Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the slightly changed plotline.
Okay, so I like to take my reviews to heart, and one said (not sure if you're a boy or girl) they've been enjoying the minor HJ moments because it's similar to the show's red thread, so I'm going to try and alternate chapters with major HJ moments and minor HJ moments. It's gonna be hard, cuz when I reviewed my story and I noticed a sudden lack of big HJ moments, I felt a little lazy... :)
P.S. This is my longest chapter ever
Hyde sighed in boredom as he pulled Jackie closer to him; the two were sitting in the back of the Cruiser with Fez, Kelso, Donna, and Eric up front. But they've been out for at least an hour and a half, and all they've done is drive around. It was kind of annoying.
"Guys," He finally muttered, "Can we do something besides cruise? That's the third time tonight we've passed that house."
"You know what we could do?" Kelso suddenly grinned, "We could go skinny dipping."
The girls sent him a look while the guys snickered, Hyde giving Jackie a teasing grin, making her smack his chest lightly.
"Naked!" Kelso burst out spastically, "That's the way God intended it!"
"No way," Jackie mumbled and Hyde playfully shook her with the arm around her shoulders. "C'mon, Jackie," He teased, "It could be fun."
"Well, sure, it's fun for you guys," Donna said, "Cuz you get to look at us and that's a treat," she and Jackie shared a smile, "But then we hafta look at you and that's nasty." Hyde snorted.
"So, you don't wanna do it?" Eric asked.
"Whatever," Donna grinned, "I'll do it."
Eric's eyes widened before he pressed on the gas harder, speaking quickly, "Okay, let's go."
"Naked is dirty," Fez grinned, beginning a song, "Dirty, dirty, dirty." Soon, everyone joined in on his song, laughing.
Hyde and Jackie snickered as they watched Fez belly flop into the reservoir water, a loud smack resounding from the move. The two of them were further away from their friends, giving them some form of privacy. Kelso, Donna, and Eric were out in the middle of the water, Fez swimming toward them in excitement.
Jackie looked at Steven for a moment, thinking. He's been quieter than usual, sleeping over even more, and he's been... hungry. He hasn't been eating much at home, which was obvious when he scarfs down Mrs. Forman's snacks or restaurant food when someone else bought for him. The lack of food has been making him tired, though he wasn't as tired as he was when he was working for his neighbors, making her suspect that he quit.
But that didn't explain the constant hunger, or his quiet behavior. Was Ian keeping food from him? Did he say something to Steven to make him so quiet? She didn't know, and she didn't like not knowing what went on at his house.
"Steven," She said quietly, "What's going on?"
"What?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"At home; what's going on?"
"Jackie, I'm-" Hyde was cut off by a feminine shriek, he and Jackie jerking their head toward the others' direction, finding Kelso and Eric on the edge of the reservoir, lifting Donna by her underarms; she was kicking and flailing around, shouting at them.
"You put me down right now!" She shrieked again, "I will kick your asses!"
They snorted simultaneously before tossing her into the water, her scream cut off by the splash. Hyde and Jackie laughed a little as they watched Donna resurface, spitting out water and brushing her wet hair back. She glanced around for a moment before her brows furrowed, seeming to look for something.
Jackie looked back a Hyde, "Steven..."
"Guys," Donna's voice cut her off, "Where the hell are our clothes?"
Hyde glanced over, "What?"
"Our clothes are gone! Oh, crap, did somebody steal them?"
Hyde began quickly swimming toward them, "If somebody took my glasses, I'm gonna be super pissed!"
Jackie and Donna brushed their wet hair back, sitting up front with Eric, who was driving. Hyde, Kelso, and Fez sat in the back, Kelso and Hyde thumbing each other back and forth.
They were nude. All of them.
"That was so much fun, Kelso, it really was," Jackie said sweetly before her voice suddenly turned pissed, "Except for the part where someone stole our clothes, you idiot!"
Luckily, Steven's sunglasses were still there, having been left in the car without Steven even realizing. He was pissed at first, thinking somebody took them until they got back in the car and found them, sating him. Another lucky thing was Steven keeping his favorite necklace on instead of taking it off, so he still had that as well.
"By the way, Fez, nice tattoo, man," Hyde said.
"Thank you," Fez smiled, "It is a blessed virgin of Jourba Linda."
A small pause.
"Do you want to see her dance?"
"NO!"
"Guys, we need a plan," Eric said, "I'm about to drive to the house with a car full of naked people. Red hates you guys when you're dressed."
"That's not true," Jackie smiled, "Red loves me."
"Wha-okay, that's true..." Eric mumbled.
"We can go to my house," Hyde said, and his casual tone made Jackie look at him, her brows furrowed. No one, not even Jackie has been over to his house out of fear of his mom's various boy toys.
Kelso giggled, "Yeah, your mom's used to havin' naked guys around."
Hyde glared, "She's not even home, you moron!" He punched Kelso in the arm repeatedly, ignoring his whimpering 'ow's.
Fez suddenly leaned forward, "Can you put it to the top forty?"
"Whoa! Sit down, Fez!" Hyde shouted, Kelso scrunching his face up, "I see London, I see besticles!"
"Well, what do you want me do about it?" Fez rolled his eyes.
Hyde glared, "I don't know... tuck it in!"
The guys glanced around, all wearing Hyde's clothes. Eric sat on the torn couch, Kelso on a small dresser. Fez stood, walking around the room. Hyde had gone into the kitchen, offering them beer, but they honestly didn't care; they just didn't want to look at him, his home much worse than they originally thought. Even Kelso glanced around in concern.
Hyde walked out of the kitchen, beer in hand, tossing one to Eric and Kelso.
"So, this is your home?" Fez asked as Hyde handed him a beer before sitting on the raggedy chair.
"Yup."
"Well, this explains a lot of your behavior," Fez mumbled, missing Hyde's sneer.
"No, man, this place is great," He grinned, though his tone was a bit defensive, "It's better than Forman's basement; we got colored TV, and I just got rid of vice grips, so we can watch any channel we want."
"Hyde," Eric said, his tone a bit stern, making Hyde glare at him, "Your mom really just ran off with some trucker?"
"No, Forman, I made it up because it sounds so classy," Hyde muttered.
"Why would she just run off with some trucker?" Forman was using that stupid tone again, and Hyde wished he would just quit it. Take the damn hint.
"It's spring time," Hyde said slowly, his tone low, "Love is in the air, man."
But not even Kelso looked amused.
"She just left you here alone?"
Hyde took in a slow breath through his nose, staring at Eric, "I know this is hard to wrap your head around, Oppie, but you're failing to see the upside here. We've got food," that was a lie, "We've got beer," another lie; he just gave them his last pack, "We've got zero adult supervision," at least that part was true, "Welcome to Camp Naughty Bad Fun."
The back door opened just as he finished his sentence, and he rose an eyebrow at Donna's choice of clothes. Jackie, it seemed, decided against wearing his mother's clothes (thank God for that) and scuffled through his room, finding a t-shirt long enough to work as a dress, the black Stones shirt ending at her lower thigh.
"Steven," Jackie said as she walked toward him, taking a seat on his lap, "No offense, but all your mother's clothes are whore-y."
Donna eyes jerked toward her as she took a seat next to Eric, "What?"
Jackie's eyes widened, "Oh, but they look great on you, Donna!"
Donna nodded, her smile pursed, "Thanks, Jackie." Hyde snickered, tossing her the last beer, which she gratefully caught.
When Hyde opened his eyes that night, he was met with darkness. He was in his own room, Jackie snuggled up against him in a deep sleep. He brought a hand up, using his pointer finger and thumb to rub at his eyes, sucking in a deep breath through his nose.
He was a light sleeper, the quietest of sounds waking him. But he hadn't heard anything, had he? He sat up slowly, trying not to wake Jackie, glancing around his trashed room. He got out of bed (which, really, was just a crappy mattress sitting on the floor with a thin sheet) and walked into the living room, looking around again.
Hearing a creak coming from his porch, he cautiously made his way to his screen door, glancing out. He sighed when he saw Forman sitting on his porch steps, his back facing him, probably knowing Hyde well enough to know that he would hear him. He huffed through his nose, grabbing his lighter and taking a cigarette from his pack resting on the tiny dresser in his living room. He opened the door quietly, not wanting the squeaking of the screen door to wake Jackie, and took a seat next to him. He took a position nearly identical to Eric's, his knees drawn up, elbows resting on them, his fingers crossed, cigarette and lighter between.
Eric grinned at him, "Nice outfit."
Hyde snorted, rolling his eyes, placing the cigarette between his lips, flipping his lighter open and flicking the wheel, inhaling as the end of the cancer stick lit up. He was only in a pair of black sweat pants, not normally one to wear a shirt to bed. Depending on how cool it is, he might throw on a tank top or something, but tonight was not one of those nights.
"What, Forman?" He sat his lighter on the porch, removing his cigarette from his mouth and blowing out the smoke.
Eric's smile slowly vanished, and he stared at him for a moment. Hyde kept his eyes faced away, placing the cigarette back in his mouth, knowing that Forman was taking in the many, pale scars on his torso, shoulders, and arms, knowing that Eric knew that over half of them were from Bud, the other from mommy's boy toys.
"Hyde... are you really alone?"
"This is what you snuck out to talk to me about?"
"Hyde, c'mon, man. I know you think you don't need help, but you do. Whether you like it or not, we're gonna help you; even Kelso. You can't be the protector all the time, man."
No, but he can sure as hell try. He kept the cigarette between his lips, exhaling smoke through his nose.
"What do you want, Forman?"
"Edna's not comin' back, is she?"
A small pause. More smoke blew out.
"She's done this before, Forman."
"Hyde-"
"She's done this before," Hyde interrupted, holding the cigarette between his fingers, the hand holding it leaning against his lips; his tone was quiet, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself rather than Eric. "She's done this before," He repeated, "She's left me alone for weeks, but she always comes back. Always."
Eric looked at him, his eyes holding the tender affection of a younger brother, worried, "Hyde... what if she doesn't come back this time?"
Another pause. More smoke.
"... I don't know, Forman, I just... don't know."
"And you are...?" Eric asked quietly, keeping his gaze on his crossed fingers.
Hyde kept his own gaze down, "I'm... scared."
Eric finally looked at him, his own eyes showing a hint of fear.
"I'm just scared."
Hyde sighed, sprawled out on his couch. Everything had been going great; sure, he'd been a bit tired from the work, but at least he had the bills and rent paid. He couldn't afford food, sure, but he'd been doing fine living off of Hub food and Mrs. Forman's snacks. But, Ronny had noticed the state he was in, said he couldn't let a kid live this way. Gave him an eviction notice, told him if he wasn't out by the date of the note, he'd call CPS. The neighbors he was working for found out, told him they couldn't let him work for them, that there was no point seeing as he was to be out by the end of the week. Then his power got shut off. Then his hot water got shut off. The garbage truck stopped coming.
And now he is completely and totally out of food.
He grunted when the phone rang, grabbing it and taking a seat on the chair before answering it.
"Hello?"
"Steven...?"
"Ma?" Hyde sat up a little straighter, his tone turning snippy, "Hey, I can't help but notice you're not home yet."
"Steven," She sighed, "I'm not coming back."
"Oh," His voice began shaking as he slowly stood, "Is that right?"
"Steven, I'm sorry, I just think that it's better for us. You don't need me."
"Your my mother, dammit! You're not supposed to leave me!" His voice was loud, trembling, finally breaking. "You can't just leave me! Damn you!"
"Steven, you need this..." She trailed off, sighing, and when she spoke, her voice trembled just as much as his, and he felt his eyes burn, "I know I'm your mother... but...I'm abandoning you, Steven..."
There was rather long pause, Hyde's breath coming out in quiet, slow pants; he felt his eyes water.
"Oh, okay, great." His voice was casual, venom hidden in the tone.
"Steven-"
"No, no, no! You know," He interrupted, his tone false, his voice tight from holding back the tears, "Whatever makes you happy." He slammed the phone on the receiver, cutting off her reply. He stared at the phone for a moment before he suddenly and violently jerked it, tearing the wire from the wall, creating a nice sized hole, chucking it viciously into the kitchen. He stared at where he threw it for a second, breathing angrily, before he turned back around, going stiff at the sight of Eric looking at him knowingly through his screen door.
He huffed, speaking casually, though there was a shaky undercurrent in his tone, "Hey, Forman."
"Hi," Eric chirped, looking a bit nervous, holding a sandwich wrapped in plastic.
"C'mon in, make yourself at home," Hyde said, and Eric cautiously entered the room, glancing around.
"I'm all out of beer," Hyde muttered, his tone darkening, "But if you want, you can break somethin'."
Eric chuckled nervously, "I actually... had my eye on the phone, so... wait what's that?" Hyde grimaced when Eric pointed to the 'meal' he couldn't bring himself to eat last night.
"...It's crackers with ketchup on top for, uh... ya know, zest." He answered, his breath still a bit heavy from his anger.
"Okay, well, I'm just gonna guess that... Edna's not comin' back." It wasn't a question.
"No, she's just been... delayed a little bit," Hyde muttered as he took a seat on the couch, Eric taking the chair.
"Oh, okay..." Eric sighed before pointing the two tipped over chairs that used to hole his tiny TV, giving Hyde a pointed look, "Okay, didn't there used to be a TV there?"
But, Hyde wouldn't give up, "Yeah, I pawned it."
"You pawned your mom's TV?" Eric shook his head, his look turning stern, "Hyde, she's not comin' back..."
Hyde released a shaky breath; his face felt hot, his eyes hurt, "Okay, she's not comin' back, alright."
"So, what're you gonna do?"
"I... don't know, sell the house...?"
"You rent." Eric's tone was low now, warning; not many people know this about Eric, but he did inherit Red's temper, and he did know how to use that temper despite not being a very good street fighter.
"Well... then I'm in a lot more trouble than I thought..." He wasn't about to tell him that he was to be kicked out soon. That would just make it worse.
"No, Hyde," Eric finally snapped, standing, "No, Hyde, I'm serious! How long has she been gone?"
A small pause.
"...Two and half months..." He admitted softly. He felt like a child being scolded by his parents, afraid of admitting to any wrong-doings out of fear of getting into trouble.
"Wha-Why didn't you tell anyone?" Eric demanded.
"What should I have said, Forman?" Hyde snapped back, standing as well, "That my ma left me just like my dad? That I'm not good enough for my own damn mother? That she just thought I'd be okay alone with Ian? Huh!?"
Eric gave him a sated look, speaking softly, "Hyde, you need help, man."
"Nah, Forman," Hyde gave him a dark look, "You'd need help. I'll be fine."
"Cool," Eric said casually, "Brought you a sandwich."
Hyde stared at the food for a moment, feeling his stomach rumble at the sight of it, before glaring at Eric, snatching it from him as he retook his seat on the couch. "Fine, I'll take your sandwich," He grumbled as he took a rather large bite, not noticing the concerned look Eric shot him when he saw him take out half the sandwich in only two bites, "But after this, no more help."
"But, Hyde-"
"Shut it, Forman." He growled warningly, his stomach literally screaming for more food in the form of a rather loud growl. He glanced up at Eric, the hint of fear in his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses.
Eric glared at him.
CIRCLE
CUT TO KELSO
KELSO: (staring at something in front of him) "So... Donna actually did it this time?"
PAN TO ERIC
ERIC: (staring at something beside him) "Oh, yeah. Actually inhaled and everything." (looks around the circle) "Man, Hyde's mom is gone and he is just goin' down hill... he's sittin' over there in the dark eating ketchup off crackers. You should've seen 'em when I gave 'em that sandwich; he looked like a hungry lone wolf on a National Geographics Special... I think we should tell someone..."
PAN TO KELSO
KELSO: (grinning) "I ate gum off a parking meter once. It was on a dare." (laughs) "Man, there are some suckers out there, huh?"
PAN TO FEZ
FEZ: (eating jerky) "Crackers and ketchup are both K words. Which makes them naturally funny." (snickers)
PAN TO DONNA
DONNA: (bobbing her head up in down with a huge, open mouth grin; it's obvious it is her first time, looking completely and utterly wasted) "Oh my God." (laughs) "I can feel, like, all the molecules in my body." (looks around excitedly) "I'm gonna count them." (closes her eyes, her grin twitching happily as she counts) "One. Two. Three."
PAN TO ERIC
ERIC: (looking around dazedly, not noticing the basement door open behind him; Jackie walks in, standing behind Eric with crossed arms; only her torso is seen) "Man, aren't you worried about Hyde? He needs help, and I know he doesn't want any help, but the Donner Party didn't get any help, and they ate each other, so... I mean, his mom's been gone for a couple months, and now his power's off, his water's off, and-"
JACKIE: (her voice shocked and shaking) "Steven's mom is gone?" (Eric quickly turns to face her with wide eyes, watching as she speed walked out of the basement, slamming the door behind her; glances around the circle nervously) "Oh, man..."
PAN TO KELSO
KELSO: (looks shocked at the basement door before looking at Eric, laughing) "Oh, man, Hyde's gonna kick your ass!"
PAN TO FEZ
FEZ: (pouting at Eric) "You see what you've done, Eric? Your meddling has upset Jackie, good day to you."
ERIC: "Fez-"
FEZ: (holds up an 'attitude hand') "I said good day."
PAN TO DONNA
DONNA: (still counting) "Eighteen. Nineteen." (slowly lifts her hands as she opens her eyes; her smile widens) "I have the biggest hands in the world! They're like boxing gloves!" (holds up her hands in a boxing pose, laughing) "I am the greatest!"
PAN TO ERIC
ERIC: (chuckles patronizingly at her) "Yeah, okay, champ, calm dow-" (Donna punches him in the face, and he immediately goes down.)
Jackie stormed into Steven's house, grabbing the screen door so it wouldn't make a loud noise as it shut. She crossed her arms, standing over Steven; he was lying back on the couch, an arm covering his eyes, the other resting on his chest, sleeping.
She looked around the room before sighing, leaning down to gently shake him awake. He released a sharp breath through his nose, jerking a little as he removed his arm from his eye, looking up at her.
"Jackie, what...?"
She huffed at his groggy, oblivious voice, glaring down at him with a trembling lip, "Steven, your mom's gone?"
He immediately sat up, looking up at her pointedly, his uncovered eyes dulling.
"How do you know that?"
"It doesn't matter," Jackie mumbled, "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I didn't need to."
"Steven-"
"It's fine, Jackie," He interrupted, lying back down and recovering his eyes, "It's fine. Everything's fine."
"It's not fine!" Jackie snapped, "Nothing is fine! This isn't okay, Steven! You need to tell someone!"
He ignored her.
"Steven-!"
"Jackie," His voice was low and stern, a warning tone hidden behind it. It silenced her; he's never spoken to her like that before, and the thought made her sniffle.
Hearing the sound, he immediately sat up again, his hands sliding up her waist to pull her closer, looking up at her with pleading eyes, his voice soft but begging, "No, no, no, don't do that, babe, please don't do that..."
But the dam had already broke, and the sobs started pouring from her mouth. All the worry she's had for him for the past two months, all the times she'd decided to put it off for later, all the times he's blown off her questions all piled up in her conscious, making her sob hard when she thought about how all she had to do was think about Edna's absence at school to know exactly what was going on. That Steven was all alone, worrying about things a seventeen-year-old shouldn't have to worry about. Thinking about how he didn't want to tell her only made it worse, and then she thought about how Eric knew before she did; that she had to find out from him and not Steven. Why wouldn't he tell her? Why tell Eric and not her?
Her breath hitched; he was all alone.
That made her sob even harder.
He was alone.
"Jackie, Jackie," His voice was soft but urgent, pulling her into his lap, trying to pry her hands from her face, "C'mon, shh, shh." He finally managed to pull her hands away, quickly scrubbing her face with his own hands. She felt like a child that felt guilty about doing something bad, being comforted by her parent.
"C'mon, Jackie, please..."
He sounded desperate now, and she began to realize that he was afraid he was the one who made her cry so hard. But he wasn't; the tone of his voice had just broken the wall she tried to put up when she stormed her way over here, all her thoughts of his strange behavior over the months piling up in her head. But she couldn't tell him that, not when she couldn't get herself to calm down, her sobs resounding through the quiet room, thinking about how easy it should have been to notice what was happening to him; how she should have noticed, but didn't.
"Jackie..." He ran his fingers through her hair, tucking her head under his chin, rubbing her back with his free hand. He kissed her head a few times, the movement a bit desperate in his attempt to calm her. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his waist, tightly clutching his shirt as he began lightly rocking her back and forth.
His voice was desperate now, "Babydoll, please calm down, please..." She wanted to; she wanted to calm down so she could calm him down, but she just couldn't. "Jackie, it's fine, doll, just please stop crying, please..."
It's not fine. Why didn't he get that? It's not fine!
"It's okay, baby, just stop crying, please stop crying..."
It's not okay.
"Eric, I'm sure she's not abandoning Steven, she's his mother," Kitty laughed, though there were nervous undercurrents in it.
Eric gave her a pointed look, "Her exact words were 'I know I'm your mother, but I'm abandoning you, Steven'."
Kitty blinked quickly, her smile wavering. All these years of worrying over Steven's health due to the abuse made her close to him, like he was her second son, and now, she has to worry about abandonment. Why abandon your child?
"That..." She mumbled, "That doesn't sound good. No, no. Red?"
Red cleared his throat nervously. He was close to Steven, too, but his cut-off hours at the plant weren't good for their finances, especially not with another mouth to feed. He tried to keep his voice stern, "Look, Eric, you know I'd love to help Steven. I'm a giver," he ignored Eric's narrowed eyes, "But you can't squeeze blood from a stone, son."
"Well, you know," Kitty said insistently, "We could-we could just pop over and check on 'em."
But, Red knew that going over there would just make her want to move the boy in. Hell, he'd want to move Steven in, too, so he said quickly and gruffly, "No, we're not goin' over there, that's final, I am not Santa Clause."
Kitty glared at him, and he knew they were going over there, "Well, thank God you're not Santa Clause, Red. You'd scare the hell out of children."
Eric smirked at him smugly, and he could only glare back.
Hyde sighed as kissed Jackie's shoulder, exposed by her loose top. She was still sniffling, but she wasn't sobbing anymore. It took hours, but she finally calmed down, and now they were just sitting in silence, only interrupted by her quiet sniffles.
He ran his hand through her hair soothingly, the other rubbing his thumb over her cheek, wiping the wet skin. He placed a trail of wet, comforting kisses along her neck, murmuring almost silently into her skin, still desperate to keep her calm, not wanting her to start up again, "It's okay, baby, it's okay, it'll all be fine, it's fine, babydoll, it's fine..."
She sniffled again, her breath heavy and hitching from the hours of crying, finally mumbling, "It's not fine, Steven, it's not."
He didn't answer her; just kept his face buried in the crook of her neck. He shifted a little, nuzzling her, and she sighed shakily, continuing, "You can't live alone, Steven, you can't afford it..."
"I know," He mumbled quietly, unmoving.
"Then what're you gonna do?"
"I don't know."
"Steven-"
"Jackie, just-" He cut himself off, sighing as he finally looked up at her, his eyes soft, the dullness in them still present, "Let's just not worry about this now, okay? We can talk tomorrow, just... let's just go to sleep, okay? We're both tired."
She looked at him for a moment, wishing the dullness in his eyes would just go away, before she nodded slightly. He shifted, taking him with her as he stood, her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, walking toward his tiny bedroom.
He sighed when he lay back, letting her rest on top of him, his arms wrapped around her. She already looked half-asleep, the crying wearing her out, and he shifted a little to accommodate her when she curled up on top of him. He buried his face into her shoulder, peppering light kisses as her breathing began to even out, thinking about her words. He knew she was right, but he just didn't want to accept it. He couldn't accept it.
It's not okay.
Hyde jerked awake at the sound of knocking on his screen door, groggily scrubbing his eyes. He glanced at Jackie, who was still sleeping, before slowly getting up so as to not wake her. He ignored the knocking for a moment to change out of yesterday's clothes, throwing on his boots just in case.
He threw on his sunglasses, feeling his chest tighten at the sight of the smiling face of Mrs. Forman and the uncomfortable face of Red.
He sighed, opening up the door for them slowly, knowing his attempt at a smile could be seen through by them.
"Steven," Kitty said softly, "You haven't been by in a few days, how are you?"
"Um..." He glanced back at the hallway door, hoping Jackie hasn't woken yet before looking back at her, his smile disappearing due to his nervousness, "I'm... fine, I guess..."
He opened the door wider, letting them inside, licking his lips nervously as they glanced around his broken home, their expressions unreadable.
Kitty suddenly smiled at him, "Well, it's good that you're okay, Steven, so are-"
"Kitty..." Red interrupted, and she shrank a little behind him. Hyde slowly sank down into the chair, trying to avoid Red's tired, stern eyes, "Steven... we were told that your mother... left..."
Hyde shifted uncomfortably, "She's um... she's just... delayed a little..."
"Well..." Red sighed as he took a seat on the couch, his face stern, "Then do you have everything you need?"
"Like clean clothes," Kitty choked out, "Food, juice, someone to-let me just go see what you have in your kitchen!" She scurried passed Hyde's chair and into the kitchen, and Hyde sighed heavily, glancing at the hallway door again before lowering his eyes.
Red looked just as uncomfortable as he felt, though that didn't keep the stern glare off the man's face. He glanced around, his lips pursed, before finally speaking in an attempt to break the sudden silence, "You, uh... you need a coffee table."
"Yeah, that'll really pull the room together..." Hyde mumbled, tapping his fingers against the chair arms in an uncomfortable manner.
Mrs. Forman walked out of the kitchen, scratching the side of her head uncomfortably, "Steven, um... I was, I was gonna clean your kitchen, but, um... frankly, I'm afraid..."
He didn't blame her for that one.
Red and Kitty shared a quick glance before Kitty gave him a tiny smile, "Steven, why don't you go grab some clothes and I'll do a load of wash for you at our house."
He could do that. "Cool," He mumbled and hopped off the chair, making his way to the hallway door, giving them an uncomfortable smile when it got caught on some beer bottles. He quickly went around his room, grabbing a sack to toss in some necessary clothes... which, considering he didn't own much, was all of them. He heard his mattress squeak when Jackie shifted, looking over at her as she groggily sat up, looking at him sleepily.
He sat on the mattress next to her, soothingly massaging a shoulder as she used her fingers to rub the sleep from her eyes.
"Steven..."
"Red and Kitty are here," He interrupted quietly, playing with some strands of her hair, "And I know you don't want them to know you're here, right?"
She shook her head, her eyes squinted in a sleepy manner, looking very much like a small child with a subconscious pout on her face.
"Okay, I'm gonna go with them. You get some more sleep and I'll come back to get you in a little while, okay?"
"Okay..." She mumbled quietly, yawning a little. He gave her a small smirk, shifting forward to give her a short kiss on the lips before standing.
"In a little bit, baby," He mumbled as he quietly shut the bedroom door, seeing her nod as she lied back down, before turning to the hallway door right next to it, stopping in his tracks when he heard Red shout, leaning against his mother's bedroom door across from his own.
"Goddammit! I am tired of being fucking Santa Clause!"
Hyde's eyes widened a little, unused to such words coming from Red. He's only ever heard him say minor words, like "ass," "damn," or "hell." He never expected to hear major obscenities come from Red's mouth.
He quickly shuffled into the room, not wanting to keep Red waiting in fear of his anger festering. Red immediately pointed an ordering finger at him, making him freeze, "Steven! You get your shit together and you get your ass in the Goddamn car! We're goin'! Right fucking now!"
Hyde could only stare at him with wide eyes and a slightly slacked jaw.
"Move it!" Red barked, making him start a little.
He shifted around for a minute, unsure of himself before jogging to his door with a stuttering, "Okay!"
Eric glanced up from the fridge when he heard the sliding door open, watching as Hyde kept his head lowered and brushed passed him into the living room, Kitty quickly following him. Red followed as well, ignoring Laurie's questioning from the kitchen table.
Eric sighed, hoping he didn't overstep any boundaries with Hyde for telling his parents.
Mr. and Mrs. Forman led Hyde into their room, and he glanced around nervously. They told him in the car that they wanted to talk about his home-life, and he wasn't too sure about what he was feeling about that. Mrs. Forman was very specific when she told him what they wanted to talk about; his mother, her boyfriends, even Bud, but he didn't want to think about these things, he just wanted to be left alone.
He was beginning to think that this was the subconscious reason he didn't want to tell anyone, fearing they would ask him too personal questions, bringing up memories he buried away a long time ago.
"Sit down, Steven," Red ordered bluntly, and he glanced around again, wanting to find a chair. But Kitty sat on the edge of the bed, patting the spot next to her, and he followed her silent, gentle order to sit next to her.
He kept his eyes lowered, sitting the sack of clothes between his legs on the floor. He felt uncomfortable, his glasses hooked onto his shirt, and he figured this talk was the reason they told him to take them off.
"Steven," Kitty began, her voice gentle and slow, as if she was speaking to a frightened child, "Could you please tell us why your mother left?" He sucked his lips in, biting the inside of them, nervously playing with his fingernails. After about a minute, Kitty pressed, "Steven, please talk."
"...I dunno..." He mumbled, his voice trembling slightly, "She, um, she met some trucker, and, uh... I dunno..." He heard a frustrated sigh come from Red, making him grimace a little. "I'm, I'm fine, Mrs. Forman, I promise."
"Steven," Red said lowly, making Hyde glance up at him before quickly lowering his eyes when he caught Red's dark look, "You either talk to us or a therapist. Your choice."
"Steven, what did your mother say when she left?" Kitty asked, and he licked his lips nervously, his face falling a little. He didn't want to tell them that Edna had gotten him drunk so he would sleep through her leaving, didn't want to tell them that it hadn't worked, that he heard the tender words she spoke to him before leaving him alone; that she said she loved him, and then left him.
"Um..." He mumbled, "I, um, I dunno, she, she did it while I was asleep..."
"Then how do you know she met a trucker?" Kitty asked.
"She-she left a note... it, um, it just said that she was leaving, and that she wasn't coming back..."
"Did she ever give you any hints that she was going?"
"Um..." He shook his head, "No, no, she, um, she just... packed up one night..."
"Okay..." Kitty murmured quietly, "Well, what about those bruises? If she was gone as long as you said she was, then you got those bruises and that split lip just a little bit after she left, so..."
"That was, um..." He trailed off, realizing they weren't aware that his mother had gotten a new boyfriend, "That, that was, that was Ian... he was dating my ma, and..."
"He didn't take her leaving very well..." Kitty finished and he shook his head in confirmation, picking at the knot on his sack.
"Is he gone now?" Kitty asked quickly, afraid she was going to have to call the police because of this man.
"Yeah," Hyde answered quickly, not wanting her to worry about that, "Yeah, he, uh... Ronny scared him off, so..."
"Who's Ronny?"
"He's my landlord."
"And did he know about this?" Kitty's voice was slightly angry, wondering why this man would leave a kid to live alone.
"Yeah, he, um... he lowered my rent and I did some, uh, some yard work for my neighbors to pay him, so..."
"Steven," Red's voice startled him, making him glance up at him, "What about Bud?" Hyde's breath hitched; he wouldn't admit it to anyone, but the one person he was truly afraid of was Bud Hyde. "Have you seen him since he left? At all?"
He quickly shook his head, feeling his face grow hot at the sound of Bud's name, his eyes burning, and Red, taking notice of his violent reaction, gave a simple, "Okay."
But, Kitty didn't want to let it go. She's watched Steven grow up with her son, she's seen all the pale scars Bud left on him, seen the bruises, the cuts, the welts, the split lips... it seemed to her that Bud Hyde was the worst of all of Steven's abusers, but she didn't know for sure; Steven always clamps up at the sound of Bud's name.
"Steven," She said gently, "Can I ask you a few questions about Bud?"
He quickly shook his head, his voice speedy, "Mrs. Forman, it was a long time ago, it shouldn't really matter now-"
"It does matter, Steven," Kitty interrupted softly, "Steven, you can't even hear his name without shaking, you're so terrified of him. If it still affects you now, it matters, Steven."
Was he shaking? He hadn't realized. Does he react like this every time someone says Bud's name?
"Steven, did Bud hit you when you were younger?"
Hyde gave her a funny look, "What? Mrs. Forman, you know he-"
"Did Bud hit you, Steven?" She repeated, her eyes probing.
She wanted him to say it. Why did he have to say it?
"Um..." He shifted a little, "He... yeah, he... he hit me all the time."
"Is that all he did?"
He shifted again, his brows furrowed, a glint of something in eyes, something Red shouldn't be seeing in a seventeen-year-old's eyes, licking his lips nervously as he glanced around the room, "No, he... he, um..." he swallowed, "He, he hit me, he... he kicked me, he threw me down stairs, he put out cigarettes on me, he, um... he... burned me with his lighter, he... used his pocket knife on me, and... he just... he did pretty much anything you can think of, Mrs. Forman, can we please not do this?"
"Steven..."
"It was normal for me... I mean... he used to not... but... I dunno what changed. It used to just be my ma and only when he was drunk, but then it just got worse and when Ma couldn't take it anymore, he came after me... but, I noticed that he never treated her as bad as he treated me, and I never understood why, I don't what I did-"
"Steven, Steven," Kitty interrupted gently, rubbing his shoulder, "You didn't do anything, Steven. Parents don't hit their children, he just wasn't... good."
Hyde took in a shaky breath, jerkily nodding as he swallowed again.
"Steven," Kitty said again, "What about Edna?"
"Um..." He rubbed his forehead with his hands, "She... she used to help... she didn't like it when Bud came after me, but then she just stopped... caring or something, I dunno... when she kept her mouth shut, he didn't go after her, so she might've just been scared, or... Um... when Bud left, she got into pills and shots, and, uh... I had, I had to take care of her and..."
"You were her parent," Kitty murmured and he nodded.
"Yeah, um..." He stopped, finally looking at her, his bright blue eyes watery and pleading, "Mrs. Forman, please, you know this."
"I know, Steven," She rubbed his back, "But you can't keep these things in, it'll break you."
He gave a shaky nod, sucking in a sharp, sniffling breath through his nose.
Kitty suddenly smiled, patting his shoulder as she stood, chirping, "Well, I'm sure you're hungry, so I'm just gonna go get started on dinner."
He glanced up at Red as she scurried out of the room. The man looked out of it, hands in his pockets, staring at the wall blankly in front of him, and he wondered if it was because of the things he's revealed about Bud.
"Mr. Forman...?"
Red jerked a little, looking at him for a moment before giving him a pat on the shoulder, muttering quietly, "Welcome to the family, Steven."
Hyde sighed as he walked back into his house, er... old house, whatever. He was caught up at the Formans' later than he expected, Kitty wanting him to eat a full meal when she made him talk about his food troubles, and then Forman had dragged him into the basement to talk, but Hyde had simply snarked at him, though there was a lack of venom behind it, and then Kitty had come down with cocoa and cookies, which he gratefully scarfed down. It was late into the evening now, the sky orange.
He walked into his old bedroom, Jackie laying back on his mattress, looking curiously through one of his magazines. She immediately tossed to the side when she saw him, sitting up straighter. She held out her arms like a child that wanted to be lifted, and he sat next to her, pulling her into the offered hug, running his fingers through her hair.
"So, um..." He murmured quietly, "I'm livin' with the Formans now."
Jackie pulled back, beaming at him, "Steven, that's great."
"Yeah, yeah, it, um..." He suddenly looked her in the eye, and Jackie saw more trust in his eyes than she ever had before, "Jackie, I... I'm ready to talk... about everything..."
She straightened even further, running her fingers through his curls soothingly, giving a gentle nod. He was going to tell her everything, and she wasn't too sure if she was ready herself, knowing the minor details of how horrible his life had been. But she nodded anyway, knowing this was something he couldn't keep bottled in forever without it breaking him.
She gave him a gentle smile, and he began to speak.
Wew, super long, super dramatic chapter...
Next is finally the last episode of season 1 :)