Stories of Becoming Us
By: Selim
Pairing: Hyde x Eric
Summary: A series of drabbles outlining the lives of Eric and Hyde, from high school to career, the 70s to the 80s.

Disclaimer: Selim has no rights to That 70s Show, this is a piece of fiction that is not receiving any profit.

EDIT: Drabble 77b was removed, didn't realize I left it there. That was a filler idea I had that was removed soon after. Sorry about the confusion, now drabbles are in proper order.


Drabble 73: Samantha


Thousands of papers lined the table, needing Hyde's attention but he couldn't give it to them. No, his mind was off in Appleton where it had been for nearly three months now. Remorse was an odd feeling for the aloof man. He prided himself for being emotionless so this was a strange feeling, being stuck on something he did, three months after doing it.

He never regretted anything, at least not so quickly and for so long.

Just forget about it, Eric doesn't need to know. It isn't like it meant anything,he tried to tell himself. Continuously he repeated those words as he made his way to the apartment, day after day.

Lately, the words had turned to, Now you and Eric are even.

Only he knew about Eric's indiscretion and, although it took awhile to come to terms with it, he had. Mostly because he knew that the two hadn't gotten far, Forman had been drunk that night he stumbled into the Foto Hut, apologizing for everything. Experience had taught him that the teen didn't last long to foreign stimuli and would have knocked out soon after coming, with or without being fucked into a carpet.

He cleaned Eric that night. He knew the boy hadn't been touched.

He couldn't say the same about himself. He shouldn't have drunk so much that night. It was just a great party and he was let off the clock around midnight, enjoyed a couple of rounds with the band, and then...

Slamming his hands into the table, Hyde pushed himself away from his work, grabbing a beer from the refrigerator. It tasted like acid. Grumbling, the man leaned against the counter. Maybe his conscious was telling him to come Eric could forgive him after a couple of free swings.

Only he didn't feel like fighting. For the first time in a long time, he felt happy with the way his life was going. He was actually happy coming home to another man. It wasn't time to ruin all that just because he made one stupid mistake that didn't mean anything to him. It was just his own infidelity. His own weakness to the figure that he could no longer have. He loved Eric's lengthy body and lack of definition but it wasn't what he spent years fondling in the back of the school.

Draining the can of beer (it was making him nauseous), he poured himself a cup of coffee instead before preparing to get back to work. George McPherson was preparing to change departments and was grooming Hyde to take over his position as a talent scout and contractor. It was a big step up from promotion, a whole extra dollar. He wasn't going to let such a privilege pass him up, not so quickly after getting into the music business.

An knock at the door kept him from his paperwork next. Growling, Hyde pushed himself up. So help him if it was Jamal, wanting to play baseball, he was going to throw a fit.

Throwing the door open, Hyde felt the wind escape from his lungs at the blonde babe at his door, holding his lost wallet.

"Steven Hyde!" The woman cried out, excitedly, throwing herself into his arms. "You have to help me! I'm pregnant with your child!"

Even with the blood pounding in his ears, he still heard the slam of books as they fell out of Eric's hands.


Drabble 74: All is Calm


"And there he was, fist pulled back threatening to kill the man if he laid one more hand on me. I knew then I was in love."

"I was drunk."

"I offered him a ride to my place and when we got there – I've never had such a wild night!"

"I was drunk-!"

"When I woke up in the morning, he was gone and all I had was his wallet."

"I was drunk, Eric-! You have to believe me!" Hyde nearly threw himself over the table at his boyfriend who had been sitting tensely for the last thirty minutes. He had been able to stop Eric from running when the pretty blonde at his door first mentioned she was pregnant but he didn't think it was going to be possible to stop Eric once he found out what Hyde had done that night.

He had been drunk. He had been having a damn good time when a fight in the alley caught his inebriated attention. Like a hero, he stood up for the little lady, followed her home in a stupor, and had sex with her. When he realized what he had done, he had darted out of the apartment like his ass was on fire, calling Eric in his drunken stupor.

A Kelso-like thought passed his mind, telling him to remind Eric of Buddy. He stifled it, knowing that he'd just be digging himself a hole if he brought up that bastard.

"And now you're pregnant?" Eric asked in a chipped tone, eyes not even turning to Hyde.

"Yep." The girl giggled. "Samantha, by the way." She offered her hand.

Eric ignored it. "How can we be sure that it's his?"

"According to the doctor I'm nearly three months along and Steven's the only man I slept with that fits the bill." Tapping her chin, Samantha giggled into her hand. "If he hadn't left his wallet I don't think we could have ever met up again!" She reached over to clasp Hyde's hand but the man pulled away, closing himself off.

Twisting his body to look at Eric's steely one, Hyde shifted nervously. "I wanted to tell you, I just didn't know..." He should have called Jackie to ask how it was best to come clean with all this but he was already in too deep. The only thing he could think of now was to be honest and answer the questions that Eric would have. He also wanted to know what he should do now with Samantha, apparently pregnant with his child.

"I guess this makes us even." Eric chewed his lip. "For the whole Buddy thing back in high school." He was twiddling his thumbs.

Hyde frowned. He wanted to agree but it didn't seem like the right answer. He could just picture himself with Jackie, saying the same words and having them thrown back in his face during a tantrum. "No. We're not." He finally admitted. "I was on the clock; I should have been more responsible.

When did he change? When had he started to consider his responsibility for his actions? He shouldn't care. Eric should know him by now. "No, we're even." Eric repeated, pushing himself up from the table. Hyde stood up, ready to chance his lover down.

He hadn't expected Eric to start rummaging through the freezer, pulling out some ground beef to start up on dinner. "I guess you'll need a place to stay. Hyde can you get an air mattress from Ida's? Tell her we'll babysit Jamal whenever she needs it as repayment. And change our bedding. Samantha will be sleeping in there."

Hyde just nodded and went about his tasks, glad that things didn't go sour. He knew it wasn't over but Eric wasn't screaming.

And that made this a lot easier to handle.


Drabble 75: Accepting You're Human


Kicked out of his own bedroom by Eric, Hyde found that sleeping on the air mattress wasn't for him either. The couch his only bed, Hyde looked at Eric on the ground, as he did for the last month since Samantha had moved in. Eric said there was no difference in their relationship but he wanted to argue that. Ever since Sam had moved in, their relationship had been dry.

Friend-like.

He hated it, more than anything else. If he wanted to live with a friend, he would have moved in with Kelso or Fez. Eric was supposed to hold him at night, whispering his ear followed with a chime of boyish giggles. They were supposed to kiss and touch with promise of forever, like boyfriends did. Well, he figured boyfriends. They weren't friends with benefits, but they weren't as mushy of lovers as they had been with either Donna or Jackie.

They were perfect.

Rolling off the couch. Hyde groaned as he made his way to the uncomfortable air mattress. Crawling under the blanket, Hyde felt confidence surge through his body as he took Eric into his arms for the first time in over a month. Perfect.

Eric grumbled in his sleep, rubbing his nose into the undershirt Hyde slept in. The man's sleeping face twitched before relaxed, a small smile escaping his face as he settled comfortably. Running his fingers through knotted brown hair, Hyde pulled Eric's head back some, pressing a soft kiss to the man's temple, nose, and lips.

Eyes fluttering open, Eric pulled away from his lover. "What?" He whispered, voice laced with sleep and mock annoyance. "I'm trying to sleep. Go back to the couch." The man flipped over, lying on his stomach. His long arms wrapped around a soft pillow, cuddling it like he always did with Hyde.

"Why can't we share a bed?" Hyde whispered.

Raising an arm, Eric pointed to the bedroom before slumping back into the mattress. "Your friend in there."

"Never stopped us before." Hyde climbed on Eric's back, attacking the other's neck. "Eric, I'm not ashamed of our relationship. If she wants me to take care of her and that child, fine, but I'm not going to leave you for her."

Eric stiffened under him. "Hyde, I'd rather we just forget about all that. I'm not giving you up and we're going to take care of your mistake. It's the right thing to do. Her knowing about us, though, isn't part of the plan. It's just a few more months."

"I'm not going to hide us. Shit, Forman, I don't want any more secrets between us." He chewed his lip. "I don't remember that night. I know it happened, I know I woke up there and I know I regret it."

"That's why I'm not mad." Eric twisted around, still on his belly. His hand reached out, grasping at Hyde's. Their eyes met. "I know you regretted it. You called me that night, remember? I knew something was wrong the minute you called. It's like me, you knew when it happened that it didn't feel right and we crawl back to where it does. We're still working on a strong relationship and have to be ready to handle these mistakes."

"Less hope we don't have any more. Are you okay with the girl I had an affair with living in our home?" Hyde had been wondering that since the moment Eric set the girl up in their room.

Eric chewed his bottom lip. "I have a confession since we're coming clean."

Hyde tensed. "Dear god, you crawled into another man's bed."

Eric slapped him. "No! Although it is the other man – I meet Buddy at the library. We've been hanging out the last month. Our pants are on though. I promise."

"Just as friends?" Hyde never would have thought that Buddy's appearance would put him on edge.

"Just as friends. I needed one, I can't just have you and the neighbors out here. I mean, you have all your co-workers and I have...Jamal."

Hyde exhaled. "Alright, deal. You let me sleep on this air mattress with you 'cause, let's face it, that couch hurts. You can hang out with Buddy but I get to put a lock on your belt."

Eric slapped Hyde's arm but leaned in, a smile on his face. "I can live with that."

"I can too. I'm sorry, Eric."

"It's okay, Hyde. I forgive you."


Drabble 76: I Don't Hate You


"Eric, you don't like me, do you?" Samantha fought to catch up with Eric at the local market. The brunette was shuffling through the cheapest food, trying to find a good deal on their list.

"Who said I didn't like you? That's...preposterous." Eric dropped some generic noodles in the cart before continuing down the aisles to the meats. After grabbing some beef and chicken, Eric continued down, grabbing a pack of hotdogs and hamburgers. "I like you, like Wolverine likes Sabertooth."

Samantha's cheeks puffed out. "They don't." She said, off handedly. "What do you have against me? Is it because I fucked your boyfriend?" The surprised look of Eric's face was not missed by her. "I knew about you too, it's not hard to miss. I'm not...getting between you two, am I? That's not my intent. When some of the girls at the club found out about the baby they told the boss and I lost my job and I had Hyde's address..."

"It's just – you show up out of nowhere, saying you're pregnant so randomly." Eric put a gallon of milk in the cart, reorganizing his groceries while mentally calculating his current total. "What else could you have been up here for if not Hyde? Did you really just show up for him to take care of you and what might be his baby?"

Tensing, her fist squeezed at her side. "It sounds questionable when you phrase it like that. It was a one night stand, it wasn't supposed to be important and then I found out about this. It's his, trust me. If he was single, I would try to form a relationship with him."

Turning to face her, Eric put his hands on his hips, his weight falling on one leg. "But he's not so you better, you better...just leave him alone." Eric grabbed his cart, pushing it further through the store. Eggs were added to his growing pile of groceries then some coffee grounds. Last, he grabbed some beer before making his way to the checkout line.

"Eric! I don't care about Steven anymore than a friend! I just...I need somewhere to stay until I get my life back on track. I'll be gone after that. Just, don't walk on egg shells around me anymore."

"I know Hyde's not going with you." Eric whispered.

"Then what's going on?"

"Nothing. Is there anything you need before I get my things paid for?"

"Cookies and ice cream?" Samantha touched her growing belly.

"Watch the cart, I'll run for it." Eric took off down the aisles.

Blowing some blonde hair from her face, Samantha leaned against the sales counter. "I just want someone to help."


Drabble 77: Awkward Contempt about Family


Eric dropped his book bag in the corner, looking around his clean apartment. That was one thing he had to praise their house guest for – she always kept the place clean, even if she wore nearly nothing while doing so. Twisting around the house, Eric raised his voice, "Hyde? Samantha?" He walked to the kitchen, frowning when he came across a note attached to the refrigerator door.

Eric, took Samantha to her doctor's appointment. Be home later with dinner. –Hyde

Grumbling, Eric poured himself some milk before going back to the living room, flicking the television on. The old screen glowed a bright white before becoming turning to the mid-day news. Slumping back on the couch, Eric grabbed a pillow from the seat, bringing it under his chin. Hyde's metallic scent escaped from it calming Eric's nerves.

Another month living in this one room. He was getting tired of the walls and the carpets and the lack of upgrades. Hyde was being promoted and Eric was getting more hours at PriceMart thanks to his Saturday classes, thus meaning they had more money than usual but instead of being able to buy new furniture they so desperately needed, they found costly doctor bills for their new roommate who said that these checkups were important.

Donna agreed so he didn't verbally fight it.

The front door opened, Hyde sliding in the apartment first, Samantha trailing behind. "I still think we should know the baby's sex."

"I think it would be sweeter if we didn't know. A surprise!" She smiled at Eric before making her way to the kitchen with some Chinese takeout boxes. "I got you some chow mien. Steven says that's your favorite." She set everything out on the table, searching for some plates to use.

Stepping up to Hyde, Eric let the man wrap his arm around his waist. "So no idea the baby's gender?"

"She," Hyde pointed to the woman, "doesn't want to know."

"I think it'd be a fun surprise."

"How would we know what to buy if we don't know its gender?" Eric tilted his head.

"Gender neutral outfits I guess."

Shaking his head, Eric pulled out a seat as they sat at the table. Hyde leaned against his ear, "I saw a ding-a-ling; it's a boy."

Eric took Hyde's hand, squeezing it lovingly.


Drabble 78: Dead of Night


"Eric..."

The brunette grunted as Hyde lay straight against his back. Thick fingers pressed against his lips and Eric took them in his mouth, wincing as Hyde shifted, the man's engorged penis entering him. His other hand enclosed around Hyde's free one, their fingers gripping each other like a lifeline as Hyde began to move. The mattress shifted under them, the air escaped to one side of the mattress but that didn't enter their conscious mind as Eric fought the urge to cry out. Hyde's lips pressed against his shoulder blades, moving down the other's spinal cord until he settled his hand above both bodies, using it to prop his upper half up.

His lower body shifted, finding a better position to pivot forward. Eric gasped, bit on the fingers and struggled to remain quiet. It was just like the Forman basement all over again. So many months of cold indifference had led to this pivotal moment that Hyde reclaimed him, took away all the worries that the little woman, carrying the afro-haired man's only child, wouldn't leave.

A choked cry escaped Eric's lips as Hyde pressed against that one spot that drove him positively wild. The mattress had lost some air, Hyde could feel the carpet under his knees. Climbed over Eric, Hyde moaned softly, burrowing his nose into Eric's neck.

"I love you." His hips moved, rolling against Eric's backside. "I love you."

The words, so soft, were powerful. Eric's hand grabbed at Hyde's, pulling it out from under Hyde. He ignored the sudden impact of the large weight against his back. His orgasm shook his frame, his vision faded. Hyde grunted low as he filled the body under him, dropping next to the other man.

"I needed that." Eric admitted when he got his breath back. He didn't bother moving to his back, just enjoying the relaxing feel of the cool blankets.

"We both did." Hyde chuckled. "Be better if we could use some stash but with the baby..."

Eric stopped laughing. "You're really excited about this, aren't you?"

"I didn't think I would be but... I am. I never thought it would be possible when I started dating you and I was happy that way but... when you finally get the chance to have a child of your own. Eric, look at me." Eric kept his face pressed into the deflated mattress under him. "Eric..."

"I'm sorry I couldn't give you a kid then."

"Eric..." Hyde put his hand on the small of his lover's back.

The other man just ignored him.


Drabble 79: Baby Shower


Samantha squealed in delight at the growing pile of gifts in the living room. Eric had informed his parents of her pregnancy and Kitty had driven up from Point Place with some of Eric's old nursery items for the new mother. Wrapping her arms around the older woman, Sam darted around the living room, touching the old bassinette before running to Kitty again to hold her again.

"So what does this make you?" Jackie asked, eating a snack while watching the baby shower scene in the living room. Eric glared at her. "Dad? The creepy uncle?"

Kelso chuckled. "The monkey's uncle? At least I'm a sure-fired father!"

"Where is Brooke?" Donna leaned in. Kelso stuffed a cracker in his mouth, looking away. "Ignore them, Eric. Is Hyde going to come back for the baby shower?"

"He had to go to a conference and said he'd be back as soon as it was over." Eric watched his mother run around, grabbing another item from the box she brought up from her home. More baby clothes she kept from Eric's childhood. Samantha hugged the blue outfit close to her chest, just as excited about the outfit.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Jackie asked absently.

"Hyde says it's a boy but they don't know for sure" Eric rubbed his head. Jamal ran past him, grabbing a fist full of Kitty's cookies before darting back to where the women were, swooning over Samantha's rising belly. Seven months. Had it really been seven months since that woman had moved in?

And she wasn't taking any steps to move out either. Where the hell were they going to put her, the baby, and Eric and Hyde? Their landlord was going to kill them! Not wanting to think about it, Eric picked up a shot, drowning it fast. Hissing, he set the cup down. Fez rushed over then and there, holding up a bottle full of gum drops.

"Ninety-three! Fez was right!" Throwing his hands in the air, the foreigner did a crazy dance.

"What did you win?" Jackie bent forward, malice lacing her voice. She had said ninety-two.

Opening his little gift bag (made courtesy by Kitty), Fez pulled out robin eggs laced together in a knitted bag. "Not much."

Hyde chose then to throw the door open, slipping the apartment with a big white box. Eric frowned at the package, knowing it was another gift for their house gust, one he didn't agree on. This was getting tiring. Moving to the living room with his friends, they all sat around Samantha as she unwrapped her latest gift, showing some relief that it wasn't another hand-me-down. "Diapers?" She asked.

"I asked Sally at the front desk what a soon-to-be mother would want, she said diapers."

"And their disposable too! Oh the things people come up with, when Eric was little I used to have to scrub his cloth nappies after his did his onsies and twosies." Kitty took the package from the pregnant woman, twisting the bulk box around. "500? Oh, Hyde, you're going to need more than that. Babies eat and poop."

"Then eat some more." Kelso added.

Kitty shook her head. "I'm so proud, my babies are growing up." She wrapped her arms around Steven. "So when are you two getting married?" Her question was directed towards both Hyde and Samantha, neither which could make eye contact

Although Eric knew that several sets of eyes had fallen on him, the hindrance on the new woman's future.


Drabble 80: Prepare for the Worst


A series of card tables were set up in the living room and Eric was being very strict that each one should be properly covered with a table cloth so his father wouldn't notice the difference. Thanksgiving at the apartment needed to be well managed to prove to his father that he had made something of himself.

Hyde had tried to explain all of this to Samantha as she wet to make sure that each table cloth was the exact length from the floor as the ones on the main table. With the chairs he borrowed from various neighbors, Eric repositioned the ones he felt Samantha hadn't set up right, ignoring Hyde's laugher as he passed the man up to go to the multiple pots on the stove. "Chill Forman, you're more of a woman than usual."

"Shut up, Hyde! And go shave that gross mustache off!" Eric waved the wooden spoon angrily. Turkey gravy splattered Hyde's face, causing him to crinkle his upper lip that was becoming furry quite nicely.

"I think that needs to sit on the stove a little while longer. I can taste the flour in it." Hyde made his way to the bathroom while shouting, "And you didn't say it was gross last night!"

"What's got you so hyper?" The blonde leaned forward on the couch, no longer interested in the parade on television, even as Snoopy floated by.

"My dad." Eric muttered absently.

Samantha pierced her lips. "What about him?"

The brunette stirred the gravy one last time before lowering temperature down. Beside him an open cook book sent him on the next task. "Haven't really seen him or spoke to him since I moved out here with Hyde. Hell, haven't had a good conversation with him since I first learned about GI Joe and wanted to be a soldier so badly. Anyway, he's coming with my mom, today, for Thanksgiving, with the gang. I can't let him find error. He'll search, he always does, but I will not be a screw up. Not this time." The last part was said mostly to himself as he pulled the potatoes off the stove top, draining the water.

"Didn't like you were gay?"

"Didn't like that I wasn't an all-American, perfect, obedient, smart, funny, respectful—" Eric worked his fury on the potatoes, mashing them with milk and butter. The popping of a beer can caused him to jerk away from the food, glaring at Hyde. A nervous smile fell on the afro-haired man's lips as he held the foaming beer out.

"Sip?"

"Just turn whatever game that's on, on. They're going to arrive any moment and the first thing dad's going to ask is—"

And at that moment their door opened up, Red stepping in without making eye contact with his son, "Put the Houston game on! It's a close call with the Oilers and the Cowboys!"


Drabble 81: Thanksgiving Bite


Hyde was a firm believer that the Forman's should be handled one at a time and not, contrary to belief, all at once. Kitty tried too damn hard that things became uncomfortable and Red purposely made people squirm in their seats with his cold stare. Even Kelso and the others were needed in small doses, and the baby shower wasn't enough to prepare the girl for everyone at once.

Donna tried to pacify everything but it ended with a sharp comment from Red about how she was supposed to be with his dimwitted dumbass of a son. She gave up after awhile when Jackie started making it worse, making jabs at Samantha's expense for bringing Hyde back to the better side.

"And Brook thinks I won't be a good dad, how laughable is that!" Kelso stabbed at his peas. "I think I'm a good dad, I mean do you remember the school hamster?"

"The one you killed?" Hyde glanced over his glasses. Kelso huffed, repeating he was a good dad. "So Fez, you're finally popular with the ladies, good job, man!" He reached over the table, slapping the foreigner on the arm. "Never would have expected it – from you no less!"

"It's the hands," Fez said, holding up his hands. "They just work the ladies as they touch their hair.

"If you came back, "Jackie smiled to Hyde, "I'm sure they'll go back where they belong."

"Why would I do that?" Hyde raised a brow. With a smirk toward Red, he reached his hand across the table, lacing his fingers with Eric's. The brunette gave an inquiring glance at his boyfriend before taking a bite of turkey.

"So, Samantha," Red sat up in his seat. The guest tensed, watching the uncomfortable blond. "Are you a permanent accessory to this drag show or a timeline of its end?"

Eric shifted his stuffing on his plate. "We like to tag team her when we get tired of each other."

Hyde choked on the water he was drinking.

"I need a drink." Kitty leaned her head into her hands.

"Sweet! One more girl and you have yourself a hot threesome! Hive five!" Kelso held his hand up to Hyde. "Ow!" He jumped when someone kicked him. Donna shifted her food on her plate.

"Not very many men get two women at once." Red didn't make eye contact with either boy.

"Actually," Samantha shifted, "Eric and Hyde are letting me stay here until the baby is born."

"And whichever one got you knocked up should also take responsibility and become its father. Like real men." Red growled.

"I don't want that." Samantha shook her head. "I just want Hyde to be there for our child when possible."

"And he will," Red nodded, "When he marries you. At least then they will get their heads out of their asses."

Fez turned to Jackie, whispering under his breath, "I don't think their heads can fit in their asses." The girl snickered.

"He's not marrying her, Dad." Eric glared at the man on the other end of the table, as far away from his son and son's lover as possible.

"Leave Sam alone, she's staying until she can get back on her feet, however long that takes." Hyde brought green beans to his lips, eating them. Sam shoot him an appreciative look, Eric a nervous one.

Red saw both.


Drabble 82: Father-Son Talks


Donna and the group took one car back, leaving Eric with his parents and his housemates. Eric admitted that he felt like he was looking in the lion's mouth but he needed this chance to smooth things oven with his father. He had to explain what was going on in that apartment, that he wasn't out of control with his freedom.

Red was watching television in the living room while Kitty and Samantha finished cleaning up dishes. Hyde had taken the chairs and folding tables to their rightful owners, leaving Eric alone in the living area with his father. Taking a seat next to the man, Eric tried to focus on the game but couldn't get into it like always.

"You doing alright, nowadays?" He finally asked.

"After the heart attack? I'm not dead." Red stretched his feet out. "I'd rather be some times. You left us when we really needed you, Eric. We didn't think we'd make it if it weren't for your ragtag team of friends."

"I'm sorry."

Red snorted. "No you're not. You probably were all smiles as you drove out here. Can't blame you, the way I chased you and Hyde out."

"You didn't want us in the house if we were going to be together."

"I never said that!"

"To me." Eric crossed his arms. "You made it clear to Hyde you wanted both of us out when you no longer had to support us."

"Him, I wanted him out by then. You know me, I like to threaten. I thought…" Red tapped his knee. "You weren't supposed to last thing long with him." His unfocused eyes fell on the television, a missed pass. "Where did I go wrong with you? You had so much to offer the world but you gave it all up. First it was those dolls, then Star Trek, Star Wars, chess clubs…you weren't smart you weren't popular. Where did I go wrong?"

"You didn't!" Eric grabbed his seat. His mother looked on, watching the two. He knew she was praying that they would come to an agreement, to finally be close to father and son that the Forman's could possibly be. "Maybe I've always been like this, since the day I was born. I don't know. I do know that this isn't just a phase or passing fancy that's going to go away because you want it to. Hyde makes me happy, like mom makes you and…if you can't live with that, then you don't have to come visit or speak with me I just…I want to be able to say I still have parents."

Red licked his chap lips. "Even though he cheated on you?"

"And I cheated on him, a long time back." Eric didn't let his father sink in on that, it was too much private information. "Hyde and I still have a long way to go but we're taking baby steps. Shit happens and we're working through with it. Yeah, I was mad when I found out about…" He could say it, it made it too real, "but it's happened and Hyde needs to step up. I'm not going to give him up but I know he won't be happy if he abandons a child of his own."

"You really just want him happy?"

"Yeah." Eric bent forward, his arms pressed to his chest, eyes closed tight. "I won't give him up because he makes me happy."

"This will take some getting used to." Red whispered.

Eric smiled. "Don't think about it too hard."

"Wasn't going to," Red whispered.


Drabble 83: End of an Era


Eric rolled on his belly, his hand sliding out along the air mattress. Groaning, the brunette forced open his eyes, taking in the other side of the bed. Empty. Jerking up, Eric exhaled when he saw a light under the bathroom door. Running his fingers through his bangs, the brunette fought to control his heavy breathing.

Hyde hadn't left him. Hyde wasn't going to go to perfect, beautiful, blond Samantha.

Climbing off the ground, Eric stretched his back. Each vertebra popped back into place. The cold shag under his feet felt comforting as he made his way to the door, rapping his knuckles over the doorframe. "It's unlocked," Hyde's voice fluttered back.

Opening the door, Eric winced at the light of the bathroom. "What's going on?" He asked, finally cracking open his eyes.

Hyde stood over the toilet, a plastic bag with his stash at hand. "I didn't want you to see this." The afro-haired man whispered, turning the bag over and dumping the contents into the toilet. The empty bag joined three others in the corner, several gifts from their friends over Thanksgiving.

They were going to enjoy that, one day.

"Do you want to be alone?" Eric asked, knowing how much the waste of good stash was bothering Hyde.

"No!" Hyde held another bag, the last one. His eyes were red with stress. "I just," he paused, shaking his head. Eric shut the door behind him, sitting down next to Hyde. "What happened to us, Eric? When was the last time we actually smoked this?"

"New Years." Eric frowned. That felt so long ago, especially as 1980 was quickly approaching.

"A whole year." Hyde shook his head. "I wanted to smoke this tonight, in the safety of the bathroom. I couldn't though. What if Sam came in and smelt it? What if it hurt my child? What if, when I go into work tomorrow, they decide to do a drug test and I lose my job?" Hyde leaned his head against the toilet. "When did I become The Man?"

"Hyde…" Eric reached over, lacing their fingers. He didn't want to admit it either but he hadn't even thought about the high in months. He'd been stressed, sure but he hadn't needed the release. Maybe they finally were getting older? Maturing? Eric laid his head against Hyde's shoulder. "You're not becoming 'The Man'. You're still the man I know who could smell conspiracy a mile away. We're just… becoming adults. We had our bit of heaven and experience."

Hyde's hands shook. "I just don't want my son to see the world that I came from. The one Edna gave me." The stash fell in the toilet. Hyde's fingers played with the handle. "I can do this…" His voice wasn't certain if he could.

"Unless you want to fish all that out and try smoking it wet, you don't have much choice." Eric shook his head. "Hyde,…"

The man flushed the toilet. "There. It's gone."

"You just want to be a good father, for the time being. You're not 'The Man', you just want to lead by example." Eric kissed the man's cheek.

"Eric?"

"Yeah?"

"Go away."

"Okay, call me if you need anything."

"A good blow job?"

"How about a mediocre one and a quick fuck?"

"I can live with that. Can you leave now?"

"Yeah." Eric kissed Hyde's cheek before returning to the air mattress, knowing that Hyde was crying away a good era.


Drabble 84: Baby


Samantha went into labor early, while Eric was babysitting Jamal and Hyde was at work. Stuffing the child and woman in the car, Eric found himself rushing to the hospital not sure what he was supposed to do. Samantha, even past her labored breathing, kept a control on the situation and Eric from running them into a wall at top speeds.

"It'll take forever for the baby to come, just relax."

"But, but your water!" Eric screeched, clenching the steering wheel.

Jamal clutched his seatbelt in the back seat, staring at both adults his life was trusted to. Lucky for Eric he kept his mouth quiet about the turn of events and wouldn't be telling his mother later about everything.

"Take your time. I at least want to have the baby in one piece." The woman grabbed the dash, wincing at the sharp pain going up her abdomen. "When we get there, can you call Hyde? Let him know."

Pulling up to the hospital, Eric helped Samantha to the hospital, Jamal trailing behind him. He was listing out the things he'd have to do already, including calling both Jamal's parents to inform them where their son had disappeared to and Hyde, so the man didn't freak out when he arrived home to nothing.

Samantha snorted at Eric's antics, making her way to the reception desk herself as Eric searched for the payphones, digging in his pockets for coins. At his side, Jamal raised his arms, demanding to put the change in the device himself. Eric chose to ignore him, slipping the coins in the slot before thumbing the number he had memorized.

The receptionist at the local recording company picked up, sounding bored. "Promotions, please, I'm calling for Steven Hyde." He fought the urge to roll his eyes when the woman cooed about who was being called as he was patched through. It rang for a second before another person he didn't know answered. "Is Hyde available?"

"He's with the photographer and band. A sponge, he is." The man on the other end chuckled. "Wish more guys were like him."

"Could you tell him Eric called?" The man rolled the cord between his fingers. Jamal was running down the waiting room, around Samantha as a nurse came out for her. "Just let him know Sam went into labor and we're at Sacred Heart." He chewed his bottom lip. Was that too much information?

"So you're the mysterious Eric! We thought he was just pulling our leg for the longest time!" The man laughed. "I'm George McPhearson!" The guy who was retiring, the one grooming Hyde for his job.

"I've heard quite a bit about you too," Eric smiled, "Can you really shove fourteen marshmallows in your mouth?"

"I choke on one or two." The man laughed heartily. "I'll send him over once we talk about the recent record deal."

"Thank you." Eric couldn't fight the smile on his face as the other line hung up.

"Eric! Eric! They took Sammy to the back room! She's going to have her baby!" The child ran around him again. Eric made a half-hearted attempt to grab the child but the boy took off to the nurses' desk, looking for candy. Grabbing the phone again, Eric dipped several coins in the slot to call the boy's parents and his own.

Eight hours later, with the company of his friends there in Eau Claire (and most of Hyde's working department) and his family from Point Place, they welcomed their first daughter, Megan Amber Hyde.