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Raw Magic
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Hyde's leg was bouncing up and down in a nervous tick, and as much as he passed his hands through his hair, he couldn't calm himself down.
He was sitting in a bank in a long hallway, low and narrow like a tunnel. It was decorated in purple colors and a dark carpet covered the floor. Between that and the dim lighting, the whole thing felt claustrophobic. For a moment, he swore he heard someone approaching the double doors at his right from the inside. He contained his breath as he watched the golden door knobs. When nothing happened, he exhaled and buried his face in his hands again. Man, he couldn't believe he was here.
These last months had been brutal, ever since he started acting out on Christmas. But then again, he had brought this on himself.
He had been a coward. He should've known that Jackie would want to get married at some point. And instead of confronting her, he'd just let her jump from one delusion to another. The day she found her in the mall, wearing a wedding dress and gushing over their future wedding could have been a perfect chance to be frank. Instead of being honest, he'd just neglected her in hopes that she would change her mind. The heartbroken look on Jackie's face when he said he wasn't sure about getting married still haunted him.
Closing his eyes, he leaned against the wall behind him. Why couldn't he just explain to her that it was more complicated than that? Just explain to her that it wasn't that he didn't love her or that he hadn't thought about marrying her someday. God knew he had. But the price to pay… He hit the chair with his fist. Even now, he still felt the frustration grow inside him. Why the hell did they need to get hitched? Why couldn't they just be happy with each other for the rest of their lives?
Didn't matter now. Jackie was in Chicago, and he was here… Crap, he just couldn't believe he was here.
"Steven Hyde?"
Hyde felt his stomach clench when they called his name. A hybrid – half wizard and half troll, he was sure – was peeking from inside the double doors with a notepad in his hand. Giving a heavy sigh, Hyde stood up and followed the guardian through the doors. A lamb to the slaughter.
Come on, man. You're not the first or the last one to do this! It's for Jackie…
They entered a wide, circular room, even darker and grimier than the hallway. The ceiling was so high it got lost in the distance. Torches hanged from the walls every few inches, although they did little to actually shed any light. And right in front of them, following the curve of the wall behind it, there was a court table.
Just the sight of it was intimidating. Already high, it stood elevated over an altar by a few stairs. Half hidden in the shadows, you could maybe distinguish 7 figures sitting behind it, all of them looking at the newly arrived with interest. But what took Hyde's attention more than anything was the sun.
In the center of the room, slightly to the left, was a gigantic sphere made of light, floating about a foot above the ground and rotating slowly. Hyde couldn't tear his eyes away from it – couldn't tell it was out of admiration or out of fear. He liked to imagine this was what the sun looked like from up close.
They crossed the room in silence. Still unable to look away from the sphere, he barely heard the troll address the jury.
"Sir, court case number S08M18 is ready."
"Thank you, Gavin."
The troll squeezed Hyde's shoulder encouragingly and stepped away. Now next to the table, the faces of the people sitting at it were easier to make out. Right in front of him was a very old, very pale man with a long white beard, wearing a pointy purple hat and glasses. Hyde thought he recognized him – Headmaster Crumps, from WizTech. He was a pretty important name and the fact that he seemed to be involved in pretty much every aspect of the magic world spoke for itself. Right now, the man was currently busy scanning a document. He cleared his throat and read it aloud.
"Petition by Steven James Hyde, born full-wizard, to have his magic powers taken away in order to marry a human. Is this correct?"
Hyde gulped before answering. "Yes, sir. That's correct."
He never thought this could happen to him. Even now it felt surreal. He had been a wizard since he could remember – he was only six when he found out he could jump from the water tower without getting hurt… Yeah, magic had given him the most fun anyone could ever have in a lifetime, but it wasn't just that. It wasn't long before he learned how to do protective spells. And when his stepdad, mom or uncles tried to do something to him, he knew magic was always with him to protect him. Not just like an ability, but like an extension of himself. He felt special, he felt safe.
When he heard that some children had to give their powers to their siblings, he was horrified, and he prayed that his mom would never get pregnant again. And when he learned that her own mom gave up her powers willingly, just so she could marry some human, he laughed. It became his favorite way to push her buttons, the fact that she gave up supernatural abilities for a random asshole. He slept well knowing that that would never be a problem for him.
...But then Jackie came, and so many things he thought sure about himself started to change.
A part of him told him it was a mistake, that he really shouldn't hook up with her. But he didn't listen. Even when his heartbeat started to race when she kissed him, or even when smiling became hard to fight when she appeared in the room, he kept going. It was concerning, but he thought it would be like doing a circle. He thought that the high would wear off at some point and he'd be back to normal.
When two years passed and he could still feel the urge to touch her whenever she was near, he started to worry. He remembered one day, not too long ago, he'd woken up next to her, and he realized with horror that he was going to love her forever. That was the beginning of the end. He knew what she wanted, and he knew he would have to make a choice soon.
Now here he was, about to do something he swore he would never do. In some corner of his mind, he could hear a kid version of himself yelling at him to run.
"Hey!"
In the present, Hyde turned towards the voice that had just exclaimed. There was an Asian woman in the far right, although the pointy ears sticking out of her bun unmasked her as an elf.
"Steven Hyde? Aren't you that kid that's been playing with time in Point Place? I swear I went through 3 Christmases when I was there last year." She said looking at Hyde with interest.
Hyde winced a bit. Oh, they had been monitoring that?
"Yes, ma'am. That'd be me." He confessed.
A wide grin slowly appeared in the woman's face. "You're very good with time spells."
"Um, thanks."
Looking suddenly giddy, the elf exchanged a look with her colleagues before looking back at Hyde. "Could you show us a little something?"
Hyde was taken aback at first. This was definitely not a reaction he would expect after confessing he's been manipulating time for four years. But hey, he wasn't about to deny anything to a wizard supreme court.
"Uh… Sure."
He looked around until his eyes stopped on the troll assistant, who was still waiting a few feet away from him. He used his right hand to draw a circle in the air and his fingers lit up. Then, he pointed at the troll and made a flourish. Before the poor man could react, his body had disappeared in an explosion of gray smoke and in its place was a baby crying. A pretty ugly one, a half troll one.
The jury erupted in exclamations of excitement and approval. Couldn't lie, Hyde felt weirdly proud of himself. Smirking, he turned towards the baby again and moved his hand. The tiny figure disappeared inside another explosion, and when the smoke was gone the troll was back in its place, panting with a look of panic on his face.
The elf nodded approvingly, a smile playing on her lips. "Impressive."
"Thanks ma'am."
"Bet your friends had quite a lot of fun with you. I mean…" she glanced at her colleagues. "Even if they're not aware of it."
The jury snickered at the inner joke. That is, until someone cleared his throat loudly. They all turned to look at Headmaster Crumps. And just like that, the lighthearted atmosphere left the room. They looked down and turned serious, and Hyde felt his stomach heavier than ever.
Come on, man. It's for Jackie, it's for Jackie...
The old wizard went back to reading the paper.
"Do you confirm you're of legal age, son?"
"Yes, sir."
"No magic illnesses that could endanger your future wife?"
"No, sir. I attached a copy of my last exam to the petition."
"Good. Is there any relative – a sibling, perhaps – that you'd like to give your powers to instead of having them dissolved?"
"No, sir. I don't have any close magic relatives."
The man nodded and put the document down. He laced his hands in front of him and looked down at Hyde for the first time.
"Before we continue, we're obliged to remind you what you're agreeing to. Once the Order takes your powers away, it's done forever. The magic in you will still be latent, but it won't manifest. Only way that could happen is through your offspring, were you ever to have children. You'll still be sensitive to the magic around you, and you'll be able to interact with it to some extent —such as with potions or magic portals— but you won't be an active user. You'll live the rest of your life as a mortal and will have a short life just like them."
Crumps lowered his glasses and gave the kid an eloquent look. "This is it, Mr. Hyde. You do this and there's no going back. Magic will be gone from your life. Now, bearing this in mind, do you want to keep going?"
Hyde gave a shaky breath. He was scared, he couldn't deny it anymore. He was very, very scared.
Around the time the wedding talk began, he started having two nightmares. In one, he broke up with Jackie and kept his magic, but ended up killing one of his friends with it. In the other, he gave up his powers for her, only to find her about to hook up with Kelso again. It seemed that no matter the outcome, it all was going to end in tragedy. That said, the last breakup and Jackie going away had only confirmed what he suspected – he was miserable without her. Guessed that gave some much needed clarity… What was the point of having magic if he was unable to enjoy it?
"Mr. Hyde."
Hyde was startled when he heard the wizard talk again. The man was looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to give the final step.
Trying to be brave, he forced himself to think of Jackie. Admittedly, he felt a bit desperate when, at first, he couldn't remember anything past her crying and the ultimatum. It really had been one brutal year. But then, he got to one of his favorite memories – her telling him she loved him for the first time. He took good hold of that memory and started unraveling from there. He thought about her unconditional love for him. He thought about the countless times she'd supported him. He thought about how loved she made him feel. Her strength, her kindness, her passion… Some weeks ago, she had smiled at him when she woke up on his bed. Just one small sacrifice and he'd wake up to that smile for the rest of his days.
With a newfound determination, he looked at the wizard in the eye and nodded.
"I'm ready, sir." He said in a firm voice.
The wizard nodded, then gestured towards someone in the corner. A stern-looking woman appeared among the shadows and approached Hyde, a piece of golden paper and a quill floating next to her.
"Suck on the tip of the quill, sign the paper and then kneel in front of the altar." The man said.
Hyde did as he was told. He brought the quill to his lips for a second, then signed the paper as best as he could with the damn thing floating around. When he was done, he saw his awful handwriting morph into beautifully flourished letters that spelled "Steven Hyde".
As the woman returned the signed agreement to the table, Hyde kneeled in front of the stairs, keeping his head low as a knight about to be christened. After what seemed like an eternity, he heard the woman's steps approach him again and stop next to him.
He felt her hand on his back, and soon a feeling of suction spread through his chest all the way to where she was touching him. It was only a few seconds, but he found himself gritting his teeth as his ears rang and his muscles clenched.
Finally, his body relaxed, and he heard the woman walk away from him. He could see her now from the corner of his eye. She stood a few steps away with her right arm stretched. In the palm of her hand, hovering a few inches over it, there was a sphere of blinding golden light. Blue and silver flames came out of it occasionally.
Everyone in the room, including the woman and the judges, looked at the orb in awe. No matter how many times one saw it, raw magic was always something fascinating to look at.
Hyde too stared at the orb longingly. It was strong and vibrant. That was the case when magic had been used and strengthened all through the wizard's life.
It's for Jackie… It's for Jackie… He repeated that to himself like a mantra.
The woman blinked and stilled herself. She moved towards the sun and stretched her arm towards it. Then, as if pulled by some magnetic force, Hyde's magic flew away from the woman's hand and went crashing into the sphere. Hyde had to look away when it made contact. It didn't make a sound; the room didn't change at all. When he looked back again, no sign of his magic could be seen, and the sun floated as impassively as always.
"You can stand now, son." He heard the judge say.
As Hyde did just that, the wizard busied himself signing a piece of paper. He then folded it and put it in a yellowish envelope. After sealing it, he made a flourish with his hand and the envelope floated towards Hyde, drawing figures in the air and glowing slightly.
"Here's a signed copy of your agreement."
The envelope dropped into Hyde's hands. His heart clenched when the paper immediately stopped glowing at his contact. Just plain, ordinary paper.
"We advise you to have your agreement with you in case you need to enter the Magic World in the future. Although you probably won't need it after a while – the guardians will remember you."
Hyde didn't pay much attention, busy as he was avoiding eye contact. He put the envelope inside his jacket.
"Yeah… Thanks for your time." He mused.
He walked towards the exit without looking back. He only stopped when he heard the judge call after him.
"Oh, and Mr. Hyde?"
Hyde turned around, and he was surprised to find the old wizard smiling at him.
"Congratulations to you and your fiancée." he said winking an eye. Yet more shockingly, Hyde found himself smiling too.
"Thanks, man."
He exited the room, only that when he did, he wasn't back in the hallway. He was in some dirty backstreet in Point Place, already at night. He turned around – there was only a brick wall covered in graffities. He took in the streetlights, the trashcans and the car honks far away. Finally, he looked up to the night sky. From there, he could just make out the shape of the water tower. Right before he'd gone to the Court, he'd driven there and let himself fall one last time.
Now looking at the structure, knowing that he'd never be able to do those things again, he waited for the overdue desperation to come over him. But it didn't. Instead, he felt excitement. Real excitement, like one he hadn't felt in ages. He'd done it. It was real now. He'd been brave enough to let a big part of himself go forever and the reward was Jackie. They could get married now just like she wanted, and be happy forever.
Letting himself grin for the first time, he ran to where his car was parked and turned on the engine without a second thought. His hands were almost trembling when he grabbed the wheel. He had a long ride to Chicago.
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The ride had been a bit bumpier than he expected. He'd completely forgot that he'd put a spell around his car to help him avoid accidents… Damn, he really was useless without magic. He wondered how many things he'd have to relearn now. Whatever, hopefully Jackie would help him once they got married.
He managed to park in front of Jackie's motel with no big incidents. The lights were still on in one of the rooms, and he had a feeling about who was in it. He took a deep breath.
So, where should he start? Should he explain to Jackie that he was a wizard who just gave up his powers first? Or should he go straight to proposing? The look on her face was going to be priceless either way.
For now, he just opened the glove compartment and took a small box out. When he opened it, an engagement ring shone bright.
Twirling it around, he couldn't help but smile to himself. The ring had been the result of one of his last trips to the Magic World, and he was quite proud of it. Fairy white gold, decorated with dragon stones. Following the tradition of fairy schools, the band resembled rosebush branches that intertwined in complex patterns. The branches finished in four tiny roses, two at each side, surrounding a big turquoise diamond. Had it been average white gold, such a fragile structure would break in a couple of years, but this one would last forever. It was a masterpiece of its own in the magic world, and a completely unique wonder in the human world. If this ring didn't have Jackie saying yes, he didn't know what could.
He put the ring in his pocket —next to his signed agreement— and exited the car. His first instinct was, of course, to transport himself to Jackie's door. It took more than what he cared to admit to realize why the spell wasn't working. He had a pang of self-doubt as he walked up the stairs, but he thought it was all gone when he found himself in Jackie's front step.
He took a shaky breath. No, he did the right thing. They were so close now. Jackie and him would get married and then it would all be worth it.
He knocked.
It had to be worth it.
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Disclaimer – I don't own That 70s Show or Wizards of Waverly Place.
A/N – There's been a lot of talk about Alex Russo being related to Jackie and Hyde and… Well I did a circle and I thought "bro what if WoWP and That 70s Show actually exist in the same universe?" And next thing I know I have this whole theory where literally everything that happens in the show - both pre and post Season 8 – can be explained by Hyde being a wizard. If I ever have the energy, I might expand on this, but for now it's going to stay a one-shot. Thanks for reading!