Disclaimer: I own nothing. I do not own That '70s Show or any of it's character or the episode this story is based off of. I own nothing!
Author's Note: Hello all! How are you? Hope you're doing well! Today I have for you a short little story that o hope you all will enjoy. It's not the best work I've done but when I got the idea the other night I was quick to write it all out, unfortunately this was also during the time that I was feeling ill with a terrible earache, so again this may not be my best work. But it's a short little story and I hope you all like it! And please feel free to leave a review it would really mean so much, signed in, unsigned, long or short, it doesn't matter! I would just love to hear from you! This story does btw take place right after the episode of 'Hyde's Father' from season three. You don't have to watch it in order to understand what's going on but if you'd like to, you go right ahead! :D Now I'd like to take a few moments to say some quick thank yous. Thank you to JB (MidniteRaine) and Eliza (Eliza Ghost) for their help on stories and keeping my mind off my troubles. Thank you to Pam (ShanghaiLily) for letting me vent. And thank you to Marla (Marla's Lost) and Lisa (MistyMountainHop) for their constant support. And thank you to all you other readers who have supported me and my writings with your reviews, favorites, and alerts. It really means so much! This one is for all of you! Hope you don't mind me posting the story on my birthday even though the story has nothing to do with birthdays but I thought it's be a nice way to celebrate my day with my T7S friends! Hope you like this one! Thanks for stopping by to read, don't forget to review! And be sure to grab some birthday cake on your way out! As always, Enjoy!
That'll Make Her Feel Better
"Kids, dinner!" Kitty Forman called out as she placed the plate of crispy, fried chicken at the center of the table that her husband was already seated at.
A few seconds passed before Laurie pushed open the kitchen's swinging door and with bored look on her face, wordlessly made her way to her seat at her father's side. Not long after Laurie made her entrance, Eric came bounding up the basement stairs and into the room—unfortunately, he was not alone.
"Alright!" Kelso cheered making is way to the family table, "What're we having?"
Fez grinned beside his best friend but turned his attention to the chef of the meal, "Yes, good lookin' whatcha got cookin'?"
Kitty looked up from the basket of rolls she'd just placed on the table and laughed a nervous laugh, not sure of how to respond. Red on the other hand knew exactly what to say.
"She meant the kids who actually live here not the ones who practically do." he growled at the standing pair.
Right away their faces filled with sadness and they turned to the mother hen, hoping that what they'd just been told was wrong.
"Well, yes. That's true, I did was calling the kids who do live here…"Kitty started to say causing the boys to give their puppy who'd just gotten kicked faces, and so she quickly went on to add, "But you boys are more than welcome to join us. The more the merrier!"
The two cheered as soon as they heard Kitty's signature laugh at the end of her statement and quickly to the nearest empty seat. Kelso ran over to the seat on Red's right but Red never even groaned—mostly because his attention was on the other stray in his kitchen.
With a deep scowl on his forehead, Red looked the foreigner up and down; his face showing more and more disgust, "What the hell are you wearing?"
Fez looked down at his clothing. He was still wearing the tight pants and unbuttoned collared shirt that Playboy had told him would get him girls.
He gave a weak smile, "Clothes."
"Clothes that you got from a girl's closet?" Red asked, "You look like a dumbass."
Laurie grinned lustfully at the dark skinned Romeo, "I think he looks sexy."
The embarrassed look on Fez's face was quickly replaced when he heard Laurie's words and caused him to give her his best smoldering look, "Why thank you." he quickly remembered another one of Playboy's helpful hints and added in a deep voice, "Laurie."
This seemed to make Laurie's eyes fill with even more desire and in turn had Fez reacting the same way. Meanwhile Red was watching the interaction between his daughter and Squanto and was not at all happy with what he saw. She had just dumped and gotten rid of the kettlehead, now she was going after Tattoo? Why was his daughter attracted to dumbasses when she could do so much better?
Finally he'd had enough.
"You. Sit over there." he sternly instructed, moving his index finger from pointing at Fez to pointing at the seat on Eric's left—the seat farthest away from Laurie.
With a fallen face, Fez did as he was told and dropped into the empty seat; however as soon as he looked up he was greeted that same lustful look coming from straight across the table. Not wanting Red to notice, Fez returned the look with a small smile.
Oblivious of the looks being exchanged across his table, Red cleared his throat, "Alright. Now that that's settled, let's eat."
"Finally!" Eric said, not having to be told twice as he reached over for one of the hot, buttery rolls.
Not a second after he took one of the pieces into his grasp, he receive a sharp smack on the wrist causing him to drop the roll back down and look up at his frowning mother.
"Aha, we are not eating until everyone is here." Kitty explained and looked towards the basement door, "Steven, dinner!"
"I don't think Hyde's gonna hear you, Mom." Eric commented while still rubbing his injury.
Kitty frowned and began to think the worse, "Why? Is he sick?"
"No, he's just…" her son struggled to give an answer that wouldn't be a lie but wouldn't tell too much of the truth either, "Not… here."
"Well that doesn't sound like Steven, he's always home for dinner." she mused out loud, truly confused by the absence of the face she was so used to seeing at her kitchen table.
"Don't worry Mrs. Forman," Kelso started to reassure, while at the same time piling spoonfuls of mash potatoes on his plate, "Hyde's probably home for dinner at his new home."
"His new home?"
Kelso nodded as he skipped over the peas and helped himself to some rolls, "Yeah, the one he's got with Bud."
The kitchen instantly became silent—that is, silent with the exception of the light clanking noises coming from Kelso as he continued to fix his plate. No one seemed to notice Kelso's actions since their attentions were still set on his previous words. While Kitty's frown began to deepen, a grin sprung onto Laurie's lips when hearing the news. Red looked just about ready to kill Kelso; and Eric and Fez exchanged wide eyes expressions.
They all knew about Hyde's new move but none of them were looking forward to breaking the news to Kitty—especially not Red.
"Aw, Daddy Warbucks finally came back for Little Orphan Annie." Laurie quipped with fake sincerity.
"Can it, Laurie." Her mother ordered her before turning to her father, "Red, did you know about this?"
"Me?" Red asked deciding to play the innocent card and pretended to be surprised, "Did I know about Steven moving in with Bud? I…yeah." he answered after realizing that the innocent act could actually do more harm than good. He cleared his throat and pushed himself out of his seat, "Let's go into the living room."
Kitty never budged and instead stood in her spot, frowning at her approaching husband. She didn't move until Red was next to her and even then it wasn't by her choice. Red put his hands on her shoulder and turned her around in the opposite direction before gently pushing her in the direction of the living room. Once Kitty was in the other room, Red turned back around to face the table of misfits.
"Eric, drop that roll." he ordered sternly.
Eric quickly did so while feeling quite confused by how his father had even seen him grab the bread if he was giving his back to him.
"You two." Red called out using his index and middle finger to point at both Fez and Laurie, "You better be sitting in those same spots when I come back. And Kelso," the buffoon grinned up at Red only making the older man frown even more, "Go home."
With that said Red made his exit into the next room not catching Kelso's smile drop into a pout before he childishly stomped out of the house.
"Why didn't you tell me Steven moved in with Bud?" Kitty asked the instant Red had joined her in the room.
Red let out a deep breath, "Kitty, it happened not more than an hour ago. Steven came in here, told me he was moving in with Bud, and then he left."
Kitty's frown stayed in place, "And that's it?"
"Uh well he came in, told me he was moving in with Bud, and then he thank thanked us for everything…and then he left. And that was it." Red informed, keep the part about the hug they'd shared before Steven left to himself because he knew that would really turn on the waterworks.
Even with the little details he'd given her now Kitty's eyes were already prickled with a few unshed tears. Her face softened and she gave a tight smile for a few seconds before settling down on the sofa with a sad sigh.
"Oh Red, why didn't you call me when he was leaving?"
"Kitty," he said gently while taking a seat beside her, "he had his bag packed, his mind was made up. There was nothing I could do."
"But there could have been something I could have done or said to guilt him into staying!"
Red had to hold in a laugh at how true that statement was, "I thought you wanted Steven to have a better relationship with his father and give Bud a second chance." He pointed out.
"I know, I know, I did." she said with a nod, "But I didn't want him to move out of our home."
Hearing Kitty's voice crack with emotion, set off Red's reflex of putting a strong arm around her slumped shoulders. Though Kitty didn't lean into the embrace, she didn't pull away either and did appreciate the comforting gesture.
"Kitty, Bud is…he's Steven's dad." Red repeated the same reason he and Steven had given in the kitchen earlier that night, "It's like if this were me and Eric, you'd want Eric to come live with me wouldn't you?"
She looked up and into her husband's eyes, "Of course I would. But you're a good father, Red. Bud is…well I know he's a changed man." She corrected herself before voicing one of her greatest concerns of this whole thing, "But what if he changes back? What if he leaves again and then Steven will be left abandoned and alone all over again. Oh my poor baby!"
Kitty clutched at the material of her blouse above her heart, but managed to keep herself from breaking down completely when she found even more worries in her mind.
"Did you even get a look at Bud's new place?" she asked, going into protective mother mode, "What if there's no heat? What if Bud doesn't have the ingredients for hot cocoa? Steven loves hot cocoa. What if there's no bed in his room? Those are not the kind of living conditions for a growing boy to be living in."
"He stayed in a little room in our basement when he was lived here." Red reminded with a slight frown.
"A little room that had a bed!" Kitty was quick to argue.
Red chuckled before pulling her close to him and this time she did rest her head on his shoulder, "Kitty, Steven'll be fine. He's a strong young man." He paused for a short moment. "And besides, I told him if he ever needed a place to say he was welcome here."
Head still on his shoulder, Kitty looked up at him and asked in a hopeful tone, "You did?"
"Well…" he cleared his throat, "I told him I would tell you that anytime he needed a place to say he would be welcomed here."
"Oh, Red." She craned her neck to place a soft kiss on his cheek and then stayed staring at him, "You really are the sweetest man alive."
"Yeah, well, just don't tell anyone." He grumbled but the small smirk on his lips could still be seen.
"Well, I guess we better go eat dinner before it gets cold." She said, her voice still sounding a bit somber.
Slowly she moved out of Red's arms and stood up off the couch; Red did the same and was right behind her when she suddenly froze, her gaze fixed on the door that led into the kitchen.
"It's going to be so strange seeing Steven's chair empty."
"Kitty, in the house, it'll be strange seeing any seat empty."
His words caused her to laugh as she pushed open the swinging door and they both disappeared behind it.
The End
Author's Note: So what did you think? Good? Bad? Just Okay? Lemme know what you think! Even the smallest of reviews will make my birthday a bit happier! lol Thanks again for everything!
Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, take care, and have a nice day!