The Strange Love of Dr Jekyll and Mr Utterson

Chapter five- A Second Meeting

Utterson awoke from a feverish haze, shaking and drenched in sweat. The moonlight trickled around the edges of the heavy curtain. He tried to swallow and winced as his dry throat stung. He staggered out of bed and wrapped a robe around himself before slipping out of the room and creeping downstairs to the kitchen. He was pouring himself a drink when the servants door creaked open.

It was Mr Hyde. His hair was dishevelled and he was breathing heavily, and the hand pressed to his lip was slick with blood. Utterson set his glass down and stared, unsure what to do.

"What are you doing here?" Hyde said in a rough voice that made Utterson flinch.
"I just... I needed..." the excuses died in his throat when Hyde limped into the light, revealing livid bruises and fresh cuts scattered across his face and arms. His shirt was torn, revealing an ugly wound splayed across his chest.
"Good heavens what happened to you?" Utterson rushed forward but stopped when Hyde stumbled back.
The man ran a bloodied hand through his hair.

"Nothing of concern." He gave a smile that contorted into a grimace of pain. The blood from his split lip had stained his teeth red. The desperate shifty look in his wild eyes reminded Utterson of a cornered animal. He lowered his arms and stepped backwards, and saw some of the panic ebb from Hyde.
"Mr Hyde-"
"Please, call me Edward."
"You are hurt. Perhaps it would be best if I woke Dr Jekyll, and he could help you." Utterson moved towards the door, but Hyde lunged forward and grabbed hold of his sleeve.
"No! Believe me sir, nothing would irritate our Dr Jekyll more than having to tend to me at this hour. I simply came to collect my keys, then I will go to my own home."
"I can't let you leave in this state, surely it's better if you stay."
Hyde softened his grip on Utterson's arm, and took a step closer. Utterson's robe had slipped, and his breath hitched as Hyde gently rearranged the silk across his chest, his bruised knuckles brushing Utterson's collarbone.

"Perhaps you would be kind enough to help me bandage my wounds, Gabriel."
Utterson gulped. "I'm not sure I have the expertise to-"
Hyde leaned closer. "I'll show you." He grinned wickedly. Utterson's eye was drawn to a drop of blood that beaded on Hyde's bottom lip. He had the urge to brush it away, but restrained himself. The droplet ran down to Hyde's jaw in a near-black river.
"Very well." Utterson pulled away, glad the darkness hid the blush spreading across his face.
He found a roll of bandages and cleaning alcohol, and sat at the small kitchen table.
"I agreed to help you. Will you agree to tell me what happened?"
Hyde chuckled. "You won't approve."
Utterson brushed a stray lock of hair out of Hyde's face and dabbed at a cut above his eye.

"I went out. I enjoy being out late, it comes with a certain degree of freedom."
Utterson pursed his lips together, thinking of what his cousin had told him about the trampled girl. That had happened late at night as well.
"I had a bit too much to drink, got into a fight with a couple men bigger than me and spent a few hours sobering up in a ditch before I dragged myself over here." Hyde stared at his scarred knuckles on the table. He grinned. "For three against one, I like to think I put up quite a fight." His dark eyes met Utterson's. "And I don't think the other gentlemen have a guardian angel to patch them up."

Utterson said nothing, choosing to focus instead on bandaging the shallow wound on Hyde's arm. There was now only one thing left to tend to, the injury on Hyde's chest. He hesitated, and then started to unbutton the other man's shirt. He hid his smile at the blush that spread across Hyde's face. A silence fell in the kitchen as Utterson worked. When he was finished, they sat for a few minutes, reluctant to shatter what was between them. They only moved when they heard the servants get up and start to move around.
Hyde shrugged his tattered shirt back on and moved towards the door. He picked up his keys and stood in the door, as though waiting for Utterson to say something.

"I apologise for keeping you so long, Gabriel."
"When will I see you again, Edward?"
Hyde gave a rare soft smile. "Sooner than you may think."
Before thinking about what he was doing, Utterson rushed forward and pressed a kiss to Hyde's cheek.
"Stay safe."
He left Hyde standing still in the kitchen, and went back to his room. Collapsing on the bed, he closed his eyes and examined Hyde's face in his imagination. He could smell his cologne and the coppery scent of his blood. He stayed where he was as the sun rose above the foggy streets of London.