a/n: this chapter has stuff added so you're gonna wanna reread it so you don't miss some stuff ;)

Lucy sat in the basement where the rest of the gang was holed up. She watched the television screen as it played a tv drama, but wasn't really paying attention; Kelso and Fez were looking through albums; Jackie sat reading a magazine beside Lucy. Then Donna and Eric came rushing downstairs to escape the menopausal wrath of Kitty, they stood by the dryer and stood close, whispering and laughing quietly at comments the other made before beginning to make out—obviously they were still in the honeymoon stage of getting back together.

Lucy rolled her eyes, standing up and walking around the couch to pass behind Donna and Eric and made a fake gagging noise, prompting both to turn around and give her an annoyed look before she smirked and walked into Hyde's room. Hyde sat on his cot, reading a book and Lucy sat beside him as he made room for her.

"They're being gross again?" Hyde asked.

Lucy sighed, "It's been nonstop since they've gotten back from California! I just need this month to be over so it returns to semi-normalcy. At least we had the good decency to wait until everyone was gone before being gross and affectionate!" She picked up a magazine that was thrown carelessly beside the cot and rested her head on his shoulder. "Wow, this swimsuit edition is riveting," Lucy said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Hyde peeked over to see what she was looking at and then laughed, "Uh, that's new."

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows and hummed, "Hmm, why?" the blonde tried to lighten the mood and grinned with a tilt of her head, "Because if you're going to be gross, wouldn't you rather be looking at me than—" she drifted off as she glanced back at the magazine, "Ms. Hawaii?"

"Well," Hyde started, "With your Dad finding out, it's just been weird now." After fidgeting for a moment he pulled her closer, her legs know strewn over his, "Again, why I wish you'd be open to my Foto Hut plan," he joked.

"In your dreams," Lucy scoffed.

"Exactly!" Hyde said, smirking.

She raised an eyebrow, "You know who goes through your stuff? Everyone. Literally everyone. That is not something I need everyone to get their hands on."

The boy reluctantly rolled his eyes and nodded, "Fair enough."

"Whipped," Lucy smiled, giving him a chaste kiss and moving to get off the cot before he caught her by the wrist, bringing her back to kiss again. "Why has it been so weird? Everyone else has known for months," the blonde asked curiously in between kisses as Hyde's lips moved to her neck.

"I don't know, it just is," he replied dismissively, before kissing her on the lips again. His hand resting on her cheek, the other running up and down her thigh, stopping at the hem of her skirt as he pulled her closer. She gasped softly at the quick movement but smiled into the kiss, only breaking away to remove his glasses.

"Lucy, I'm leaving!" Donna called from outside the room.

"Don't—" Hyde started, but was too late, the blonde was already up and out the door.

"Where are you going? What did the idiot do?" Lucy asked.

Donna laughed, "Nothing! I'm just going home to change out of this thing." Instantly, boos and protests arises from all the boys; Hyde even got out of the room, only to pick Lucy up by the waist and hoist her over to his spot. "Man, what is with you guys and this uniform?"

Lucy laughed, "Have you seen yourself? You're hot as f—"

"It makes us want to corrupt you," Fez interrupted, still gazing at Donna's shirt before smiling innocently. And with that, Donna rolled her eyes at Fez and nodded in thanks to Lucy before shutting the basement door.

Eric walked over to the couch, "Man, Donna is so awesome. She can afford to go to any school she wants but she wants to go where I go, just so we can be together."

"Yeah, she is awesome. Why is she with you again?" Hyde asked as Lucy rested her head on his shoulder.

"'Cause a good girlfriend accepts her guy no matter what! And Jackie was always trying to change me," Kelso said matter-of-factly, looking at the brunette. "Grow up, Michael. Act your age, Michael. Stop shooting Grandmother with the water pistol, Michael!" He mocked the nagging girl.

"She's 92, Michael!" Jackie yelled, annoyed.

"She had jam on her face!" Kelso insisted, walking away.

Eric jumped over the back of the couch, "Well, all I know is things with me and Donna—"

"Donna and I," Lucy corrected without looking away from the television.

"Things are going really, really, well," Eric continued, unfazed by his twin's incessant corrections. "This is just about the point where I screw things up."

Fez shrugged, "Well, don't screw it up."

Eric shook his head, "Fez," he chuckled, "Oh Fez, if history has taught us anything, it's that screwing up is my nature. You know what I can do? Bank a little goodwill, do something nice, buy her a present."

"Yup!" Kelso nodded, "She deserves it too, you know how many times I tried to grab her boob on the way to California? And it would have been easier for her if she woulda let me, 'cause you know me, I won't stop."

"And why are you upset with Jackie again?" Lucy asked, tilting her head at the idiotic boy, receiving only a guilty shrug.

Eric nodded, "I gotta get Donna something special. Something that reminds her that even though I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot who loves her."

❁

Later that day, after his long search for the perfect gift for Donna, Eric came rushing into the basement with a huge smile. "Donna! You, me, tonight, the water tower. Make yourself foxy 'cause you're getting something pretty special."

Donna looked up, "Really? A present? I will get foxy!" the redhead said excitedly as she got up from the couch.

"Oh and Donna! Don't forget to wear flats so that Eric can feel like a boy!" Jackie advised.

"Screw that, make him feel like the weakling he is!" Lucy cheered from her spot on Hyde's lap before whispering, "But actually you should probably wear flats because, you know, water tower, climbing. Heels are a no go."

On that note, Donna nodded and rushed to get ready over at her house.

Hyde picked Lucy up and placed her back down as he got up to walk over to Eric. "So, Forman, you finally broke down huh? What'd you get her? Earrings? A little bracelet?"

Eric shook his head, "No, I got her way more than a piece of jewelry. I got her a gift that really says something—" he dug through his coat pocket and pulled out a ring box, "A diamond engagement ring!"

The three boys surrounding Eric all looked at him shellshocked, Lucy and Jackie both perked up from the seats and exchanged a look.

"As a joke?" Kelso asked, finally breaking the silence.

Eric looked at him confused, "No, you guys, I'm gonna ask Donna to marry me."

"As a joke?" Kelso repeated.

Lucy and Hyde exchanged a look before Hyde nodded, grabbing Eric and pulling him over to a stool, Kelso placing the small football helmet deemed The Stupid Helmet on Eric's head.

"The Stupid Helmet?" Eric asked, confused and hurt. "Why do I have to wear The Stupid Helmet?"

"Because you're stupid!" Hyde yelled.

Lucy jumped up from her seat, "Look, if I could get Jackie to not claw my eyes out, she would be in The Stupid Helmet everytime she brought up getting married to Kelso—and not just 'cause he's, you know, Kelso—but because getting married in high school is stupid!" she dragged out the word, thinking it would make more sense to her twin.

Hyde nodded, "You can't ask Donna to marry you, man!" he hit him upside the head.

Eric stood up from the stool, walking to the couch, "Why not? I mean, come on. We already know we're gonna be together forever."

Kelso rushed to follow him, "No, you think that you're gonna be together forever."

Lucy anxiously played with her bracelet, hoping it would get through her twin's stupid head. Hyde spoke up, "Remember how you were worried about screwing things up? This is your Bay of Pigs, man!"

Fez crossed his arms, "Even in my country, we are not stupid enough to get married in high school. And we eat bugs!"

"Forman, what the hell are you thinking?" Hyde asked.

Lucy whispered, "The correct answer is that you weren't thinking."

"You don't understand, okay? I love her. I was down at the store and I realized what am I waiting for. We're happy," Eric explained. "I mean, come on man, you have Lucy don't you get it?"

"That's not what we're talking about," Lucy reminded her twin with a smack up the head, "Because we're smart."

"You don't get engaged when your happy!" Hyde shouted, "What's the point? You do it when you're back is against the wall and there's no way out! Like if the girl's pregnant."

"So is now a bad time to say something?" Lucy trailed off.

All the guys looked to her, eyes wide. Hyde's jaw dropped, before he collected himself again, "Wait—you're on the pill."

Lucy nodded while laughing, "Jesus, you guys are too easy. I got on the pill when Donna did."

Fez nodded, "Perfect plan you two. It is settled then, Eric will get Donna pregnant. I will oversee the proceeding for verification purposes. Ah! But he's so stupid, how do we know he can do it?"

Eric turned to his last resort, "Jackie, help me out here!"

Jackie looked to Lucy with a shrug, "Well, I think it's beautiful."

"Well then you're crazy too," Hyde said simply.

Lucy sighed, "If only we had gotten her into The Stupid Helmet soon enough."

"Look, I am my own woman. I am allowed to have opinions about jewelry!" Jackie said, storming out of the basement after placing the ring box back on the couch.

Eric picked up the box, "Listen, you guys, I've spent a lot of time thinking about this. Donna's willing to commit four years of college to me. I wanna commit too!"

"Forman," Kelso stormed over from the freezer to the couch, "I say this to you as a friend that likes to see you get hurt. If you don't take that ring back right now, you're going to end up in a world of misery and pain!"

"Hey! I love Donna!" Eric yelled standing up, "So did it ever occur to you that I'm ready for a world of misery and pain? Think about that!" And with that, Eric stomped out of the basement with The Stupid Helmet, before coming back in and tossing it on the couch.

They four friends stayed in silence, all looking around at one another. "It's actually really sweet—when you think about it," Lucy said quietly. Fez urgently grabbed The Stupid Helmet and placed it on Lucy's head.

❁

Lucy sat on Donna's bed, looking at the engagement ring her twin bought, "I just can't believe that you're engaged!" the blonde exclaimed giddily.

"I know right," Donna smiled widely. "I can't believe he actually went through with it!"

"Me either!" Lucy agreed, "I mean, I told him he shouldn't just 'cause—well, we're all still young—and, I didn't know how you'd react and definitely didn't want a repeat of last time."

"I mean, honestly, I wasn't sure why I said yes. I mean it sounds insane, getting married in high school, but it just felt right," the redhead shrugged, looking at her ring.

Lucy grinned, "God you're such a cliche. When the moment comes you'll know!"

"Oh shut it!" Donna laughed, shoving her friend off the bed. Lucy laughed, sitting up, laying back down on the bed on her stomach, swinging her feet in the air. Donna looked away from her ring, "So—uh, what's up with you and Hyde?"

"What do you mean?" Lucy knit her eyebrows together in confusion.

Donna shrugged, unsure, "I don't know, it's just after what happened after visitor weekend, he's been a bit weird."

"Oh," Lucy let out a deep breath, "I don't know—I mean, we said we would talk about it and never did. Knowing that my dad knows is weird I guess, because like, it does seem very Wuthering Heights."

"How can you tell?" Donna furrowed her eyebrows.

The blonde laughed dryly, "Well, he like, doesn't touch me anymore," she went on to explain, "I don't mean sexually or anything, but even sitting in the basement, he would always have a hand on my leg or my back, and he hasn't done that. Today was the first time we've made out in like forever. And when I brought it up he brushed it off. "

"Okay so there's that, but also, like, have you done it since you found out that Red knew?" The redhead chuckled lowly as Lucy hit her with a pillow. Donna shrugged, "Well have you?"

Lucy frowned, "Obviously not Donna!" she yelled in exasperation, "He touches me less than my boyfriend from when I was 5!"

"Well that's a problem," Donna chuckled.

"Oh shove off!" the blonde shrieked.

❁

Lucy sat with her bedroom window open and flipped through the pages of 1984, which her English teacher assigned. After a bit, there was a quick knock on her door before Hyde walked in.

"Hey," he nodded, and instead of sitting next to her like they usually do, he plopped down on her bed. "Whatcha' reading?"

"More Orwell," she responded quickly, holding the book up so he could see the cover.

The boy folded his hands underneath his head as he laid on her pillow, "Good one. Is that my copy?" Lucy merely hummed absentmindedly in response. She could feel her posture becoming tense with frustration with the boy. Sighing, Hyde obliged and asked, "What's wrong?"

The blonde's head snapped to look over at him and she scoffed, "Why'd you ask it like that?"

Hyde sat up, taking off his glasses and rubbing a hand over his face before placing them on the bedside table, "Because," he shrugged, "You've been weird and—I don't know, acting like a chick."

With a raised eyebrow, Lucy's voice was coated in annoyance, "Newsflash: I've always been a chick."

"You knew what I meant," he interrupted with a shake of his head, "God, you're infuriating, you know that?"

"So are you! You've been completely different around me since UW!" Lucy shouted in a hushed whisper. Hyde just looked at her and clenched his jaw but didn't say anything. So the girl continued, "Do you have any idea how you've been making me feel? It feels like you don't even want to be with me anymore! Like, Oh, secrets out and everyone knows, so that was fun while it lasted."

"That's not it," Hyde snapped quickly.

Lucy shrugged, "Then what is it? What, you liked sneaking around with me behind my dad's back? Like it was still fun as long as he didn't know? Did it help your reputation?"

Hesitating, and thinking over his next words carefully, he responded, "No, it's just different that's all."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Lucy exhaled, "Well enlighten me. I told you how it's making me feel, you owe me." Indignantly, Hyde pushed himself up off the bed and started to storm towards her door and Lucy jumped up from her spot. Suddenly changing his mind, he turned around and took Lucy's face in his hands before kissing her deeply. Placing her hands over his own she pulled away, "you can't just kiss your way out of this," she laughed lightly, "you have to tell me why you've been so weird."

Pulling away from her touch, her arms fell to her side in defeat. "It's too real. There's expectations now. When it was just me and you—well, it was us."

"What expectations?" Lucy furrowed her eyebrows together, biting the inside of her cheek worriedly.

"All of it Lucy!" Hyde exclaimed as if it were obvious, "and now that Red knows it's just one more thing. Even today, with the whole engagement, you don't think that's something your parents expect? Even you said it was cute."

"Oh my God, do I have to get you The Stupid Helmet too? For one, whatever my parents expect doesn't effect us!" Lucy reassured, stepping closer to him, "And I don't think about the future okay? I'm about living in the moment, everything else just works itself out." She wrapped her arms around his neck and let her fingers run through his curls. Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed him lightly, "It's still just me and you."

Nodding, Hyde deepened the kiss and walked backwards, sitting down on her bed and pulling her into his lap. And the couple stayed in her room, because it felt like in there, they didn't have to worry about anything or anyone else. It really was just their own world.

❁