She giggled, nudging his nose with her own, and pressing a kiss to his lips. It was almost a week since she had been labeled his chick, and every waking moment that they could, they had been pressed up against each other in some way. Sexually or romantically. Or platonically.
That was the beauty of cuddling in her room. Her parents suspected nothing because they had always done it. "Hmmm, I can't believe Red is making you go hunting." She murmured, pressing her bare core into his own, making him grunt. She knew exactly what she was doing, and it made his head spin.
"It's okay, Doll, it's only a few days." He laughed lowly, kissing her.
"Mmm, a few days of not getting absolutely destroyed." She whined, slipping it in and sinking down.
Nobody was home, so they took advantage while it lasted. Laurie was working, Red was working, Kitty was working, and Eric was at the dentist getting his cavity filled. She gasped, and he chuckled.
"So easy to get you off." He groaned. "How nobody ever did is a mystery."
Another moan. "I'm gonna miss you." She mewled, flopping forward, and moaning into his neck as she flew over the edge, and him following soon after. "It'll be okay, I don't leave til tomorrow anyhow. And, you'll have a completely testosterone free weekend. Kelso, Fez, and Jason are coming with us." He told her, almost whining at the loss of contact, when she stood up. "I'll be right back, I have to pee." She told him, leaving a kiss on his lips, and slipping on clothes to go use the basement toilet, that Red had affectionately hooked up for Steven (upon Kitty's request), and the faucet with a drain and a bar of soap. She padded back in, her pajamas warm against her body in contrast to the cold basement. She hummed against him, who also put on pajamas, snuggling against him and watching snow out the coal window. The cold Saturday morning frost slowly seeping through the porous un insulated basement. Sometimes they would spark up. This time they did not, choosing instead to listen to the sound of each other breathing.
"Why me?" She asked, not really thinking about the words coming out of her mouth as she fell asleep. "Why not?" He countered, furrowing his brows at the window.
"You could have anyone." She mumbled. "So can you." He countered.
"I don't have the greatest track record." She murmured.
"Because it's you, Doll."
"Does this mean that our song is the one we kissed to at Vanstock?"
"When Fleetwood Mac was playing?" She hummed her affirmation, sighing. "I guess. There was no song playing in the den. And our first kiss I was drunk."
"Our first kiss was playing truth or dare when we were thirteen." She quipped. He furrowed his brows, laughing. "Yeah, Foreman totally freaked."
"I feel wrong not telling him we're together." She mumbled, and he frowned. "So do I, but he'll find out one day."
"Not wrong." She yawned. He kissed her forehead, and closed his eyes.
She was already sleeping.
It was the morning of. Very early, still dark out as she crept down the stairs, and caught him packing his clothes. She wrapped herself around him, planting kisses on his lips, and humming.
"Say you're sick." She pouted, making him laugh. "Will Nurse Jackie take care of me?" He waggled his eyebrows, and she laughed, smacking his chest, and he kissed her cheek.
"It'll be good. Make it more exciting when I come back." He laughed.
"Mmm, still gonna miss you." She mumbled against his lips, pulling him deeper.
"Doll, I gotta leave in an hour. Why don't you go back to sleep, and I'll see you tomorrow." She pouted. He frowned. "They'll be curious if you're down here at six am when you don't have to do anything today."
"I wanted to say goodbye to everyone." She told him, making her voice sound silky and innocent. He laughed, sitting down and pulling her to stand between his legs. She hummed, bending her head down and kissing him softly. "I'm actually really gonna miss you." She murmured.
"Someone has to make sure Red and Eric don't kill each other." He told her, and she sighed, melding into his body, hands at the small of her back. He nuzzled his head into her neck. "I could say I'm sick." He mumbled with a smile. She laughed, hitting his shoulder lightly with her hands.
"Steven!" Red called. The two jumped apart, Jackie grabbing a bag, helping him carry his stuff up the stairs.
"I'll be back in three days." He reasoned.
"Okay." She murmured. She padded into the kitchen, and wrapped her arms around her brother's midsection, humming into his chest.
"You okay, Jacks?" He asked. "Mhm." She told him. "Just wanted to say goodbye." Red ruffled her hair. "Bye, kiddo." She waved them off, turning to put on a pot of coffee for her sister and her, as they were going job hunting very soon. It was already six thirty. Kelso and Fez had been late, Jason was also late. They had finally hit the road with Bob.
Her and Laurie were going out to find herself a job, and a birthday present for their dad. And a gold star for Eric for not shooting Red pending they both come back in one piece.
She wasn't one for drinking coffee. The taste never pleased her tastebuds until recently. Namely before Steven moved in, and her nights were spent worrying about him rather than sleeping, and coffee had been her saving grace. Nowadays, she found her fingers itching to wrap around a steaming mug first thing in the morning. Something her and Steven had been waking up early to do before everyone woke up- bond over their newly shared love for the beverage.
Her sister swung through the door with her mother. The stark difference between the two of them was evident. Laurie was taking the liberty of her day off, still in her pajamas, and her mother was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, dressed and ready in her nurse's uniform. "I just missed Steven this morning, so I'll have to hug him extra hard and extra long when he gets back." She giggled, grabbing her coffee and cracking an egg in a pan. "Thank you sweetie." She thanked her for the coffee, frying her breakfast on high, rushing to eat it, before swinging out the door and into the Toyota.
"I need a car." Laurie grumbled.
"Good morning." Jackie laughed.
"Up early, I see." Her lips turned into a grin, and Jackie flushed. "Ya know, Mom wants to meet this new friend of yours." She rolled her eyes.
"I said something like that, not hey mom, i have a boyfriend." She grumbled, eating a slice of toast. "Three days I'm not even gonna talk to him, and Donna doesn't know either." She groaned. "I hate not telling her and Eric." Laurie gave a sad smile.
"One day." She reassured. "Yeah, one day." She nodded.
Her mother had decided that a poker game vs the Pinciotti women was in order for this weekend, and it went over surprisingly well, ending in a movie. The phone rang, and she stood up to get it, assuring everyone she would be back.
Her hands wrapped gingerly around the receiver in the kitchen, and she placed it against her face. "Hello?" She asked, and smiled, when she heard his voice low and slow rumble through her ears.
"Hey, Doll." He spoke, and she could hear the grin in his voice, sighing. "How did you call?" She asked, biting her lip, and making sure nobody was listening. "There's a payphone between the cottages, and I snuck out when everyone was figuring out dinner." He told her, the slight shake in his voice telling her that he didn't have a jacket on.
"How's everything going?" She asked, leaning against the walk, and running a hand through her hair. "Red and Eric are bonding."
"Are they drunk?"
"No."
"High?"
"No. Theywent into the woods mad at each other, and came out best friends. I'm kinda scared, honestly. It ain't like them."
"Oh, God. The woods are haunted. Whatever, at least they're having good dad and son time together. How's your weekend?"
"Honestly? Kinda sucks." She frowned at this. "Aw, why?" She furrowed her brows. "You ain't here." Her cheeks turned red. "There's that smile."
"How did you know I'm smiling?" She asked incredulously. "You always do that thing with your face when I compliment you. It's cute." His voice was low. "You notice that?"
"I notice everything. It's my orphan spidey-senses." He joked, and she giggled softly. "I forgot about those."
"Foremanis trying to wrangle Fez. He brought a whistle and a stick." He told her, and she laughed. "And I had to take away Kelso's gun before Red beat him with it."
"Oh, Michael." She rolled her eyes, looking out the window. "I miss you."
"I know." There was a smirk laced on his lips, and she rolled her eyes. "Steven!" She scolded. After a few minutes of silence, he coughed. "I know, Doll. I'm missing you too." He tripped on his words, but she smiled. "Great, now you got me sounding like Foreman." He groaned, and she giggled. "Come home." She pouted, and he laughed. "Two more days, babe.Shit, I gotta go, they're looking for me." He told her. "I love you." He hung up, leaving her sputtering.
I love you.
Neither one of them had touched that yet. They hadn't said the rare words in a while. And he just said them like they weren't a big deal. She hung the receiver on the wall, her hands getting clammy, and her face turning bright red. That word was a big deal. He wasn't Michael, or one of her flings. This was Steven, and he just told her he loves her without her having to pry it out of his throat. She coughed. She had no clue how long she had been standing there for.
"Jackie!" Donna called.
"Coming."
The next two days flew, with no phone calls, but she did get another call from Buddy Morgan, who had called at dinner time. "Is Jackie here?"
"This is her, may I ask who's speaking?"
"It's James." He told her, and she smiled.
"Oh, myGod." She rolled her eyes, but sighed in relief. "Buddy! Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"
"Listen, I don't have a ton of time, but I called to ask about a march in Wisconsin." He told her, and she furrowed her brows. "March?"
"Yeah, like a March for rights. They call it Pride, out here." He told her, and she nodded. "Pride, I like that. Well, if there were to be one here, I'd definitely be in attendance. And I'm sure Steven and Donna would be too." She told him, and she could hear his smile through the phone.
"I'll be there too." He told her, and she squealed. "That would be awesome!" She exclaimed. "Okay, well I gotta go, Jacks, but I'll definitely call soon!"
"Okay, bye Buddy!"
It was dark when the lights of the Vista Cruiser peeked over the edge of the driveway, where she sat with her new Notebook, that Donna had gotten her for Christmas. I read your essay, she gave it to her with a shrug. Just cos you're so talented. She was writing aimlessly, but left it on the table, flying down the driveway, and into the arms of her brother right when he stepped out of the car. He laughed, giving a tight hug and a small smile. "Hey, sis."
"I missed you." She told him, smiling, and burying her face in his chest. He kissed the top of her head, and she detached herself from him when she heard her mother squeal from the kitchen, running down the driveway to hug her family. "Oh my boys are home!" She laughed, kissing her husband, and pinching the cheeks of both Steven and Eric, who turned red with embarrassment.
"We're three dumbasses light, they all went home already." Her dad spoke with a smile, and looked at Bob. "Go home Bob." Bob laughed, walking next door.
"Kitty, our boy got us a Buck." Red beamed, and Eric smiled. "Nah, Dad got the buck. I shot the tin can." Red rolled his eyes. "Just take what I give ya, dumbass." He told him, moving inside the house, bags in tow, Eric and Kitty following, leaving Steven and Jackie in the dark driveway. She gingerly wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling her head in his neck, and checking to see nobody was watching. She placed a kiss on his lips, and smiled. "I missed you."
"I missed you too."
"Buddy called."
"And?"
"There's some sort of movement march happening soon, don't know when, but he said he'll be there." She told him, another kiss. They pulled apart, moving towards the basement, her swiping her notebook off the table, and getting a kiss on the lips at the bottom of the stairs. "We'll be there." He told her. She smiled.
His sweet demeanor was only reserved for when the two of them were alone. Or when he was drunk.
"Let's get inside, you have three days to make up for." She told him, tone laced with suggestion. He slapped her ass, and she squealed, trotting through the basement door, locking it behind him.