.

‘MmMAAOOooOowWwwWwwWW’

Whatever myriad of self-hatred that Griffin was about to unleash upon himself was immediately interrupted by his cat’s eardrum-shattering yodeling. It did not take long for him to understand why that bastard suddenly was so loud as the feline had jumped down from the bookshelf he had decided to nap on and instead began to scratch and claw on the door, trying to reach the handle as if to turn it. His bombastic screaming never seized as it only seemed to get louder and louder the longer the door was not opening, and it did not take long for Griffin to hear the soft barks of a certain church grim on the other side of his door. Great.

“Stop it!”

His attempt to shush his cat was, like many other things that the biochemist tried to do, a spectacular failure as the cat didn’t even turn to look at him. Instead, the feline just continued to scream his little head off, trying to tear through the wood on the -luckily, quite resilient- door like a mole digging its way through soft soil.

Fucking hell.

Fine.

Griffin let out a loud groan before he pushed himself away from his desk and stood up from his chair, dragging himself over to the door while trying not to stumble as the excess adrenaline began to course through his veins. He barely managed to turn the doorknob before the cat slank outside, playfully tackling the undead terrier that seemingly had decided that it was time for a visit, as well as playtime. Griffin could not say that he was surprised, but that didn’t make him any less annoyed by the fact that his cat and Jekyll’s church grim were best friends and loved to escape their respective owner’s rooms or areas to play, even though the two of them more often than not had free range of the Society. That didn’t stop the two pets, however, as they always found some way to escape to always have some kind of playdate. Why did it have to be now though?

Griffin leaned against the doorframe for a moment as he looked at the cat and the dog, biting the inside of his cheek. He did not have time for this, he really didn’t, and yet he couldn’t help but furrow his eyebrows as he took a moment to glance at the clock in his room. What was Zosi doing here? He normally was not allowed to be alone in the Society this late, not to mention that Jekyll preferred to have Zosi near him at all times, or at least have him in his office while the doctor himself was gone. However, as Griffin looked around the corridor, he couldn’t see a single soul around, neither human nor animal, but him and the two pets. Great... Just bloody perfect, now he had to play dog-catcher while it felt like his heart would burst in his ribcage. At least the feline and canine both had begun to calm down, softly nipping at each other’s ears and tails instead of wrestling like before.

“You really aren't supposed to be here, right?” The biochemist muttered then, mostly to himself since he didn’t expect a verbal response from the terrier, even if he knew that the dog could understand him. That got proven as Zosi pulled his ears back against his head, whining lowly while his tail moved nervously over the floor, looking extremely guilty. Griffin merely sighed as he pushed himself away from the doorframe, bending down and picking Zosi up before holding him tightly against his chest to prevent him from trying to struggle, although the dog did nothing but whimper a bit more. If Zosi was not supposed to be here, Griffin might as well just go and return him to his owner,  although he didn’t do anything to prevent his little beast of a cat from following them. It would be practically impossible to try to get the cat back into his room without having to let go of or drop Zosi, so he just made sure to close the door before making his way to the doctor’s office, desperately trying to not think about where he was going and who he was going to since his newfound feelings probably would just make it so, so much worse. He could already feel how his cheeks began to heat up but he did his best to ignore it, quickening his pace towards the doctor’s office while his little cat screamed his head off right after him, just like always.

‘It’s only to give Zosi back,’ He thought, ‘Nothing more, nothing less.’

While the short walk to Jekyll’s office wasn’t far, the nervosity that had slowed Griffin’s steps and doubled his adrenaline only got more and more severe the closer he got to those big, red doors. As the doors’ shapes got bigger and bigger, he was made awfully aware of the echoing beating of his heart deep in his chest and the amount of blood and warmth that rushed up to his pale cheeks, making him feel all those bloody feelings that had haunted and tortured him for a while now.

As he stood on top of the steps, he waited in front of the entrance for a little while, debating if he should just place Zosi down and knock, disappearing around the corner before Jekyll would be able to catch him or if he would just stop making a big deal out of it and just hand the dog over personally. While he would very much have preferred the first option, the second one was the one that ended up winning, much less due to morals and much more due to the fact that he just wanted to see the doctor, even if he would rather die than admit that.

Despite Jekyll valuing privacy and often being quite busy, the Lodgers rarely bothered to knock on the doctor’s doors unless something bad had happened, someone was in trouble or the door was locked. Now, however, Griffin hesitated a little before giving in and softly knocking a few times on the mahogany doors, doing his best to keep his hands from shaking.

No answer.

Jekyll hadn’t gone home already, had he? Well, he would never leave without Zosi or knowing where the terrier was, maybe he was inside but didn’t hear? Or maybe he was out? Biting his lower lip softly, Griffin tried again, a bit firmer, and knocked a few times more.

Still no answer.

He looked back at his first option once more; to just leave Zosi by the door and hope that Jekyll would find him sooner or later, but after another moment of uncertainty, he decided to try to open the door. He tried to get rid of the lump in his throat by gulping as he heard the door-latch moving, carefully pushing the door open enough for a small crack to appear by the edge of the door and the doorframe. Well, at least the door was not locked, but Griffin wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.

Very, very delicately, he opened the door a little more until he could peek inside. He might as well have opened a portal right into a black hole because he would have been able to see just as much then as he did now, seeing how dark it was inside the office. The only thing he could see was the vague outlines of glass cabinets reflecting the little bit of light that shoved its way through the small door-opening, but as no other noise but the creaking of the door came, he assumed that the office was empty. That didn’t seem to faze Zosi, however, as the little dog was quick to crawl out of his arms and skip into the room, climbing onto what seemed to be a ramp by a chest with a dog bed on it, which Griffin only noticed as he pushed the door open a bit more to let light in. He kept his gaze on the dog for a moment, before carefully glancing around the room, pushing the door open just a little bit more so he could step in. He couldn’t deny that it felt a bit thrilling to be here, even as he blindly felt his hand against the wall to try to find a light switch. He was not very familiar with Jekyll’s office, so he almost couldn’t help but feel a bit excited at the chance to look around, even for a little while.

That was, at least, until the light turned on and he saw a mop of hair and sickly white skin on the desk.

As the figure caught his widened eyes, Griffin felt himself freezing in place, his breath hitching in his throat while he stared at the form in absolute terror. That terror, however, quickly washed away as he noticed stumble rises and falls of what seemed to be a torso. Was that Jekyll? It honestly took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light, trying to process what he saw, and especially when he, at first, had thought that the figure had been a corpse. Before he even realized what he was doing, Griffin felt himself taking slow, careful steps closer to the desk, trying to figure out what... That was. Although that question quickly got answered, as he got a better view of the figure.

Right there, sprawled over the desk and fast asleep, laid Dr. Henry Jekyll.

Griffin couldn’t remember ever having seen Jekyll so serene, so peaceful, which said a lot since the doctor always seemed to have an aura of tranquillity and harmony around him. Arms crossed over the desk, pale skin flushed with a tint of dawn, silky smooth hair falling gracefully over his face which laid in a tilt upon his arms, torso moving up and down with every soft breath... He almost looked like he was taken right out of a painting. Griffin couldn’t help but feel a sense of protectiveness blossom in his chest as he watched the doctor, and even then, he just stood there, frozen, in front of the desk while being too scared to make a single wrong move that would disturb the peaceful doctor.

The biochemist swallowed slightly, biting his lip as he pushed his tinted glasses up his nose, thinking for a bit. He didn’t have the heart to wake him, not only because Jekyll must be dead tired if he fell asleep on his desk like this, but also because he felt too shy to... Even be near the older man, much less talk to him, now that he had a vague idea what all these weird feelings were about. No no, stop thinking about that! That didn’t matter, what mattered was the fact that the doctor was fast asleep on his desk and probably would wake up with a horrible back and neck ache if Griffin didn’t do anything, although he had to admit that the idea of trying to move the doctor most likely would end horribly wrong; not only was Griffin nowhere near strong enough to lift Jekyll, although he doubted that the older man weighed a lot as it was, but he was also quite sure that Jekyll would wake up the moment he felt himself being moved.

Once Griffin realized he had disappeared into the clouds and accidentally stared at the sleeping figure, he instantly moved his gaze and scratched his neck a bit awkwardly, oblivious to the soft blush that graced his cheeks. It was not right. His feelings were not right, he knew that. Jekyll was technically his employer, and he honestly doubted Jekyll cared about relationships. Hell, Griffin didn’t care for relationships at all and yet here he was! God, just stop thinking about it! Ugh. No, no, he had to stop thinking about that and instead put his focus on the situation at hand; mainly, either leaving Jekyll as he was right now and act as if nothing had happened or making sure he was more comfortable. Just like before, the first option felt the most tempting, and yet Griffin just mentally cursed himself as he decided on the second one. He couldn’t just leave Jekyll like this. Maybe it wouldn’t make much of a difference but it certainly would make the biochemist feel guilty. Gulping once more, he took a moment to count down to three to mentally prepare himself for what he was about to do before he began to look around the room, trying to find anything that could make the doctor more comfortable. The office wasn’t all that big, but it took a while before he could see anything but alchemical flasks behind glass displays in tall cabinets, although he couldn’t help but let out a silent breath as he spotted a couch by one of the walls unoccupied by cupboards. On said couch laid a few pillows and a thickly woven plaid, which Griffin quickly decided to be good enough.

Just as carefully as Griffin had gotten closer to the desk, he began to make his way over to the couch. His heartbeat felt horribly loud in his ribcage, its echo thundering inside his ears, and yet he did his best to stay focused and not make a single mistake, in case that would wake Hen- Jekyll. In case it would wake Jekyll, yes. Jesus Christ, get a grip. Griffin did his best to force his nerves to calm down while he, for a split second, debated if he should try to give the doctor a pillow or the blanket. In the end, he decided to start with a pillow since that might be the most difficult, and also the most important since it would prevent the doctor from hurting his neck. Once he had one of the pillows in his thin hands, Griffin made his way back over to the desk, mentally preparing for the reverse-heist he was about to do, as well as the consequences if Jekyll woke up. Sure, he doubted that the doctor would be mad, but he was quite sure that it would be horribly awkward, and while Griffin hated awkwardness as it was... When it involved his newfound crush, the thought of the possible awkward conversations that could surface if the doctor would wake up was enough to get the biochemist hesitant, because it would be so much worse than any awkward tension that would have happened otherwise. Either way, he had to focus, although it did not take long for him to realize that his focus was absolutely terrible right now. Right, focus... Now, how could he do this the best way? He would have to try to get the pillow between Jekyll’s arms and his head, preventing him from hurting his neck and back but also running the risk of waking him. Griffin hesitated for a second, before taking a deep breath and getting closer.

First and foremost, he examined the desk, noticing a few documents which were trapped under the doctor’s arms. They didn’t look too damaged or smudged, what with being slightly crinkled, but to prevent anything from getting ruined, Griffin began to gently tug the papers away from underneath Jekyll’s slender arms. At least the documents didn’t seem too important so he just laid them to the side, while also keeping a close eye on the doctor, who just continued to sleep. Great, at least he hadn’t disturbed him yet, although Griffin made sure to not wait too long before he continued.

Now to the hard part.

Biting his lip softly, Griffin took a deep breath to calm his nerves and to prepare himself. It was honestly stupid that he was shaking so much, and yet he knew he didn’t have time to wait for the adrenaline to die off, especially since he doubted that it would at all, but he did his best to have a steady grip as he reached his hand out, wedging his fingers and palm between the doctor’s arm and face, cupping his cheek before slowly lifting his head.

Oh good lord.

As if the biochemist hadn’t had a hard time breathing as it was, his breath hitched in his throat as he managed to process the feeling of the warm, soft skin on his palm. Oh god. It almost felt sinful to touch the doctor. Much less because it felt good and more because Griffin knew that he shouldn’t. It took much more than a mere moment for him to snap out of his daze, but once he did, he almost starred in horror at the sleeping figure, almost sure that Jekyll would wake up, and yet the doctor just continued to sleep deeply. Jesus Christ, how exhausted was he? Griffin almost worried that he wasn’t asleep, but he quickly shook those thoughts off. He had to focus. He really needed to focus because he could not afford to mess up. Gulping for the thousandth time this past half-hour, Griffin quickly, but gently, put the pillow on top of Jekyll’s arms on the table, only waiting for a moment to make sure that the doctor would not stir before he began to let down the head cradled in his palm, making sure to make his movements as light as possible. It wasn’t until the mop of soft locks was buried into the pillow that the biochemist allowed himself to move, almost throwing himself back the moment he wasn’t touching the doctor while keeping his gaze at him to make sure he didn’t wake up.

Silence...

Thank god.

Now, onto stage 2.

Repeating the silent tippy-toeing he had done before, Griffin moved back to the couch so he could get the plaid, glancing frequently between the couch and the doctor to make sure that Jekyll didn’t wake up. As the only sounds that filled the room continued to be the doctor’s soft snoring, Griffin felt himself relaxing a little bit, if not too much. However, he had to be alert, both to notice if Jekyll woke up and to be able to quickly run out of the room at the smallest sign that he did. Either way, he was quick to pick up the plaid once he was close enough. While everything in the office smelt like oakwood and peppermint, the tartan plaid which was now in Griffin’s arms smelt like a honey-like whiskey, which was not a smell that Griffin could recall the doctor with. Actually, he could not recall that smell at all but he spared it no mind as he made his way back to the desk once more. He couldn’t deny that Jekyll looked a lot more comfortable when supported by the thick pillow, so if he did this right, the doctor would hopefully continue through his deep slumber.

God, why was this so scary?

Well, it was much less scary and much more... Absolutely terrifying, but Griffin was quick to move back towards the desk, not wanting to waste any more time than he already had. Just as quickly and just as carefully as he had gotten to the desk, he folded out the plaid before delicately settling it over the doctor’s shoulders, making sure to cover his neck since that would be the most vulnerable part against the cold. Griffin could feel the soft rise and fall of Jekyll’s chest as he kept his hands on the doctor’s shoulders for just a moment, a bit scared of letting go... Both because that movement might wake the neo-alchemist but also because just touching the doctor got his heart to clench so much. That yearning, that longing, and all of those horribly wonderful feelings he had been feeling... All of it just continued to squeeze his heart so violently it actually hurt, physically. It almost felt impossible to let go, especially since he didn’t know if he ever would get to be this close to the other man again, or when that would be if it would ever happen. He debated if there was anything more he could do, just so he could linger a little, just so it wouldn’t hurt so much, but he quickly decided that it was not worth the risk. He should go. Who knew when Jekyll would wake up and-

‘mmmMmmmMmMMMRRRAOOWWW-’

THUD.

Griffin’s head immediately shot towards the offending sound, his hands instinctively tightened his grip around the doctor’s shoulders in shock and surprise while his gaze managed to catch the tail-end of Zosi playfully pushing the damned cat off from the dog bed on the chest, making the feline fall to the floor with a heavy ‘thud’ while he continued to scream his head off. Oh god.

“Shut it!”

You’d think that after so many years of owning that bloody cat, Griffin should have realized that a mere ‘shut it!’ wouldn’t be able to actually shush him. Just like before, the cat continued to yodel in protest, almost getting louder once the albino man had told him off before he began to make his way to the closed door, screaming even more before he began to scratch to be let out, seemingly taking great offense to Zosi pushing him off. Griffin really could do nothing but stare in horror, frozen in place, before he felt a horrible shock thunder down his entire spine.

“Hmm?”

FUCK.

Right under Griffin’s palms, Jekyll began to stir ever so slightly, seemingly disturbed by the new noise. A soft whine of protest escaped the doctor’s throat as he began to wake up, his soft locks of hair falling out of his line of sight while Griffin retreated and moved his hands away as if burnt. God, shit, fuck- oh, he was done for. Quickly, the biochemist tried to leap away and escape but he didn’t get far as he quickly felt a warm and soft hand grabbing his, freezing him in his tracks as if paralyzed. With his breath hitched in his throat, Griffin tensed as he slowly, very slowly turned to look at the doctor, expecting an annoyed scowl or frown or... Or something, something that would show how frustrated Jekyll was for being woken up before he would get chewed out for disturbing him.

Instead, Griffin was met with a dopey smile and half-lidded eyes clouded with exhaustion.

The doctor held that smile for just a moment, a smile which was nothing like the fancy one he normally reserved for the Lodgers and his friends, and absolutely nothing like the charmingly polite one for acquaintances or people of higher power. Instead, it was a delightfully real, if not a very sleepy one. The dark circles under Jekyll’s eyes got awfully apparent in this very moment before Griffin’s entire attention was at their hands. Henry was not letting go, but instead, he gently brushed his thumb over the albino man’s knuckles. Griffin was quite sure that the other man could hear the gasp that escaped his lips and feel the goosebumps that riddled his entire skin at that touch.

“Hm... Than’ you, Muffin’.”

...what?

While Griffin continued to stare, Henry closed his eyes once more and moved his hand back, tucking it under his pillow while he adjusted his position a little. It didn’t take long to see how he practically passed out again once he settled, sparing no other words, touches, or even glancing towards the perplexed man next to him. Instead, he just nuzzled softly against the pillow which had been given to him, before his faint breaths once more filled the office. Neither of them even noticed the cat who, for once, stayed quiet by the door as no one paid attention to him.

...Muffin?

As the doctor’s soft snores soon began to pick up again, echoing throughout the otherwise silent office, Griffin continued to stare, almost frozen in place as his hand clasped over his mouth. Not only had Henry... Touched him, but he had also thanked him and... Oh god... Griffin could feel how his own heart began to beat harder and harder in his ribcage, and he could feel how his entire body burnt up in rich heat as his blood traveled up to his cheeks, giving it enough color that it almost looked like he was glowing. He didn’t even notice how he seemed to have forgotten how to breathe until he felt himself gasping for a gulp of air, leaving him breathless as he just continued to stare at the sleeping figure of the doctor. The only thing he could feel was the absolute pain he felt.

Holy shit. That hurt. He knew that Henry was only trying to say Griffin but it just got his heart to clench so badly and-

‘Mmrroow?’

The albino immediately snapped out of his thoughts as his gaze shot towards his cat, who, for once, was sitting patiently by the door, head tilted. Griffin looked at the cat for a moment, before he looked back at the sleeping figure on the desk, trying to not let any sounds escape as he tried to stop shaking. God, he could not stay here. He had to get out before the doctor would wake up again. He instantly looked over at Zosi, who was watching him lazily on the dog bed, before he hastily moved towards the door while picking his cat up by the scruff of his neck, practically throwing himself towards the door handle so he could escape, slinking out as carefully as possible before he closed the door just as discreetly. He definitely did not want to wake Henry up again, but the moment the doors were closed, he had to take a moment to lean himself against it as he tried to collect himself while pressing the cat tightly against his chest. He was shaking so fucking badly. He certainly could forget about getting over his crush now, because now there was no way he would be able to stop swooning. Despite being violently out of breath still, he pressed himself away from the door after just a few moments, hesitating for a split second before he began to sprint back to his room, extremely thankful that he did not meet any other Lodgers on his way.

While Griffin might not be able to get the doctor out of his mind for the rest of the evening, he could at least be very thankful that he would not have to see Henry again today, at least while he still slept. After all, then he might have seen the soft, quirked smile on Henry’s lips, that would continue to stay there until he would wake up in the morning.

After all, Griffin wasn’t the only one who had been swooning.

—————————————————————————— 

Up on Ao3!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31236242

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#TGS #the glass scientists #tgs fanfic #the glass scientists fanfic #tgs fanfics #the glass scientists fanfics #tgs oneshot #the glass scientists oneshot #tgs oneshots #the glass scientists oneshots #tgs henry jekyll #the glass scientists henry jekyll #tgs griffin #tgs seward griffin #tgs mr griffin #the glass scientists griffin #the glass scientists seward griffin #the glass scientists mr griffin #jekffin #jekyll x griffin #Banshees oneshots #Banshees writing

[bansheeoftheforest]

How about a sequel to Sleep-Sprinkled Muffin from Jekyll's pov! Like, realizing his crush, the desk scene, and the aftermath?)

Like, he keeps calling Griffin Muffin and slowly realizing he has a crush, and the desk scene is the only time he actually said it out loud/while Griffin could hear him? (I wonder if any of the other lodgers heard him say Muffin pre-desk scene,,)

And perhaps a quick little scene at the end where Jekyll is eating breakfast or in his office, (really hoping he only dreamt of calling Griffin Muffin.) And Griffin passing by, intentionally calling Henry Honey while offering him tea and just grinning?

Here you go! This... Got and took a lot longer than expected. I also listened a lot to that song you recommended me while writing this so hopefully I got the vibe right? Eitherway, I might have accidentally forgotten one or two details while writing this, whoospies, buuut hopefully it will still be fun to read! c:

Beta read by @ineffable-idjit as always!

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Title name: Honey-Drizzled Muffin.

Wordcount: 11371.

Summary: As Henry Jekyll is driven into confusion after feelings of guilt and shame and overwhelm starts to overtake him, he is lead onto a wild goose-chase to find the source of these feelings... Except, the source just happens to make no sense at all.

Relationships: Jekyll x Griffin.

CW: Light swearing.

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Henry Jekyll was, normally, a very happy man.

Moving from Glasgow and all the way to London, he managed to land himself into one of the most renowned and prestigious universities in the entire country, graduating at the top of his class with a doctorate soon proudly added to his title. Thanks to his very best friend, Robert Lanyon, Henry had been introduced into the English aristocracy, entering the delicate game of power, elegance, and charades that had managed to win him so many connections despite only being some Scotsman. He was renowned and beloved throughout the entire city of London, and thanks to such privileges, he had managed to pursue his lifelong dream to build his Society for Arcane Sciences; where scientists from around the world could come together to safely pursue their scientific interests. The Society was untouchable, protected by the doctor’s reputation and prowess, and thanks to him, they had managed to save so many people from disgrace and wrongful retribution.

He was, in short, living the dream.

There had been ups and downs, sure. There were moments where everything was crushed under Henry’s feet; earthquakes of mishaps, guilt, shame, and throwing him off of his balance and plunging him to the Inferno’s very core. Leaving Scotland, adapting to the aristocracy, alcoholism... Frankenstein, The Lodgers, and Hyde; birds of prey gnawing and tearing him to shreds, sparing no inch of his body and soul to be salvaged. Henry had to admit that he was nowhere near as honorable and proprietary as people thought he was, but in the end, he was still an absolute genius of a gentleman who single-handedly managed to prove the existence between the good and bad in a human soul, even if no one could ever know about it, just as no one would know about his experiments.

At least the ‘birds of prey’, his personal vultures, had calmed down now... A little.

It had only taken him ripping a new one into Frankenstein, as well as revealing the Society’s financial situation for the Lodgers to regret their decision of quitting on the Exhibition, begrudgingly resuming their work to not end up homeless, because no matter what Frankenstein said, you could not survive out in the wilderness on rainwater and lizard guts. Especially if you wanted to be able to continue your scientific studies, because where would they go? What would they do to keep themselves from being arrested and worse, put in Bethlam? What would they do once they were outside the city walls? Were they going to hunt their own food, trying to survive while continuing their work? It was downright impossible, but in the end, Henry was merely happy that the Lodgers had realized their faults and actually half-arsed an apology to him, although all of them knew it was more for the sake of politeness rather than actual remorse. Henry really couldn't care less, because, in the end, someone who really didn’t show remorse was Hyde. Sure, the searches for Hyde made by both the Scotland Yard and the Criminal underground had died down, which left the doctor and his alter ego in a mutual agreement to keep the two of them from constantly trying to murder the other. Things were clearing up for Henry, finally, and yet… Something was wrong. Missing, almost. It was like he had been dragged underwater and was gasping for air, but even as he once more had oxygen in his lungs, he just continued to sink and sink, down to the bottom of the ocean of depravity and depression, sinking like a lost ship, never to be found again.

Maybe he was drowning, at least metaphorically.

He kept finding himself spacing out, sinking deeper into his mind while forgetting the world around him. It only happened once or twice at first, his attention span diminishing while he stared up at the ceiling while lying in bed, not wanting to get up because getting up meant work and work meant stress, or him merely glancing up from his documents to look at the clock, only to let his mind cloud itself in a thick veil of distraction. Then it only got worse; he would space out while having dinners with his friends, or when he caught himself in a waltz with pretty young ladies during banquets and balls, he kept imagining something else. He wasn’t sure what, but as he swirled them around to the rhythm of the pianos and violins, he couldn’t help but wish that they were someone else. They were all beautiful, delicate, often slightly younger women almost falling in line for a waltz with the doctor, and sure, Henry normally appreciated these dances because he couldn’t deny that he liked women, but it just hurt, like something was pressing down his ribcage in hopes of piercing his heart, and yet he just smiled through it like the good man he was and excused himself to the drink table the moment the song was over, much to the disappointment of his former dance-partners.

It felt wrong. So, so wrong.

Although Henry couldn’t figure out why it felt so wrong.

Not only did it feel wrong and almost sinful to dance with the young lasses, but he just felt so guilty, like he had tricked them into a dance with the devil rather than a harmless waltz to pass time during banquets. He wasn’t sure why, and he almost didn’t want to find out. Maybe it was because it was nothing more than that to him; mere waltzes, while it probably was much more to the ladies he danced with, but he had never really cared for that before and neither had his dance-partners, so why was it different now? He wasn’t doing anything wrong, was he? Of course he wasn’t, but why did he feel guilty? Guilt and shame continued to gnaw and rip him up from the inside, starting as a small squeeze on his fragile heart, then tightening and tightening like snakes, trying to squeeze out whatever ounce of innocence that it possibly could. It hurt, and it hurt so fucking much, and especially since he didn’t know what he was doing wrong. It couldn’t be mere guilt just because he didn’t get any interest in the ladies he danced with, he was sure of it. It had to be something more. Some underlying emotions waiting to spring upon him in a moment of weakness, a devil laying a trap for the doctor to fall into, waiting for the moment to drag him into a rabbit hole of self-deprecation and horribly confusing feelings. After all, feelings were never simple, he knew that. He had been tortured by his own for ages and that’s why he got the idea to split his soul in the first place. He hated dealing with emotions, and the best way to deal with them would always be repressing them, he had learned that the hard way.

Although whatever curse he had laid upon himself soon got way too horrid to even try to repress.

It didn’t matter what he did, because no matter what, this nagging feeling of something was always there, in the back of his head and deep inside his heart, calling out to him to realize what was happening, and yet he just couldn’t. It didn’t matter if he was taking a long stroll through the neighborhood after a long day of work, trying to get rid of the stiffness in his legs and the fatigue that riddled his mind after so many hours of endless focus, or if he was sitting in one of the parlors in the Society and had a drink with the Lodgers, because it was always there, distracting him and making him space out without any warnings. It only got worse when he was with the Lodgers, or at least he only noticed how it got worse when he was around the residents of the Society, and yet it didn’t get worse around all of them. It didn’t get worse when he was around Jasper, for example, when he was helping him feed his creatures and it didn’t happen around Archer and Bird when he was stopping by to collect some herbs needed for his alchemy. It didn’t happen around any of the ladies and yet he couldn’t single out the culprit. It was only when he was in the whole crowd that his feelings nagged him, clearly taking advantage of his confusion and inability to discern the source of his discomfort. Actually, he wasn’t sure if it was mere discomfort anymore. It had started as discomfort, plague-ridden guilt infecting and infesting and devouring and consuming, but the more he came to ease with these… Feelings or whatever it was, it didn’t feel half as bad. At least it felt… Almost pleasant most of the time, but the guilt only returned once he arrived at banquets and once more began the everlasting waltzes that he almost felt obliged to. It was so weird. One moment, these strange… Whatever it was felt as gentle and nice as a warm summer breeze up in the Highlands, and yet whenever he began to talk or dance with the ladies during banquets… It didn’t make sense but Henry hated it. He hated it so much and yet he never got a single step closer to finding out what all of this bullshit was.

Well, he did have one lead; this was about at least one of the Lodgers, most likely one of the guys.

First and foremost, he had to figure out who this was about, and then he had to figure out what was happening, knowing that it would take a very long time for him to figure out his feelings if he would try to do that first. He started easy; visiting the parlors when most of the Lodgers would be winding down after a long day of work to try to see if he could pick the metaphorical scent up from a certain group, but that was quickly proven to be an attempt tested in vain as it didn’t help at all. He could barely pick up on any of the Lodgers individually in the large crowds so he quickly abandoned that thought, instead deciding to try to visit every Lodger, disguising it as wanting to check up on their work, although it was only a half-lie.

He had made sure to clear most of the afternoon’s schedule just for his little experiment, knowing he would have little to no time to either do his works or do the visits if he was planning to do paperwork at that time too, and as soon as his documents were neatly stacked and put away from his desk, he began his little quest, starting from the top floor and going down. It felt quite silly, but he had no idea how to decipher these… Weird thoughts and weird physical reactions unless he found the source because he was sure this was the work of one of the Lodgers and especially when he only felt it strongly around them. The only clue was that it didn’t happen around any of the girls so he could easily skip those, although that didn’t make his chase any easier.

He found Bryson, Helsby, Pennebrygg, and Mosley quite easily, as the four of them seemed to have taken a day off to play poker with Bryson’s and Helby’s Kraken in their lab, but the strange nagging didn’t return, which quickly swapped them out of the picture. Luckett, Sinnett, and Tweedy were currently testing out the endurance of what seemed to be a normal apple but seeing as they were anxiously poking it with a ten-foot pole, Jekyll did not stay long to find out what it really was, and especially so when he could feel nothing around them too, meaning he checked them off the list quickly as well. Henry caught Maijabi and Doddle trying to harass Rachel, who was carrying a tray with newly baked sweets up to one of the parlors, to share some of the goods with them but he could feel nothing new there either. While he walked down one of the many staircases of the building, he managed to catch a glimpse of Archer and Bird not so discreetly “sneaking” into their lab, if that’s what you could call giggling and blushing while quickly slinking into their room, but Jekyll was thankful that he felt just as indifferent with them as before so he quickly could leave that hallway.

That left exactly one person, and as he accidentally tripped over his own feet once he realized who that person was, he knew he hit the jackpot.

As the doctor carefully came closer and closer to Griffin’s and Maijabi’s shared lab, he couldn’t help but feel hesitant; feeling how his heart began to squeeze as his cheeks began to turn light pink, clearly breaking through his quite well-put-together facade of no discernable facial expressions. Yeah, this definitely had something to do with Griffin, alright. He was not sure what it was but as he saw the open door to the lab, he almost couldn’t help but feel excited. Was he excited to see Griffin? Why would he be? He was normally quite indifferent when it came to visiting the Lodgers, more than the fact that it was pleasant to visit and catch up with them as they were his friends. But now, it was actually exciting. Had Henry even talked to Griffin lately? He could barely remember, but that was certainly something he was going to change, even if he quickly shortened his steps as soon as he was right by the door. It was not like Griffin or Maijabi to have the door open, but seeing as Maijabi wasn’t around…

Henry took cover by the door, quietly and discreetly poking his head into the room to take a look. It took a moment before his gaze managed to catch the man he was looking for between all the knickknacks around the room, but once he did, it was not hard to miss him. Nor was it hard to miss his cat, who the albino man was currently holding up in the air like a ragdoll while the little one screamed his head off, like usual.

‘MmmRRAAOOooOooW.’

“Yes, yes, I know you are hungry but you have eaten two cans of tuna already. You are going to throw up if you get more.”

‘MMAoooOooooOoOooooow…’

“Don’t give me that, Mister!”

Henry would be lying if he tried to deny the fact that Griffin’s argument with his cat was incredibly endearing, and he would have been lying if he would try to play off the bright blush that rose to his cheeks. Griffin’s apron was lazily lying on a chair next to him and his sleeves were rolled up, showing pale arms to match an equally pale body. His glasses were dangling by the tip of his nose for just a moment, before the younger man huffed and raised them a little with his shoulder, not letting go of his cat who was screaming in protest. All in all, Henry couldn’t deny that he looked incredibly good. Although it didn’t take long until Henry realized the position he currently was in.

He quickly jumped back under the cover of the door, looking around the hallway to make sure no one had seen him. Thank god, it was completely empty, although he then just took a deep, silent breath. Right, so Griffin is the source of all of these weird feelings, but now he had to figure out what this was. Come on Jekyll, you’re a smart man! You can figure this out, surely… Although he still felt just as clueless as before. Well, maybe he could try to talk to him first, and try to see if that would help him figure out what was going on? Well… He honestly felt scared of doing that. God damn it, doctor, where is your courage? Actually, he didn’t need courage. Before he even processed his train of thought and realized what he was doing, he stepped out from his hiding place and moved around the door, smiling a perfectly put-together smile as he gently knocked on the doorframe, successfully gaining the attention of both Griffin and his cat.

“Good afternoon, Griffin.” The doctor greeted, doing his absolute best to seem perfectly normal and not like his heart was beating much too fast for his liking, almost making him feel ill. High adrenaline, blushing cheeks, nervosity... These were symptoms he recognized and while hundreds of diseases had these as small landmarks of recognition, he couldn’t figure out any discerning symptoms he was currently having that would tell him what it was exactly. A lingering puzzle with a missing piece... And yet, Henry merely smiled and desperately tried to hide all of these horrible feelings inside of him, “Just thought I ought to come by and check on you, as I haven’t done that in a while. How are you? How is your work going?”

The neo-alchemist had, seemingly, caught the biochemist and his cat a bit off guard. Griffin’s cheeks turned a soft pink as it almost looked like he was about to drop his cat for a second or two, before he managed to recomposition himself, pressing the little beast against his chest while he cleared his throat, looking anywhere but at Henry. He hated to admit that it almost hurt to see that Griffin was avoiding his gaze.

“I’m... Uh, I’m fine. Work’s goin’ fine.” Griffin coughed slightly, the tips of his ears turning just as pink as his cheeks. The blonde cat in his arms merely looked curiously at the doctor, then looked at his feet as if in search of something. It did not take long for Henry to figure out that the little one was looking for Zosi, but seeing as Zosi was napping in his office, the little dog obviously was not here, which seemed to disappoint the little one greatly. Henry didn’t even notice how he stepped forward and began to gently scratch the feline behind his ears, while also making sure to glance up at Griffin... Griffin. Huh, that sounded quite similar to 'Muffin'... That was, actually, quite endearing. The doctor could swear his cheeks got just a little hotter at that mere thought.

“That’s good! I hope you don’t mind my visit too terribly. I know you like to be by yourself.” Henry smiled, cooing softly as he began to scratch the cat under his chin, a little bit oblivious to the way Griffin’s cheeks flared up even more at Henry’s words, as his gaze was currently held by the blond cat. Griffin himself, however, was quite thankful for that... And also very thankful that the doctor wasn’t close enough so he might hear the poor albino’s quickened heartbeat.

“It’s... It’s fine.” The younger man mumbled softly. He was not going to admit that he actually liked to have the doctor around... Especially since he didn’t even know why he felt that way. It was just Jekyll. Griffin didn’t like to have anyone around... But Jekyll was different. Something was different. Something he couldn’t put his finger on but god, he hated it. Although his thoughts remained oblivious to the doctor, even as Jekyll glanced back up at him. Both were oblivious to each other’s fleet heartbeats and rosy cheeks, despite both of their gazes being fixedly caught by each other’s eyes, “I don’t mind.”

The doctor smiled softly at the other man, straightening his back ever so slightly as he realized that he was awfully close to Mu- Griffin, as he was awfully close to Griffin. He could feel his cheeks quickly burning slightly at his mental slip up and he almost had to bite his tongue to not be too obvious. Jesus fucking Christ, doctor. Get a grip. He did his best to shake the feelings and thoughts off, just focusing on not letting any weird facial expression slip out... Even if it was quite hard to do so with a blush.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Henry breathed softly, hoping desperately that Griffin didn’t notice the way he gulped to try to get a grip on himself, although he only breathed a soft chuckle a few seconds later to try to play everything off, even if the nervosity that gnawed at his heart only got worse and worse and worse, “Tell me if you need anything, I’m always happy to help.”

“I... Yeah, of course.” Griffin coughed softly, almost as if he was shocked by the doctor saying such a thing, and yet that only confused Henry. He always made sure he was available to help the Lodgers, didn’t he? But... It was almost as if they both knew, deep down, that this was not a conversation that any of them would have with anyone... But each other. Neither of them would be this... This nervous and neither of them would do anything to avoid eye contact, cheeks tinted in pink, as they both just drank in the presence of each other, even if both of them would refuse to admit it... Especially since they didn’t know why they all of a sudden enjoyed each other’s company. It was awkward, to say the least, and quite intimidating, and yet both of them were just as oblivious to the reason.

They stood in silence for a little bit, both unsure of what to say that possibly could get rid of the small tension between them. Griffin didn’t try to change awkward silences, normally. He didn’t really care all that much for them and just ignored them because, in the end, he was neither in the mood nor had enough time to care about uncomfortable conversations and awkward tensions, but Henry, however, was a master of continuing conversations to avoid heavy silences, and yet now his head thought up a million different ways but not a single thought could connect to his tongue, rendering him a little speechless. It was almost scary because the neo-alchemist had never been speechless, and yet now... Something had cut off his tongue without permission, preventing him from doing the only thing he knew how to do with confidence. In the end, it didn’t seem like Muf- GRIFFIN. It didn’t seem like Griffin even noticed the way the doctor stayed silent for a little while longer than he normally did, so at least that was a plus, even if the doctor felt his cheeks burning up even worse.

“I’ll- uh, I’ll get going,” Henry finally managed to press out, clearing his throat softly as if trying to play off his burnt cheeks and the slight stutter in his voice, “I’ll be in my office if you need me. Good day, Griffin.” He smiled softly, as he carefully took a step back from the albino man, doing his best to convince himself that he was acting perfectly normal, because if he managed to convince himself of that, then he would, in the end, act perfectly normal. It was not quite as easy to fool himself as it seemed to be to fool Griffin, however, as the other man merely glanced away and did his best to press out a polite smile.

“Good day, doctor.”

They smiled politely at each other, as Henry turned and left from the way he came. As he left, he could hear the soft meows of the blond cat who had been so fixated on the doctor’s cuddles that he hadn’t thought about trying to be as loud and obnoxious as he usually was. Griffin and his cat were polar opposites, and yet Griffin clearly loved his cat a lot... It was adorable. The cat, he meant. The cat was adorable... Although he surprised himself a little with the thought that Griffin was cute. It almost got him to stop in his steps at such a mere realization, and yet he was very glad that Griffin couldn’t see him anymore, and that he couldn’t see as the doctor practically sprinted towards his office, trying to outrun his damned, intrusive thoughts.

--

Their little charade continued for a while; for some reason, Henry just kept getting drawn to the albino man. He would often find himself outside of Griffin’s and Maijabi’s lab after mindlessly strolling through the Society, and more often than not, his abstract shape of thoughts mixed and matched until he could vividly see the other man’s pale, grey eyes. Something was happening and yet it didn’t make sense. It didn’t make sense that it was happening to Griffin, too. Not only that, but all of these weird feelings just grew worse and worse the more time passed, and yet Henry didn’t hate it. It felt… Nice. When he thought of Griffin, he felt happy and at ease… Like a single rose petal calmly flowing through a forest river, or like a sparrow sunning in the warm sunlight above the clouds; calm, happy, so relaxed… That was, at least, until all the physical reactions of whatever was going on became overwhelming. Sadly, it just got more and more overpowering the more time passed. He kept excusing himself to just go and lay down on the couch in his office when his heartbeat felt too light and fragile and the constant blush on his face made him feel feverish. He knew he wasn’t sick because it was only around Griffin, and yet that didn’t make it any better. Yet, the doctor was adamant about finding the source for why these feelings existed, and why they kept plaguing and pestering him.

His heart felt heavy as he, once again, pushed his work away on his desk and put his head against his workspace in frustration. It had been over a week since he found that Griffin had something to do with this and he had gotten little to no work done during that entire time. He could laugh himself lucky that he didn’t have a lot of work as it was, both since the Exhibition was over and since Lanyon had graciously helped him with most of the paperwork, but god. It was frustrating. He couldn’t sit around and do nothing all day. He needed to get to the bottom of all of these weird feelings and end them because they were honestly getting annoying at this point. Sure, they felt nice but he was quite sure that the Lodgers thought he was sick and frail or something at this point, and then they would start to question him and then he would have to explain that he had no idea what was happening.

Henry sighed softly, rubbed his aching forehead as he glanced into his reflection, currently displayed on the full-body mirror beside his desk. It was his own face and his own body that he looked into, not the one of his alter ego, for once. Hyde often found the doctor’s pathetic attempt at being productive dreadfully boring, so Jekyll was, for once, alone with his thoughts and own weird feelings, at least for a while, until Hyde would decide to poke his head out once more to annoy him. The doctor stared at his reflection for quite a while, before he once more sighed and turned back to his desk, pulling out a drawer to grab a clean paper. He had to get to the bottom of these feelings somehow, and as a true scientist, he would do what he did best; write down, hypothesize, categorize and conclude.

Feelings

Source: Griffin?

Symptoms: quick heartbeat, blush, nervosity, restlessness, no focus, want to be around him?

Possible reasons: sick? Can’t be allergic to a person. Experiment or prank made by Lodgers?

Similarities: disease, never felt this before

Henry watched the paper for a very long moment, nibbling softly on the tip of his pen. Well, he couldn’t say that he had never felt this way before because he was quite sure this was not the first time he felt like this, but now it was stronger, and yet so unfamiliar. With a small hesitation, he stroked over ‘never’, before he continued.

Similarities: disease, never felt this before - when?

When. When had the doctor felt like this before? He couldn’t even remember ever feeling anywhere close to what he felt right now but he had felt it sometime. Or maybe he was just mixing it up? No… No, he didn’t. He had felt this before and he felt it strong, but not as calm as he did it now. Who had been the source of that?

Wait.

He had felt this for Morcant.

Henry stopped, his entire body tensing and paralyzing as he stared into the pressed lead on the paper. Morcant? Yes, that was right, he had felt this for Morcant but that had mostly been lust. This was not lust. This was… This was lighter, happier, softer…

Was this... Was this love?

Was he in love?

With Griffin?

Oh, god…

But why? Why Griffin?

Henry merely continued to stare at his paper, feeling his stomach clench as if he was starting to get seasick, but he merely pressed the back of his hand to his mouth and tried to bite down the feeling of nausea as it began to build up inside of him. It didn’t make sense and yet… It explained so much. Why he was nervous, why he wanted to be around the other man… Why he kept subconsciously calling him ‘Muffin’. God… The doctor could do nothing but to crumble the paper, tossing it in a nearby trashcan before he folded his arms over the desk, hiding his face on the fold and as he let out a long, deep moan of agony. Why Griffin? Why not someone who made sense? Why couldn’t he have fallen in love with… Oh, someone like Emma Carew, or another one of the ladies and bachelorettes he met during banquets? Why did it have to be someone who clearly did not like people romantically at all? Why did it have to be one of the Lodgers? God, he was setting himself up for heartbreak…

“What are you so depressed about now, doc?”

“Fuck off, Hyde. I’m not in the mood.”

“I noticed.”

The doctor didn’t even bother looking up to meet the gaze of his alter ego, especially so when he heard an irritated huff coming from the blond man. Of course Hyde was going to butt in the very moment that Henry didn’t want him to and yet he was lucky that Hyde hadn’t seen or heard what the doctor had realized. Although he doubted that it would be a secret for much longer. He could practically feel how the ghostly specter of Edward Hyde moved around him, looking him up and down from every angle, trying to find what was going on.

“Seriously, what’s up with you? Did you take a look at your own pitiful life again?”

“No, Hyde. I figured out that I’m in bloody love and you are not fucking helping the situation.” Jekyll hissed, practically throwing his head up as he snapped at the other man, slamming his hands against the desk. He was in love. He was enamored and he fucking hated it because now he was going to get his heart broken. What the fuck.

“Woah, woah, woah. Back up there, buckaroo.” The specter heckled, putting the palms of his hands up as he looked at his counterpart, “You’re in love? Since when? Who?”

Henry merely looked tiredly at Hyde, feeling the exhaustion of his outburst riddle his already tired body as he sank against his desk once more, face buried in his arms. He felt absolutely miserable and he hated it. All of this, merely because he couldn’t control his damned emotions and all of this because it had to be a man he couldn’t have… Not to mention that it was a man. Why couldn’t it have been a woman? Someone he was allowed to fall for? Although he couldn’t imagine that he would have felt any better if it was one of the female Lodgers… Or any other lady, for that matter.

“Since now, apparently.” Jekyll sighed softly, gently massaging his temples to try to soothe his oncoming headache, “or at least I figured it out now. Shouldn’t you know about that already? You are me, after all.”

“I might be you but that doesn’t mean I go poking around in all of those horrid love corners in the mindscape. They are disgustingly cliché, honestly.”

Henry merely rolled his eyes, although it was not really noticeable as he was not looking at his counterpart. Instead, he merely swallowed his pride and sighed, knowing he would just make it worse by trying to put off admitting it and telling Hyde.

“It’s Griffin. I think I’m in love with Griffin.”

Henry was quite sure he could hear Hyde’s jaw drop, even when not looking at him, even when he made no move to turn towards him.

“Griffin?” Hyde parroted, almost like he was trying to process what Jekyll just had said, “Seward Griffin? Lodger Griffin? Are we talking about the same Griffin right now?”

“Do we know any other Griffins?”

“Well… No, but still! You are in love with bloody Seward Griffin?”

“That’s what I just said, yes. Trust me, I’m just as surprised as you are.”

Henry felt his alter ego staring at him intensely, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to care. At one point, he felt horrible, because it almost felt predatory to be in love with someone who was technically his employee… But at the same time, it felt nice to have realized that all of these horrible feelings… Were merely feelings of love. It didn’t make it much better but it was at least something. At least something… God, what had he dug himself into?

“I can’t believe you, doctor. What the fuck.”

Jekyll, once more, merely rolled his eyes as he felt his cheeks turn a vibrant shade of red. He was honestly not sure if it was Hyde or Henry himself who was telling him off but Jesus christ... What the fuck. What was he thinking? He was risking losing so much right now, just because of a stupid crush. He could risk losing Griffin if he ever found out about it, and then he might lose the Lodgers... Not to mention what would happen if it got out that Henry liked men. His reputation would collapse and he would be thrown into prison or Bethlam and the Society would crumble. He could not afford to try to keep or act out on these feelings. He had to get rid of them, and he had to do so quickly...

But why did that thought hurt?

He knew, deep down, that he didn’t want to get rid of... Whatever he was feeling. A small part of him hoped that Griffin, by some knack of fate, would return his feelings... But what would they do then? What would he do then? What would he do if Griffin didn’t feel the same, or worse, would be disgusted if he found out? So many ‘what if’s that continuously circled the doctor’s head like hungry vultures willing to peck him to pieces to gnaw at his corpse and he couldn’t get them out of his head. He didn’t even notice how his head sank until his forehead rested against the edge of his desk, his slim hands softly gripping his hair in frustration. God, what was he going to do? What could he do? He couldn’t just... Go up to Griffin, could he? Of course he couldn’t. He would... He would simply have to keep this a secret. Like almost everything else in his life...

“Stop being such a depressed bastard.” His alter ego moaned from somewhere behind the doctor, but Henry couldn’t gather the energy to care, so he didn’t even glance up at the other man, and Hyde just continued, “You can probably... Oh, I don’t know, seduce him? I could seduce him for you.”

“Seduce him?! Hyde, we are not going to seduce Griffin. What is wrong with you?”

“Well, a lot of things, we can go into that later, but isn’t that what you want though?”

“I don’t want to seduce him. Seduce him is just... Is just your forte. I don’t want to just... Just sleep with him. I want him, I think. Not what he can give me.”

Hyde did not seem very convinced, or at least the huff he gave off gave the doctor that impression. He was still avoiding looking at the blond man and for a very good reason, as he did not want to face the consequences of his actions mocking him for his newfound feelings for a man he couldn’t have, especially since he was well aware that Hyde thought himself above anything of a romantical interest. Anything that wasn’t purely sexual was a waste of time in his eyes, and Henry did not feel like making his horrible situation even worse.

“Then just go and talk to him or something. What are you so bloody afraid of?”

“Oh, I don’t know; rejection, humiliation, prison, Bethlam, and losing everyone I love due to being involved in homosexuality, for starters?”

“I... Okay, fair enough.”

The doctor huffed softly, almost a bit amused, although he did not stay in a good mood for long. Well, that was a lie; one part of him was ecstatic of having found out that about the source of his feelings, being annoyingly optimistic and so happy to be in love because it was just so bright and light and ugh, and then there was this part of him that knew how horrible this was because he knew he was just setting himself to get his heart destroyed. His heart felt so full and so empty at the same time and he hated it. And yet he knew that all he could do was to hope and pray to whichever gods existed that the feelings would go away, so he could forget about this... And yet he knew he was just trying to fool himself. There was no way he would be able to get over Griffin quickly... But he could at least hope.

--

Hope was useless, in Henry’s opinion, because as another week passed, he noticed little to no change in his feelings. Not only did it become increasingly obvious that something was up with the doctor, because even bloody Lanyon, who had the empathic awareness of a pebble, noticed that Henry had been becoming more and more red-faced and adrenaline-charged during the last few days, but these bloody feelings that Henry had been so desperate to get rid off just kept returning and returning no matter what he did. Not only that, but more often than not, he just kept finding himself visiting Griffin, and he just kept finding himself daydreaming over and over. He had to cancel two entire banquets because his head was so far into the clouds that he literally could not focus on anything at all, and he definitely didn’t want to risk humiliating himself in front of the entire London aristocracy because he wasn’t paying attention.

That wasn’t even the worst part.

For some godforsaken reason, Henry kept referring to Griffin as ‘Muffin’.

First, it was only in his own mind. At some point, he got tired of correcting himself so he just stopped doing it, feeling quite bittersweet about the fact that he had already given Griffin a pet name while he, simultaneously, was trying to get rid of his crush. However, it only got worse from there, seeing as he had, more than once, accidentally called the albino ‘Muffin’ out loud, in front of the LODGERS.

The first time it had happened, he had been invited to a drink by some of them in the Main Parlor, a pleasant way to spend the late evening and especially so since the doctor had gotten more and more reserved, which had been noticed by some of the other scientists. They had wanted to “warm him up” and get him a bit more open with them, and at some point, the conversation had shifted to Griffin; something about his cat always escaping his room and demanding cuddles from the other Lodgers. Henry had wanted to make an anecdote about the relationship between the cat and Zosi, except instead of saying “Griffin’s cat is a good friend of Zosi’s”, he had accidentally said “Muffin’s cat”. Not only had most of the Lodgers noticed the doctor’s slip up, but they had roared with laughter. Luckily, Henry could blame it on having one too many drinks but considering that he had higher alcohol tolerance than the entire building combined and only had one glass of wine, it was far from believable, although the other seemed to have accepted it. However, that didn’t stop all the damned bastards from teasing the poor doctor about it, luckily nowhere near Griffin himself.

Then, it just continued to happen, all the time. Didn’t matter when or how because Henry kept slipping up. At this point, he had refused to talk about Griffin at all because he knew he would accidentally call him ‘Muffin’. That didn’t stop all of the Lodgers from continuing to tease the poor bastard. Luckily, some of them, like Virginia and Lavender, were understanding of Henry’s continuous mispronunciation, but some, like… All of the men in the Society were not as kind. And then, of course, Frankenstein had caught wind of it. That was a check-up that Henry didn’t want to remember at all and at this point, Henry resided in locking himself up in his office to avoid humiliation. Just like he was doing right now.

It was quite late, although not the usual time when the doctor would start to travel home. The entire day had been filled with meeting after meeting and Henry was just exhausted, and yet he couldn’t be bothered traveling home now that he was free… Mostly because he was a bit scared of getting confronted by Lodgers the moment he would open the door. Of course he could be lucky and not meet anyone but that was a risk he was not willing to take. Either way, he continued to stare down on the paper in front of him, feeling his heart clench as his eyes began to grow heavy. He was so tired and he honestly couldn’t focus at all. He was honestly not sure what documents he was currently trying to write on because his vision began to grow blurry and his brain felt like a baker trying to knead a stubborn dough. The soft ramblings of Hyde were completely drowned out through the exhaustion that riddled Henry’s mind and he could almost feel how his body began to grow heavy. He couldn’t fall asleep but he was so tired. He could honestly not remember for how long he had been awake and sleep sounded so heavenly. It didn’t take long until he lost his fight with consciousness, and he vaguely felt his previously propped-up arm fall against the table, bringing his head down with it as he had previously rested his chin upon his palm. It didn’t take long until he was completely out cold, as if he had fallen dead on the spot, his mind drifting off into the abstract wonders of the human subconscious, but not for long.

--

His brain still felt quite mushy, and especially so as he was forced awake once more. There was a slight ring in his ears as his brain began to turn its cogs; inconsistent, abstract thoughts softly gathering in his noggin. A soft huff of irritation threatened to escape his throat at being interrupted from his short nap, although it did not take long he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders. Then he heard harsh meows, and something he could process as undecipherable words, and then louder meows… What was going on?

“Hmm?”

The doctor began to move ever so slightly, and it did not take long until he realized the position he was in. Apparently, he had fallen asleep on his desk, but now there was a pillow on top of his arms, and his old plaid laid on top of his body, radiating the comforting warmth that Henry always sought after when he was feeling bad. But he could still feel the hands on him; warm, a bit boney as he could feel through his layers of clothes and the blanket, but definitely familiar, although it did take a moment or two before he finally managed to get enough energy to open his eyes. To his surprise, the first thing he noticed was that his previously dark room was lit, giving him the perfect view of a mop of snow-white hair. The other man tried to leap away, but the doctor was faster, and somehow managed to catch a very light grip on the biochemist's hand. Henry was quite sure he could combust on the spot, because he felt himself smiling so brightly and yet his lack of energy was obvious, even for the doctor. Still, he managed to find enough to rub his thumb over Griffin’s hand, as the other man turned to look at Henry.

“Than’ you, Muffin.” The doctor murmured softly, not noticing or caring for his slip-up as he then nuzzled into the pillow, his eyelids falling shut as he carefully tucked his arm back under the pillow. All memories of what he had just done washed away quickly, softly lulling Henry into tranquility, allowing him to, once more, fall fast asleep. He didn’t notice the way that Griffin continued to stare at him, or the way Griffin’s cheeks had turned a million shades redder as the biochemist fell even more in love, but instead, Henry just continued to dream as Griffin took his cat and quickly escaped the office. The doctor merely fell back asleep, his dreams filled with images of snow-white hair on top of snow-white skin, tinted glasses upon a straight nose, orange shirt covering lean arms… Henry continued to sleep in pure bliss, unaware of the effect he had on the slightly younger man.

--

Henry Jekyll didn’t want to wake up.

He had slept soundly through the night, having had the best quality of sleep than he has had for ages, but now he didn’t want to wake up at all, despite his back hurting worse than… God knows what. He just wanted to go back to sleep, and especially so since all of his dreams had been so… So…

He felt his cheeks turn just redder, adding another burst of small energy that kept him from shutting his mind off and falling back asleep once more. Ugh… God. This crush was getting out of hand. He could have sworn that he dreamt about holding Griffin’s hand tonight, and calling him ‘Muffin’… Heh, he had even dreamt that the other man had tucked the doctor in. It was a sweet dream but it hurt a little to know that it was merely that; a dream. Either way, Henry did not dare to think too much about it but instead took a deep breath as he then began to softly open his eyes, trying to look around him. Huh… He had fallen asleep in his office, seemingly. Yeah, he definitely had. But why was the light turned on? He never had the light on, not even during the evenings, preferring to reside in darkness. His confusion did not get any better as he let out a soft groan, moving his head slightly. Why… Why were his arms tucked under a pillow? Wait, the plaid he had on his couch was around his shoulders, too… As he began to wake up more and more, he felt himself get even more and more confused. He couldn’t remember getting those himself, so…

Wait.

Had… Had it not been a dream? Had he not dreamt that Griffin… That Griffin came in and gave him a blanket? No, of course, he had dreamt that, but then why…

Henry leaned back against his chair, taking a good look around the room. The light was turned on, the plaid and one of the pillows that had been laying on the couch were wrapped around his shoulders and had been tucked between his head and arms… Nothing the doctor had done, so someone must have been in here, but who? Not Griffin, because why would the biochemist be in his office? Or why would he care? If he, for some reason, had found the doctor asleep, why wouldn’t he just let him be? Not that he would have minded it if… If it was Griffin but obviously it was not. Henry shouldn’t kid himself to believe that he would ever have a chance with Muf- GRIFFIN. His name is still Griffin and yet he continues to call him ‘Muffin’. Even then, as Henry’s face turned a few shades redder and as he began to rub his tired eyes… He couldn’t help but admit that he actually liked calling Griffin ‘Muffin’... Even then, he knew he was just making it harder for himself. He should get over this crush before it got too bad, but why was it so hard? He just couldn’t seem to let go...

Although he did not get far into his thinking, since he soon heard a soft knock on the door.

The doctor’s voice was caught in his throat, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t press out a reply to the visitor, either to welcome them in or to turn them away, but even as he was caught in his voiceless hymn, he could hear the doorknob turning before the door soon opened, which revealed…

Griffin?

“Good morning, doctor.”

The albino man smiled softly, although nervously, at the man at the desk. Both of their cheeks turned a few shades redder, although Griffin’s own had stayed the same red the moment he had entered Henry’s office the evening before, not having lost a single ounce of shade at all despite the long time that had passed since. Henry, of course, did not know that, but he found the delicate shade on the other man’s cheeks so endearing, so enchanting... He wanted to reach out and touch the blush with his own fingers but he was awfully aware that Griffin was still lingering in the doorway, and Henry was still hanging on his desk. That was not the only thing he noticed, however, as he soon gazed down and saw that Griffin was carrying a tray of food. The man in question just followed the doctor’s gaze until it landed on what he had in his hands, to which his cheeks flared up even more and he did his best to clear his throat.

“I- Uh... I thought I should... Uh... Should bring you some breakfast.” The albino man said, stepping a little closer but clearly hesitating, “I found you asleep on your desk last evening. Thought I ought to... Help you out a little. I hope you don’t mind.”

The doctor blinked in surprise, almost sure he hadn’t heard the other man right, and yet it was as clear as day that Henry had heard and understood perfectly well, although as he watched Griffin glance away a bit uncomfortably, Henry realized he had both been staring and been silent the whole time. God. His cheeks burnt up even more but he did his best to smile at the other man, trying to mask the way his heart began to beat faster and faster. Even more so when he realized that it had been Griffin who had put the plaid on him yesterday, and he hadn’t simply been dreaming… Even if the memory felt quite blurry.

“That’s really kind of you, Griffin. I appreciate it.” Henry smiled, doing his best to straighten his position on his chair so he would look… More presentable, although it did not take long for him to notice that his clothes were a mess and that his hair was even more so, not to mention that it seemed quite obvious in his voice and expressions that he had just woken up. Great… He was looking like a fool in front of his crush. How wonderful, although it didn’t seem like Griffin minded all that much. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” The other man murmured, finally getting closer so he could place the tray on the desk. His arms hurt like a bitch and he felt dangerously close to dropping the entire thing, which would be absolutely catastrophic. His nerves and adrenaline had kept him constantly shaking softly since yesterday evening and that, together with walking so many stairs with a heavy tray when you weren’t very strong to begin with, was not a good combination. Either way, he smiled gently in appreciation as Henry moved the pillow from the desk, making enough space for Griffin to place the tray down with a soft groan, stretching his arms slightly to get rid of the stiffness the moment he could let go of the tray. God, ouch. “I uh… I asked Rachel what you like, so I hope it's right.”

Henry took a moment to look down at the tray, now that he had a full view of it, and was pleasantly surprised to find his go-to comfort breakfast on the plates. If he was honest, he normally didn’t even eat breakfast but he often forced himself to get some when he was feeling bad, like when he was sick, and he was not surprised to see that Rachel had memorized it; fried eggs, scones, thick-cut bacon, toast, and cold black tea. Not all that healthy but Henry adored it, and he was quite glad that he didn’t have to force-feed himself half an equivalent of dinner at the start of the morning like Rachel often tried to give him, and especially so when he hadn’t bothered to take care of himself in a while.

“It’s more than alright, Griffin. It looks wonderful.” He smiled, although that smile soon got cut off by a soft yawn escaping his thin lips. He was still quite exhausted and that was noticeable. It almost felt like all of his already little amount of energy disappeared in that single yawn. Said yawn, however, only seemed to concern Griffin, who ignored the doctor’s previous words of appreciation, although he didn’t say anything else either, even as the biochemist’s attention soon was on the blond cat who had followed him without his knowledge, and was currently jumping up to cuddle with a very energetic Zosi on the latter’s bed.

“Goddamn beast.” He grumbled slightly. It didn’t matter what he did to try to stop that bastard from trying to follow him to Jekyll’s office because he still followed, quite persistently, in an attempt to meet Zosi. Griffin just shook his head softly, sighing. “Zosi came by yesterday evening to play with the little Mister here, but I got a bit suspicious since he was alone. You were fast asleep on your desk so I… Uh, helped you out a little. I’m sorry for waking you up, though.”

The doctor merely raised his eyebrow a bit at that. Zosi had been with Rachel that evening since Henry had work to do so that would explain why he managed to visit Griffin and his cat, but he could barely remember waking up. Well, yes, he could, but it felt blurry, a bit distant. Yeah, he definitely must have dreamt some parts of it up because he had a vague feeling he had called Griffin ‘Muffin’ to his face, and that he grabbed his hand or something… Henry might have been tired but he wasn’t that out of it, right? Either way, Henry just waved his hand a bit dismissively, pulling his chair out a little to stand up and stretch his back. He guessed it was a bad sign that his back popped loud enough for Griffin to hear, as the other man almost flinched at the sound, but Henry merely continued to smile softly at him.

“I couldn’t even remember waking up, honestly. At least not vividly. I think my brain is fogging it up with dreams and whatnot.” The doctor huffed softly, taking a moment to stretch his -likewise stale and stiff- shoulders. God, at least he was glad that Griffin helped to get him a pillow and a blanket, otherwise he might have been hurting even more. It… Honestly made him quite happy and yet his heart just squeezed tightly. Griffin was so close, but so far out of reach… It hurt so much. Although it did not hurt as much as when he saw the expression on Griffin’s face. For a split second, he could have sworn that the albino man had a look of hurt plastered over his features, but either Henry was imagining it, or the other man was quick to cover it up, and instead merely cleared his throat slightly, even if he couldn’t hide the soft pink shade that was on his pale skin. It was quite endearing, but it did not help Henry’s yearning at all.

“I’m glad I didn’t disturb you too much then.” Griffin merely said, running a hand through his fluffy locks of white hair. It ached in Henry’s fingers, wanting to be the one to be able to fluff up the other man’s hair but he stood where he was, still stretching his arms gently. He wanted to do so much to Griffin, and it took a lot of self-control to not reach out, but Henry was used to keeping control of himself and his body, even if it hurt. “I’ll… Uh, I’ll just get going. Good day, doctor.”

Griffin scratched his neck awkwardly, sighing softly as he turned to move towards the door. Much like yesterday, when he had caught a vague glimpse of Zosi wrestling the cat off of the chest, he watched the two companions share a look with each other before looking back at him and Henry. Griffin did not get much further, however, as the blond cat soon hurled through the air like a shot from a cannon, having jumped from the chest and crashed right into the biochemist, sending the other man stumbling backward in shock. Sure, the cat was quite small and light but the shock and the force got Griffin to lose his balance, closing his eyes to prepare to hit the ground.

Except… He couldn’t feel himself hit the floor.

Very hesitantly, the albino opened his eyes and was immediately met with the red ones belonging to Henry. It only took a split second before he realized that Henry had caught him, and was currently holding him dipped like you would during a waltz.

They stared right into each other’s eyes, both breaths hitched in their throats. Griffin was awfully aware of the older man’s arms currently around his waist and Henry was horribly aware of how close they were to each other… And how close their faces were. Their noses almost touched and for a moment, they couldn’t hear the loud yelling of Griffin’s cat. Their cheeks tinted in a bright red as their gazes quickly darted over each other’s faces, taking in every detail. Griffin could perfectly see the way Henry’s adam’s apple moved as the older man gulped, and god, it took so much self-control to not do anything stupid…

But Henry, however, did not seem to have that kind of self-control.

“Fuck it.”

Griffin could barely process the doctor’s soft grumble, but he did not need to as he soon felt the other man’s lips crashing against his own.

The biochemist was not proud to admit that he squealed quite loudly at the sudden gesture, his eyes widening even more than they already had been once Henry had caught him. Even then, he was so surprised that he, for a moment, thought he was just dreaming, but it didn’t take long until he brought his hands up to cradle the other man’s face, doing his best to respond to the kiss. It didn’t matter that they both were completely out of breath after only a few seconds, it didn’t matter that they both were inexperienced and it didn’t matter that they both couldn’t believe that this was real. They just continued to grip and grab after each other and god, Henry felt like he could combust on the spot. Griffin's fingers were pleasantly cool against his warm skin and god, he couldn’t believe that he was kissing the man he had unintentionally fallen in love with. Even then, it did not take long until they parted, both gasping for air as they just… Stared at each other, gazes fixated on the other’s eyes. Although the moment soon got ruined once Griffin realized the position they were in, and the fact that he felt dangerously close to falling to the ground, to which he instinctively wrapped his arms around Henry’s shoulders, practically clinging to him.

“Please don’t drop me.”

“I wouldn’t dare to.”

Henry smiled gently at the other man, debating if he should just keep Griffin there for a moment, just to see the shy blush on the other man’s face, but his own back began to hurt too much and he reluctantly straightened their position, making sure that Griffin got his balance back before he even dared to let go of him. His gaze caught Zosi and Griffin’s cat for a moment, who were cuddled up on Zosi’s bed once more, and for a moment, he wondered if the cat had done this on purpose. After all, he had literally just jumped on his owner and then gone back to cuddle with Zosi. Even then, Henry’s attention was quickly back at the other man, the soft smile never leaving his face, only getting brighter once he noticed the crooked glasses on the albino’s nose. He didn’t even notice what he did until he had already reached out and gently fixed them for the other man, who only got more surprised and flustered by the gesture. Even then, there was a question caught in both of their minds that they just… Couldn’t shake off.

“How long have you… You know..?” Henry started, gesturing between the two of them while being a bit unsure how to phrase the question as he was… Still quite scared that he had misread the situation. Griffin didn’t seem upset or disgusted, so it couldn’t be that bad, right? Either way, Griffin merely hesitated for a second, scratching his neck nervously, before gulping.

“I only… Uh… I only realized that I… Had a thing for you, like… Yesterday.” Griffin huffed, not daring to say “had a crush” or “loved”, but instead rephrased it to save himself the embarrassment, although he then continued before Henry could misinterpret, “...I have had the feelings for a lot longer, though.”

Oh, oh wow. That really got a bright grin to appear on Henry’s lips.

“And here I was, thinking I was doomed because I had feelings for you.” The doctor joked softly, not being able to keep himself from softly reaching out to brush his hand over Griffin’s cheek, which just got Griffin’s cheeks to flare up even more. “I’m glad you decided to stop by, so we could get this sorted. I have barely gotten any work done because these... Feelings kept distracting me.”

Griffin’s expression was, honest to god, priceless, and Henry could feel his skin tingling pleasantly as the albino man, although a bit nervously, reached up to place his hand over Henry’s. In a moment of courage, the biochemist quickly got closer, pressing their lips together for a short second. Sadly, Henry did not get any time to realize what the other man had done until Griffin began to retreat once more, although the doctor didn’t mind. He could see the dark blush upon Seward’s cheeks much better this way.

“You should eat,” Griffin murmured instead, seemingly trying to change the topic, mostly because he always felt a bit uncomfortable in... Emotional moments, even if it was a happy one. He was not used to them and he didn’t want to get sentimental, so changing the topic was the best thing he could do. “Rachel told me you like to skip out on breakfast, so she told me to make sure you ate today.”

“Oh, fine, you caught me.” The doctor joked, finally moving his hand from Griffin’s cheek to put both of them up in a peaceful gesture, although it was obvious that both of them missed the touch, even if neither would admit that. “I’ll have to forget not taking care of myself nowadays, hm?”

A soft, almost teasy grin appeared on Griffin’s lips, although he also huffed softly at Henry’s words.

“The fact that you somehow managed to neglect yourself so much right under our noses was almost impressive, but you can forget about it now, Honeybun.”

Henry had merely chuckled in amusement for a split second, until he actually managed to hear the nickname that the albino slipped in, but the moment he managed to process it, he could feel his body freeze while his cheeks turned red. He blinked, mouth agape as he almost began to stutter, much to the amusement of Griffin, although the other’s cheeks were still slightly pink.

“I- did you just-?”

“Call you Honeybun? Well... Yeah. If you are going to call me 'Muffin' all the time, I might as well return it, eh?” While Griffin clearly was trying to seem confident and unbothered, it was clear that his own act had made him slightly flustered. Although not as much as Henry was, as his entire face exploded in red. Oh god...

“...The others told you, didn’t they?” Poor Henry mumbled, hiding his face in his hands, although that did nothing to cover up the red shade on his skin, which was traveling down his neck and all the way to his fingertips. He could not see Griffin’s facial expressions but he could hear a slight chuckle, although it was brief.

“Actually, no... You called me ‘Muffin’ yesterday evening when I accidentally woke you up. Although Virginia told me you have been calling me ‘Muffin’ a lot when I wasn’t around, though.”

“VIRGINIA told you?” Henry gasped, “God, I thought Helsby or Sinnett had snitched a long time ago... Jesus fucking christ... But of course, it had to be Virginia who told on me. She has always been a bastard. It’s always those you think you can trust.”

“Calling your own apprentice a bastard, now, are you?”

“Yeah, well, I’m going to call you a bastard too so if I can call my crush a bastard, I can call my apprentice a bastard as well, thank you very much.”

Henry was almost ashamed to admit that he couldn’t recall ever hearing Griffin laugh a full-on laugh, but as the biochemist began to laugh -not a mere chuckle!- the doctor couldn’t help but to grin ever so slightly, feeling the quick beating of his heart calming down little by little, even if he was still nowhere near ‘calm’. He was still by far more flustered than he had been in years, and yet he almost didn’t mind all that much... Almost.

Even then, as both of them began to calm down, and as they both settled by the doctor’s desk to share the breakfast once Henry realized that Griffin hadn’t eaten yet either, the both of them couldn’t help but be thankful for their little bastards of pets. After all, without them, they both doubted that either of them would have had the courage to face or admit their feelings for the other.

Even then, both of them had to admit that their newfound relationship was sweet; sweet as honey-drizzled muffins.

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Up on Ao3!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31496828

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[yahikuro]

...surprise

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