Michael Kelso fidgets in his last class of the day, english. He despises attempting to comprehend and analyze utterly useless pieces of literature at the very end of the school day. His bouncing knee bumps the top of his desk, knocking his neglected pencil to the floor. Kelso glances at the clock above the blackboard as he picks his pencil up. Five more minutes. He hasn't written a single word on his paper. Fully aware he won't possibly be able to crank out an essay in five minutes and that he will have to spend his Sunday evening attempting to coerce Eric and Donna to whip up his essay for him, Kelso closes his eyes and struggles to quell the churning emotions in his stomach. It's been such a long time since he's engaged in what he's about to. (A whole week. Probably less. His mind races too fast to remember.)
The bell rings suddenly, jolting Kelso out of the momentary calm he'd created for himself. He grabs his backpack, shoves the blank paper and pencil in, and bolts out of his seat. Adrenaline and anxiety surge back into his veins, propelling him through the hallways until he reaches the nearest exit.
Kelso looks around as he leaves the building. He's just beginning to make his way toward the back of the school when he hears his name being called.
He whips around. Hyde waves at him from a distance, "Kelso, buddy, need a ride home? Or are you preoccupied making out with some chick?"
Kelso flushes. Lying has never come easy to him, and it sure doesn't now. He's just thankful Hyde practically put the words in his mouth for him.
"Yeah. Yes. No. I- I am making out. With a chick! A girl. Yeah! Thanks. Bye."
He turns abruptly before he has to witness Hyde's confounded expression and takes long, hasty strides toward his destination. As soon as he reaches the back of the school he slumps against the brick wall and drops his backpack, taking deep breaths. Kelso puts his head in his hands before smoothing back his hair and licking his lips. Looking around frantically, ancitipation pulses through his body. Footsteps approach from behind and Kelso turns around to look past the corner. He comes face to face with Fez and takes a startled step back.
"Fez. Hey," Kelso breathes, looking his foreign friend up and down once. He makes no effort to hide hungry eyes.
"Hello yourself, Kelso," Fez says with his usual cocky, assertive tone. They stare into each other's eyes for a few silent seconds before Kelso seems to burst, "It's been, like, way too long, Fez. I-"
Kelso stops himself, flinching, not wanting to come off too sentimental, not wanting to overstep boundaries he isn't sure of. Instead he grasps Fez by the shoulders and pushes him against the rough brick wall of the school, leaning in to let his tongue do the talking.
Fez responds, eyes fluttering shut, inhaling sharply with the sudden instigation from Kelso. Kelso's lips move with soft strength and longing against Fez's own. Fez tentatively reaches one arm up to feel the tense muscle between Kelso's shoulder and neck while his other reaches farther up to entangle his hand in Kelso's hair, slightly pulling Kelso's face closer to his own. Kelso relaxes a little into the embrace, dragging a hand down to clasp the small of Fez's back. Fez pulls back and rests his head on the brick wall behind him. Catching his breath, Fez looks down and averts his eyes from Kelso's piercing gaze.
Wanting the humid precense of Kelso's lips on his again, Fez leans back in, eyes squeezing shut as their lips interlace again and invisible electricity crackles between them. Trailing his hand down from Kelso's shoulder, Fez's hand presses against Kelso's chest, presses for more passion, for more ardor. Presses for more that Fez wasn't sure Kelso was thinking about. Kelso, spurred on by the energy between them, moves his own hand lower down Fez's back and slides it into Fez's back pocket. Kelso's hand draws Fez closer to him and as their pelvises brush together Fez attempts to stifle a needy sound in the back of his throat. Kelso's other hand cups the back of Fez's neck, toying with the short hair at his nape.
Kelso breaks the kiss this time. His penetrating gaze probes Fez, makes Fez feel smaller and weaker than he's ever felt before. He wonders if Kelso feels the same butterflies swirling deep inside his chest. He wonders if Kelso feels as passionate about him as he does with Kelso. Is he an outlet for Kelso's built up lust, or is Kelso really attracted to him?
Ever since a few months ago when the antics between he and Kelso had begun, Fez became reluctantly concious of his declining romantic and well, sexual, interest in others. He stopped attempting to flirt with every oblivious girl at The Hub, his ridiculous crush on Hunky Hayden in gym class fizzled away, he didn't try to trick Jackie and Donna into kissing him anymore, and the Playboy (and Playgirl) magazines under his bed had collected a thin blanket of dust on top. The desire to solidify his relationship, or whatever this was, with Kelso burned a hole in his chest whenever he came near his lanky friend. He assumes he's just Kelso's paramour. Kelso hadn't refrained from dirty jokes every ten seconds or flirting with anyone who was alone. So why would he feel the same way?
"I- my parents are going out of town next weekend. I think," Kelso says with an expectant note in his voice. Fez looks up at Kelso and meets his gaze.
"So, what? Are you going to have a party? Or something?" Fez questions. He starts to remove his hands from Kelso's body, unsure what to do with himself. Unsure whether they're welcome. Kelso draws Fez closer until their chests touch and Fez has to crane his neck to maintain eye contact.
"Well if a party means just you and me, then that's exactly what I was thinking," Kelso mumbles, quickly looking up toward the clouds. A pink flush spreads across his cheeks and suddenly Kelso feels very aware of his hand sandwiched in between the rough brick wall and Fez's back pocket. Fez opens his mouth, but before he can speak Kelso closes the distance between them again, licking into Fez's parted lips without any discretion.
Fez snuggles up against the arm of the ratty couch in the Formans' basement, glancing at the phone on the table next to him for what must be the gazillionth time.
"Fez, you expecting a call? You've been staring at the phone all day," Donna observes from next to him. Apprehension bubbles up from the pit of Fez's stomach, into his throat and out of his mouth, "I- Yes. From... From my host parents."
Donna looks at him out of the corner of her eye, "What about?"
Eric and Hyde look curiously at Fez now. Fez looks into his lap, uncomfortable. He loves being the center of attention. He basks in the warm glow, the spotlight of everyone's eyes. But if there's one thing he's not good at, it's lying. And keeping secrets. For a brief moment he wonders how in the world nobody has found out about he and Kelso yet - they had two biggest mouths out of the whole gang, after all.
"Fez?" Donna turns toward him now. Fez looks up into her eyes. His eyes drift down to the floor again as he starts to say, "They... They have to tell me... Tell me when-"
The phone rings. Fez's hand darts toward it as fast as lightning and he smashes it to his ear. Eric, Donna, and Hyde look, abashed, at each other.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Fez," Kelso purrs from the other line, the grin audible in his voice, "My parents are gone. For the whole weekend! All my brothers are out of the house, too. So come over!"
Fez tries hard to hide his own sheepish smile, "Okay, okay. I'm on my way."
He sets the phone back down and leaps up.
"Well, gang, I'm off. I have some business to attend to," Fez announces, making his way toward the door leading outside. Eric smirks, "With your host parents?"
Hyde snickers but Fez, mind already swimming with thoughts of what awaits him, answers with confidence, "Absolutely."
Eric, Donna, and Hyde shoot each other dubious looks once again. Fez struts out the door, not noticing when Donna grabs a magazine off the table and remarks, "Huh. I gotta give this magazine back to Kelso before dinner."
Fez wriggles out from under Kelso and flops onto the less sweaty, less sticky side of Kelso's bed. He rolls onto his side to face Kelso, now lying on his back, eyes closed.
"Kelso, I thought my needs were crazy. Do you usually do... this... that many times? In a row?" Fez peers at Kelso's pale muscles through the dim light from the glowy sunset peeking through cracked blinds. Kelso turns his head to look sideways at Fez, brow furrowed, "I dunno. I never keep count. Was that a lot?"
Fez is embarrassed as he tries to recall the exact number, thinking he's better off letting it go.
"Fez," Kelso sits up abruptly, "I... I've been thinking."
"Well, that's surprising," Fez chuckles despite the pangs of anxiety shooting through his chest at Kelso's words. Kelso rolls his eyes, "Fez, I'm, like, trying to be serious. I've been thinking about all the time we spend together - as friends, as more. And... And I just feel these intense feelings. Like, when I'm with you. Like, I always wanna be with you."
Kelso pauses. His hands play with his damp white sheets and he stares down at them. Swallowing, he continues, "Stuff," he clears his throat, "Other people... aren't like, appealing anymore. Like I don't- I don't feel like shagging random people anymore. Everytime I think about it, or make jokes about it, I think about you. I can't stop thinking about you."
Kelso's hesitant eyes meet Fez's. Flushed, toying with his sheets, Fez doesn't think he's ever seen Kelso more vulnerable.
"Kelso... What- What are you trying to say?"
Kelso takes a deep breath, "I don't know, Fez. I guess- I guess I like you."
Fez exhales through his nose, "Well, Kelso, would we really have just done all that if you didn't like me?"
"No, Fez, listen. I think... I think I want to be your- your boyfriend."
Fez's heart leaps into his throat. He's elated. But he can't help feeling a little disappointed. Kelso asking him out in his cluttered, dark, smelling-like-dope room after he's just fucked him silly too many times to count isn't exactly romantic or something to brag about. He's in such a euphoric state it's a struggle to remind himself what he's getting into. Michael Kelso, notorious for breaking hearts, isn't exactly someone people line up to date. Fez focuses on the Kelso in the present, biting his lower lip with shiny eyes, probably thinking he's ruined whatever had been going on between him and Fez for the past couple months. Fez doesn't want to say what he's about to, but he knows he has to address it.
"Kelso, I want the same. But how do I know you won't do me wrong? I know you said people seem uninteresting lately - believe me, I've experienced that too. But how long will that last for you?"
Kelso shifts so he's got one arm on Fez's left side and he's hovering over him so their faces are even with each other.
"Fez, I'm super serious about this. I promise. You know what, I'm so serious I'm gonna use your real name. I love you,"
Two short knocks sound on the other side of Kelso's door and it creaks open slowly. Fez and Kelso don't move a muscle, eyes wide, still staring at each other. A loud screech erupts from the doorway and Kelso scrambles to cover himself with his thin white sheet as Fez jolts up, open mouthed, staring at Donna in the doorway. The magazine in Donna's hand falls to the floor.
"Honestly, why am I surprised? You two are both so horny it was bound to happen at some point," Donna states before turning to leave.
"Donna, wait, you can join us!" Kelso yells after her while Fez puts his face in his hands.