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Chapter Six: Light My Fire

To the Forman household, Christmas was a lot like summer when you were in high school; Everyone always anticipated it but by the time the last week rolled around your skin was on fire and you were ready to tear your own eyes out.

It was a week til the big day and Tina was feeling those same urges as she watched Laurie apply another coat of Kiss Me Silly red lip gloss and then smile at herself in the reflection of the stove.

"College has really brought out your inner slut and I am loving it, Laurie," Tina sang as she slathered some icing on a new batch of cupcakes that her mom had just pulled out of the oven. Laurie's eyes narrowed venomously before she gave a thin smile.

"How many boyfriends have you had again?"

Tina smiled sweetly. "More than you - considering I spend more time talking to them than on my back underneath them."

Score. Tina was so remembering this moment as she watched Laurie's face light up to a crimson tone and her mouth open and close for a moment. She looked like a fish struggling to breath out of water.

"You girls being nice?" Red said gruffly as he made his way out the door, stopping briefly to give each of the girls a quick peck on the cheek and grab his lunch.

"Yes, Daddy," Tina and Laurie said at once, each of them grabbing up a icing tube and starting in on the snowman shaped cookies.

"Good," Red said with a sharp nod and an even sharper once over of his two daughters. Sweetness was a warning sign in this family. He had made sure to curb that nasty habit out of his children. But Red definitely wasn't feeling like delving into it at the moment.

Just as he hurried out of the door, Kitty came in with a grin on her face and a whole other tray of cookies in her hands. "Tina! Grab those cups and teapot of warm cocoa downstairs with me, will you?"

Dread warred with horror as Tina hesitated. Awkward was a nice word to use and one that Tina thought completely undermined how bad things actually were between Hyde and her at the moment.

"Well, chop chop, silly goose! It's going to get cold!" Kitty laughed, her whole body swaying to the sounds of Bing Crosby singing from the living room TV. If she could, Tina was sure that she would have Holiday Inn blasting from every room in the house.

"Yeah, sis," Laurie said snidely, her smil cold as she let the tray filled with glasses and cocoa drop into Tina's arms. Her older sister had a way of knowing when her own sex was feeling vulnerable. It made it easier to attack.

And as Tina Forman hesitantly made her way towards the basement door, Laurie could tell that she was the weakest that she had been since Laurie had gone after Todd. Her lips curled down in distaste at the memory and she went back to icing cookies.

"Oh, what are you guys doing watching cartoons? Holiday Inn is on." Tina made her way carefully down the steps, trying to make sure that she didn't trip down the rest of the stairs in her platforms. By the time that she got to the last step, her mom had switched over the TV and set the cookies on the table. "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry, Tina! You're just running so slow these last couple days."

The brunette gritted her teeth against a retort, choosing instead to inch her way around Steven (without actually looking directly at him) and set the tray delicately down on the table. Giggling, she went into the back room to get some more Christmas decorations.

"Tina, if I may say, your legs are especially nice today." Fez walked closer, a brow going up as he gave the brunette a swarthy smile. "May I touch them?"

Tina raised a brow, crossing her arms slowly over her chest.

"IF FEZ GETS TO TOUCH THEM, I DO TOO!" Kelso screamed, throwing up his hand as if he were volunteering an accent. "Are we talking under the skirt and panties or just skirt? The hip's a valid part of the leg as well, people."

"MICHAEL!" Jackie snarled, slapping him just as Tina's twin brother did the same, sending his head flying to the side.

"That's my sister, you sleazebags!"

Fez nodded, turning back to Tina. "So is that a yes or…"

"You can touch her," Hyde said and Tina gasped, her face going red. Slowly, Hyde's eyes moved up to stare icily at Fez, a cold smile thinning his lips. "If you want to end up without any hands."

"Woah!" Fez exclaimed, laughing nervously as his eyes flicked around. "I was just giving her some options. The lady is beautiful. I cannot help myself."

Giving him an indulgent smile, Tina patted his arm. She wasn't sure where exactly he came from but talking to ladies so directly seemed to be a theme with him. Maybe it was a tradition or custom or something.

"Maybe at the Christmas party, I'll let you rub my feet," Tina said to Fez's delight.

"You are too kind to me," he gushed and Tina went to work setting out the cups and pouring cocoa into them.

"Yeah. You are," Hyde said darkly, his eyes clearly stating how Fez would not be touching any parts of Tina in the near or distant future.

The foreigner shrunk from his gaze, going to stand beside Eric with the same look of a whipped puppy. Wiping off her hands, Tina finished up with the drinks and watched as they scooped up before starting to head toward the stairs. Blue eyes caught hers, stalling her for a moment as her heart gave an irrational skip.

"Hyde," she forced out curtly, nodding.

A sarcastic smile tipped the curly haired boys lips as he stared up at her. "Bunny."

Her lips thinned her eyes flashing at the word. How could he get under her skin so easily like this? It was ridiculous.

"You're not wearing your glasses," she stated and his lips tipped up even more as he recognized the annoyed lilt in her words.

"You're becoming more and more observant by the day, doll." Her eyes narrowed even more at the nickname, anger lighting through her.

Slowly, she walked forward, leaning over until she could place a cool hand on his shoulder. Their eyes met and she saw his darken and flick down to her lips. She knew what she was doing. She knew that it was unfair and she also knew that she shouldn't like getting such a rise from him. But he always just made her so angry. It made her want to mess him up, get him angry.

"You look better with them on," she whispered curtly before pulling away and making her way quickly up the stairs.

Hyde didn't say anything, his hands tight and his eyes on where she had been. So close. He could have leaned up and her skin would have been right against his lips. He could feel her. He could smell her. Dammit. He wanted her.

"Dude, she's got you whipped~," Kelso finally whispered, his eyes peeking over the rim of his cup as he stared at his friend.

"That only works if I'm dating her, you moron," Hyde snapped, slamming his fist into the floppy haired boy's arm so hard that Jackie could feel the force of it on the other side of him.

"Don't fantasies count for anything these days?" Eric cried to the heavens, his eyes beseeching. It was lucky that Donna was right beside him to shove him to the ground. Hyde would have done worse.

For a moment, Hyde stewed in silence, his eyes on the TV but not really seeing any of it. Finally he turned to face the rest of the gang. "If you had like six dollars and some change, what would you women want? For a present."

Tina stared down at the pair of leather boots sitting on her purple comforter, the tips of her toes absentmindedly skimming over her white, shag carpet. Tina's room looked a lot like her brothers with a dresser and a comfy chair that was covered over with clothes and her school stuff. A desk sat next to her bed spilling over with useless, unread books and notebooks. It was an average 1970's teen room complete with posters and photographs plastered on the walls like an extra winter coat.

"I spent most of my money just on him," Tina whispered to herself, her fingers working over the thick ring of fabric around the top. The brunette groaned, pressing the shoes to her face as she wallowed.

"Tina, I need your he-"

"What the hell, Eric?!" Tina shrieked, throwing a pillow at her twin brothers head as he walked into her room.

"WHAT?!" Eric exclaimed, the pillow slamming into his face as he stumbled back.

"What if I had been changing, you freak? Or - I don't know - making out with a boy?" Her cheeks blazed as Eric gave a derisive snort.

"Yeah. Okay."

"It could happen," Tina hissed venomously, her eyes narrowing as Eric took a seat at her desk, his lanky limbs spilling everywhere as he propped his feet on her bed and leaned back.

"Not while you have that weird thing with Hyde going on. It's like me saying that Commandeer Spock and Princess Leia are going to get together and make beautiful half-vulcan children." For a minute his eyes went wistful and Tina was ashamed to admit that she saw sadness in her twin brothers eyes. Finally, he sighed, shaking his head and whispering, "But that shall never be."

"You're disgusting and completely wrong. Hyde and I are two very different people with-"

"Who are the boots for?" Tina blinked, panic cutting her off as she shoved them off of her bed and to the floor.

"No one. Me. Dad… Shit," she cussed softly, her face going crimson. "You can't tell Hyde that I got them for him. And if he asks I found them at some thrift shop."

"Odd," Eric mused, glancing to the ceiling as he thought with a finger to his chin. "My sister got Hyde a pair of really expensive boots and didn't want me to know about it. It almost seems that she has secret feelings for-"

"Stop it," Tina hissed, punching her brother in the arm so hard that he squeaked. "Promise me you won't tell him!"

"Fine!" Eric hissed, glaring at her. "But in return you have to set up some beer coolers downstairs. And make it look pretty."

Tina's eyes narrowed. "You got mom to agree to a christmas party?"

"Actually dad. If we get a tree then we can keep whatever's left over." Tina grimaced.

"To the forest?"

"TO THE FOREST!" Eric declared, raising his hand in a salute to the sky as he made his way out of her room. He paused as he reached the door. "And your secrets safe with me… But now that I will be holding this over your head for the rest of your natural life."

"GET OUT!" Tina shrieked, throwing another pillow at the Eric's face.

"NOW WE GOT FORTY BUCKS FOR BEER!" Kelso crowed loudly as they unloaded a massive, lush, green tree from the top of the Vista Cruiser. Tina took a small bite of the cookie in her hands, unimpressed.

"Don't say it too loudly, Kelso. You might wake the next town over," Tina said as she came forward, watching the brunette boy choke on his own laughter and then fall on his ass. You could barely even see him under all the branches of the pine.

"Oh Eric," her mother gushed as Laurie and her rushed out. "I think this is the most beautiful tree we have ever had."

"Thanks, cookie girl." Tina blinked up at Hyde as he took a sugar cookie from the pile of them on the tray in her hands, trying to slow her heart at Hyde's irrationally cute smirk.

"You're welcome, lumberjack boy," Tina said back, turning to face him. "Nice sunglasses."

He gave her a dry smirk in return. "Listen, bunny. I wanna get this girl a real nice present. She's around Donna's age. Any suggestions?"

Tina's blood ran cold, the plate nearly slipping from her fingers as she stared up at him. Was he serious? Tina had watched him talk to both Donna and Jackie but he had never thought - She forced her gaze away from his, setting the plate down on top of the Vista Cruiser.

"How much money do you have?" Even to her own ears, the words sounded forced with an underlying venom. Jealousy was running hot and potent through her veins.

"Six bucks," Hyde said carefully. Animals can always sense when they're in danger and at the moment, Hyde's senses were on high alert. Tina's eyes flashed a cold blue as they turned back to stare up at him. "Just tell me something that girls like you would like."

Something in Tina's mind snapped as she gnashed her teeth, her nails piercing into the delicate skin of her palms. The first time that Hyde had witnessed this expression on Tina's face, they had been in their freshman year of high school.

Middle school had been a testing ground for Steven Hyde. He had well grown out of the meek silence that other kids kept when they were being pushed around. Hyde wasn't frail and he sure as hell wasn't rolling over for anyone of the kids that got houses for their birthdays.

"How's your mom doing, Steven?" a jock jeered as Hyde passed and the curly haired boy gritted his teeth, a tick going off in his neck as he turned slowly to face the table.

When Steven had entered high school and come face to face with his mother at lunch, her hair bound up in a net and her teeth gnawing reflexively at a poor scrap of gum, he knew this would be his life. Having a lunch lady named Gross Edna for a mother was bound to earn him the first spot of Point Place rat. He was lower than the geeks and an easy target.

Hyde smirked, placing his tray on top of theirs so that food splattered everywhere. He was an easy target today. Tomorrow he suspected that their view would drastically change.

"My mom's doing great, jockstrap. Last I heard, yours was the biggest slut this side of Wisconsin though. Even banged some of your buddy's here." Hyde's hand came slamming into the kid to his right's shoulder who looked like he had just been caught stealing his daddy's car.

Hyde's smile only grew as the jock gave a roar, sending food spraying everywhere as he flipped the table and stood, coming nose to nose with the curly haired boy.

"Wanna say that again, trailer trash?" the jock snarled, shoving Hyde who stuffed down all the anger with a smile.

"Yeah." Hyde said, coming nose to nose with the jock again. "Your mom's a slut and from what I hear around the football field, so are you."

"YOU-!"

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" A shrill voice screamed out and all of a sudden Hyde was stumbling back as a little, auburn haired girl shoved the jock away from him.

"Um-" The jock floundered, looking utterly bewildered. So did the rest of his table who had decided to sit back and watch the show.

"Uh, Tina-?" Hyde tried to get her attention, his eyes flicking from her to the guy. He could deck her in one second and the girl would be out. Then Hyde would have to kill him because Eric would be all weird about his twin getting frogged in a fight that Hyde had started.

"You, shut up," she snarled, turning swiftly to jab a finger in Hyde's face. And that was when he had first seen Tina with that kind of expression on her face. They had learned about Medusa in one of his classes and Hyde suddenly realized that she was standing right in front of him. His limbs froze at the cold, arctic gaze as she whirled back to the jock. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Bobby Whitman?"

"Forman-" The jock started, looking more like a shriveled, scared rabbit than anything else.

"Don't you 'Forman' me, you prick. This is my best friend." Hyde hadn't known that Eric's sister and him were best friends. "From birth. What the hell do you think you're doing getting in a fight with him in the middle of the gym?"

"He-he-" Bobby's eyes flicked to Hyde as if asking for help. Few guys actually knew how to deal with a girl in such fury, demanding such odd questions. The jock lowered his voice. "He called my mom a skank."

"You mosquito brain," Tina hissed venomously. "Last week you told our entire history class that you caught her in bed with your pool boy. And your boy band here isn't exactly innocent either."

"Guys?" Bobby whispered, his eyes imploring like a sad puppy dog as he looked to his friends who all diverted their gaze. Hyde chuckled, earning him a slap from Tina.

"Nice going, Forman," one of the guys hissed and the auburned haired girl rolled her eyes, giving him the finger.

"It's a new type of low when you have to go to middle-aged women to get your rocks off," Tina said snidely, giving the whole table the finger before her fingers were lacing through Hyde's and she was tugging him towards the lunch line. Before they could reach it, the girl suddenly changed her mind, turning back to give the group of boys a cold glance. "And for the record, Hyde could have totally kicked your ass. You should be thanking me. You dumbasses."

Hyde was bewildered. And more than that - something in his chest was rapping against his ribcage. He felt like he was having a seizure. The curly haired boy blinked. "You didn't have to-"

"Shut up," Tina snapped, stepping forward to pick up a tray from his ma and avoiding her searching stare.

Never in Hyde's entire life had he had to endure this look from Tina Forman. And in that moment, he realized that he never, ever wanted to again. She was like a cobra, slowly curling in to try and calm him before she snapped off and killed him.

"You know what, Steven?" Her voice was way too calm and she never called him Steven. "I think that six bucks is too much. Why don't you just give her your jacket and be done with it?"

Hyde stared at her for a moment. Tina merely gave him a thin smile.

"My jacket?" Hyde said dumbly and then his breath caught as Tina leaned into him, her fingers trailing along the collar of Hyde's flannel jacket and along his chest.

"It's a nice jacket," the brunette whispered, bringing another hand up to run along his neck.

"That's not my jacket," Hyde said softly and Tina smiled, shivers running up her spine as she felt one of his hands curl around her hip.

"Just give the girl the jacket, Hyde." Tina leaned into him, tipping up to whisper softly in his ear. "If you're lucky she'll be loose enough to give you some of her clothes too."

With that, she pushed away, storming back into her house. She had meant it to be a burn on the girl that Hyde was going after - Donna or Jackie, the brunette didn't really care.

Instead, she got the exact opposite reaction.

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