Ah, my first J/H fic. I absolutely love this couple and in my mind, season 8 never happened. This is just a little something that popped into my head. Mindless drabble! If you like it, please let me know!
I don't own anything.
Somehow without fail, every other weekend or so, Steven Hyde found himself at Point Place Mall. The bright lights and loud music that blasted throughout each store gave him a headache, which made him more likely to take out his credit card and pay for whatever it was that his wife or daughters wanted without bothering to really see how much he was spending. He didn't care, dammit. He would happily do anything if it meant getting him out of the mall and back home to his comfortable couch in the renovated basement with the beautiful 60 inch flatscreen tv mounted on the wall.
On this particular Sunday he had shorter patience than usual. The Greenbay Packers game against the Chicago Bears started at 1 pm and his phone told him that it was already pushing 12:30. If they left the mall now he'd make it in time for the end of the first quarter. Steven sighed, knowing there were still a few more stores left to hit up.
Nearby one of his daughters looked through the sales rack, critically examining each article of clothing. Finally she stepped away and made her way over to Steven, and he knew they'd be heading to the register soon. He could always tell; both his daughters had the same shopping body language as his wife. They also looked exactly like her, with dark shiny brunette hair and petite frames.
She had to be somewhere close by, Steven thought. The store wasn't that big.
"Daddy I'm done." Kate, his oldest daughter, grinned at him. With great skill she balanced an iced coffee and her phone in one hand, and what looked like a pile of sweaters in the other. Even though she looked like her mother, her eyes were blue like his. Steven often had to pretend not to notice boys checking her out when they were out. He often complained to Eric and Kelso about it, saying he needed to invest in a gun with all the attention Kate got.
"Okay princess. Where's your sister and mom?" Steven looked around, failing to see them in the store.
"In the fitting room," Kate replied, nodding her head behind them. "Mom wanted to make sure the dress Gracie wanted actually fit."
Great, Steven thought. That meant at least another ten minutes before they could leave. However to his immense relief they appeared from the fitting room's entrance and walked over to the line, waving Steven and Kate over.
"Sorry babe, I know we need to get going." His wife flashed her gorgeous smile at him, and Steven couldn't be annoyed anymore. Even after all these years, she still stirred the same feelings buried deep inside him. It didn't hurt of course that she still looked as beautiful as she did when they got married, if not more.
"Next in line," the bored voice of one of the cashier's called out. They walked over to the counter and each of the girls dropped a pile of clothes down.
"Do you have a rewards card with us?" The cashier asked, starting to take off the sensors on the sweaters, dresses, and leggings spread out before her.
'Uhh…" Hyde looked desperately to his girls, he had no idea if they did or not.
"Yes we do, can you look it up please? It's under Jackie Hyde."
"Found it." The cashier said, rather unenthusiastically. Maybe she wanted to be watching the game too.
"Now Steven, I know you want to get home and watch the game." Jackie turned to her husband, resting a hand gently on his arm. Her engagement ring sparkled under the store's overhead lighting. She rarely took it off.
"But.." Steven said, watching the number on the little screen in front of him go from double digits to three. Not that he minded. He was happy to indulge in things like this for his family when he could. His mind drifted for a second to when he and Jackie were just dating, and how he used to protest the mere mention of the mall. If only his seventeen year old self had any clue.
"…. Adam won't do it for himself obviously, being too busy at UW, and Josh is caught up with med school.. Steven?"
Steven looked up, taking out his wallet. "We need to return the jeans for Adam and pick up some snacks for Josh to send so he remembers to eat sometimes."
Jackie smiled, pleased that he was listening.
"It'll be $432.98 today." The cashier said then, and Steven swiped his shiny black credit card.
"Thank you Dad." His girls said together, taking the bags. He stuffed the receipt into his wallet, smiling.
They started for the exit, chatting away.
Jackie slipped her free hand in Steven's, walking beside him. He looked over at her, forgetting momentarily about the Packers.
Somehow he never minded the mall too much when she was next to him.