Disclaimer: The characters of That 70s Show do not belong to me.
A/N: New story- takes place first season during the ski cabin episode. What if Eric had seen Hyde kiss Donna?
"Fez!" Eric Forman called loudly, hoping his friend was not passed out in a snowbank somewhere. That would just make finding him even harder, although, on the bright side, Fez had left a sporadic trail of sad looking snowmen to follow. It was freezing, and Eric just wanted to find Fez and get him inside so he and Donna could have some alone time. Even thinking about his girlfriend warmed him up a little, somewhere deep in his chest. He started walking faster. "Fez! Fez, buddy, where are you?"
"I am here." moaned a voice from behind him.
Eric turned around but saw no one. "Fez?"
"Down here."
Eric looked toward the ground where Fez was lying in the snow, dead in the center of a sloppy-looking snow angel. And he was wearing nothing but his underwear. "Whoa! Fez!" he cried. "Even Kelso knows that naked snow angels are a bad idea."
"The angels are not naked, it is just me." Fez slurred.
Eric reached down and extended a hand to his friend.
Fez refused it. "I cannot move." he explained pathetically.
Eric grabbed his hand anyway and hoisted him up so Fez could lean on his shoulders. "Come on, Fez. It's winter in Wisconsin. You could literally freeze your 'nads off."
"That can happen?" Fez croaked.
"Mmhmm." Eric muttered. "Now where are your clothes?"
Fez squinted his eyes for a moment and then shrugged. "I don't remember."
Eric let go of Fez's arm for just a second to unbutton his own jacket, but his foreign friend teetered over so far that Eric decided to just lower him to the ground. "Fez, my friend, you are so drunk." he said, shoving Fez's uncooperative arms into the sleeves of his jacket.
Fez held his head and groaned, glaring balefully. "Shhh!" he hissed miserably.
As Eric helped Fez walk shakily back towards the cabin, he couldn't resist adding, "So what have we learned about amaretto?"
"I said 'shhh', you son of a bitch!" Fez cried. After a moment his eyes widened and he was puerile and remorseful once again. "Oh Eric, I did not mean it!"
"S'okay Fez." Eric said. But he was not looking forward to tomorrow morning. This was not Fez's first American hangover, and it would not be his last.
After what felt like a ten mile walk, mainly because Fez had to keep stopping to vomit, Eric had dragged him back to the cabin. Adjusting Fez so he could support him with one hand, he opened the door and froze.
He could barely believe what he was seeing, yet it was right in front of him. Donna and Hyde were standing before the fireplace. Kissing.
Eric tried to speak, but only a strangled sound came out. He saw Donna pull away quickly and reach a hand out towards Hyde, but it stopped halfway to his face when she realized Eric was watching them, a look between horrified and heartbroken on his face.
"Eric!" she cried. His hurt-filled eyes were flitting from her to Hyde, who was staring back like a deer in the headlights.
Leaving poor tipsy Fez to his own devices, Eric shook off his supporting arm and whirled around, just running and slamming the door behind him.
Donna turned back to Hyde, anger blazing in her eyes. She brought her hand up the rest of the way to deliver a stinging slap to his face. "What the hell, Hyde! You're such a jackass!"
Hyde raised one hand to his sore cheek and stretched the other towards Donna. "Donna, wait!"
But Donna was already at the door, yanking her arms into her coat sleeves and wiping tears from her face. She opened the door and ran out after her boyfriend. "Eric!" she cried brokenly.
The door slammed again, and Fez held his hands to his ears. "Ai!" he howled, stumbling towards Hyde but collapsing in front of the fireplace at the last second.
"You alright man?" Hyde asked slowly.
The only response was a loud snore.
Hyde sighed deeply, already feeling the guilt seeping into his chest. He dropped onto the couch and propped his boots up on the table. "Well, Fez, it looks like it's just you and me." he said.
"Shut up, you son of a bitch..." Fez mumbled irritably before falling back asleep.
"Eric!" Donna called, the snow crunching under her feet as she followed Eric's footprints out to the driveway. She wasn't really surprised to see him sitting on the hood of his car. "Eric!" she cried. "I can explain! He kissed me!"
When he heard her coming he jumped down off the Vista Cruiser and started walking away. "Oh, just give it up! What, did you two go at it the second I left to help Fez? God, Donna."
His words were harsh, but Donna could hear the pain in his voice and it hurt her too. "Eric, wait! I promise, there's nothing going on! You have to believe me!" The tears were leaking from her eyes faster and faster, and there was nothing she could do but wipe at them before the icy wind froze them to her face. "Please, Eric..." she added in a whisper that seemed to echo around the isolated area they were standing in.
Eric stopped walking away, but didn't turn around. "Donna, if you and Hyde... Just tell me now." he said in a hard voice. "I don't want to be the guy whose girl is screwing his best friend behind his back."
Donna knew that he was angry, and she couldn't blame him, but she was angry too. This was not her fault! She marched up to him and cupped his face in her hands. "Eric, listen to me. Hyde was just being an ass. I would never cheat on you." she raised her eyebrows so that her eyes peered into his pleadingly. "C'mon, you know that."
Eric stared into her red, teary eyes. He wanted to believe her, but Hyde was his best friend and he just didn't know who to trust.
Donna could tell he was still having trouble figuring out what to believe. "Come on, Eric..." she said with a little smile. "Hyde's not my type. He's not nearly skinny enough."
Eric's lips twitched despite himself.
Donna knew she had him. "I..." she wanted to say that she loved him, but neither of them had said it yet and she wanted to wait for a special time. So instead she wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him in for a kiss, and it was sweet and sensual and ten times longer than the kiss Hyde had given her.
They pulled apart and Donna rubbed his shoulders, noticing for the first time that he was wearing a sweater, but no jacket. "Eric, where's your coat? You must be freezing!"
Eric sighed and pulled her closer, and that's when she knew they were okay. "Nah." he said, grazing his lips against hers. "I'm not cold." he gave her a tentative smile. "Anymore."
Donna laughed, relieved, and wiped at her face, which was frosty by now. "Well I'm frozen." she teased.
Eric wrapped her in his arms even more tightly and she felt the cold dissipate. "Better?" he asked.
"A little." she answered mischievously. "But you know what would be better?"
"Doing it?" Eric suggested. Before he knew it Donna had tackled him to the ground and he was lying in a snowdrift with her on top of him. "All right!" he grinned.
Donna shook her head. "Not happening." But she proceeded to weave her hands through his hair and nuzzle his neck, kissing and sucking.
"Aaand this is the part where you put your tongue in my mouth and touch me all over my body and then pull back right before we get our clothes off?" Eric quipped.
Donna planted a searing kiss on his lips. "Yeah. Is that a problem?"
Eric gulped. "No. No problem." He tilted his head at an angle to better capture her lips and tangled one hand into the long red hair he loved so much, kissing her for all he was worth.
Ten minutes of making out later and the two were curled up together on the snow, her head on his shoulder, his arm around her waist.
"Donna, I don't know about you, but I'm wet."
Donna shot her boyfriend a look.
"No, we're lying in snow. I'm wet." Eric protested before she could say a word.
"We could go inside." Donna offered, sitting up.
Eric pulled her back down. "I don't know what I'm going to do about Hyde."
"Put your foot in his ass?" she suggested.
"Hyde could just kill me." Eric said. "So I'm vetoing that one."
"Well you have to defend my honor somehow." Donna said, mock-sternly. "I think a firm warning and a kick in the 'nads should do it." They both laughed.
"Donna, Hyde and I have been friends forever." Eric said, serious now. "How could he do this to me? He knows how I feel about you!"
"Well, I am irresistible." Donna teased. "Look, Eric, there's no real harm done. I mean, I still want you, not Hyde. And, ah, I slapped him pretty hard too."
Eric rubbed her arm fondly. "That's my girl."
Hyde was still on the couch, watching the flames flicker and listening to Fez snore when Forman and Donna walked in hand in hand. They shared a look, and Donna nodded at her boyfriend and disappeared into the bedroom. Eric stood and looked at him, and Hyde knew it was time for a confrontation. He stood and faced his old friend. "Forman..."
"Hyde." Eric said coldly, stepping up to him confrontationally.
"You... want a beer?" Hyde said.
Eric shoved his shoulder and Hyde didn't fight back. "No, I want- ... How could you do this to me man?"
Hyde shrugged. "Look, I'm sorry, okay, but I got a thing for Donna."
"A thing?" Eric repeated, his voice getting shrill. "You have a thing for my girlfriend?"
"Can't help what I feel." Hyde replied.
"Well you better start!" Eric snapped. He lowered his voice. "Listen, man. I think I might love her. You can't screw me over like this!"
Hyde laughed callously. "Oh, Forman! You think you're the one getting screwed over? That's priceless."
Eric clenched and unclenched his fists. "Stay away from Donna." he said through his teeth.
Hyde turned his head to display the faint bruise on his cheek and sighed. "Come on, Forman. You think I'm gonna risk getting another handprint tattooed on my face?" He paused for a moment before he continued, "Look, man, she chose you, alright? What can I do about it? Just one more thing you have that I don't."
Eric's mouth tightened into a thin line. "She's not a thing, Hyde, she's a person, and I really like her. But you're my best friend. So, just, please, step off."
Hyde didn't look happy. "I will." he said grudgingly. "But Forman? If you were anyone else, I'd fight you on this."
"Well, then I'm glad I'm me, 'cause I could never take you." Eric admitted sheepishly.
"Damn straight." Hyde agreed.
Eric held up a hand. "But you touch Donna again, I'm gonna put my foot in your ass."
They both stared at each other for a minute before cracking a smile.
"Ah, Forman, you're such a loser." They both sat down on the couch. "So, are we good?"
"Not good..." Eric said unsurely. "Oh, what the hell, yeah, we're good." he finally said. He smiled wickedly. "...But you and Donna aren't and I'm pretty sure she has some words for you..."
Hyde grimaced and rubbed his face where she'd hit him. "I can't wait." he said dryly.
On the floor, Fez stirred and tried to block his ears with his hands. "Would you please SHUT UP."
"Gladly." Hyde agreed.
Eric just nodded and looked at his friend with the barest hint of distrust in his eyes.
There was a long awkward silence, and Eric wondered if they'd ever be the same again.
Somehow, he doubted it.
A/N: I decided to do some playing around with the Hyde/Donna/Eric thing. I'm a little nervous on this one... so... Let me know what you thought...