Work Text:
Saturday, April 18, 1981
Point Place, Wisconsin
4:30 pm
Jackie has always wanted a wedding in spring, with white doves. Particularly, in May.
"Because April showers bring May flowers, Steven."
Her voice rings in his head, over and over. After all the shit he's put her through, he just wants to make her happy.
But she's matured a bit, since she was with Kelso. She doesn't want unicorn plates for her wedding, and she's thrown away that shirt with her face on it. She's fascinated by the classics, or what she calls "classy." Audrey Hepburn, Coco Chanel, Grace Kelly.
And recently, Diana Spencer.
"That could've been me, Steven," She proclaimed, pointing to the television screen, "Marrying a rich guy that doesn't love me."
Hyde nods. "She looks like a lost puppy."
"Yeah, I was lost for awhile." She rests her head onto her shoulder, and life is good. "I thought Michael was my escape. Then I found you."
It was more complicated than that, though. After Eric and Donna's first wedding fell through, Jackie got increasingly nervous. If Eric and Donna might not make it, how could they?
He got coerced into proposing to her, but when he saw Kelso in that damn towel, he ran. Away from his troubles, as far as he could.
He drank, every day. Every night, and that's when he married Sam. Supposedly. After a few weeks, he ambled home, hoping to make amends. But when Sam showed up, he thought it was too far gone.
He made his bed, and he slept in it. He was angry, bitter. Especially when Jackie distracted herself with Fez, who mindlessly worshipped her. Gave her everything, on a platter.
But she wasn't in love with Fez, so she ran. And he groveled, and groveled. It took a long time to get back into her good graces, but now, here he was.
He was standing in that same 'ol jewelry shop, his whole life flashing in front of his eyes.
"I've heard a lot about you and your escapades." A familiar voice echoes throughout the tiny shop, bouncing off the damn walls. "You had some pina coladas, and escaped. To marry some blonde bimbo in Vegas."
"That was a long time ago," Hyde reluctantly affirms, uncomfortably shuffling his hands in his denim jacket, "Forman and Donna are goin' for a long engagement, again."
"That's good." The balding man is still as haughty as ever, and is notably dismissive. "He didn't buy the ring from me."
He wonders why he even went here, while he was in Point Place. The epitome of a hellhole. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing, after Jackie and Kitty were blabbering about Charles and Diana. And were driving both Hyde and Red insane.
Kitty clasps her hands together, enthralled. "Ooh, I wonder if she's going to have a super long train!"
But Jackie is less than enthused. "Maybe she'll trip, and it'll be a sign that they're not meant to be together."
Plus, he figured Fenton finally quit his jewelry hawking, after becoming a landlord. Guess not.
Therefore, at the sight of him, Hyde scowls. "Maybe he was tired of you tryin' on the jewelry."
"Oh, please. There's baggage here, in Point Place," Fenton proclaims, with a defiant smirk, "I love the drama. Like when you returned that ring, six months after the fact. It was tainted, like Fluffycakes, wasn't it?"
An awkward silence ensues, and after a moment, Hyde awkwardly clears his throat. Straight out of a Forman's playbook. "I'm looking for a new ring. A better ring, without the shit memories. And the coercion."
"And without Michael Kelso in a towel?" Fenton arches his brow, intrigued. "I'm surprised you got back in her good graces, after pulling that stunt. Stuntman."
"Took awhile." But Hyde doesn't need, or even want, to explain. He just needs a fresh start. A reprieve from all the bullshit. "Now I'm here. She wants at least a year to plan a wedding, and she wants a wedding in May."
"Oh, so chop chop." Fenton dramatically claps his hands. "April showers bring May flowers."
Hyde has his eye on a fourteen karat, with a row of diamonds. Way better than his first one, and he taps on the glass. "I've heard."
*****
5:30 pm
Goddamn it, now that song is stuck in his head.
If you like pina coladas, and gettin' caught in the rain...
He's not getting caught in the rain, anymore. After all, April showers bring May flowers, and the jewelry box comfortably rustles in his jacket pocket.
He strolls into the 'ol Forman abode, but a certain someone is waiting for him.
His de facto dad. The man who raised him, and Forman. And treated the rest of the kids as his own. Except Fez, and maybe Kelso.
Red loudly clears his throat, sitting in his peasoup chair. Waiting to pounce. "You've almost missed dinner, dumbass."
Hyde tries to distract him, but to no avail. "I was doin' something."
He eyes a certain bulge in Hyde's jacket. Something that highly resembles a jewelry box. "Something important?"
"Uh huh." Red's on the scent, and Hyde gives him some context clues. "Went to the mall, and bought something."
"An engagement ring?"
Hyde feigns stupidity. "How'd you know?"
"Kitty calls it a parent's intuition," Red states, gesturing to the jewelry box sized dent in his jacket, "I call it logic. Jackie was telling me how she wanted a wedding in May, and she wanted a least a year to plan it."
"She's been hung up on all that shit with Charles and Diana," Hyde aptly explains, "About how she's lucky she didn't end up with a rich dumbass."
Red scowls. "Or Kelso."
Hyde chuckles, strangely triumphant. "Or Kelso."
"He's just a dumbass. A kettlehead," Red concludes, and Hyde nods in agreement, "Not even a rich one."
She could've ended up with a rich dumbass, or a poor dumbass. But she's ended up with Hyde, even though he has definitely qualified as a dumbass sometimes. But he never glued himself to the fridge. Or dug for dinosaurs in his backyard. Or...
"Yeah." The awkward silence ends, with a preemptive bang. "Since her ex-rich dad is in the slammer, you wanna do the honors of walkin' her down the aisle?"
In turn, Red plays devil's advocate. "You're assuming she'd say yes."
"You know she will."
"Yep."
Red knows that kind of love, all too well. He's experienced it with Kitty, for many, many years. That special kind of love, that makes someone feel warm and fuzzy inside. Even if they feebly attempt to deny it, it's always there. As strong as ever, beating their brains in...
"But if you put her through any more crap, I'm gonna kick my foot up your ass so hard, your nose will bleed. Got it?"
Good to know. "Got it."