(A/N): Hey all. A light hearted, happy fic as promised. Just playing on a sweet, carefree moment between the girls and Hyde. Oh- to be a teenager in the 70s. I can only imagine.
Disclaimer: Don't own. Wish I did.
"Never thought love
had a rainbow on it
Used to think a cloud
was a nightmare
That was up until
I first met you
Now I go around
hoping you care.
Dance, dance,
feel it all around you
Dance, dance, dance,
Never thought love
had a rainbow on it
See the girl dance
See the girl dance." - Neil Young
It was clear now, crystal fucking clear. Donna was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on; Tangled fiery locks sprawled out over lush green, grin mashed across her face. His gaze shifted upwards. Electric blue engulfed the horizon and blooms of soft white rolled across the sky.
Who knew beauty was something you could reach out and touch?
"Hyde, get down here. This is freakin' amazing!"
He felt his cool demeanor begin to falter and his lips threatened to pull back into a smile as he slid into the grass to join her.
"So I take it your enjoying the acid?" And there it went. The right side of his mouth pulled back revealing a sideways grin. She burst out into a fit of laughter at his attempt to keep a straight face. To Hyde it sounded melodic. Light and nostalgic and swirling around his ears. He finally cracked and Hyde beamed through he shell.
"I'll take that as a yes." He voiced leaning back down to lay on the slick ground.
Hyde twisted his neck so their gaze met. Blades of grass kissed her pale cheek, contrasting against the pink, making her blush appear vivid. His brain told him she was flushed from laughter. His ego told him it was from being so close. His ego won when she laced her fingers with his and pulled his hand up to meet the sky.
"I'm so glad we came. I've never been so happy."
Hyde noted how when their hands were laced together he felt his fingers merge into hers, almost as if they were melted together. It felt nice.
"You know… me neither. This has been a pretty damn, good weekend, even with Kelso and Laurie here."
Donna let out a breathy laugh before sitting up. The golden glow of late summer sunlight produced a halo pulsating from her silhouette, and patterns danced across the shadows of her smile. Another fit of giggles rocked her as she stared up over head and it still sounded like another song.
"This is perfect, Hyde."
He ran a hand through his curls and gazed up to the sky in a silent response.
The best show he had seen so far was right next to him.
"That's called love, Donna!" A light, airy voice piped from behind them. "Love is perfect, always. Can you feel it? It's everywhere. God, this is better than sex!" Jackie lurched forward, knees pushing through the dirt, "I can't believe this you guys! I've never felt so alive. Even the stupid dirt is breathing."
Hyde's dilated gaze switched to Jackie and he pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose, "Welcome home, Jacks. How does it feel to finally have a soul?"
Donna exploded into another fit of laughter.
"Hey bitch, that's… not…" Jackie doubled over trying to contain her giggles, "funny." Within seconds both girls were clutching their sides, belting that gut wrenching I-don't-even-know-why-we're-laughing-laughter, and all Hyde could do was watch with deep seated satisfaction as mahogany and fire swirled together over green.
"You guys are nuts." Hyde finally interjected.
"Hey it's your fault 'Mr. Wanna take a trip, man?'" Donna mimicked emphasizing 'man', letting her eyes lids droop and her expression fall flat.
"No way, you guys lost it long before the sugar cubes."
Jackie ignored his comment and stood up. Her legs were covered in mud. The hem of her pink, floral sundress was tinted with earth and weighed down. A sandy hand took Donna's and pulled her up. Brown eyes shined beneath thick black lashes. What little was left of her make up was slightly smeared down one eye. Her smile beamed, and Hyde saw how beautiful summertime really was.
"Oh Donna, Donna! Neil Young! Let's go dance!"
"See ya, Hyde!" Donna exclaimed following Jackie. He nodded and cocked an eyebrow before watching the two break off into a run towards the middle of the field where a large mud puddle had pooled up from early that morning and last night's rain fall. The field they were in was a ways over from the stage, but the music still glided through the air vibrating through his chest. They wanted to find somewhere secluded to peak at. He relaxed back onto the ground, elbows crooked, propping him up, and kept his stare fixed on the two girls.
Yes, crystal fucking clear.
Perfection was something Hyde never could have predicted. Not while dropping acid with two sheltered, suburban teenage girls. Maybe Donna was something akin to 'down-to-earth'. But never Jackie Beulah Burkhardt. She was the last person on earth he would have guessed to for-go all Cosmo-related endeavors to frolic and spin in the mud, all no shoes and smiles.
Yes, the world would probably end today, but for some reason he was okay with that.
His blue eyes fell upon ivory and tan spindles flitting over the flooded, gouged out earth. And there it was- ..love.
H would keep this moment to himself, file it away for when reality surfaced, just incase the world didn't really end. Though Jackie running barefoot and dancing through a puddle of mud was the strangest, most beautiful thing he had ever seen, he was sure stranger things had happened.
Somewhere.
Hyde's nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. Crisp, fresh air expanded in his lungs and he could've sworn it tasted sweet. A light Technicolor mist hung low over the ground. He couldn't tell if it was the heat evaporating the moisture from the ground. Or if it was just the LSD playing tricks on him.
What ever it was, he mused, was beautiful.
Whatever it was, he mused, was perfect.
Donna sprinted towards him, diving forward and sliding through the mud on her abdomen stopping inches away from his face. Long dirt caked tendrils hung over her forehead and her eyes were burning bright against the shadows. "Come on, Hyde! Come dance with us!'
"Hell, no." He deadpanned still leaning on his elbows.
She may have been intoxicatingly gorgeous, slick mud coating her light clothing. Making them cling like skin. But Hyde was still Hyde. And Hyde does not dance.
"Aw, what's the matter? Scared?" Donna teased. It was more of a statement then a question, and Hyde's gaze flickered from her eyes to her lips and back up.
She noticed the subtle movement, accompanied with brush of lust. Her eyes still bright as the sun, smile never leaving, she brought a hand to his face. He flinched backwards as she smeared a small clump of mud over his nose, and laughed again and Hyde never missed a beat.
He snaked an arm around her and pushed his forehead against hers. Dried mud flaked off Donna's face before floating to the ground.
"What are you doing?" She breathed through a smirk.
Hyde remained silent, Azure eyes boring into her own. He noticed a flash of apprehension mixed with confusion at his silence.
Her breath was sweeter than the air.
SMACK.
"What the hell, Jackie?" Donna shouted. Hyde's arm loosened as she twisted her matted-with-dirt red locks to face Jackie staggering towards them. Sloshing ankle deep through murky, brown gunk. Tiny fist reared back, thick wad of mud enclosed.
"Dance with us, Hyde!" Jackie warned. Mile wide grin betraying her tone. "Don't make me ruin that chia pet you call hair!"
Hyde kept his poker face. "Okay Jackie. You won." He coughed and slowly rose up from the ground, running a hand through his dark blonde moss. Donna's eyes never left him.
"Alright, man. Let's go." As Hyde spoke he held a hand out to help her up, and Donna coked her head to the side and lolled back down to the ground. Her smile disappearing for the first time since very early that morning.
"Really? You're going to dance with us? What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Shut up, Donna." Jackie growled out through teeth.
Green eyes switched back and forth from Jackie to Hyde and finally she let out an exasperated sigh, shrugged and took his offered assistance. Her smile flashed back and she tightened her grip on Hyde's hand and sprinted down the slope almost pulling Hyde off his feet. Jackie caught up and grabbed Hyde's other hand. As they let go and danced around him splashing earth soaked water. Hyde took the opportunity to dig out two large handfuls of sopping, dripping, dirt, and hurled them at both girls. Shrieks of laughter seemed to lift the sun as they both tackled him to the ground submerging the lower half of his body in the puddle. Before he could react he was being attacked with large globules of clay, smashed into his hair.
Hyde finally broke down.
His whole body began to convulse with laughter, as it bubbled up from the depths of his gut, even as Donna yanked his glasses and held them above his head. Even as Jackie massaged more clay mess into his hair, Donna's dirt caked legs on either side of his stomach. Jackie's smile gleamed like pearls against the matte of mud.
A crescendo of acoustic melody sifted through the air.
(Three boys watched from the woods, jaws hanging open, brows furrowed, and faces green.)
And even with mist and mud and sunlight blinding his vision against the outline of smiling red and brown, it was perfect and beautiful, and that would stay with him forever.