Author's Note: Hello all! This is definitely new territory as this is my first slash fic. And the pairing is two very straight characters. Anywho, I figured I'd take a stab at this, thanks to a very well known author, twiniitowers, who is also my BETA for this story. I have to thank her so much for all of the help, advice, and guidance that she's given me, and also for being a good friend. So, this goes out to you Carol- the entire story :).

I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and this story. I'd like to know what you think also; whether or not I should continue or give up.

Thanks!

Much Love,

Angie

"Hyde, there's something wrong with me... I swear," the scrawny seventeen-year-old Eric Forman whined as he shut the basement door, head hung low. He had grabbed the older boy's attention from the magazine he had been reading. As always, an amused smirk began to creep on his best friend's lips; Eric's silent sign for him to continue speaking. "I shouldn't have kissed her after Todd Rundgren, I should have gone inside. I mean, the kiss was good, I guess, but there's something off!" He paused and turned to the curly-haired boy, expecting some sort of comment. Yet when Hyde just stared at him, Eric sighed and collapsed on the couch. "I figure it's because we're so close. Like brother and sister... she's beautiful, but I just... I can't get over how we're like siblings. The days where she'd shove me on the ground and force me to eat dirt-" that earned a chuckle, "and the 'you're my brother, Eric, I love you.' Damn... I'm out of my mind to not be attracted to her!" Eric cried in distress.

But there was more. More that Eric wasn't saying, the real reason there was something wrong with him. This disgusting being within him that caused him turmoil at night. That scraped at his mind, clawed at his inner wants and wishes that had blinded him, especially tonight.

"Yeah, she's not bad," was all Hyde had said. Eric grimaced and faced his best friend once more, not sure what to say. But surprisingly, he didn't have to say another word.

"So, you don't like her, big deal. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you." Hyde mumbled, sliding his legs off of the coffee table corner that they had been resting on. A loud cracking noise was heard after he twisted each of his ankles.

"But that's..." Eric trailed off, trying his hardest to remain calm. To not spill his guts to his best friend, or tell him what happened tonight. Or what it felt like, how right it was... that was what was wrong with him. That's why he was wrong. Everything about him was all messed up.

Hyde just scoffed and crossed his arms, letting the Mad magazine he had been reading fall to the floor. The sound of fluttering pages filled the silence and Eric almost felt like running.

Already he could feel the judging eyes of his best friend. That's why he wore the sunglasses after all. He was sitting there, silent, staring at each of them as he sized them up. He could tell what made them tick and what made them talk. He could read them like an open book, and that's what terrified Eric. He didn't want to be read.

"Whatever man, calm down. No need to use the squeaky voice, I'm not your mom, you know," Hyde grumbled, then sighed heavily. "So what're you gonna do?"

Eric shrugged his shoulders as he bent his knees so he was laying in a near fetal position. He felt so small, so caged. He could hear the scorn in Hyde's voice and it made him nauseous. Unless that was just his paranoid mind- but he wasn't the one with that sort of mind frame. Until now.

"I'm going to have to tell Donna I don't like her... but I can't hurt her."

"Is the chick you're after better than her?" Hyde suddenly asked, which caused Eric to nearly stop breathing. The fact that there wasn't a chick that caused him to not want to be with Donna scared him. There was no one causing him to not be with the hottest chick in Point Place except himself. And it was driving him insane.

"There isn't another girl," Eric mumbled woefully, running his hand over his face as he tried to clear his head. The silence was practically suffocating as Eric waited for a response from Hyde. Slowly he pulled his hands from his eyes and peeked at Hyde, who wore a grin on his face.

"What?" Eric finally asked, the smug beam grew wider on his friend. Eric rolled his eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"So who's the guy?"

Eric's heart nearly dropped to his stomach at the accusation Hyde had just pinned on Eric. He thought he was... a queer? Homosexual... was gay the right term? He didn't even know how to define it these days. But what scared him was that he had guessed... spot on.

"What? Guy? There is no guy! Come on!" Eric squeaked. Hyde shook his head and sat up straighter as his entertainment for the evening continued.

"Sure... you're just in denial. That's the first step, Eric." The younger boy's tense expression dropped to an open jaw at the boy in front of him. He never called him Eric, the name sounded foreign coming from Hyde's tongue... it felt wrong.

"What did you just call me?" Eric asked in shocked tone, rather than disgusted. Hyde cocked an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders.

"What?" He sounded just as confused as Eric, "Forman," he answered slowly, then continued talking, "What does that have to do with anything, man?" Eric shook his head and felt his frustration grow stronger. Except now it was towards someone else rather than himself.

"No, you called me Eric-"

"I did not, now stop trying to change the subject, Forman."

"What subject, I'm not a queer, Hyde!" Eric was yelling now, he was passed the squeaky voice.

He couldn't help but lie. He didn't know what the hell would happen after he admitted that he thought he may be homosexual. Especially to the straightest guy he had ever met. And once it would be out, everyone would know. He'd have to leave town, even though he wasn't even sure if he was gay or not. He couldn't let that happen to him.

"Whatever," Hyde sang, smirking at Eric, who just glowered at him. "What'd you do tonight?" Since when did Hyde take an interest in what Eric did? That was odd for Hyde. He expected that from Fez or even Kelso, but Hyde didn't give two shits about what anyone did. Ever.

"I went to the movies with Buddy," Eric answered simply.

He wasn't going to tell Hyde that their hands touched in the popcorn bucket and that Eric didn't mind. Or that Buddy hadn't ordered a soda, unlike Eric. Or that Buddy had kissed him and that while he freaked out, Eric had secretly sort of liked it. Or that when Buddy had dropped him off after twenty minutes of awkward silence, he had kissed him once more. And he had kissed back.

"Ohh... did you kiss?" Hyde teased, wearing his ever present smirk.

"No! God, Hyde, I'm not gay!"

"You're blushing."

"I am not!" But he was, his cheeks were hot and at this point, he almost felt like giving up. Telling Hyde that he was just so he would leave him alone about it. But he couldn't risk it.

"Whatever," Hyde grumbled suddenly, and stood up from his chair. Eric tilted his head in confusion and watched as Hyde began to walk to the door. "I'm outta hear, this room is practically suffocating me with denial." Eric rolled his eyes and picked up Kelso's super ball and watched as Hyde turned to the door.

Eric pulled back his hand and chucked the multi-colored ball at Hyde's head, hitting him square in the neck. The splatter painted ball ricocheted to the floor and bounced all the way under the freezer. Hyde froze in his spot and for a second, Eric considered zipping up the stairs to find a hiding place in his room. He was waiting for Hyde to turn around and start punching him in retaliation to the thrown bouncy ball.

But as Hyde turned around, Eric noticed that instead of an angry expression, he looked about ready to throw up. His hand, quivering slightly seemed to blindly search for the wall for support. But before he could press his weight, the curly haired teen collapsed on the ground.

Eric's eyes nearly bugged out of his sockets as he stared at his friend in front of him, who wasn't making any signs of movement. But he relaxed, knowing Hyde was probably just trying to trick him. As soon as Eric would walk up to him, Hyde would punch him, laugh, and leave.

"Okay, Hyde, real funny... but after a couple years it gets old." Eric barked, waiting to see a certain finger gesture from both of Hyde's hands. Or a muffled 'get bent' from his face on the cement floor. But after a few seconds, it appeared that Hyde wasn't even breathing. "All right... you got me, joke's over!" Eric cried softly, voice cracking with the slight fear that began to creep through his bloodstream.

As moments that seemed like hours passed, Eric's concern grew stronger. He stood there, nearly frozen as he waited for any movement, whether it was a twitch or a sudden leap from his best friend. In fact, he wouldn't even be mad at Hyde, at least not right away. But the seconds seemed to drag and Eric finally realized that Hyde wasn't joking around. He had really passed out.

"Oh my God," Eric exclaimed, bending down to Hyde and punched his arm. His mom had told him that slapping or punching someone would wake them from unconsciousness. "Hyde, wake up, man!" Eric cried, taking a deep breath as he fought to turn him over. This was the first time he truly hated his scrawniness. As he pressed two fingers to Hyde's neck, he felt his cold skin was drenched with sweat- yet it was nearly winter in Wisconsin and he wasn't wearing heavy clothing.

After several punches and a slap to the face, Eric felt his eyes burn as he tried to keep composure. This was his best friend on the ground and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to help him. After all, he didn't know what the hell was wrong with him... if anything. Was this from drinking or drugs, or was he actually sick? Suddenly, a thought flashed like a light bulb in Eric's mind; while he couldn't do anything to help him, there was someone in the house who could.

"MOM!" Eric screamed, launching himself to the bottom of the wooden stairs that lead to the kitchen. His feet quickly pounded on the creaky steps as fast as he possibly could. He heard the padding of feet above him near the basement door and he hurried his running. "I need help!" He shouted right as the door opened.

Kitty Forman stood in front of him, three fourths of her hair put up in curlers and in her nightgown and robe.
"Sweetie, what's going on?" She asked calmly, yet appeared to have been woken up. Eric pointed downstairs and felt his lips move, but no words came out. "Shh... honey, calm down, is someone hurt?"

"Hyde, he... I don't know... I just threw a ball at him!" He watched his mom's slightly annoyed face grow ashen as confusion fell upon her.

"And what happened after that?" She asked simply. In desperation, Eric grabbed her hand and started tugging her downstairs as he explained to her what happened to Hyde.

"He just fell, passed out. I thought he was joking, but he won't wake up! You gotta help him!" Eric cried, "a super ball can't do this, right?" Kitty laughed quietly as she rushed over to the boy lying on the ground.

"No, honey, but Steven will be fine, just help me lift him on the couch and go get me some water, okay?" She asked, reaching under Hyde's back to try and lift him. Eric grabbed his legs and prepared for a struggle to lift his stocky friend. Yet surprisingly, Hyde seemed to be nearly weightless, then again, he did have his legs.

Mother and son carefully laid the teen on the old couch in the basement. Eric watched as Kitty placed her hand on his forehead, then his neck to check his pulse. He shook his head, remembering that he had been given an order from his mother and zipped up the stairs once more.

His feet practically skidded across the floor as he crashed into the kitchen. The only thought than ran through his mind was getting the water. Was it supposed to be hot or cold? Ice water in a glass or lukewarm in a bowl? She had never specified.

He decided to make a compromise and filled a juice glass with ice water and a small bowl with room temperature water. His hands quivered as he lifted both dishes and took careful steps as he tip toed toward the stairs once more.

As Eric shut the door that lead to the basement, he heard deep coughing that couldn't have come from his mother. She must have somehow woken Hyde up. He could also hear his mom's voice as she murmured inaudibly to the teen on the couch.

Curiosity began to flood his brain- what could she be saying? Kitty was probably telling Hyde that he had passed out on the basement floor and that she was concerned about his health. Maybe she was scolding him for drinking, or lack of care to his health... they both sort of related.

Eric silently stepped off of the last step and waited to find out if the two downstairs heard him. He was shocked to see that his mom was completely oblivious to not only his reappearance but the loud creaking steps.

"-go to the hospital?" Eric's ears perked as he heard the end of Kitty's sentence. Was Hyde actually really sick? He had been fine up until Eric had thrown the ball.

'What if I gave him a concussion?' Eric thought, his stomach reeling at the thought. He hadn't been aware that he was that strong, or that super balls could cause so much damage.

Another set of coughs interrupted Eric from his thoughts and he turned to look at Hyde. Bare blue eyes cast a locked glare on him, and Eric bit his lip nervously.

"No, I'm fine, Mrs. Forman." Hyde murmured hoarsely, "But I could really use some water, Forman," Kitty turned and laughed as she spotted her son at the stairs.

"Oh Eric! Thank you sweetie, I didn't need the bowl though..." Kitty trailed off, laughing nervously, after taking the glass from him, she began to hand it to Hyde. When she caught sight of his trembling hands, however, she quickly thought against handing him the glass. "Steven, sit up," she ordered.

The sound of a pain-filled grunt filled the room as Hyde slowly pulled himself into a leaning position. He wrinkled his nose as Kitty pressed the glass to his lips, yet he submitted and slowly sipped the water. "Honey?" Kitty turned to Eric, who stood in front of his weak friend and his mom, in a daze. "Is it okay if Steven sleeps in your room, it's closer to your father's and my bedroom, and I don't want him sleeping in the basement."As Eric opened his mouth to ask why he couldn't go home, Kitty sensed the question, and quickly provided the blunt answer. "And I am not allowing him to go home tonight, he needs someone to take care of him right now."

"Mrs. Forman, it's just the flu," he mumbled, not looking her in the eye.

Eric had a feeling that this wasn't just the flu, however. Hyde would have shown other signs that he was sick, and the entire time they were talking he seemed to be fine. He hadn't been to school a couple of days ago, however, yet that could have easily been him skipping for the hell of it. Yet if that's what Hyde believed, he and his mom would both go for it.

"Still, you're a growing boy who needs some TLC,"

"But I'm not hungry..." Kitty's eyes lit up as she giggled at her patient's mix up of letters.

"No, sweetie, tender loving care, you're thinking of a BLT." Hyde chuckled softly and shook his head slowly.

"Figures," he murmured sarcastically.

Eric wasn't sure what to think of the scene in front of him. He was used to seeing his mom in nurse mode, that was nothing new. Even if he had a scrape or a small cut she would do everything she could to make sure it wouldn't get infected.

What shocked him was Hyde. Eric wasn't used to him acting, or being so vulnerable. It was as if the guard he always wore vanished at the sight of Mrs. Forman. And he completely disregarded the fact that Eric was in the room. It was a complete personality change in one person, his best friend. No one ever saw the softer, more open side of Hyde, and it actually scared Eric.

"Eric?" the voice of his mother brought him right out of his daze. "Can you get Steven to his room? I'll get the cot for you to sleep on." The seventeen year old sighed and nodded as he approached Hyde "Thank you sweetie." He didn't say a word after his mom took off toward the stairs and eventually out of sight, leaving the two teens alone. The only sound that ran through Eric's ear drums were his mom's feet clicking up the stairs, and Hyde's short and stifled breathing.

Eric reached out his hand to give Hyde leverage, yet the sick teen ignored his efforts. As he watched Hyde quiver with ever move of his muscles, Eric felt his nausea worsen. Hyde was the strongest guy he knew; he could easily be a first string player on the football team. But here he was in front of him, too weak to stand up.

"Hyde, c'mon, I-"

"Shove off, Forman. I'm fine." Hyde growled softly, trying his hardest to mask the pain in his voice with anger.

Eric wasn't going to argue, so he chose to follow close behind the curly haired young man. Every step he took caused Eric to hold his breath in uncertainty. He was convinced Hyde was going to lose his footing and tumble down the stairs.

As the two reached the head of the staircase, Hyde stopped and slowly rested against the wooden railing. His eyes were shut as he rested his head against the wall, trying to regulate his erratic breathing.

"I wish I wasn't in this mess..." Eric heard him whisper, his knuckles white as he clutched to the railing. He stopped walking when he reached the same step as Hyde, and rested against the opposite wall.

"You just need sleep, you'll feel better tomorrow," Hyde scoffed and nodded slowly as he silently mocked him in his mind.

"Yup, a new day with the same old crap," Eric stared at him as he spoke, trying to figure out if there was more to what Hyde was saying. But even without the sunglasses he was as easy to read as Latin.

Once more, Eric didn't know what to say, so he kept his mouth shut. He figured Hyde would prefer the silence, anyway.

"So... are you ready to go upstairs?" Eric finally asked quietly. Hyde opened his eyes and stared at him blankly.

"No, but do I have a choice?" He asked, pushing open the door. Eric watched as he dragged his feet across the floor and nearly slumped over with every step. But he didn't want any help, so Eric wouldn't offer.

Eric followed Hyde into the living room and tried to control his impatience. He just wanted to get Hyde upstairs and in bed so he himself could sleep-

'Wait, that didn't sound right,' Eric thought, shuddering violently as he took a watchful glance at Hyde momentarily.

Without a word, the two slowly made their way to Eric's bedroom. As Eric opened the door, they were greeted by Kitty fluffing Eric's Spiderman pillow before setting it on the cot.

"Oh good, Steven, lay down in Eric's bed, I'll take your temperature one more time before you sleep. Eric, you might as well go to bed, also." Eric nodded and turned away from his mom and Hyde to search for a pair of pajamas.

After choosing a pair of sweat pants and an old gray t-shirt he exited the tension filled bedroom. He sighed with relief after closing the door behind him. Eric didn't understand why this situation was so awkward, but he hated it.

As soon as he stepped into the bathroom, Eric's eyes stared in the mirror. Catching the lanky, scrawny reflection in front of him, he grimaced and turned away. While he pulled off his shirt, he ran his fingers over his neck. His stomach squirmed as he thought of Donna and her soft, but dead kisses. He could almost feel her lips, fiery hot on his throat and collar bone. He could feel her hands run along his body. It made him feel sick.

But right now he couldn't think about her and their dead end relationship, and his messed up mind. He needed to help Hyde with whatever was going on with him. But was there anything wrong? Was it even up to him to, for lack of better words, nurse him back to health? Eric wasn't even sure his friend was even sick.

'Well... we're best friends, and I gotta know he's okay.' Eric told himself, deepening his grimace. He didn't make sure Kelso or Fez were okay when they were sick, though. However, they were never ill when they were at his house. Plus when they were sick they had families that would care for them, unlike Hyde. His home was probably the reason he ever fell in the first place, and that was rare.

Eric's family took care of Hyde as if he were a second son. So it was sort of a given that Eric would worry about him and make sure he was okay.

'Right,' he told himself, groaning in dismay when he doubted his own thoughts. To put the issue to rest, he told himself to just do it and not think. He couldn't think. Because thinking made everything worse for him.

Once he pulled his feet in the dark gray pajama pants he had brought in, his hand turned the faucet on. He grabbed his yellow Star Wars toothbrush and squeezed a small dot of red and white striped toothpaste on the end. Eric ignored the mirror as he brushed his teeth. It's not that he was concerned about the surface of himself, he was a little scrawny but people thought it was cute. Yet if he looked himself in the eye, he would see all that he was hiding, and it would sweep over him like a catastrophic flood, and pulling him in an undertow.

Shaking his head, he spit out the foamy paste and cupped his hands to fill them with water. Swishing the lukewarm water in his mouth, he swallowed half and spit out the remaining, he was convinced it would help his breath smell even better.

Eric wiped his hands on the dark blue towel that hung on the towel hook, it was still damp from his shower in the morning. With his eyes cast on the linoleum floor, Eric hurried out of the bathroom and turned out the light. As he glanced behind to flick the switch, his eyes caught the distant pools in the mirror.

Just as he started down the hallway, his mom was quietly exiting his room. She smiled happily when seeing her son and glanced at the door.

"Steven is all settled in your room, he still has a temperature and I want him to get as much sleep as possible, so no talking, okay?" She asked, voice sweet yet demanding. Eric nodded and felt a yawn creep at his jaws.

"Can I have a light on so I can read or something?" He asked, Kitty clucked her tongue and furrowed her eyebrows.

"You can read at your desk by the lava lamp," Eric's stomach dropped at her answer. That was the same place he, Kelso, and Hyde had looked in the Pinciotti's window to catch either Donna, Midge, or Valerie. Only twice had they caught sight of the right Pinciotti; mostly it was Bob and that had them all running and screaming. And they felt like perverts when the girl in the shower turned out to be Tina.

He bit his lip and nodded softly.

"You need to get up by 6:30 tomorrow, Steven won't be going to school, I'll have to call his mom in the morning to- oh who am I kidding?" The middle aged woman ended her sentence with a dark question. Eric chuckled softly and shrugged his shoulders. "I'll just call the school tomorrow and you can tell his home room teacher that-"

"I got it mom, you need to go to bed," Eric murmured, stretching his arms for a hug. Goodnight hugs were a must in his family, whether he wanted them or not. After his mom squeezed him tightly in a mother bear hug, she kissed his cheek.

"Good night Eric, sweet dreams, and please try not to wake Steven?"

"Okay... 'night mom." Eric mumbled, then wiped off his cheek of any lipstick residue. Eric yawned deeply before quietly turning the doorknob to his room. He peeked inside and saw that the lights were off except for the blue lava lamp on his desk. Tip-toeing into the dimly lit room, he shut the door behind him and exhaled deeply. He had successfully entered the room without making a sound.

"You're about two inches from stubbing your toe," Eric jumped at the low voice that came from the bed. He cleared his throat and cautiously put his foot out; almost instantly he felt the metal of the cot's leg.

"Thanks," Eric mumbled, timidly lowering himself on the makeshift bed he'd be sleeping on for the night. He wrinkled his nose as one of the springs dug into his back; he was so glad he didn't have to fight in the war and sleep on this every night.

The seventeen year old flipped on his back and stared up at the ceiling. The glow in the dark stars that he had tacked onto the walls when he was younger were still there, barely giving on a lime green shine. Eric ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath before folding his hands over his lap.

So Hyde was up. And he was up. And they weren't talking, and it was awkward once again. Eric didn't know if Hyde had fallen back asleep or if he had even been asleep to begin with. All he knew was he didn't want to deal with the suffocating silence.

"Are you awake?" Eric whispered quietly, sitting up on the cot. He heard the sound of sheets rustling as Hyde shifted on the bed.

"Uh-huh," the older boy replied, much louder than Eric expected. He turned to face the bed and jumped back when seeing Hyde's blue eyes and pale face at the foot of the bed, looking at him. A smirk pulled at his lips when seeing Eric's startled reaction. "These are my prime hours, man."

"Yeah, but you're sick." Eric mumbled, turning so he'd be facing Hyde. He crossed his legs under the blankets and rested his arms on his thighs. Hyde blinked slowly as his smile faded.

"No I'm not," he replied quietly, which lead to a few moments of unbearable silence. "Can I ask you something?" Hyde whispered. Eric nodded vigorously, after all, Hyde was never one to voluntarily talk.

"Sure!" Eric chirped, hopefully not sounding too eager.

"What if I told you I wasn't sick at all?" Hyde murmured, face suddenly somber. Eric shrugged his shoulders and chuckled.

"Then I'd ask what's wrong with you, since you passed out after I hit you in the head with a bouncy ball. I don't think you can get a concussion from that." Hyde chuckled at that and placed his hand on the back of his own head.

"What if I told you that I'm dying?" Eric's smile was immediately wiped from his face as he heard Hyde's next question. He didn't know what to think about that; was Hyde considering doing something completely stupid and unspeakable? For a moment he was speechless.

"Well, in all honesty if you think about it, we're all one step closer to dying every second," he decided to say, to maybe make it seem more like a general topic.

"That's morbid," Hyde grumbled with a smirk. Eric smiled and watched as the taller boy sat back up, his fingers pressing against his temple as he did so. With his free hand, he patted the second, larger half of the bed that was now free for Eric to sit at.

This was odd of Hyde. He wasn't one to talk about death, or be open, or offer someone to sit next to him. And Eric didn't understand why it was such a big deal that he did; after all when they were younger, he, Hyde, and Kelso all shared the very same bed the two of them were currently sitting on.

"So what are you getting at?" Eric asked, his voice slightly higher than he thought. Hyde raised an eyebrow as he turned on the small lamp on Eric's nightstand so they could see each other better. Eric noted the dark, large bags under Hyde's eyes and how tired he looked; maybe he should let him sleep. But the older boy didn't have any intentions of doing that soon, Eric could tell by the fact that he was actually talking.
"Nothing, it was just a hypothetical question," Hyde answered nonchalantly, eyes staring passed Eric. As if he were focusing on something that wasn't seen, or trying to avoid eye contact. The latter seemed much more believable.
"I guess to answer your question, I'd be sad. And ask if I can do anything to help, and just be there for you. But I don't want to think about that, because you're not dying." Eric finally piped up, causing Hyde to raise an eyebrow and smirk as he glanced back at the scrawny kid in front of him.

"That's where you're wrong... you said we're all dying every second." Hyde quoted Eric with a slightly higher voice. Eric rolled his eyes as Hyde started laughing at his imitation of his best friend, yet he also felt his lips curl in a smile.

"Well... you're not going to die for a long time!" Eric assured both himself and Hyde. He didn't want to think about Hyde's death. None of them would ever be the same if he died.

"You never know." His voice sounded much darker, as if he knew something that Eric didn't. He didn't want Hyde to go back to his "whatever" guarded shell, so he decided to lighten the conversation. Try to cheer Hyde up.

"True, you're a walking death-wish," Eric teased, Hyde stared at him, the light in his eyes gone as he responded.

"No, I just know how to live."

That reply seemed to hit home to Eric. Not because he didn't know how to live, he did. But the way Hyde said it seemed as if he were actually dying. As if he were saying goodbye.

"Man, you're not really dying, are you?" He had to ask. He didn't want to hear Hyde's answer, if it was yes at least. But if he wasn't dying, then why would he bring it up?

Hyde sighed softly and Eric watched as his eyes darted to the Spiderman blanket of Eric's. He looked back up at him with the saddest eyes the seventeen year old had ever seen.

"Eventually, yeah."

Eric didn't know what he meant by that. Eventually he would be dying... that was obvious. Everyone died. But did he mean that he was currently actually dying, and not with the 'every second' crap he had spewed before. Was he really going to die... soon?

"Yeah, of course." Eric said, unsure of what else to say to Hyde's answer. He glanced at Hyde once more to see an amused expression on his hardened face as he stared at Eric.

"Are you okay?" Hyde asked, taking Eric aback. He nodded slowly and tried to suppress his yawn.

"Yeah, why?" Eric answered, causing his best friend to smirk.

"You look nervous." He raised an eyebrow at Hyde's observation. He wasn't nervous, just worried that there was something really going on with Hyde. That didn't make him nervous, though.

"No, I'm not nervous. Why do you think that?" Now he was grinning, and Eric leaned his body back as he gazed at Hyde skeptically.

"Because," he chirped, "you're on a bed with me." At this moment, if Eric had a drink he would have spit it out in shock. A blush suddenly crept onto his cheeks, causing his entire face to feel as if it were on fire. Thankfully the lighting was dim.

"What... I'm not... come on, Hyde, really?" Eric asked, feeling his voice raise higher, in his squeaky range. What was Hyde's problem? First talking about death and now he was once again referencing homosexuality? His friend was messed up.

"Yes, Eric, really. You're-"

"You just called me Eric again!" He squeaked, causing Hyde to smirk.

"And how did that make you feel...?" Eric rolled his eyes and watched as Hyde laid down once more. Now he was just trying to mess with him, he knew that.

"Weird! Don't call me that!" Hyde laughed softly as he shut his eyes, resting his thumbs under his belt buckle; he wasn't wearing pajamas. Eric nearly face palmed when he realized he hadn't offered Hyde any, yet he wasn't about to suggest it now.

"Why? I think it's funny." Eric scowled and narrowed his eyes at the smiling boy laying down in front of him.

'Two can play this game,' Eric thought and raised his grimace.

"I suppose it is, but let's see how you like it, Steven." Eric growled, the name felt weird rolling off of his tongue. He wondered if it was like that for Hyde, too.

Eric turned, waiting for a witty comeback from Hyde. But as seconds passed, not a word came from the boy who was laying next to him.

"What do you have to say to that, Hyde?" Eric added, smugly, resting on his side to watch as Hyde quietly replied. Or slugged him. "Hyde?" he asked softer, once again not receiving any sign that the older teen had heard a word he said.

In fact his eyes were shut and a sense of peace was written on his face. Eric sighed softly and shifted his eyes from his best friend's face, to his hands that rested right above his navel. Eric bit his lip and quickly turned away when he caught sight of the slightly raised shirt which exposed a small portion of Hyde's strong stomach. Yet the image seemed to burn in Eric's deranged mind.

A queasy feeling ran through him as he felt his fingers twitch. Was it wrong to wonder what his best friend's body looked like under his clothes? Or felt like?

'For comparison,' Eric quickly added to his thought, changing his lie count from 112 to 113.

Eric groaned in annoyance and disgust as he slammed his palm against his face. He didn't understand why he was thinking this way about his best friend. He couldn't... have... like...

"No way," Eric whispered out loud.

No this was just his mind talking, it had to be. He was crazy... he was confused. This was probably going to end up being some phase and he'd wake up in a week and laugh it off and say "Gee! I'm glad that's over!" At least, that's what he hoped. He couldn't deal with this... oddity that was living inside him. He needed to get it out before it became him.

For now he just had to get away from Hyde. As he slowly started to slide off of the bed, he told himself to think. Think of Donna, of the Charlie's Angels, of Playpen or Playboy magazines with nude women posing for him to see. To think of-

Eric felt his stomach lurch as an arm wrapped around his torso. His breath hitched in his throat as he turned to look behind him and he bit his lip. There was Steven Hyde to pull him right back into the hellish thoughts that weren't right. And it was wrong on so many levels.

Slowly, his trembling fingers lightly wrapped around Hyde's wrist and began to gently pull his hand off of his side. Eric cursed his speeding heart beat as he felt the dead to the world boy's fingers clench onto his skin, his jagged, too short nails lightly grazing on his flesh. It tickled.

"Hyde, come on..." Eric whispered in aggravation, slowly leaning back down to rest his back on his pillow. He needed to move but didn't want to interfere Hyde's sleep, he knew he was a light sleeper. And barely got any shut eye as it is. But what Eric didn't understand was why was he latched on to him like a teddy bear or a... a girl?

"Don't... please?" Eric's ears perked as he heard the quiet, sleep filled voice from his sleeping friend. Or was he awake? He sighed softly and slowly lowered himself back onto his small bed, staying as far away from Hyde as he could without forcing the teen's arm off of him. He didn't want to end up getting punched.

But Eric wouldn't admit that he liked feeling his soft yet calloused hand on him. He wouldn't admit that he liked the difference in tone that Hyde's voice had as he asked him, conscious or not, to stay with him. But what did that mean?

Eric settled on his left side, legs curled close so he wouldn't touch Hyde. Slowly, he breathed through his nose to help calm him and hopefully help him fall asleep. He didn't know when he had closed his eyes, or when he had scooted closer to the other boy in his bed. All knew was that this was the first time his mind wasn't plagued with confusing thoughts while he tried to sleep.

"Goodnight..." Eric mumbled, voice slurred by the effects of being lulled closer to sleep by the rhythmic, deep breathing behind him. "Steven," he finished, testing out the name on his tongue once more, for only him to hear. Except he felt a twitch from Hyde's fingers that still lay across his stomach.

Eric smiled as he drifted off into the comfort of sleep. The name didn't so bad coming from his vocal chords after all.