The Zen Master

Summary: Takes place after Jackie Bags Hyde. Hyde can't stop thinking about his kiss with Jackie, and things between him and Jackie become awkward as he tries to ignore the whole ordeal. Jackie, meanwhile, has a plan…

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any characters from That 70's Show. If I did, Danny Masterson would be a lot less clothed…

A/N: This is my first attempt at That 70's Show Fanfiction, so please be gentle with reviews. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, just be kind. Sorry if characters are a bit off; I'm new to this, so again, bear with me. Hope you like!

Hyde lay in his room in the Forman's basement, his arms folded behind his head, his ankles crossed, his eyes closed. He couldn't get the image of his kiss with Jackie out of his head. He kept seeing them there, sitting on her father's Lincoln, their lips meeting briefly. He still felt the kiss, his lips still retaining a faint tingling that annoyed him and frustrated him at the same time.

He hadn't wanted to go on the stupid date to begin with…at least, he thought he hadn't. He had been frustrated and confused, and Jackie's constant chattering and sentimental mushy talk didn't help matters. But the truth was, he had enjoyed himself on their brief little "date." Jackie was the last person Hyde ever thought he'd end up with, and he still refused to believe he wanted her anyway. The tingling in his lips told him otherwise, but he was determined to ignore it.

"Hyde?"

Her voice startled him from his musings, and Hyde sat bolt upright, his dark glasses sliding down his nose. Hurriedly, he replaced them and strained to maintain his composure as he stared at her. "Jackie?" he said, the quaver in his voice betraying his nerves at her unexpected appearance. "What are you doing here?"

Ignoring his obvious discomfort, Jackie stepped into the room and asked breezily, "I was looking for Donna. Have you seen her?"

Hyde felt the anger flare up within him. How could she be so calm, so nonchalant? He slid off the cot and bent to pull on his boots. "Well she wouldn't be in here, now would she? She's probably off with Forman somewhere."

Jackie sighed. "I thought you might know where they are."

"Well, I don't," Hyde snapped as he stood. He brushed past her out of the room, refusing to even look at her as he passed. Fumbling around in his pockets, he pulled out his keys and prepared to leave, but her voice again startled him.

"Where are you going?"

"Out," he replied, still not looking at her.

"Steven, listen, maybe we should talk…" Jackie said, placing her hand on his shoulder to stop him.

Hyde jumped slightly at her touch and his anger increased. He hated himself for the effect she had on him. "There's nothing to talk about, Jackie," he replied coldly, shrugging off her hand. "We both said neither one of us felt anything last night, right?"

"Right, but…"

"So there's nothing left to discuss. You said it yourself, man, I was right all along and there's nothing between us. There never will be." The last words came out strained, but he didn't give Jackie time to reply as he slammed out of the basement.

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Driving the El Camino always made Hyde feel better, but this time the process was taking much longer. He was upset that their kiss had left a lingering feeling of longing within him, and even more upset that it had left no impression on Jackie. On the contrary, she was breezing through his room as if nothing had ever happened. He had lied to her when he'd said he hadn't felt anything. Their kiss had sparked something deep within him, something he hadn't ever felt with anyone else. Of course, when she'd pulled away and casually told him she hadn't felt anything, his pride kept him from disagreeing with her. He'd joked with her afterwards, trying to hide behind his usual detached attitude, but inside his head was reeling. Since that night, he hadn't been able to stop analyzing the situation, wondering what would have happened if he'd told her the kiss had meant something to him. It had always been easy for him to bury his feelings and forget them, but somehow this time was different.

He arrived at the Hub and was grateful to see Eric and Donna sitting at their usual table. Perhaps their company would ease his tension.

"Hey, Hyde," Donna greeted as he sat down across from her. "Where've you been all day?"

"Sleeping," Hyde replied, a bit too quickly. Donna eyed him suspiciously but thankfully didn't say anything. "Where are Kelso and Fez?" he asked, trying to steer the conversation towards something familiar and non-Jackie related.

"No idea, man," Eric replied, shrugging. He snuggled a bit closer to Donna and the two exchanged a heated look, their faces inches from each other. Suddenly, Eric's head snapped back in Hyde's direction and he said, a bit squeakily, "Actually, Donna and I were just leaving. You see, we've got this…huge…project thing…"

Donna grabbed his hand and stood up, pulling him with her. "Yeah, big, big project. Well, see ya, Hyde!" And she and Eric dashed from the room, leaving Hyde staring bewilderedly after them.

He shook his head, smiling without humor as he grumbled, "Everybody's getting some but me…"

Hyde left the Hub a while later feeling, if possible, worse than when he had entered it. Eric and Donna's display of affection reminded him yet again of his kiss with Jackie, and he decided it was time to return to his Zen-like state. No more thinking about Jackie, no more analyzing feelings that would never turn into anything, just calm, cool Hyde.

When he entered the basement again, Jackie was sitting on the couch, a copy of Cosmo in her hands. She looked up at him as he stalked past her and flung his keys on the table, but remained silent. Hyde threw himself into his favorite chair and stared angrily at the TV. So much for his Zen theory.

"What are you doing here?" he finally cried, the silence becoming too much for him.

Jackie glanced at him over the top of her magazine. "Reading."

Hyde growled and reached over to rip the Cosmo from her grasp. "I meant, what are you doing here, in my basement?"

"Hey, I have just as much a right to be down here as you do!" Jackie countered.

"No, you don't! I live here!" Hyde shouted, then slouched back in his chair, crossing his arms and glowering at her from beneath his shades. "No one here even likes you, Jackie. Who could you possibly be waiting for?"

Jackie cocked an eyebrow. "No one likes me?" she asked pointedly. "Not even you?"

Hyde snorted. "Least of all me."

"So you don't want to talk about what happened last night?"

Raking a hand through his hair, Hyde sighed heavily. "No, Jackie, I told you there's nothing to talk about. We both decided there was nothing between us."

"Did we both decide?" Jackie asked, scooting closer to him, her eyes locked onto his. "I seem to remember you having to think twice about it, Steven…"

His heart was pounding in his chest. She was so close he could smell the perfumed scent of her hair. "What are you saying?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

"I'm saying, maybe you were afraid, Steven. Maybe you felt something and you didn't want to admit it after I said I hadn't. Maybe you didn't want to seem vulnerable."

She was impossibly close to him now. Her brown eyes searched his, hoping for the answer he could not voice.

"Did you feel something when we kissed, Steven?" Jackie whispered, leaning closer still.

Feebly, Hyde shook his head, unable to look away.

"Okay then," Jackie said loudly, breaking the spell. She stood up from the couch and turned to walk out.

"W-what the hell?" Hyde mumbled, confused. "What were you trying to do to me?"

Jackie turned back to face him, her face the picture of innocence. "I wasn't doing anything to you, Steven. I was just making sure we were both on the same page."

"Why do you keep doing this to me?" Hyde groaned, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes as he leaned backward in his chair.

"Doing what to you?" Jackie asked eagerly, stepping slightly closer.

Hyde shook his head, "Saying stuff like that and making me…making me…"

"Making you what, Steven?" She was staring at him anxiously.

"Nothing," he replied, putting on his glasses again. "Look, I think we both understand how we feel. Can we please just drop this now?"

Jackie masked her disappointment quickly as he looked up at her. "Fine, whatever you say, Steven. We won't talk about it anymore." She turned and left then, leaving Hyde alone with his thoughts yet again.

He was sure she had been trying to get something out of him, but he couldn't figure out why. She had been the one who'd said she hadn't felt anything, so why all of a sudden was she so interested to find out if he really had? He had been close to telling her, in some form or another. Words weren't really his thing, but with her face so close to his, he had fleetingly imagined grabbing her and crushing his mouth onto hers. He was pretty sure that would've sent the message. So why hadn't he? He had wanted to, but something had stopped him. He wasn't sure what Jackie was trying to do, but if she was playing games and trying to get him to say that he felt something for her, he wasn't going to play. He was the Zen Master; she couldn't break him. Whatever she was up to, Hyde was sure he had just narrowly escaped being caught in it. He'd have to be more careful next time. His feelings or whatever they were for Jackie needed to be forgotten, and fast.