lap as Eric holds the phone to his face, bouncing his knee and announcing it's ringing! over and over. Hyde whispers things about the boy into Evie's ear as Eric anxiously continues to wait for the girl on the other end to pick up. Then, as if realizing what he's actually doing, he repeats his earlier sentiment, this time a tone of terror lacing his voice, and slams the phone down on the receiver.

Fez shakes his head and crosses his arm from his position next to Eric on the back of the couch. "And Eric chickens out again. Quack, quack, quack!"

Evangeline giggles and glances between the distraught boy and the bumbling foreigner. "Fez, that's not the sound a chicken makes."

Hyde smiles for a split second, tightening his hold on her, before turning his attention to the so-called man of the house with a critical frown. "Forman, what's the problem?"

"It's just," Eric says, staring at his hands clasped together in front of him, "I want to tell her to come home, that I miss her—" he pauses for a moment, adjusting his hands slightly— "that I love her. I mean, it's too much to say over the phone."

Evangeline reaches over and places her hand on top of Eric's with a cheesy smile, cooing about how cute he is. "Just call her, man, if you don't, how will she ever know?"

Jackie rolls her eyes at the blonde, turning her lip up at her hand holding Steven's and his other hand wrapped securely around her thigh. "Listen, Eric," she says, forcing her eyes away from the pair, "just write her a letter. That's how I broke up with Michael." The last sentence she says with her attention directed back towards the pair, as if wanting to remind one of them specifically of that fact. Evangeline rolls her eyes at the suggestion, but Jackie isn't finished. "Yeah, I was able to take my time and come up with good synonyms for cowardly-won't-marry-me-loser-run-away-to-California jackass."

Evangeline voices her lack of faith in that plan, to which Eric agrees. "Jackie, I'm charismatic in person. I've got—" Eric hold his hands up near his chest, moving them around wildly— "these awesome hand gestures. And I kind of, like, waggle my eyebrows when I talk." To accentuate his point, he dances his eyebrows up and down, shaking his head jovially.

"Wait," Evangeline says, mocking him with a look of faux amazement, "you do that on purpose?" Eric rolls his eyes and shoves her head backwards as the girl just laughs at him. Hyde shakes his head at the boy as he climbs over the couch and whinges about how they're all so helpful.

"You know what?" Eric suddenly stops his pacing, looking at each one of them. "That's it. I'm going." He nods his head, silently agreeing to his own statement, gesturing excitedly with his arms. "I'll just show up in California and, like, blow her mind." When no one answers he continues with yet another connection to Star Wars. At that point, everyone groans, sick of his constant Star Wars nonsense.

Fez suddenly scrunches up his face as Eric approaches him, still going on about Luke Skywalker. "Wait," he says, "do chickens go quack or did I mess that up?"

"That's what I was saying!" Evangeline says, throwing her head back as Fez nods thoughtfully and starts singing Old MacDonald under his breath. He turns around and heads out the door as Eric says something about how great it's going to be to see Donna again and disappears upstairs.

Jackie is the only one who remains, sitting with her legs crossed on the couch watching Evangeline snuggle deeper into Hyde's chest. For a while no one says anything, then Hyde peers around Evie's head and frowns at the younger girl. "Don't you have malls to shop at or people to belittle somewhere else?"

"Not really," Jackie says, examining her nails. She can't help but watch as Evangeline pecks Steven on the lips before whispering something in his ear that makes him smile.

"Jackie," Hyde starts, gently shoving Evie off his lap and standing up, draping an arm over the blonde's shoulder, "in case you didn't get the hint, that was me trying to tell you to leave."

Jackie stands up, pulling her purse close to her body and harrumphs. "Fine, but just know, I don't want to."

Evie snorts as Jackie slams the door. "We know." The girl giggles as Hyde waddles them the few feet to the couch, pulling her onto it and hovering over her. "You know, I think you're right. I think Jackie's got a thing for you. She was trying to drill a hole through my brain with her eyes the whole time."

"Well, too bad I've only got eyes for one girl." Hyde covers her lips with his, sneaking his hands underneath her back under her shirt, his cold hands and his firm statement sending chills across her skin. For five blissful minutes, they lose themselves in each other before the slamming of the door and feet pounding on the stairs interrupts their moment. "Do you mind?" Hyde says to Eric, who is pulling at his hair and breathing heavily, whether from the run down the stairs or from whatever made him upset Evangeline isn't sure.

Eric shakes his head, crossing his arms as he paces back and forth. "They won't let me go. it I need to go, man. I have to! If I don't—I need to go."

"Then go!"

"But they'll kill me, man! I'm too young to die!" Eric leans onto the back of the couch, getting right up in their faces.

Hyde shoves his shoulder back and looks up to the ceiling in annoyance. "Look, man, either go to California or don't, but please do this—" he gestures to Eric's pacing— "somewhere else."

"You're right," Eric says, stopping and pointing between the two. "I'm going to go. Thanks man."

Hyde scrunches up his face in confusion as Eric leaves through the other door, slamming it behind him hard enough to rattle the walls. "Does he even listen? I really don't understand him."

"But you love him anyways," Evangeline sings, punching the boy's cheeks as he rolls his eyes at her, but he doesn't deny it. "So, he's gonna go to Cali even though his parents said no, huh? How's he gonna get there?"

"He won't," Hyde says confidently, pushing himself back into sitting and pulling Evangeline into his lap.

"What do you mean?" Evangeline asks, furrowing her brow.

Hyde snorts as if it's obvious and smirks. "He'd chicken out before he could even start. That's why I'm buying him a ticket. Then he can't back out, he can't say he couldn't do it."

Evangeline kisses Steven, pressing the palms of her hands against his cheeks. "Steven, that's so sweet! You're gonna buy him a ticket to see his girlfriend?"

"With his money. I know where he stashes it. He thinks he's so smart, hiding it in the Scooby-Doo thermos, but he's just an idiot." Hyde cackles evilly and tickles Evangeline's stomach, eliciting his favorite sound from her mouth. "Then he really has to go."

"You are an evil genius," Evangeline says, throwing her leg over his lap and pressing her lips to his again. "It's kinda hot."

"The weirdest things turn you on."

"You got a problem with that?"

Hyde pretends to think about it for a moment before smiling and pulling her close to him. "Not at all, baby."

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

group stands in the driveway watching as a green and white VW bus pulls up right next to them. The group huddles around it as three people hop out. Kelso immediately shouts something obscene as Donna and Eric approach them with goofy smiles on their faces.

Hyde and Eric reach to give each other a hug, adding a solid pat on the back as to not make it weird. "So my folks had no idea I was gone?"

Hyde steps back and wraps his arm around Evangeline again, glancing down at her with a tiny smirk before turning back to Eric. "No idea, you're golden."

Evie laughs at Hyde's blatant lie. Earlier that day Mrs. Forman had caught the two making out in the kitchen, and in a moment of panic, Evie had blurted out that Eric was in California. Kitty had turned right back around and left the room without a word and Hyde had never felt more attracted to the girl than he had in that moment. They knew he'd find out, but the look on Eric's face when he realized his parents did in fact know he was gone would be priceless.

"Wait, Evangeline?" Donna says, suddenly realizing that the girl under Hyde's arm is not a card-carrying member of their club. "Oh my God, it's been, like, what—eight years?" Donna pulls the girl away from the curly-haired boy long enough for a tight hug and a short reminiscing of the fun they used to have.

Evangeline and Donna slink back towards the group, where the blonde slides into Hyde's side. He settles his arm back into its original position. After grabbing his bag, Kelso rounds the van immediately lighting up at the sight of his friends. "Who's the hot chick?" he asks, eyeing Evangeline with a dumb look on his face, one he probably thinks is sexy.

Hyde smacks his arm, making the boy jump back and hold his arm, his mouth open in silent surprise. "That's not a chick," Fez says, patting Kelso's shoulder comfortingly, "that's Hyde's girlfriend."

Kelso nods his head with a smirk. "Not for long." Hyde smacks him again, earning another yelp in response. "Oh, well, whatever, man. Hyde, it's still good to see you, man!" He pulls Hyde in for a hug, adding on a comment about his beard making him look old.

"Of course I look old, man. Partied more than you, worked more, drank more," he glances over at Evangeline with a wink, "and slept with way more chicks." She hits him in the chest and rolls her eyes at his comment. "I'm exhausted man."

Kelso laughs like he it's the funniest thing he's heard before greeting Fez with the same enthusiasm, both chattering about boob-sightings at the pool. Evangeline rolls her eyes at the two of them just as Donna's and Eric's parents appear from inside the house. Bob has a hard time staying mad at Donna, and it takes Red encouraging him to discipline her. Eric thinks he's getting off the hook and makes a joke about that's what you get when you disobey you're parents.

Evangeline stifles a laugh with her hand as Hyde gets Eric's attention only to say, "Oh, hey? They know."

Red dramatically points into the house, as Kitty says in the most disappointed tone she's ever heard, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

To which Eric lamely replies: "I—I brought you a seashell."

As the three disappear into the house, with one more comment about how his coming punishment, whatever that would be, was worth it, the rest of the groups scatters, leaving Hyde and Evangeline alone again. "I would hate to be Eric right now."

"I would hate if you were Eric right now, too, 'cause then I couldn't do this." He bends his head down, spinning her around so her back is pressed against the trunk of the bus. Evangeline slides her fingers into his hair, tugging gently on the thick strands as she peeks his tongue into his mouth. His hands wander her body, drawing her flush against him as she moans into his mouth. After a slow embrace follows by three quick pecks, he pulls away, bracing himself against the back window with one hand, and smiles. "See I couldn't do that with Eric."

"Well," Evangeline shrugs, pretending to think about it for a second, "you could, but a Eric might think it was weird."

Hyde laughs and pulls her into him, waddling away from the car as Kelso runs back toward the house, keys dangling precariously from his fingers. "I almost forgot my car."

Hyde slaps him across the head. "Idiot."

"Ow!" Kelso rubs the side of his skull, the movement causing his hair to stand up in end. "My eye!"

"I didn't even touch your eye!" Hyde yells as he hops into the driver's seat and starts the car, sticking his tongue out at the boy as he drives away. "As you can see, he's still not the brightest bulb in the box."

"Poor Michael. You guys ruined him." Evangeline shakes her head as he leads her down the stairs. "One thing," she says, stopping him at the door, "when Fez said I was your girlfriend, you didn't say anything."

Hyde shrugs. "Yeah?"

"So?"

"What?"

Evangeline rolls her eyes at his denseness. "So, you never asked me. Is that what I am? Your girlfriend?"

"If you want to be."

"Do you want me to be?"

"Evie," Hyde sighs and pulls her into the basement, settling back down into the couch so she's straddling his lap, "if that makes you happy then I'm more than willing to call you my girlfriend, and you can call me your boyfriend. But I don't need those labels to tell me that I only want you. I like you. A lot. Probably more than any other girl I've ever dated. And there have been quite a few." Evangeline smacks his shoulder as he smirks teasingly. "Is that what you want?"

"If you're willing to go against your ways for me, then, yes," she says, threading her arms around his neck and leaning her head against his. "I only want you, too."

"Good." He kisses her slowly, his favorite way of tasting her sweet-honey lips, lifting her up by her ass as she wraps her legs tight around his waist with a soft squeal at the suddenly movement. "Would you care to go commemorate this momentous occasion with some glorious sex?"

"Now you're just using big words to impress me," Evie jokes, laughing at his playful request.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes, you dummy."

A drop in the bucket of the many times they've gotten to know each other intimately over the course of the summer, this time is by far the best in Evangeline's eyes. It feels like something real, something solid, something Evangeline has only dreamed of as a child. And yet, here it is right in front of her, staring up at her with those big blue eyes that see the world as cynically as she does optimistically. She wishes the moment could last forever, but, as they say, all good things must come to an end.

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

so two updates in one day—

what is the world coming to?

it only took four hours to write this

which is actually pretty good

considering it usually takes me

but anyway

hope you enjoyed this! xx