─ TWO !
002. quit it, forman

THE FORMAN BASEMENT | 1977

─ "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, MAN," Margot overheard Hyde grunt as she began descending the stairs back into the basement after going to the toilet, "What is Stevie, uh Margot, doing with Kelso?"

Margot halted in her place, slightly stepping back as she pursed her lips, listening in further to the boys' conversation. Kelso had briefly left the basement claiming he had somewhere to be, leaving Margot with the group.

"I don't know man, looks like she's changed a lot in the year she was gone. Maybe she's just more into guys like Kelso now," Eric suggested, lowering his voice a little so Donna and Fez couldn't hear them from the couch as they stood near the stairs.

Hyde just laughed. He knew Margot like the back of his hand and there was no way she'd just suddenly shunned her actual personality to be an airhead like Jackie or Kelso.

"That can't be it, man. You know that's not the Margot we know up there. I don't know what's going on but... I don't like it. And I can't believe you knew for months that she wasn't planning on coming back and yet you didn't tell me." he sighed.

Eric shook his head, teasingly patting his friend's back, "Oh Hyde. I think what you mean there is you don't like that she moved on while you're stuck trying to. And I'm sorry, okay? You were still on her mind and she was hurting, it didn't feel right to tell you straight away and risk you doing something dumb."

It was at that moment Margot realised she couldn't stay where she was and, not wanting to hear what Hyde had to say, she couldn't continue just listening in.

She slowly walked down the steps, flashing an awkward grin to Eric who returned the smile as he caught her eye.

"Shut up man. I was the one who—"

"Oh hey, Margot, c'mere." Eric smirked as he ushered her over to them, "How was being back in the UK? We missed ya, right Hyde?"

Margot rolled her eyes, leaning on Eric's shoulder for a second before shoving him lightly. They'd always been close, even though Margot didn't always hang around with the group. Eric was like a second brother to her.

"Quit it, Forman," she groaned, "This has been awkward enough without your input. God, I thought my heart was genuinely in my mouth when I walked in earlier."

Hyde scoffed, "Yeah well, you can rest easy knowing you're not going to have to be here long when Kelso moves on to the next whore, so there's that."

His sarcastic smirk made Margot feel more sick even than she had before. How could he be so nasty when it was his fault they stopped talking in the first place?

"Look, Steven," she snarled, "You can be as cold to me as you like, I expected as much from our last conversation before I left. But don't be pathetic and call me a whore. I was a part of this group before any of this happened — Things change and feelings change, as you'd fucking know. And I know why he's dating me as well as you do, don't act like you're above me."

"Oh do you, Stevie? You really have changed if you're actually letting Michael freakin' Kelso use you like some cheap whore. And if you're going for an actual Stevie Nicks look with the hair," he paused and pushed a bit of her hair over her shoulder, "It isn't working."

Margot didn't know how to respond. She hated how he knew how to hurt her. God, his smug face made her want to punch him, but also kiss him.

And moreover she hated knowing that he knew by her expression that she wanted to kiss him most.

"Hyde, please," she rolled her eyes, "I'm not stupid. And I just wanted a change. I reminded myself too much of—"

"Of me. Say it, Margot. Say it was me you were trying to get off your mind." he smiled, thin lipped.

Eric stood awkwardly between them, his eyes jumping from Hyde to Margot and back to Hyde again repeatedly.

"Why? So you can remind me I was never on yours? You didn't want me, Steven. You made that clear. You don't get to be angry that someone actually does," she snapped, turning on her heel to leave the basement, "Fuck this."

As she stormed out of the door, Eric gave Hyde a knowing look, laced with disappointment.

"Oh look! She's leaving again! Good at that, aren't you Byrne?"

Hyde brought his hand up to his face as he exhaled deeply when she'd left the basement. He didn't mean to be such an ass to her, really, and he hated the twinge in his heart when he was.

But he couldn't help it.

He didn't like the way she'd changed and he definitely didn't like seeing her on Kelso's arm.

"You're jealous, Hyde, and that's fine," Eric looked stern, "But don't be an asshole to her. She's right, you told her you didn't want to be with her so you can't decide now that you care who she's with. I mean, she literally ended up staying with her mother — who she can't stand — for an entire year because of you. Do you not realise how bad she must've taken what happened in order to do that?"

Hyde didn't respond.

"You know how much Margot means to me, Hyde, I'd protect her with my life. And I know that while you're too proud to admit it, she means a lot to you still too. So fucking grow up and make things right."

Hyde turned around in a huff, throwing himself down on the couch. Fez and Donna looked over, concerned, but didn't say anything on account of the angry look on Hyde's face.

It was silent for a moment as they all took in the drama that seemed to have unfolded in seconds.

"Since when did you have a problem with Margot?" Donna questioned, breaking the tense quiet that had swarmed the room. She'd heard the conversation, but chose not to press further and instead intended to ask Eric for the full story later.

Hyde shook his head, "She's just being dumb dating Kelso, she knows this is just to get Jackie back. Plus, she's come back even more annoying than when she left."

Donna pulled a face, knowing that wasn't his real reason, but couldn't be bothered to potentially argue with the boy who was clearly already fuming.

"Okay, sure."

Hyde scoffed and picked up a magazine placed on the coffee table in front of him, blocking the group out as he pondered how the hell he was going to make things right.

In the mean time, Margot was sat at the Forman kitchen table, Kitty's hand rubbing her arm soothingly.

"Oh Margot," she lulled, "Steven's just a silly boy who doesn't think he knows what he wants. But I could always see he loved you, honey."

Margot shook her head as she sniffled through tears, "If he loved me he wouldn't have pushed me away, or said the things he said to me today."

Kitty tilted her head to the side, staring sympathetically at the sobbing girl before her, "Sweetie, he's just jealous and confused. You've been gone for a while and he probably just didn't know how to react. Give him time, I promise things will work out and until then I'm here — whenever you need a distraction, we can bake — or you can just cry to me. Anytime."

Margot smiled faintly, wiping another tear from her crimson-blushed cheek.

"Thank you, by the way, Kitty. You've always been like... an actual mother to me. I'm so grateful for you, Red and Eric. Even Laurie, honestly. You've always done so much for me and... I love you."

"Don't be silly!" Kitty exclaimed, pulling Margot close to her chest in a tight embrace, "You're one of the family and you always will be. We love you."

Margot's smile grew, kissing Kitty's cheek as she pulled back from the hug.

Her love life may have been a confusing mess, but at least she could be comforted by one thing — she was home.

———
i hate making hyde be THIS much of a dick to her kdhdbsbs but this is only the beginning :-)
currently eating noodles and planning this story out EEK i love them i love margot sm
(also dragging a tom holland fic i hate myself for having so many ideas rn)