The One I love.
Summary: "He's been on Jackie's bad side for so long that he's forgotten what it's like to be on her good one." JH, Rated M. One Shot.
Inspired greatly by the songs Closer by Nine Inch Nails, (hence the title) Senses Working Overtime by XTC and The One I Love by R.E.M.
Disclaimer: I do not own them, but as a Zennie, it's my God given duty to fix what the writers messed up.
Other disclaimer: Yes, I did it again. All I ask in return is for a review.
New Years Day, 1981
The clock gently chimed 12:01, signaling the arrival of the New Year. Hyde watched as all the couples around him kissed. Donna had practically jumped Eric, Kitty and Red had shared a gentle yet warm kiss, Kelso and his date had attempted to eat each other's faces off, but the couple he was most interested in was currently engaged in a private conversation on the Forman's couch. If someone had told him that Fez and Jackie would have lasted a whole year, he would have told them to lay off the stash, but somehow, they had managed to pull through. Hyde theorized that a lot of it had to do with Jackie's stubbornness and unwillingness to admit that she had been wrong to start dating the foreign kid. She had stayed with him out of spite. Hyde would have respected it if he didn't think it was so stupid.
"Everyone," Fez's voice broke Hyde out of his thoughts. "I have asked Jackie to marry me and she said yes!"
He remained silent through all the cheers and congratulations, keeping his attention on Jackie's face for any sign that this was somehow all a huge mistake. She couldn't have said yes. She couldn't actually want to marry him.
It wasn't like Fez wasn't a good guy. He was, and Jackie had actually done a nice job of making him less perverted and creepy, something Hyde thought that she should win the Nobel Prize for, but marriage?
She wants to get married man, it doesn't matter who to.
The thing though was that it did matter. It mattered a great deal to Hyde who Jackie ended up with. She needed someone who wouldn't cater to her every demand, who would stand up to her, would protect her, would…
He could feel his heart beat faster as the anvil of epiphany fell on top of him. He had thought that eventually, Jackie would grow tired of Fez (Hyde knew better than to think it would happen the other way around) and they would break up and with some gentle persuasion, she would come running back into his arms.
Of course, there were a couple flaws in this plan. The first one being their engagement, and the second was that Jackie wasn't technically talking to him.
Sure, she'd talk to him. She'd say things like "Steven, get your feet off the coffee table." Or she'd sometimes giggle at one of his burns, but otherwise, nothing. Truth of it was he had been on Jackie's bad side for so long that he had almost forgotten what it was like to be on her good one.
One thing was for sure though, regardless of her current feelings for him, Hyde couldn't let this marriage take place. He knew from experience that acting like jealous asshole wouldn't do him any good. It hadn't done any good when he wanted to keep them from getting together; it wasn't going to do any good tearing them apart. He sure as hell couldn't just talk to her about it either. Unless…
The minute he saw her walk into the kitchen, he followed her.
"So, I guess congratulations are in order." He tried to keep his voice as neutral as possible.
She spun around, clearly surprised. "Oh." She said once she had gotten control of herself, "Uh, thank you."
Hyde nodded. "Yeah, you uh, always wanted to get married right?"
He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a hint of sadness in her expression before it was replaced with a mask of false happiness. Jackie had never been good at pretending to be happy. She either was or she wasn't. How the hell could Fez not see that she no more wanted to marry him any more than she would want to dye her hair?
Shit. He remembered what she looked like when Fez had dyed her hair green. He remembered clearly everything she had said to Fez on that day, because he knew, and she knew that the words coming out of her mouth weren't directed to Fez. They were aimed at him. After that, it was over. She and Fez had gotten together and he and Jackie had barely spoken since and he hadn't apologized for it. For any of it.
"So, how was your year?" He asked.
"It was fine." "Yours?"
"Uh, fine, I guess."
"Jackie!" Fez yelled from the living room.
"I better go." Jackie said awkwardly.
"Yeah." Hyde agreed. Shit what was he doing? "Uh, Jackie?"
She turned around at the door. "Yes, Steven?" Her voice was devoid of any emotion.
There are so many things he wanted to say to her. I'm sorry, I love you, don't marry Fez, I miss you, but looking at her, he found he couldn't say any of those things.
"Nothing." He replied, "I'll see you around."
She smiled slightly and then she was gone.
"I don't believe it, married… to Fez."
"I know it's just… wrong." Eric agreed with his girlfriend.
Donna turned to Hyde. "You're taking this well."
"That's because it's not going to happen." Hyde said matter of factly.
"How can you be so sure?" Eric asked. When Hyde didn't answer right away, Eric got a look of realization on his face. "You're planning something aren't you?"
Hyde crossed his arms. "No." He said after a beat.
Donna however, looked concerned. "Hyde, I know you never approved of Jackie and Fez, but maybe you should just let her move on with her life."
How was he supposed to do that when they so clearly belonged together? Okay, so it had taken him awhile to figure it out, but it was better late than never right? But the truth of the matter was that he didn't have any clue as to what he was going to do. With Kelso, it had been easy. Stealing Jackie away from him had been a piece of cake, but Fez didn't cheat on Jackie or do anything stupid like Kelso had.
"Hyde?" Donna gently nudged Hyde.
"What?" Hyde asked, pissed that Donna had interrupted his daydream.
"You know how Eric and I are always telling you that you should be more ethical?"
"Uh, yeah." Hyde answered.
"This is not that time." Donna told him.
Hyde was confused. "What?"
"Yeah," Eric agreed. "Do whatever you need to do to stop this wedding."
Hyde raised his eyebrow at Donna. "Why?" He asked, suspicious.
Donna sighed. "Because," She looked uncomfortable for a minute, as though she really didn't want to say what she was about to. "Jackie doesn't love Fez, and I think if she marries him, she'll be making a huge mistake."
Hyde nodded in agreement. "So you're saying I can do whatever I want so long as it breaks them up?"
"Just, don't hurt her okay?"
"Um, guys, shouldn't we be thinking about Fez too?" Eric asked, always the voice of reason.
"I'll take care of Fez." Donna said to them. "You," She pointed to Hyde, "Just worry about Jackie."
Jackie showed up to the basement four hours later carrying a box of magazines. It had been just Hyde and Donna there, discussing how she was going to handle Fez. Hyde suggested she distract him with a bag of blow pops and a Playboy. Donna told him that she had a friend at UW who was interested in Fez. She was apparently pretty, horny and her father owned a chain of candy stores.
Jackie dropped the magazines on the floor in front of the couch and Donna leaned over and picked one up.
"Are these all your wedding magazines?"
Jackie sighed and sat down. "Yeah."
"Jackie, is something wrong?" Donna asked, clearly concerned about Jackie. Hyde was glad that Donna was asking, because Jackie sounded anything but fine.
"I've never been better." Jackie said showing her teeth. "Now come on, help me pick out flowers."
Donna shot Hyde a look and then sighed as she opened the magazine she was holding.
He had ended their relationship because he thought he deserved better, but better seemed to be draining the life out of her. This was Jackie, she should have been more excited about her wedding, but she was acting as though it were nothing more than a chore.
"Oh, so, Eric and I were thinking that we could all go camping this weekend."
"Yeah, sure." Jackie said distractedly.
"Yeah, sounds cool." Hyde answered.
"Great." Donna said, slightly perplexed by her friend's tones.
Camping with Jackie… her body pressed up against his inside his sleeping bag, underneath him, struggling to keep quiet around all their friends… It suddenly occurred to him how he was going to get Jackie back.
"Oh, Donna, were we supposed to do something tomorrow?" He hoped Donna would play along.
"What?" She asked, not looking up, "Were we?"
"Yeah, you said something about some… uh, thing." He stressed.
Donna finally looked up at him, confused, "What are you…." "Oh yeah, that thing, yes."
"I can't go." Hyde said with fake regret.
Donna, ever the actress, but her hand to her chest, "Darn, I was looking so forward to it to!"
Hyde leaned forward. "Yeah, WB wants me to come in and help out at the corporate office I'm gonna have to look at flowcharts all day." He hid his smirk as Jackie shifted uncomfortably in her seat. He knew he was playing dirty, but damn it, he was desperate.
He wondered briefly if Fez knew about all of Jackie's little kinks. Probably not, as Fez would have blabbed it all over town if she had. Hyde, however, had spent a great amount of time seeing exactly how far her fetish went.
"Pie chart."
Her eyes fluttered for a second.
"Line graph."
Her throat made a little moan.
"Spreadsheet."
She clutched onto the sheets of his cot.
Judging by the way her breath hitched slightly, he knew that it still worked. He kept his gaze on her as he spoke. "Flowcharts make me dizzy." He looked at Donna, "How 'bout you?"
Donna looked at him strangely, "I have no feelings towards flowcharts what so ever."
"And you, Jackie?" He asked, "How do flowcharts make you feel?"
"Um, they uh… don't." She was practically squeaking. She shot him a murderous look meant to shake him down.
"Steven, can I talk to you for a second?" Jackie asked, standing up.
"Um, sure." He responded, getting up as well. "My room?"
She nodded curtly. "Donna, keep looking." She said, referring to the magazines.
Hyde followed Jackie into his room and shut the door. He watched her as she paced in the small room before turning on him.
"What," She said slowly, "Do you think you're doing?" Her voice was filled with venom.
He shrugged nonchalantly. "You're the one who wanted to talk to me."
"Don't give me that." She snapped. "I know exactly what you're doing, and it's not going to work. I'm getting married and that's all there is to it."
He didn't bother pretending to be ignorant. "Oh, but it is going to work, in fact, it already has." He stepped closer to her. "I saw the way you reacted; it's only a matter of time before you see things my way."
She raised her eye brow indignantly. "You… you need to stop this right now Steven."
"I'll stop,"
"Thank you." She breathed a sigh of relief.
"When you're mine again." He continued.
He could see her struggle to control herself.
"You're forgetting that I hate you."
He smirked. "No you don't." He knew for a fact that she didn't hate him, if she did, she wouldn't be confronting him, wouldn't be looking at him like she wanted to devour him whole. Sure, she could pretend that it was out of contempt, but he knew that what it really came down to was she still cared about him.
She poked him in the chest. "Do me a favor and leave me alone, if you know what's good for you."
He couldn't keep the smirk off his face. "Is that a threat?"
"A promise." She said sincerely. She flipped her hair triumphantly and walked out of his room.
It was like taking candy from a baby.
She and Fez showed up early Friday afternoon with their sleeping bags and a cooler full of beer and sodas. Fez was beaming, but Jackie's smile seemed forced. Fez dropped the cooler down on the ground, gave Jackie a kiss on the cheek and walked off to talk to Kelso who was visiting for the weekend.
"Hey, you." Hyde greeted her.
She ignored him.
"Jackie, Hyde just talked to you." Donna nudged the brunette.
Jackie shot Hyde a glance. "What did you say?"
"I said hey."
Jackie nodded. "Okay." She turned back to Donna and resumed her conversation with her.
Hyde grabbed Jackie's hand. "I need to talk to you." He pulled her over to the garage and watched as she leaned against Red's Toyota and crossed her arms. He stood in front of her, making sure she couldn't get away.
"Fez is going to ask you to be an usher, and I think it would be really nice of you if you would." Jackie said brightly.
"Yeah, that's not going to happen." Hyde responded.
"Look, Steven, I know you hate me but you and Fez are friends and I really think that you should just swallow your pride and do this for him."
"You think I hate you?" Hyde asked. "Jackie, the feelings I have for you are nowhere near close to being hate."
She raised her eyebrow. "But… I thought that… you haven't spoken to me in a year, and then all of a sudden you decide that you want… and I thought yesterday was you trying to get me back for…" He ran the pad of his thumb along her jaw line. She unconsciously closed her eyes at the familiar touch.
"I know you're not happy with him."
Jackie's eyes shot open, they were cloudy with desire and all Hyde wanted to do was kiss her, but he knew that would have to wait.
"Who said anything about being happy?"
He was so startled by this that he let himself be pushed out of the way by her. He stood in the garage, confused and bewildered. He turned and looked at Fez and Kelso who didn't seem to have noticed what had just transpired. He knew that Donna had a plan for Fez, and had given him permission to do whatever he needed to do, but Hyde knew that he would have to deal with Fez. He walked over to them and put his hand on Fez's shoulder.
"Can I talk to you, buddy?"
Fez nodded and Kelso walked away. Fez leaned against the porch railing.
"Fez, I uh, I need to talk to you about Jackie."
"Okay." Fez sounded weary.
"Look man, I know you want to marry her, but I think it's a really bad idea."
"Here we go again." Fez muttered. "I know you don't believe this, but Jackie isn't the queen devil bent on destroying everything in her path. She's beautiful and generous and sweet and honest and if you can't handle it, then I don't want you at my wedding!" He began to stomp off.
"But Fez…" Hyde said wearily.
"I said not at my wedding." Fez yelled back.
That had not gone well.
"Jackie, me and Kelso are going to go skinny dipping in the lake, want to come?" Fez wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.
"No thank you." She said, stifling a giggle. "I got really sick the last time I did that."
"Okay!" He said cheerfully, running after Kelso who was already half naked by the reservoir.
Donna looked at Eric. "Want to join them?"
Eric looked at his girlfriend like she was crazy. "Donna, you do realize that both Fez and Kelso are naked right?"
"Oh come on." She said, pulling him up, "It'll be fun." Hyde shot Donna a grateful look at the two left and Hyde and Jackie were left alone. He went to go sit by her. He reveled in their closeness, in the smell of her perfume, the flawlessness of her skin.
"What is it that you want, Steven?" She asked sounding resigned.
He thought about giving her a line about wanting a beer, but he knew that if he had any hope of winning her, he'd have to be honest. Jackie would respect honesty.
"I want things to go back to how they were before." He told her, turning her chin to look into her mismatched eyes.
She turned away. "I can't do it anymore, Steven." "I can't go back to where we where before."
He was about to reply when she started speaking again. "I thought I loved you enough for the both of us, but then it wasn't enough anymore, and it was like we weren't even on the same page anymore, let alone the same book, and I can't go back to that, Steven. I can't be totally in love with you when I don't mean half as much to you."
"Look, Jackie, I know I made some mistakes."
She shook her head sadly and stood up. "Mistakes? You married someone else!" She yelled.
Hyde stood up as well. "It didn't mean anything!" He found himself yelling very familiar words to both of them. He watched as she tried to blink back tears.
"It meant everything, Steven." She turned and walked away. Sighing, he followed her into the forest.
"You really don't get it do you?" He asked her as she started picking up more wood for the fire. "I finally figured it out, Jackie. Shouldn't that count for something?"
She dropped the wood she was carrying. "You don't figure out you still care for someone two years after you break up with them!"
"And you don't marry your best friend simply because you think you can't do any better."
She crossed her arms. "What are you talking about?"
He walked up to her and grabbed her left hand. "I'm talking about this; do you think I haven't noticed how you're always rubbing it? You don't want to get married."
"I've always wanted to get married." She replied stubbornly.
"To the right guy." Hyde replied. Let me be that guy.
Her arms were now uncrossed but she wasn't at all relaxed, in fact, she seemed even more uncomfortable. "I love Fez."
Hyde laughed. "No you don't."
She dug her feet into the ground. "Yes, I do! Fez is nice to me and buys me things and gives me compliments. He adores me."
"That might be true," Hyde agreed, "But that's not what you want."
She laughed in his face. "What I want? What do you know about what I want?"
He had to admit that she had a point.
"I know that you're afraid of being alone." Hyde stated. "Why can't you just let yourself be happy?"
"Why can't you?" She taunted him.
They were moving closer to each other now, though Hyde wasn't quite sure why or how. It seemed instinctive for him.
"Relax." He said softly, stepping closer to her. "I won't do anything you don't want." He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close. "I love you, Jackie, and you love me to." And with that he picked her up with one arm and carried to the nearest tree, pushing her against the hard bark. There was silence between the two for a moment, and he was worried that she was going to start screaming, or worse, crying, but she did neither of those things. She seemed to be waiting on him to make the first move.
He tells himself that kissing her is wrong, that she now belongs to someone else, but he can't stop from tasting her lips, from grazing her teeth with his tongue, from running his hand down her back, unbuttoning her dress as he kisses the sensitive spot on her neck, from tasting the skin on her shoulder, from groaning when he sees that she wasn't wearing a bra underneath her dress. He can't stop himself from pulling her already taut nipple into his mouth. He has to admit he feels a certain amount of satisfaction when she moans out loud, a sure sign that what his plan to drive her back to him is working.
Her lack of participation doesn't last very long, because soon she's tugging on his hair and pulling him up to her mouth. The kiss she gives him is meant to tease, to torment. She has every intention of pushing him away and walking him away before he can officially count this as a win, but his hands are leaving hot trails along her skin, making her feel like she's burning. She's Joan of Arc, the tree she's against is the stake and he's the fire. She's not sure when his shirt came off, but he's got her backed up against the tree and his chest hair is tickling her breasts, the bark is rough against her back, nothing about this is smooth or gentle, and the worst part is she really doesn't mind that.
She's so soft. Soft skin, soft hands, soft hair, soft, wet, and more than that, she's willing. She wants this just as much as he does, even if she won't admit it. But he's not going to do anything she doesn't want, it's not like she needs to beg for it. All she needs to do is say she wants it and he's hers for the taking. He doesn't know how long he can control himself though, because she's absolutely beautiful pressed up against the tree, and she's making those little sounds in her throat that never fail to turn him on.
"Tell me you love me." He whispers in her ear.
"No." She whispers back. "I can't."
"Say you'll give me another chance." He decided to try another tactic as he runs his hand up her smooth thigh. "That's all I'm asking."
Jackie looked Hyde square in the eye. He can feel himself being assessed and he can see the moment when she realizes that he's sincere. One hand reaches up and cradles the back of his head while the other cups his face. Slowly, she starts to smile.
He knows he shouldn't ask the question that's been plaguing his mind since he followed her into the forest, but he can't help himself. "Do you wish I was Fez?"
She blinks at him and then, in a voice he's not sure to make of, says, "I wish Fez was you."
It's the yes he needs. He keeps a hold of her as he quickly removes her panties in one fell swoop while unzipping his jeans and letting his painfully hard cock free and then he's got her back against the tree, her legs wrapped around his waist. He enters her slowly, letting her get reacquainted with his size. It's her though, that moves against him, setting the pace. This time, her kiss is softer, languid and smooth. It's like nothing he's ever really experience before, not with her, not with Sam, not with anyone.
He realizes that she's forgiving him. He kisses her back as he backs up from the tree with still with her impaled on his cock. Carefully, he lays her down on the ground, because what he wants to do can't be done against a tree. He can still hear their friends splash each other in the water, so he knows he has plenty of time. She's looking up at him slightly confused. He leans down and kisses her forehead, then her temples, the bridge of her nose, her eyelids, and the sides of her mouth before gently pressing his mouth against her lips. He raises her legs so he can fully insert himself into her tight wet pussy. She's making those sounds again, this time louder. He silences her by kissing her, letting her moan into his mouth as he fucks her into the ground. He knows when her orgasm is coming because she clutches at his back. He's going to have welt marks, but he doesn't care.
She's probably the most beautiful creature on the earth when she comes. Her head shaking, her body hot and flushed, her mouth slightly open and her eyes closed. It's all he needs to take him over the edge. It's after he climaxes that he realizes that she's crying.
"Oh god, don't cry, I'm sorry, I thought you wanted this."
She just continued to cry, pulling away from. She slips on her dress and he helps button her back up.
"I need to go." And just like that, she's walking away again.
The day they had returned to Point Place, she and Fez took off quickly. Hyde hoped it was to go talk, but he didn't want to get his hopes up. The other night had been one of the best nights of his life, but he knew better than to just assume she feels the same way. Maybe last night had been closure for her, and he's just going to have to accept it.
He's sitting in the basement alone when she comes in. She said nothing as she sat down on the couch.
"Where's Fez?" Hyde asked.
"Home." Jackie replied. "He's moving in with Michael."
Hyde quickly turned to look at Jackie. Something akin to hope fills his chest. "Um, why?"
"Because I told him that I can't marry him." She's not looking at him, but the TV. "He really needs some anger counseling." She said, pointing to the Incredible Hulk.
"How did he take it?" Hyde asked, moving to sit next to her.
"It's Fez." Jackie replied.
"Oh, so not good." Hyde felt bad, but not enough to justify letting her go.
"I didn't tell him about what we did, but I said that I needed to figure out what my feelings were for you before I could truly move on with my life." This time, she's looking at him. "I meant what I said; I can't go back to how it was before."
He doesn't want that either, so he tells her so.
"Did you mean what you said earlier?" She asked.
He knows what she's talking about. "Yeah." He said as he ran his fingers through her soft hair. "I do."
A week later:
"Fez, this is my friend, Rose. She goes to UW with me."
Fez sighed, "Donna, please, I'm not ready to be set up."
Donna whispered in Fez's ear. Fez gulped and turned to Rose. "So, your name is Rose?"
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