The gang sat around in The Circle, passing around the shared blunt and assorted snacks and candy.

"You know, I love this, it's such a good bonding...thing," Jackie giggled, who sat on Kelso's lap as she fed him chips.

Kelso nodded, "You're so right, you're so smart."

Fez laughed, "It is much more fun with you girls, you all get very touchy."

Donna furrowed her eyebrows, "We never get touchy with you."

Fez shrugged, "But seeing you helps my needs."

Eric shuddered, "Fez, too weird."

"Man, did you hear? Some doctors actually say that this helps diseases," Hyde nodded as he gave the blunt to Lucy, who sat on his lap, laughing.

Lucy laughed and then abruptly stopped, "Why was I laughing?" she asked seriously, before erupting in giggles again.

"You know, Fez you're onto something, because the first time Jackie was in The Circle, we like, totally did it after," Kelso nodded.

Jackie gasped, "No we didn't!" Before whispering, "Yeah we did!"

Eric's eyes widened, "You guys do get touchy when you're here with us! Donna always wanted to cuddle, which she didn't normally want to do unless we had—you know, just done it."

"Well I'm sure it's not that way for every girl, I mean what do you think Lu?" Donna asked.

Lucy shrugged, taking gummy bears from the center of the table, "I don't know, I mean I guess Steven and I do always make out after you guys leave if we've been smoking."

"What?" Everyone chorused.

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows in thought, "But we make out after you guys leave even if we haven't been smoking."

"What?" Everyone chorused again, now yelling.

Lucy looked around at her friends as realization struck her, "Ohhh, I mean—what? Psh, you guys are so gullible. Steven's gross—I would never."

"Nice save doll, wanna go to the car?" Hyde smiled proudly.

Lucy nodded giddily, "Let's go," she whispered to Hyde before turning back to the table, clearing her throat, "I'm going to help him with...homework at his house."

"He lives here!" Kelso shouted.

Lucy closed her eyes trying to concentrate, "Yes."

And with that, the newly outed and oblivious couple walked out of the basement in laughter, Lucy jumping onto Hyde's back as the door slammed shut.

Everyone looked to Eric, "Don't look at me!" he held his hands up.

Jackie turned to Kelso, "You owe me five dollars!"

Fez turned away from the door back to the table, "Do you think they'd let me watch? I have needs," he told no one in particular.

❁

The rest of the gang remained in the basement, the cloud of fog now dissipated, and clarity began to course through the teenagers. Fez was in the back, looking through Hyde's things to see if he had anything to help his needs. Kelso was just confused. Jackie and Donna were prying and asking Eric for answers.

Jackie was pacing behind the couch, "How long have they been together."

Eric hesitated a moment before sighing, "I don't know." Prompting a smack upside the head from Jackie. "Ow! Veterans' Day!" he shouted, rubbing the back of his head.

"Veterans' Day?" Everyone screeched.

Kelso shook his head, chuckling, "No, no, that can't be right, because we like totally made out—" he paused when he saw Jackie's face, "which I hated because it was absolutely disgusting! But yeah, she wouldn't have gotten with Hyde after me."

"I can't believe this!" Donna said in shock.

Just then, Hyde and Lucy walked back into the basement, Hyde sitting in his usual seat and Lucy sitting on the far end of the couch.

"Well, would you look who it is! Where did you guys go?" Jackie questioned.

"The Hub," the two of them said at once.

Kelso spoke up, "You said you were helping him with homework!"

Lucy rolled her eyes, "Which was a lie because we didn't want to have to pay for you guys at The Hub."

"Okay! Someone better help me right now because I did not find any scandalous photos of Lucy!" Fez whined, stepping out of Hyde's room.

Lucy cringed and Hyde threw a pillow at Fez who yelled and sulked back over to his seat.

The teens sat in an awkward silence for a moment before Donna exclaimed, "We remember that you admitted that you guys make out!"

"Oh...okay," Lucy said uncomfortably.

"I mean, since Veterans' Day? Lucy how could you not tell me!" Jackie asked offended.

"I don't need to tell you everything! You sometimes overshare about you and Kelso and I didn't want to do the same!" Lucy said.

Kelso laughed, turning to high five Hyde, "Nice one man!" Hyde just punched him in the arm. "Hey! I just said nice one! I mean, you got the hottest friend with benefits!"

"Wait what?" Hyde asked as Lucy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"You think we're friends with benefits?" Lucy asked, looking between her friends who all looked at each other in confusion.

"Well...yeah? I mean, you would never really date someone like Hyde," Donna explained. "Would you?"

"Well I—" Lucy stammered, "I would—I am dating Steven."

"Lucy!" Jackie screeched, "He's poor!" she whispered.

Hyde got up to stand behind Lucy, "Look, Lucy and I are dating, does anyone have any other bitchy comments?" No one said anything and Hyde nodded, "Good!"

"Um, so are there scandalous photos?" Fez asked quietly.

"No!" Both of them yelled in unison.

"But...that's not a bad idea," Hyde whispered with a smirk.

Lucy rolled her eyes, "Now is not the time Steven."

"So there is a time?" Hyde asked hopefully.

"Watch it," Lucy warned before turning back to the rest, "Look, I get that it's weird that we didn't tell you, but we just weren't ready. But please guys, keep this quiet, my parents don't know. I'll tell them, but it has to come from me."

"Oh! Forbidden love! Now I get it! It's just like Romeo and Juliet!" Jackie exclaimed giddily.

"Sure, minus the whole killing ourselves thing," Lucy nodded patiently.

❁

Lucy sat on her bed with the girls surrounding her, asking her questions.

"So, is he a good kisser?" Donna asked.

"Yes," Lucy and Jackie said simultaneously.

Lucy looked at Jackie out of the corner of her eye, "Look, I know you guys went on a date and all but don't mention kissing my boyfriend and I won't mention kissing your's—who uses way too much tongue."

Jackie nodded in agreement, "He's working on that."

Donna just laughed at the situation, "Oh my God this is too good! You and Hyde! Who would've thought?"

"Everyone," Jackie shrugged.

Lucy laughed, "Yeah shut up, still not as predictable as cute cheerleader and model wannabe."

"Fair enough," Jackie laughed, "Okay, but so, how was your first time?"

Lucy shook her head, "We haven't done it yet."

"What?" Donna and Jackie exclaimed.

"Wait, says both of you. Donna, you waited forever to do it with Eric. Jackie, you made Kelso kiss your ass for a year before doing it!" Lucy defended herself.

Both the girls looked down in thought for a moment before Donna spoke up, "Yeah...but this is Hyde."

"And?" Lucy asked.

Jackie perked up, "Oh no, this makes so much more sense now! She hasn't put out yet!"

"Yes, as just literally stated," Lucy sighed in annoyance.

"No! Donna, you get it right? She hasn't put out yet, so he's sticking around!" Jackie exclaimed.

"That's not true," Lucy said offended.

"But it's the only thing that makes sense!" Jackie insisted.

"Jackie—" Donna started, seeing how frustrated Lucy was becoming.

"He's done the same thing before with other girls! Remember when he was with a girl for like a full month because he was waiting until she'd do it!" Jackie said.

Lucy put her head in her lap, "Oh I'm gonna be sick!"

"Jackie!" Donna yelled, she began rubbing Lucy's back, "I'm sure it's not the case Lu."

"Oh, yeah, right, I mean I'm sure he actually likes you," Jackie nodded, "Has he said he loves you yet?"

"No!" Lucy screamed into her pillow. She sat up, brushing the hair away from her face, "But I haven't either! So that doesn't really mean anything does it?"

Donna and Jackie looked at eachother for a moment before Donna joked, "Well, Red will kick his ass if he hurts you."

❁

That night, Lucy and Hyde sat on her bed. Lucy was reading one of her books for school, laying in his lap while he brushed her hair away from her face.

Hyde could tell something was wrong, she wasn't reading as quickly as she usually did and she was scrunching up her nose—which she only did when she was angry or nervous. He furrowed his eyebrows before speaking up, "What's wrong?"

"Huh?" She asked, her distracted gaze shifting from the book to the boy.

"You're doing that thing you do when something is bothering you," Hyde said, mimicking her facial expression.

Lucy sat up slowly, "It's just—um, you like being with me right?" she asked, biting her bottom lip anxiously.

"You know I do," Hyde replied, confused as to why she was asking.

"I don't like being made a fool of, so if you don't like me, I'd rather you say something now. If you were just trying to see if you could get the goody-two shoes Forman girl to go out with you—" Lucy began to ramble. She had the same look she used to have anytime he used to make fun of her when they were little; it was a look of hurt and betrayal, back then it had always quickly faltered to her confident eye roll and nose in the air expression. But not this time.

"Lucy," Hyde said, cupping her face in his hands so she'd stop. "I like you, okay? Don't listen to any crap anyone else says."

He wore the look that he had adopted whenever he saw her hurt. After they turned twelve he never understood why he always felt bad for saying mean things to her, why his stomach dropped whenever she ignored him. But now he was beginning to understand why. He wore the look of regret for ever being able to cause her any pain.

Lucy nodded, taking a deep breath and not realizing that she had been holding it. The two laid down beside eachother, Hyde brushing her hair away as it fell in her face while Lucy curled up to his side to sleep, calmed by his scent and warmth, trying to believe that they would work out. Because despite her best efforts, she had already fallen for Steven Hyde—she just didn't know he had fallen for her too.

❁