A/N: In this story, Eric planning on becoming a teacher, Kelso finding out he's a father and Eric and Kelso leaving the show in Season 7, along with the entirety of Season 8, are not canon, and by extension That 90's Show is not canon.
Disclaimer: I do not own That 70's Show.
Eric Forman felt trapped. Trapped in his own life. He'd felt like a background character in his own story. Kelso had his goofy charm and good looks, Fez had his promiscuity and joy of life and America despite not being from the country. Jackie had money, looks and popularity, though when her father went to prison for embezzlement and her mother fled to Mexico, she lost the money, but still had looks and popularity. And she had Hyde, effortlessly cool and charming with his "no fucks given" approach to life, though he still had a moral code. Even Eric's girlfriend, Donna, had so much going for her - she had a unique confidence in herself and a headstrong demeanor. Of couse, being "Hot Donna" on the radio didn't hurt.
Eric, meanwhile, didn't add up in his mind. Sure, he was friendly, sensitive, a hard worker, and he had a dry sense of humor, a trait he shared with his father, Red (much to Red's annoyance). He had his love of Star Wars and G.I. Joe. But he wasn't cool, he wasn't particularly athletic or coordinated, he wasn't smooth, he wasn't good looking (or at least, not as good looking as Kelso), and he wasn't as confident or in-your-face about who he was as any of his friends. His friends often made fun of him and his shortcomings, considering him a loser. More often than not, he was the butt of the joke.
His father, Red, a curmudgeonly war veteran who fought in the Korea war, also looked down on Eric and seemed to favor Laurie, at least, until finding out Laurie wasn't really a good person. He would often call Eric (as well as anyone who irritated him) a "dumbass". Even in his relationship with Donna, Eric always felt like he was in her shadow. She was the more aggressive and dominant one, she was out of his league and as far as she and his friends were concerned, she could do no wrong and he could do no right.
That last bit there, had really been bothering him. "I'm tired of always being the one in the wrong. I'm tired of everyone taking her side. She's not always right - nobody is always right!" Her constant bitching, nagging and complaining had begun to really get to him, a small annoyance growing unbearable over time, like a pebble stuck in your shoe until it began to blister. He'd also realized that despite loving her, they just weren't compatible, and they never were. Their personalities clashed too much for them to be together, and even them being friends was pushing it a bit. Plus they were holding each other back.
One night, he and Donna were sitting on top of the Vista Cruiser, listening to music together, much like they did when they first kissed. Eric took a deep breath. This was going to be hard.
"Donna, we need to talk." he said, sitting up on the top of the car. "Eric, is something wrong?" Donna sat up with him, quicker than he did. "We need to talk" usually wasn't an indicator of anything good. "Donna, I've been thinking - how do I put this - I love you. Very much. But I don't think-"
"-Please, don't. Don't say the words again!" Donna pleaded, her voice sounding like she was on the verge of crying. "I'm sorry, Donna. It's over." Eric told her gently but firmly. Donna looked stunned. "Look, Donna, I really do love you, and I know you love me. But I don't think we're compatible, I don't know that we ever were." Eric told her. "What are you talking about?!" Donna pleaded, her eyes welling up with tears.
"Well, for starters, our personalities clash way too much. We fight all the time over the stupidest things. We always have, but after getting back together after our last breakup, it's getting worse. I'm tired of you never admitting fault, and I'm tired of always being the bad guy and our friends and parents immediately taking your side! Don't get me wrong, sometimes I am in the wrong, I can be plenty immature and selfish, and honestly Red isn't wrong when he calls me a dumbass. But I also have to take the blame whenever you're wrong, which is often."
He continued, "That's not the only problem with us. I realized that we've been holding each other back and didn't know it. I know you're happy here with your radio gig as 'Hot Donna', but I also know how much you've always wanted to leave Point Place and go to college. I don't want to be in the way of you following your dreams. I'm also tired of being in your shadow. I'm a loser, I have been my whole life. While it initially felt good to have a beautiful girl like you go out with a guy like me, eventually people stopped looking at me like I was lucky and started looking at me like they knew you could do better." He said.
"Eric, that's not true!" Donna pleaded. "It is. I'm tired of not having an identity. Jackie said it herself, my house has food. You've got your headstrong spirit, Hyde's got that 'I don't care' attitude about life, Jackie's got her popularity, Kelso's horny and Fez is... Fez! And what am I? The scrawny neighbor boy? The guy with the basement? The dork? Donna, I don't want to be a loser anymore! I need to let you go so that you can follow your dreams. I need to find my purpose in life. I have no idea what that is, but I want to become someone everyone can be proud of, and we can't do that together. I'm sorry. It hurts me to say this because I care very deeply for you, and because some of the best memories of my life have been with just the two of us, but it's for the best." Eric said.
Donna hated to admit it, but he was right. They were incompatible and holding each other back. But right now, her emotions were overriding her decision to think about what Eric was telling her. The pain of being dumped, once again, in his driveway, the same spot she dumped him in last time. She then felt angry, here she was, happy, back together with Eric, planning on spending the rest of her life with him, and here he was, breaking her heart a second time. She slapped him before storming off, sobbing. Eric got off the car, watching her walk away. She was feeling the same pain she'd felt their last break up more intensely. He'd, in turn, felt a fainter, lighter, version of the pain he felt when they last broke up.
Hyde and Jackie walked up behind him. "About time, man." Hyde said, giving Eric a pat on the back. Eric was shocked at this. He was worried no one would be on his side once again. "You... you guys saw that?" he asked in shock. "We heard every word." Jackie nodded. "And you guys... you're taking my side?" Eric asked. "Eh, we've been saying your relationship was toxic for a while. We just didn't say anything because you're our friends." Hyde said. "And you had a point, we do all tend to take Donna's side. We're sorry, Eric." Jackie said.
Eric wondered if he was dreaming. Eclipses happened more often than an apology from Jackie, a sincere one at that. "You alright, man?" Hyde asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. It still hurts, but it hurts less than it did last time we broke up. Maybe it's because I knew it was the right decision?" Eric pondered. "Who knows? I got a call from Red earlier, he's gonna be working overtime tonight. Wanna have a beer?" Hyde asked. "Okay." Eric said, starting to smile despite the pain he felt.
"Hyde and Jackie... they're on my side? They care about how I'm feeling?!"