Jackie/Hyde Fic: Halloween: Together in the Dark (1/1)
[mood| 
Drained ]
-In the spirit of it being Halloween this weekend and since I have a Halloween fanfic for this year to post on the 31st, I thought I’d post LAST YEAR’s Halloween fanfic as a warm up. ;) -
Title: “Halloween: Together in the Dark”
Chapter: 1/1
Rating: PG-13 (some language)
Genre: Romance/Humor
Characters & Pairing: Jackie/Hyde, Leo
Dedication: Written for Fire for last year’s Halloween fic exchange. Many thanks and love goes to my Elliot, daisye for the encouragement and beta-ing of this.
Requirement: Pairing: J/H, Genre: Romance and/or smut, Rating: PG13-NC17, Season: 2 or 3, 3 preferably, Ref: if season 3 is used, reference to JBH (NB: I decided to use an episode before JBH as the basis, therefore I couldn’t refer to it)
Spoilers: Season 3: Too Old to Trick or Treat, Too Young To Die.
Disclaimer: The characters involved in this story do not belong to me, but to the people over at Carsey/Werner. No infringement is intended and no profit is being made.
Notes: This was the first time I took part in some sort of fic exchange and was worried of the outcome. The requirements were interesting and I was glad it was a pre-conventional J/H timeline period, as I enjoy writing those more. Luckily, through help from Daisy, I decided to trap them together on Halloween in the dark- a concept that always is interesting and thought it’d be humorous. It got longer than I thought it would, but ideas kept flowing and I really enjoyed writing this. This is one of the few fanfic that I like reading myself. The title, however, like all my other fanfic is very lamely titled “Halloween”. I need a title book or something.
Summary: Hyde and Jackie find themselves stuck together alone on the “scariest night of the year”.
Hal`low`een´ (hăl`lô*ēn"), n. “ The evening preceding Allhallows or All Saints' Day (November 1); also the entire day, October 31. It is often marked by parties or celebrations, and sometimes by pranks played by young people.”
Halloween is an unusual night, where kids are actually allowed to meet and converse with complete strangers and receive candy from them with their parent’s permission. It’s a night where not one person is stereotyped as ugly and can dress up as ghastly and revolting creatures. It’s a night where people can scare the shit out of each other and still be friendly afterwards. A night where pranks are merely shrugged off. Halloween is a night where people bond despite their different appearances, backgrounds and tastes. A night where the darkness cloaks them.
A night where they come together in the dark.
Ghosts, vampires, witches…even a brown boy dressed as a woman roamed around Point Place, Wisconsin that one cold, hallow eve. The night was eventful to say the least with faux suspicions, cases of vertigo, showers gone awry, scary ass birds- it was a night of Hitchcock come to life. Whilst their best friends experienced surreal incidents two residents of the small town, however, found themselves sitting in a damp basement, extremely bored.
“Oooh we can…” Jackie Burkhart exclaimed, jumping on the Forman’s couch, to the curly-haired man sitting in ‘his chair’ a few feet away from her.
“No.” Came the abrupt interruption.
“Or we can…”
“No.”
“How about…”
“No!”
“Steven, we’ve been sitting here for fifteen minutes in silence doing nothing.” Jackie whined, as she leaned further towards Steven Hyde. “Let’s do something.”
“I was doing something. I was upstairs with Fez spying on Midge’s rack…” Hyde trailed off, looking at Jackie’s disgusted expression. “Of pies.” He paused for a while before laughing to himself. “What am I saying? Pies? This is Midge. I was spying on her rack.”
“Steven!” Jackie scolded.
“And I was perfectly happy until Mrs. Forman dragged me down here to sit with you, because you told her to.”
“I was lonely!” Jackie declared and Hyde rolled his eyes. “I thought you would be good company.”
“Well, obviously I’m not. So how about I go back upstairs and you go back home?” Hyde said with artificial enthusiasm. Jackie glared at him.
“Steven, I don’t want to go back home. My parents are throwing a masquerade party tonight.”
“So?”
“Well, there are just so many shallow people there and all they talk about is how rich and pretty they are. It can give a person a headache, y’know?” Jackie explained and Hyde smirked.
“I think I have a vague idea.” He responded, his voicing dripping in sarcasm. “So what’s the real reason you don’t want to go?”
Jackie shifted uncomfortably at Hyde’s question, after getting over the shock that the zen rebel knew that Jackie wasn’t being fully honest. “My date cancelled on me at the last moment and I know my mother. To her it would be better for me to find an alternative location to be for the evening rather than come dateless to one of her parties.” Jackie said wryly. “But if you really want me to leave then I guess I’ll go to the party.” Jackie ended in a hinting sad voice, getting up and grabbing her purse.
Hyde paused for a moment comprehending Jackie’s situation. Was he meant to say something special right about now? Something to make her feel better? But he came up with nothing. For someone who had never been comforted in his life, it didn’t leave him much to offer others. He could only muster up two words that were nowhere near compassionate.
“Whatever, man.” Hyde mumbled. His response caused Jackie to glower at him, but he found the television screen more appealing and was insistent in not making eye contact with her. Even when Jackie tried to make him look up by stamping her foot- he still didn’t respond. Jackie was about to give up in frustration and run out of the basement when she realized she had no way to get home. Then a devious smile loomed over her face as she came up with another idea.
“Well then I guess I’ll go home. Walking in the dark, cold night…alone.” She moaned with a heavy sigh, but Hyde still ignored her and she decided to repeat herself. “All by myself. A young girl like me. Walking alone on Halloween night…” She trailed off innocently, trying to sound more and more pitiable. She repeated her words again another two times, before Hyde finally groaned in frustration and gave in.
“Do you want a ride home, Jackie?” He asked, his words being forced out of him.
“Awww, Steven! You’re so sweet to offer. That would be great. You’re such a gentleman.” She shrieked in delight as she went over to him and enveloped his torso in a hug.
“Okay. Okay. Jackie, okay…get off!” Hyde retorted, as he pried Jackie’s fingers away from his neck. “Let’s get this straight first. I’m only dropping you off, because I need to go to the Fotohut to pick up my paycheck and your house is on the way back okay? I’m not doing it to be nice.” Hyde explained, staring straight at her. Jackie nodded, a massive grin still plastered across her face. She was going to be in a car alone for minutes with the man she so desperately wanted.
“Thank you, Steven! I just need to change into my costume before I go home to the party. Can I change in your room?” She asked sweetly. Hyde raised an eyebrow at her and then shrugged.
“Whatever.” He said coolly. “Just hurry up.” Jackie smiled at him in response and skipped off to his room and Hyde sighed.
This was going to be a long night.
“Steven, do you know there’s a roller disco coming to Kenosha next week?” Jackie asked a few minutes later, now seated in the passenger seat of Hyde’s El Camino, as the two headed towards the Fotohut. But all she received was silence from him. Jackie turned to look at Hyde and yelled, “Steven!”
Hyde slowly turned to look at her, as much as he had been avoiding to ever since they had gotten in the car. “W-what?” Hyde uttered. His mouth went dry again for the third time that evening as his gaze focused on Jackie again. Hyde’s concentration had been disorientated ever since Jackie had emerged from his bedroom clad in her costume for the night.
An extremely hot Catwoman outfit.
Hyde usually never showed any feelings of attraction towards Jackie…well not outwardly, but he had been totally knocked off his course when he saw her in that outfit. The low riding top, the black satin covering her body, the little felt ears- hell, even the black tail that was attached to her was enticing him. And she didn’t help any- Jackie knew exactly how to get attention from men. The light touches she gave Hyde, the sweetness that oozed from her voice. It was sickening and yet it was taking Hyde all his energy to try to remain cool and collected.
‘Zen. Be zen, man. Catwoman! Catwoman! Zen. Remember to be zen, dammit!’ His conscious kept fighting and he tried to remain cool. He was trying so fucking hard to remain zen.
“So I’m thinking maybe we could enter together?” Jackie posed, smirking to herself. She knew this was the opportune moment to drag Hyde into stuff he would never want to be in, because her plan had worked. Her costume had worked.
“Uhh…” Hyde stammered, trying to concentrate on what Jackie had said, but he could only think of a naughty fantasy with him as Batman and Jackie as Catwoman. The rumbling of thunder suddenly ripped through the dark sky, knocking Hyde out of his reverie and he looked at her confused.
“The disco?” Jackie posed again, as Hyde pulled into the back of the Fotohut.
“Disco?” The fuck? “I’m not entering into a disco.”
“It’s not just a disco. It’s a roller disco.” Jackie exclaimed and Hyde shot her a look.
“Jackie, I would rather fall down three flights of stairs and have Big Rhonda fall on top of me than enter into a roller disco. I’m not entering with you.” Hyde responded and got out of the car. He then walked towards the Fotohut’s entrance as Jackie sighed. What the hell happened to her Catwoman powers? Why couldn’t he just say yes?
Jackie groaned and decided to move on to another plan and stormed out of the car after Hyde, but suddenly began to shiver. Jackie looked up to notice the sky had gone all dark and gloomy and she felt a small raindrop against her cheek. She slowly walked towards the entrance when a crash of thunder erupted in the sky and Jackie ran as fast as she could into the scruffy, little building.
“Steven, I’m cold.” Jackie whined as she crossed her arms and stood impatiently near the Fotohut’s door, as Hyde scrounged the little room.
“Let me just find my money.” He retorted back. Jackie walked closer towards him.
“But I’m cold and this outfit isn’t helping.” She declared, pointing at the thin layer of black that covered her body. Hyde looked up and smiled slyly.
“Well, if it’s bothering you…I’m not opposed to you taking it off.” He posed. Jackie looked fiercely at him and crossed her arms again.
“Steven! I’m not going to take it off.” She insisted. Hyde picked up a few rolls of reel and stacks of photos and looked under them for his paycheck.
“I’m just sayin’. You wanted us to have a good time and I know that I would have a great time if you didn’t have your clothes on.” Hyde defended and Jackie rolled her eyes at him. Hyde then picked up a pack of beer that Leo had left on the counter and found the check underneath it. “Let’s go. I got my money.”
“It’s about time. My tail is getting frosty. Would it hurt Leo to use a heater now and again?” Jackie complained.
“Leo doesn’t…” Hyde began and trailed off as he noticed that the Fotohut door was closed. “Jackie, why is the door closed?”
“It was cold.” She answered, glancing at her manicured fingernails and wondering why one was chipping. Hyde rushed to the door and started tugging at it, but it wouldn’t open.
“Jackie, were my keys still outside on the door when you shut it?” He demanded. Jackie realized what she might have done and sensed Hyde’s angry tone.
“Maybe.” She said hesitatingly, backing away from the now extremely pissed off seventeen-year-old.
“Do you know what this means?” He asked sourly and Jackie winced.
“That it’s not as cold inside?”
“It means that I am locked inside the Fotohut with you and there’s no way out. This means that my recurring nightmare since I was 11 is coming true!” Hyde yelled, which was amplified by the crash of thunder. Rain suddenly began to shower down outside and Jackie cowered in fear.
“Oopsie?”
“This is…” Hyde groaned ‘ahhh’ and slightly pounded his head against a wall. “This is undoubtedly the crappiest thing that could have happened to me.” He added quietly.
“I’m sorry, Steven. I really am. I don’t know how the door locked. I didn’t lock it, I just closed it.” Jackie said sincerely, as Hyde turned away from her. “Maybe we could go out through the little window?” She suggested. Hyde looked back at her, his expression half full of amusement and the other half full of annoyance.
“It’s too small, Jackie. Even your tail won’t fit through there.” He said mockingly.
“So, what? We stay here? In this dump? I have a party to go to!” Jackie asserted.
“This isn’t exactly a ball of joy for me either. But I guess…” Hyde sighed. “I guess we’ll have to stay here for the night. Until Leo lets us out in the morning.”
“But I’m so cold.” Jackie moaned.
“Should’ve thought of that before you wore that.” Hyde said pointing at Jackie’s costume. Jackie glanced at him and back at the costume.
“You like it.”
“I’m a man.” He answered instantly. “I may not like you, but I still don’t object to women in slutty clothes.” Jackie walked over to him and whacked him hard on the arm.
“Steven! Stop being a jackass.” She hissed.
“I would-if someone hadn’t been dumb enough to lock us in.” Hyde said cynically and began rummaging through some drawers, looking for anything that maybe useful to them. Jackie huffed and turned away from him. Midst through Hyde’s search he heard the sound of chattering teeth and turned back to look at Jackie. “What?” He asked her and she shrugged.
“Nothing.” But, the trembling teeth didn’t stop. Finally, Hyde breathed heavily and took off his jacket. “Here. Take this.” He said and gave it to Jackie. Jackie paused before smiling and taking it from him.
“Thank you.” She said and the two shared a stare until Hyde finally broke it apart, feeling awkward.
“I think there might be some blankets around here. Leo likes blankets more than heaters. He thinks heaters radiate signals to Satan.” Hyde muttered and opened a drawer to reveal the blankets. Jackie laughed and walked over to the table in the middle of the room. She casually sat on it and snuggled herself up in Hyde’s jacket, swinging her legs back and forth.
“Well Steven, I guess since I’m with you and we do have blankets…this night can’t be that bad.” Jackie said suggestively, licking her lip slightly. Hyde turned around to look at her and raised an eyebrow, when suddenly the lights cut out. “Oh my God! Let me out of here!! This is so bad!!” Jackie shrieked, as she jumped off the desk in a panic. Hyde caught her as she almost tripped over a chair.
“Jackie, calm down. I’m sure the lights will come back in a while.”
An hour later
“Heh. Well, this time I’m sure the lights will come back in a while.” Hyde commented again from his seated position near the window, as Jackie cried out in anguish. Rain continued to pour furiously and the dim shimmer from a lamppost several meters away came through the window providing their only source of light.
“Face it, Steven. We’re screwed. With this thunderstorm, there won’t be any light till tomorrow morning.”
“Maybe.”
“Steven, what if Leo doesn’t find us tomorrow? What if we have to stay here for another day? What if a bear eats us?!?” Jackie exclaimed and Hyde snorted.
“A bear? Jackie, don’t worry. Leo will come to get us tomorrow morning. I’m sure of it.” Hyde said.
“But what if he doesn’t…I’m scared, Steven.” Jackie whimpered from the table she was sitting on. Hyde sat uncomfortably for a moment in the darkness before he leaned over and placed his hand on Jackie’s and let it touch softly for a moment.
“Jackie, I’m sure he’ll come okay?” Hyde said, rubbing a finger across her hand before letting go. “He has to. He left his stash here.” Hyde added, as he looked down at the bag he had found. When he glanced up, Jackie and him made eye contact and both produced cunning smiles at the same time. Within moments they were seated across from each other, high on Leo’s stash of marijuana.
“Leo is great. Kinda dirty and sorta smells- but great.” Jackie exclaimed with a crooked smile. “Wow, Steven. Your curls look like a sea of worms!”
“Man, Leo’s stuff is way better than ours. I can see your noses move, man!” Hyde declared with a goofy grin.
“Noses? Don’t I only have two?” Jackie spluttered.
“Y’know, this night hasn’t been that bad, Jackie. I was sure that I was gonna ram my head against that window to either escape or kill myself quickly, but I haven’t felt the urge to do that…for twenty minutes.”
“Yeah. I thought that I was wasting my time running after you. That if you ever did finally respond to me that there would be nothing between us, because we’re so different. But Steven- now, I think you and I…it’s like we have this connection. We’re like two people on the phone. Together, but not together.” Jackie laughed and then added seriously, “My tail’s giving me a wedgie.”
“Yeah. I feel it too. We’re connected. Like your hot tail is to your underwear.” Hyde sniggered. Jackie shifted in her seat and pulled at her costume.
“Did you just say that my tail was hot?” She asked with a flirtatious smile.
“Hey, you have two noses, man. Any part of your body is hotter than that.” Hyde answered with a grin, as Jackie rubbed her nose.
“I hope Leo has more of this stuff when he rescues us. I can see flowers everywhere and they’re so pretty.” Jackie commented, examining the weed and waving her hand back and forth through space. “And my mother’s parties could definitely use a pick up…”
“Your mother’s a drag, eh? Join the party.” Hyde said and then grabbed the six-pack. “And a party isn’t a party without beer!”
“Steven, my mother’s a bit mean, but she is all woman.” Jackie protested. Hyde looked at her confused for a second before leaning in and whispering an explanation in her ear. “Oh. Oh. That drag! Yeah, she is a drag!” She exclaimed. “She only likes drinking, shopping and spending time with the pool boy…and the mailman…and the milkman.” Jackie added.
“Hey, mine likes drinking and shopping- mostly for guys, too. And she likes abandoning her son.” Hyde declared, opening up a beer and handing one to Jackie. “Weird, man.”
“Wow, we do have a connection!” A stoned Jackie said nodding her head and then confused turned to Hyde. “What was it again?”
“Our mothers are whores.” Hyde said and then raised his beer can. “To our whorish mothers!” He declared and the two celebrated their newfound bond by toasting with their beer. Jackie chugged at the beer and then turned to Hyde with a grin.
“Y’know I don’t know if it’s that you’ve got my unicorn’s face, but I feel like I can open up to you. Like my mother’s affairs, I’ve never told anyone that. I feel like you’re actually listening to me, Fluffycakes.”
“It’s the connection, man…and the beer…and the pot. It’s like we can let go of our disguises. We can’t hide behind them from one another on Halloween, even in the darkness.”
“Exactly. Like I can totally see through that unicorn mask!” Jackie noted and Hyde raised an eyebrow. “I mean tonight, on this hallow night, we’re just Jackie Burkhart and Steven Hyde. The true Jackie and Hyde. Not the people that our friends or others know. We’re just us. And it’s like okay to just be us for once and let our feelings out. It’s comfortable doing that with you. You know?” Jackie had somehow managed to lean further towards Hyde and slid her hand into his, as she talked. The gesture was hidden from anyone’s view in the dark, but aware to both the small brunette and the curly rebel.
Hyde looked perplexed for a second as he felt the warmth of Jackie’s hand against his hand. Jackie traced her finger along the contours of his palm instinctively, waiting for Hyde’s response. He gave her a wary look before responding quietly. “I get that. It’s weird and sickening. But yeah- I’m oddly comfortable talking to you about stuff. It does sicken me a lot, because you are shallow, rich, manipulative…you’re everything I hate. It’s like you cling to me l-like that pink elephant is clinging to your tail,” Hyde added pointing behind Jackie at images only he was seeing due to the effects of the drugs. “And despite all that, you’re not bothering me so much now. Y-you’re sorta…cool.”
Jackie blinked a few times, making sure she hadn’t just imagined the whole conversation because of the weed. Did Steven just say she was cool? That was like the highest compliment anyone could get from the government-hating boy and he had just given it to her. “Awww Steven. Thank you. You’re a really cool guy too and you’re also sweet. Like when you went to jail for me. That was sweet of you.” Jackie said, pressing his hand.
“Sweet? I wanted to meet my uncle.” Hyde remarked and then quietly added, “And it did feel like the right thing to do…”
“You helped me then and you’re helping me tonight too.”
“How did I help you tonight?”
“You saved me from humiliation. I really didn’t want to go to that party, because my parents would have embarrassed me for sure and I’m grateful that I’m stuck here instead with you…and the pot and the beer. You’ve shown me another world. A different world full of unicorns, flowers…darkness. I like your world, Steven.”
“So what now? You want to stay in ‘my world’?” Hyde asked.
“I just want to be with you.” Jackie responded, leaning in further towards Hyde- aching for a kiss. Hyde flashbacked to the last time he heard Jackie say those words. He had yelled at her instead and had ended up in jail at the end of that conversation. This time Hyde knew it was different. This time he felt different. He didn’t want to shout at her; instead Hyde leaned in for a kiss as well. Jackie paused in surprise for a moment and then smiled. Just as their lips were about to meet, the Fotohut door suddenly burst open and the chilly gust of wind broke the two apart before they could make contact. Marijuana smoke floated out of the compact room, revealing a burnout hippy.
“Hey dude, what are you doin’ here?” Leo drawled, letting in a stream of light from his car headlights. “Is this a secret Halloween party for me?” He asked excitedly, noticing Jackie’s costume.
“We got locked in, Leo.” Hyde responded. He had jumped several feet away from Jackie, trying to keep as far away from ‘Catwoman’ as he possibly could. “I left my keys outside.”
“Oh well man, you can have one of mine. I got two of them. I found one hanging on the door outside tonight.” Leo declared, pulling out a set of keys from both pockets.
“That one’s mine.” Hyde clarified, grabbing his keys. Leo then looked back and forth between the two teenagers, that he had caught moments ago very close to one another.
“Hey, how long have you two been in here? What was going on, man?” He asked curiously. Hyde glanced at Jackie before tersely replying.
“Nothing.” He paused for a moment and then in defense declared, “Jackie, threw herself at me.” His sentence caused Jackie to guffaw loudly.
“Puh-lease. You wanted to kiss too.” Jackie proclaimed, moving further towards Hyde and crossing her arms across her chest.
“I did not!” He shot back.
“You did to!”
“Hey, I don’t know what’s going on with you two. But I was talking about my stash, man. Where’d it all go?” Leo interrupted, as he observed the empty paper bag.
“That was Steven’s idea too!” Jackie quickly declared.
“What?” Hyde groaned, walking out of the Fotohut with Jackie trailing behind him. Leo looked on at the two in confusion, as they continued to bicker all the way to the El Camino about the ‘almost kiss’ and the drugs. He saw Jackie yell at Hyde and him not back down from her. They argued all the way until the car, not one sign of affection between them until Leo noticed Hyde slip his hand unnoticed into Jackie’s. The argument still continued amongst them, but this time they smiled at one another every now and then- their hands remaining adjoined.
Halloween. It’s a night where the dead supposedly walk again, where tales of ghosts and zombies keep children awake till the early hours of the day, where houses are egged and tepeed.
But as Jackie Burkhart and Steven Hyde walked hand-in-hand through the cold, October night they realised that there are things far scarier than ghosts, vampires and zombies in the world on that night…and that is looking beneath disguises and falling in love.
Drained ]
-In the spirit of it being Halloween this weekend and since I have a Halloween fanfic for this year to post on the 31st, I thought I’d post LAST YEAR’s Halloween fanfic as a warm up. ;) -
Title: “Halloween: Together in the Dark”
Chapter: 1/1
Rating: PG-13 (some language)
Genre: Romance/Humor
Characters & Pairing: Jackie/Hyde, Leo
Dedication: Written for Fire for last year’s Halloween fic exchange. Many thanks and love goes to my Elliot, daisye for the encouragement and beta-ing of this.
Requirement: Pairing: J/H, Genre: Romance and/or smut, Rating: PG13-NC17, Season: 2 or 3, 3 preferably, Ref: if season 3 is used, reference to JBH (NB: I decided to use an episode before JBH as the basis, therefore I couldn’t refer to it)
Spoilers: Season 3: Too Old to Trick or Treat, Too Young To Die.
Disclaimer: The characters involved in this story do not belong to me, but to the people over at Carsey/Werner. No infringement is intended and no profit is being made.
Notes: This was the first time I took part in some sort of fic exchange and was worried of the outcome. The requirements were interesting and I was glad it was a pre-conventional J/H timeline period, as I enjoy writing those more. Luckily, through help from Daisy, I decided to trap them together on Halloween in the dark- a concept that always is interesting and thought it’d be humorous. It got longer than I thought it would, but ideas kept flowing and I really enjoyed writing this. This is one of the few fanfic that I like reading myself. The title, however, like all my other fanfic is very lamely titled “Halloween”. I need a title book or something.
Summary: Hyde and Jackie find themselves stuck together alone on the “scariest night of the year”.
Hal`low`een´ (hăl`lô*ēn"), n. “ The evening preceding Allhallows or All Saints' Day (November 1); also the entire day, October 31. It is often marked by parties or celebrations, and sometimes by pranks played by young people.”
Halloween is an unusual night, where kids are actually allowed to meet and converse with complete strangers and receive candy from them with their parent’s permission. It’s a night where not one person is stereotyped as ugly and can dress up as ghastly and revolting creatures. It’s a night where people can scare the shit out of each other and still be friendly afterwards. A night where pranks are merely shrugged off. Halloween is a night where people bond despite their different appearances, backgrounds and tastes. A night where the darkness cloaks them.
A night where they come together in the dark.
Ghosts, vampires, witches…even a brown boy dressed as a woman roamed around Point Place, Wisconsin that one cold, hallow eve. The night was eventful to say the least with faux suspicions, cases of vertigo, showers gone awry, scary ass birds- it was a night of Hitchcock come to life. Whilst their best friends experienced surreal incidents two residents of the small town, however, found themselves sitting in a damp basement, extremely bored.
“Oooh we can…” Jackie Burkhart exclaimed, jumping on the Forman’s couch, to the curly-haired man sitting in ‘his chair’ a few feet away from her.
“No.” Came the abrupt interruption.
“Or we can…”
“No.”
“How about…”
“No!”
“Steven, we’ve been sitting here for fifteen minutes in silence doing nothing.” Jackie whined, as she leaned further towards Steven Hyde. “Let’s do something.”
“I was doing something. I was upstairs with Fez spying on Midge’s rack…” Hyde trailed off, looking at Jackie’s disgusted expression. “Of pies.” He paused for a while before laughing to himself. “What am I saying? Pies? This is Midge. I was spying on her rack.”
“Steven!” Jackie scolded.
“And I was perfectly happy until Mrs. Forman dragged me down here to sit with you, because you told her to.”
“I was lonely!” Jackie declared and Hyde rolled his eyes. “I thought you would be good company.”
“Well, obviously I’m not. So how about I go back upstairs and you go back home?” Hyde said with artificial enthusiasm. Jackie glared at him.
“Steven, I don’t want to go back home. My parents are throwing a masquerade party tonight.”
“So?”
“Well, there are just so many shallow people there and all they talk about is how rich and pretty they are. It can give a person a headache, y’know?” Jackie explained and Hyde smirked.
“I think I have a vague idea.” He responded, his voicing dripping in sarcasm. “So what’s the real reason you don’t want to go?”
Jackie shifted uncomfortably at Hyde’s question, after getting over the shock that the zen rebel knew that Jackie wasn’t being fully honest. “My date cancelled on me at the last moment and I know my mother. To her it would be better for me to find an alternative location to be for the evening rather than come dateless to one of her parties.” Jackie said wryly. “But if you really want me to leave then I guess I’ll go to the party.” Jackie ended in a hinting sad voice, getting up and grabbing her purse.
Hyde paused for a moment comprehending Jackie’s situation. Was he meant to say something special right about now? Something to make her feel better? But he came up with nothing. For someone who had never been comforted in his life, it didn’t leave him much to offer others. He could only muster up two words that were nowhere near compassionate.
“Whatever, man.” Hyde mumbled. His response caused Jackie to glower at him, but he found the television screen more appealing and was insistent in not making eye contact with her. Even when Jackie tried to make him look up by stamping her foot- he still didn’t respond. Jackie was about to give up in frustration and run out of the basement when she realized she had no way to get home. Then a devious smile loomed over her face as she came up with another idea.
“Well then I guess I’ll go home. Walking in the dark, cold night…alone.” She moaned with a heavy sigh, but Hyde still ignored her and she decided to repeat herself. “All by myself. A young girl like me. Walking alone on Halloween night…” She trailed off innocently, trying to sound more and more pitiable. She repeated her words again another two times, before Hyde finally groaned in frustration and gave in.
“Do you want a ride home, Jackie?” He asked, his words being forced out of him.
“Awww, Steven! You’re so sweet to offer. That would be great. You’re such a gentleman.” She shrieked in delight as she went over to him and enveloped his torso in a hug.
“Okay. Okay. Jackie, okay…get off!” Hyde retorted, as he pried Jackie’s fingers away from his neck. “Let’s get this straight first. I’m only dropping you off, because I need to go to the Fotohut to pick up my paycheck and your house is on the way back okay? I’m not doing it to be nice.” Hyde explained, staring straight at her. Jackie nodded, a massive grin still plastered across her face. She was going to be in a car alone for minutes with the man she so desperately wanted.
“Thank you, Steven! I just need to change into my costume before I go home to the party. Can I change in your room?” She asked sweetly. Hyde raised an eyebrow at her and then shrugged.
“Whatever.” He said coolly. “Just hurry up.” Jackie smiled at him in response and skipped off to his room and Hyde sighed.
This was going to be a long night.
“Steven, do you know there’s a roller disco coming to Kenosha next week?” Jackie asked a few minutes later, now seated in the passenger seat of Hyde’s El Camino, as the two headed towards the Fotohut. But all she received was silence from him. Jackie turned to look at Hyde and yelled, “Steven!”
Hyde slowly turned to look at her, as much as he had been avoiding to ever since they had gotten in the car. “W-what?” Hyde uttered. His mouth went dry again for the third time that evening as his gaze focused on Jackie again. Hyde’s concentration had been disorientated ever since Jackie had emerged from his bedroom clad in her costume for the night.
An extremely hot Catwoman outfit.
Hyde usually never showed any feelings of attraction towards Jackie…well not outwardly, but he had been totally knocked off his course when he saw her in that outfit. The low riding top, the black satin covering her body, the little felt ears- hell, even the black tail that was attached to her was enticing him. And she didn’t help any- Jackie knew exactly how to get attention from men. The light touches she gave Hyde, the sweetness that oozed from her voice. It was sickening and yet it was taking Hyde all his energy to try to remain cool and collected.
‘Zen. Be zen, man. Catwoman! Catwoman! Zen. Remember to be zen, dammit!’ His conscious kept fighting and he tried to remain cool. He was trying so fucking hard to remain zen.
“So I’m thinking maybe we could enter together?” Jackie posed, smirking to herself. She knew this was the opportune moment to drag Hyde into stuff he would never want to be in, because her plan had worked. Her costume had worked.
“Uhh…” Hyde stammered, trying to concentrate on what Jackie had said, but he could only think of a naughty fantasy with him as Batman and Jackie as Catwoman. The rumbling of thunder suddenly ripped through the dark sky, knocking Hyde out of his reverie and he looked at her confused.
“The disco?” Jackie posed again, as Hyde pulled into the back of the Fotohut.
“Disco?” The fuck? “I’m not entering into a disco.”
“It’s not just a disco. It’s a roller disco.” Jackie exclaimed and Hyde shot her a look.
“Jackie, I would rather fall down three flights of stairs and have Big Rhonda fall on top of me than enter into a roller disco. I’m not entering with you.” Hyde responded and got out of the car. He then walked towards the Fotohut’s entrance as Jackie sighed. What the hell happened to her Catwoman powers? Why couldn’t he just say yes?
Jackie groaned and decided to move on to another plan and stormed out of the car after Hyde, but suddenly began to shiver. Jackie looked up to notice the sky had gone all dark and gloomy and she felt a small raindrop against her cheek. She slowly walked towards the entrance when a crash of thunder erupted in the sky and Jackie ran as fast as she could into the scruffy, little building.
“Steven, I’m cold.” Jackie whined as she crossed her arms and stood impatiently near the Fotohut’s door, as Hyde scrounged the little room.
“Let me just find my money.” He retorted back. Jackie walked closer towards him.
“But I’m cold and this outfit isn’t helping.” She declared, pointing at the thin layer of black that covered her body. Hyde looked up and smiled slyly.
“Well, if it’s bothering you…I’m not opposed to you taking it off.” He posed. Jackie looked fiercely at him and crossed her arms again.
“Steven! I’m not going to take it off.” She insisted. Hyde picked up a few rolls of reel and stacks of photos and looked under them for his paycheck.
“I’m just sayin’. You wanted us to have a good time and I know that I would have a great time if you didn’t have your clothes on.” Hyde defended and Jackie rolled her eyes at him. Hyde then picked up a pack of beer that Leo had left on the counter and found the check underneath it. “Let’s go. I got my money.”
“It’s about time. My tail is getting frosty. Would it hurt Leo to use a heater now and again?” Jackie complained.
“Leo doesn’t…” Hyde began and trailed off as he noticed that the Fotohut door was closed. “Jackie, why is the door closed?”
“It was cold.” She answered, glancing at her manicured fingernails and wondering why one was chipping. Hyde rushed to the door and started tugging at it, but it wouldn’t open.
“Jackie, were my keys still outside on the door when you shut it?” He demanded. Jackie realized what she might have done and sensed Hyde’s angry tone.
“Maybe.” She said hesitatingly, backing away from the now extremely pissed off seventeen-year-old.
“Do you know what this means?” He asked sourly and Jackie winced.
“That it’s not as cold inside?”
“It means that I am locked inside the Fotohut with you and there’s no way out. This means that my recurring nightmare since I was 11 is coming true!” Hyde yelled, which was amplified by the crash of thunder. Rain suddenly began to shower down outside and Jackie cowered in fear.
“Oopsie?”
“This is…” Hyde groaned ‘ahhh’ and slightly pounded his head against a wall. “This is undoubtedly the crappiest thing that could have happened to me.” He added quietly.
“I’m sorry, Steven. I really am. I don’t know how the door locked. I didn’t lock it, I just closed it.” Jackie said sincerely, as Hyde turned away from her. “Maybe we could go out through the little window?” She suggested. Hyde looked back at her, his expression half full of amusement and the other half full of annoyance.
“It’s too small, Jackie. Even your tail won’t fit through there.” He said mockingly.
“So, what? We stay here? In this dump? I have a party to go to!” Jackie asserted.
“This isn’t exactly a ball of joy for me either. But I guess…” Hyde sighed. “I guess we’ll have to stay here for the night. Until Leo lets us out in the morning.”
“But I’m so cold.” Jackie moaned.
“Should’ve thought of that before you wore that.” Hyde said pointing at Jackie’s costume. Jackie glanced at him and back at the costume.
“You like it.”
“I’m a man.” He answered instantly. “I may not like you, but I still don’t object to women in slutty clothes.” Jackie walked over to him and whacked him hard on the arm.
“Steven! Stop being a jackass.” She hissed.
“I would-if someone hadn’t been dumb enough to lock us in.” Hyde said cynically and began rummaging through some drawers, looking for anything that maybe useful to them. Jackie huffed and turned away from him. Midst through Hyde’s search he heard the sound of chattering teeth and turned back to look at Jackie. “What?” He asked her and she shrugged.
“Nothing.” But, the trembling teeth didn’t stop. Finally, Hyde breathed heavily and took off his jacket. “Here. Take this.” He said and gave it to Jackie. Jackie paused before smiling and taking it from him.
“Thank you.” She said and the two shared a stare until Hyde finally broke it apart, feeling awkward.
“I think there might be some blankets around here. Leo likes blankets more than heaters. He thinks heaters radiate signals to Satan.” Hyde muttered and opened a drawer to reveal the blankets. Jackie laughed and walked over to the table in the middle of the room. She casually sat on it and snuggled herself up in Hyde’s jacket, swinging her legs back and forth.
“Well Steven, I guess since I’m with you and we do have blankets…this night can’t be that bad.” Jackie said suggestively, licking her lip slightly. Hyde turned around to look at her and raised an eyebrow, when suddenly the lights cut out. “Oh my God! Let me out of here!! This is so bad!!” Jackie shrieked, as she jumped off the desk in a panic. Hyde caught her as she almost tripped over a chair.
“Jackie, calm down. I’m sure the lights will come back in a while.”
An hour later
“Heh. Well, this time I’m sure the lights will come back in a while.” Hyde commented again from his seated position near the window, as Jackie cried out in anguish. Rain continued to pour furiously and the dim shimmer from a lamppost several meters away came through the window providing their only source of light.
“Face it, Steven. We’re screwed. With this thunderstorm, there won’t be any light till tomorrow morning.”
“Maybe.”
“Steven, what if Leo doesn’t find us tomorrow? What if we have to stay here for another day? What if a bear eats us?!?” Jackie exclaimed and Hyde snorted.
“A bear? Jackie, don’t worry. Leo will come to get us tomorrow morning. I’m sure of it.” Hyde said.
“But what if he doesn’t…I’m scared, Steven.” Jackie whimpered from the table she was sitting on. Hyde sat uncomfortably for a moment in the darkness before he leaned over and placed his hand on Jackie’s and let it touch softly for a moment.
“Jackie, I’m sure he’ll come okay?” Hyde said, rubbing a finger across her hand before letting go. “He has to. He left his stash here.” Hyde added, as he looked down at the bag he had found. When he glanced up, Jackie and him made eye contact and both produced cunning smiles at the same time. Within moments they were seated across from each other, high on Leo’s stash of marijuana.
“Leo is great. Kinda dirty and sorta smells- but great.” Jackie exclaimed with a crooked smile. “Wow, Steven. Your curls look like a sea of worms!”
“Man, Leo’s stuff is way better than ours. I can see your noses move, man!” Hyde declared with a goofy grin.
“Noses? Don’t I only have two?” Jackie spluttered.
“Y’know, this night hasn’t been that bad, Jackie. I was sure that I was gonna ram my head against that window to either escape or kill myself quickly, but I haven’t felt the urge to do that…for twenty minutes.”
“Yeah. I thought that I was wasting my time running after you. That if you ever did finally respond to me that there would be nothing between us, because we’re so different. But Steven- now, I think you and I…it’s like we have this connection. We’re like two people on the phone. Together, but not together.” Jackie laughed and then added seriously, “My tail’s giving me a wedgie.”
“Yeah. I feel it too. We’re connected. Like your hot tail is to your underwear.” Hyde sniggered. Jackie shifted in her seat and pulled at her costume.
“Did you just say that my tail was hot?” She asked with a flirtatious smile.
“Hey, you have two noses, man. Any part of your body is hotter than that.” Hyde answered with a grin, as Jackie rubbed her nose.
“I hope Leo has more of this stuff when he rescues us. I can see flowers everywhere and they’re so pretty.” Jackie commented, examining the weed and waving her hand back and forth through space. “And my mother’s parties could definitely use a pick up…”
“Your mother’s a drag, eh? Join the party.” Hyde said and then grabbed the six-pack. “And a party isn’t a party without beer!”
“Steven, my mother’s a bit mean, but she is all woman.” Jackie protested. Hyde looked at her confused for a second before leaning in and whispering an explanation in her ear. “Oh. Oh. That drag! Yeah, she is a drag!” She exclaimed. “She only likes drinking, shopping and spending time with the pool boy…and the mailman…and the milkman.” Jackie added.
“Hey, mine likes drinking and shopping- mostly for guys, too. And she likes abandoning her son.” Hyde declared, opening up a beer and handing one to Jackie. “Weird, man.”
“Wow, we do have a connection!” A stoned Jackie said nodding her head and then confused turned to Hyde. “What was it again?”
“Our mothers are whores.” Hyde said and then raised his beer can. “To our whorish mothers!” He declared and the two celebrated their newfound bond by toasting with their beer. Jackie chugged at the beer and then turned to Hyde with a grin.
“Y’know I don’t know if it’s that you’ve got my unicorn’s face, but I feel like I can open up to you. Like my mother’s affairs, I’ve never told anyone that. I feel like you’re actually listening to me, Fluffycakes.”
“It’s the connection, man…and the beer…and the pot. It’s like we can let go of our disguises. We can’t hide behind them from one another on Halloween, even in the darkness.”
“Exactly. Like I can totally see through that unicorn mask!” Jackie noted and Hyde raised an eyebrow. “I mean tonight, on this hallow night, we’re just Jackie Burkhart and Steven Hyde. The true Jackie and Hyde. Not the people that our friends or others know. We’re just us. And it’s like okay to just be us for once and let our feelings out. It’s comfortable doing that with you. You know?” Jackie had somehow managed to lean further towards Hyde and slid her hand into his, as she talked. The gesture was hidden from anyone’s view in the dark, but aware to both the small brunette and the curly rebel.
Hyde looked perplexed for a second as he felt the warmth of Jackie’s hand against his hand. Jackie traced her finger along the contours of his palm instinctively, waiting for Hyde’s response. He gave her a wary look before responding quietly. “I get that. It’s weird and sickening. But yeah- I’m oddly comfortable talking to you about stuff. It does sicken me a lot, because you are shallow, rich, manipulative…you’re everything I hate. It’s like you cling to me l-like that pink elephant is clinging to your tail,” Hyde added pointing behind Jackie at images only he was seeing due to the effects of the drugs. “And despite all that, you’re not bothering me so much now. Y-you’re sorta…cool.”
Jackie blinked a few times, making sure she hadn’t just imagined the whole conversation because of the weed. Did Steven just say she was cool? That was like the highest compliment anyone could get from the government-hating boy and he had just given it to her. “Awww Steven. Thank you. You’re a really cool guy too and you’re also sweet. Like when you went to jail for me. That was sweet of you.” Jackie said, pressing his hand.
“Sweet? I wanted to meet my uncle.” Hyde remarked and then quietly added, “And it did feel like the right thing to do…”
“You helped me then and you’re helping me tonight too.”
“How did I help you tonight?”
“You saved me from humiliation. I really didn’t want to go to that party, because my parents would have embarrassed me for sure and I’m grateful that I’m stuck here instead with you…and the pot and the beer. You’ve shown me another world. A different world full of unicorns, flowers…darkness. I like your world, Steven.”
“So what now? You want to stay in ‘my world’?” Hyde asked.
“I just want to be with you.” Jackie responded, leaning in further towards Hyde- aching for a kiss. Hyde flashbacked to the last time he heard Jackie say those words. He had yelled at her instead and had ended up in jail at the end of that conversation. This time Hyde knew it was different. This time he felt different. He didn’t want to shout at her; instead Hyde leaned in for a kiss as well. Jackie paused in surprise for a moment and then smiled. Just as their lips were about to meet, the Fotohut door suddenly burst open and the chilly gust of wind broke the two apart before they could make contact. Marijuana smoke floated out of the compact room, revealing a burnout hippy.
“Hey dude, what are you doin’ here?” Leo drawled, letting in a stream of light from his car headlights. “Is this a secret Halloween party for me?” He asked excitedly, noticing Jackie’s costume.
“We got locked in, Leo.” Hyde responded. He had jumped several feet away from Jackie, trying to keep as far away from ‘Catwoman’ as he possibly could. “I left my keys outside.”
“Oh well man, you can have one of mine. I got two of them. I found one hanging on the door outside tonight.” Leo declared, pulling out a set of keys from both pockets.
“That one’s mine.” Hyde clarified, grabbing his keys. Leo then looked back and forth between the two teenagers, that he had caught moments ago very close to one another.
“Hey, how long have you two been in here? What was going on, man?” He asked curiously. Hyde glanced at Jackie before tersely replying.
“Nothing.” He paused for a moment and then in defense declared, “Jackie, threw herself at me.” His sentence caused Jackie to guffaw loudly.
“Puh-lease. You wanted to kiss too.” Jackie proclaimed, moving further towards Hyde and crossing her arms across her chest.
“I did not!” He shot back.
“You did to!”
“Hey, I don’t know what’s going on with you two. But I was talking about my stash, man. Where’d it all go?” Leo interrupted, as he observed the empty paper bag.
“That was Steven’s idea too!” Jackie quickly declared.
“What?” Hyde groaned, walking out of the Fotohut with Jackie trailing behind him. Leo looked on at the two in confusion, as they continued to bicker all the way to the El Camino about the ‘almost kiss’ and the drugs. He saw Jackie yell at Hyde and him not back down from her. They argued all the way until the car, not one sign of affection between them until Leo noticed Hyde slip his hand unnoticed into Jackie’s. The argument still continued amongst them, but this time they smiled at one another every now and then- their hands remaining adjoined.
Halloween. It’s a night where the dead supposedly walk again, where tales of ghosts and zombies keep children awake till the early hours of the day, where houses are egged and tepeed.
But as Jackie Burkhart and Steven Hyde walked hand-in-hand through the cold, October night they realised that there are things far scarier than ghosts, vampires and zombies in the world on that night…and that is looking beneath disguises and falling in love.