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daysofyellowroses · 2 months

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red rose

kerry von erich x afab!reader | 10.9k | 18+ minors dni | tw: mentions of death, language, some smutty implications

It wasn't exactly something you had planned for, certainly not at this stage of your life. Then again, life never did seem to work out the way you had expected. After a very happy and loving childhood and slightly turbulent but overall great teenage years, your world got turned upside down when you turned eighteen.

so i finally finished this, i did not expect it to be over 10k 🫢 i am already thinking i want to write a little part two for this, but i got a whole lot more to write before that! i hope you enjoy this, and if you perservere the whole way through i love you! 🫶🏻💗

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The drive took hours, the immense heat didn't help the feeling of exhaustion that settled over you. It was a rare occasion that you drove back home to Denton from Austin, particularly in the last few years. Now you wouldn't just be visiting, you would be staying.

Your mom had been driving home from work when she got into a car accident, one which ultimately claimed her life. It left an empty space in your heart, one you felt could never be filled. Her death felt impossible to process, you couldn't do anything but feel totally numb. You hadn't cried when you were told by the doctors that she had passed away from her injuries. You hadn't cried when you went to her funeral. You couldn't, the tears wouldn't come. There was just a hollow void in you, you couldn't focus on anything.

After the funeral, you received an acceptance letter from college, which you ignored. You weren't in the right headspace for it, and despite your dad trying to convince you to go, you refused. That was when the guilt sunk in. Why should you get to go on with your life, have new experiences when your mom would never have that opportunity again?

Your dad withdrew into himself too, the two of you didn't talk and when you did it was to fight and argue, both unable to handle your grief.

You needed to get away, and planned to go to Dallas for a new start. That didn't pan out, so you headed to Austin instead, with a renewed determination to start over. And you did, you got yourself a place to stay, a job in a bar, and started getting back on your feet. Over time you got your own apartment and started working in a hair salon, doing basic jobs at first before deciding to professionally train.

After about six months you had gotten in contact with your dad again. It started slow, occasional phone calls or letters, then you visited one Christmas. You weren't super close, but he was the only other person in the world who loved your mom as much as you did, your tether to her. Then, a year or so ago, just when you had thought you were starting to really build a solid bond with your dad, he went quiet. Barely any calls, wouldn't let you visit.

You feared the worst when two months went by with no contact. The neighbors would have contacted you, you knew, but you still worried. Then you got a call from a stranger, who turned out to be your dad's nurse. She explained that he hadn't wanted you to worry, sympathizing when you said you only worried more if he was silent. There was a knot in your stomach when you asked what was wrong, trying not to imagine your dad slowly wasting away in front of you or losing his memories of your mother and you.

When the nurse informed you that your father had rheumatoid arthritis, the knot in your stomach loosened, but only slightly. You learned that the nurse could only visit your father three times a week, and his insurance didn't cover more care. So, you took the decision to give up your life in Austin and head back home to look after your dad.

The sun was just beginning to set when you drove down the familiar road, passing the few neighbors' houses. You turned eventually, heading down the long driveway. Your heart thudded as you spotted the large garage, dozens of cars dotted about in the yard. None of them had been worked on for a long while, you suspected, the owners no doubt not pushing for a quick return.

You drove up to the house, taking a deep breath as you parked your truck. You only took one suitcase up to the door with you, deciding to get the rest of your stuff later. Pushing the doorbell, you took a step back and glanced at the light blue bird feeder hanging by the door. Your mom would sit on the porch for hours and watch birds come and go, she always looked so peaceful when she did.

A few moments later, the door opened and revealed your father on the other side. Neither of you said anything, neither of you moved for a moment before you both stepped forward and wrapped your arms around each other.

“You didn't have to come,” Your father murmured, holding you close. “I'm fine.”

“I know you are,” You nodded, gently rubbing his back. “I wanted to come. Now let me get my things inside, I want this unpacking out of the way.”

Once you had taken your things up to your old bedroom and unpacked, you sat on the end of the bed for a moment. It had been a while since you'd visited, but you got the same feeling you did every time. The memories came back full force, from playing with barbies with your best friend to sneaking a boy in through your window late at night. The teddy bears, posters of bands and trophies had been put into storage but the bedsheets were the same ones you'd had as a teenager. There was still a cork board above the desk with faded concert tickets, photos and birthday cards pinned to it.

You made your way downstairs, finding your dad in the living room and letting him know you'd make dinner. It was easy, moving through the kitchen again. Every time you'd visited the muscle memory came back. It always stung a little that your mom wasn't there, singing along to the radio as she chopped vegetables, the knife moving in rhythm. She always made up her own lyrics when she couldn't remember the real ones, her version always stuck in your head when you heard the songs again.

Once dinner was ready, you brought the plate to your dad on a tray in the living room. You watched him out of the corner of your eye, the way he struggled with his knife. He didn't ask for help and you waited until he set his cutlery down in frustration before you quietly got up and cut up his dinner for him.

It was only when you were laying in bed later that night that you realized that things like that would be your life from now on. Parents look after their children, then children look after their parents years and years later. It felt too soon to be looking after your dad. He wasn't even retired yet, you weren't even thirty yet. But, life doesn't always go to plan.

In the morning, you thought you were dreaming when you woke up. It took a minute to adjust, to remind yourself you weren't just visiting. There was nowhere else to call home anymore. You took a shower and got dressed before making breakfast, having more small talk with your father. You noticed his shirt wasn't quite buttoned right but elected to ignore it.

“I'm gonna take a walk,” Your father informed you after breakfast. “the air is fre-”

“Freshest this time of day,” You smiled, giving him a nod. “I remember. I'm gonna clean up, is Carla coming today?”

“Tomorrow,” Your father replied, clearing his throat. “She comes on different days each week. She covers a big area.”

“I see,” You nodded, watching your father for a moment before clearing the plates. “Well I got this under control. Enjoy your walk.”

Once you'd cleaned the kitchen, you decided to do the rest of the house too. It wasn't bad, just needed a little sprucing up. When you got to your dad's bedroom you took a breath before walking in. Your mom's things weren't there anymore, they had been put away into storage, but her presence was still there. As you made the bed you thought about all the times you'd climbed into your parents bed after a nightmare, the birthdays and mother's days you'd take your mom a tray, feeling so proud when she told you she loved it.

When you were vacuuming, you glanced out the window and spotted a figure heading into the garage, unable to make them out clearly. You made your way out of the house and over to the garage, the air already feeling hot.

“Hello?” You called, holding your hand over your forehead to shield your eyes as you turned into the garage. “Can I..”

You let out a sigh as you spotted your father leaning over the hood of a truck, lowering your arm.

“Dad, what are you doing?” You asked, walking over and folding your arms. “You told me you were taking a walk.”

“I was,” Your dad nodded, looking over to you as he gestured to the truck. “Then I remembered I had this sitting in here. I gotta get it back by tomorrow, Ed’s gonna need it.”

You took a deep breath, slowly lowering your arms and stepping closer to the truck.

“If it really needs to be fixed by tomorrow, then let me do it.”

“Let you do it?” Your father repeated, a concerned look on his face. “I couldn't ask you to do that.”

“Then good thing you're not asking,” You smiled. I'm a little rusty but you can just give some guidance if I'm going wrong. I didn't spend half my teen years here for nothing.”

“Well, if you're up for it,” Your father nodded, taking a step back. “Give it a whack.”

An hour or so later, you popped the key in the ignition and let out a cheer when the truck started. Your dad stood up from where he'd been sitting, walking over to the window.

“Well look at that,” He smiled, opening the car door for you. “You never lost it.”

“Apparently not,” You grinned, turning off the ignition. “I can drop this over to Ed, if you want?”

“If you want,” Your dad nodded, looking down at his shirt and frowning slightly before looking back to you. “You'd be doing me a favor really. He said he wasn't in a rush but..I don't want to delay him.”

“Okay, I'll drop it over,” You nodded. “I'll pick something up for dinner, too. Do you need anything else?”

Your dad thought for a moment before shaking his head and gently patting the door of the truck.

“I'm all good. I'll let you get off.”

“Alright, I'll see you later.” You smiled, closing the door and starting up the truck. You presumed Ed lived exactly where he always had, and honestly you were a little amazed he was still alive. When you were a child he was about a hundred years old, god only knew what miracle was keeping his heart ticking.

When you were out on the road, you lowered the windows and turned on the radio, enjoying the fresh air as you sang along to the music.

‘So smile for a while and let's be jolly, love shouldn't so melancholy, come along and share the good times while we can..’

When you arrived in town, you drove to Eds's first, parking up outside and looking up at his house. The place hadn't changed in probably 50 years, not so much as a paint job. You took the keys and headed to the front door, pushing the door bell before taking a step back.

After a few minutes, a woman you didn't recognise opened the door and you wondered if you'd somehow gotten the wrong house. She certainly didn't resemble Ed, with her kind eyes, warm smile and curly brown hair. Ed looked like Mr. Magoo on a bad day.

“Hi,” You smiled, gesturing over your shoulder to Eds's truck. “I'm looking for Ed Hicks, I'm dropping off his truck.”

“That thing,” The woman rolled her eyes with a smile. “He shouldn't even be driving it, yet he still gets it dropped for repairs. Come on in darling, he's here.”

You followed the woman inside, heading into a living room that looked like it should have been in a shack in the woods. In the corner, Ed was sitting on an armchair watching the TV, looking exactly as you'd remembered him.

“You got a visitor Ed,” The woman told Ed, raising her voice. “This young lady has come to drop your truck back. Don't tell me you've been driving again?”

“Nope, cross my heart,” Ed patted his chest before looking over to you. His eyes were so pale you were amazed he could see you but he recognised you right away.

“You back at your daddy's then?” Ed asked once you'd walked over and shaken his hand, giving him a nod.

“Yes, I am,” You told him. “He was busy so I thought I'd drop your truck back, needed to head into town anyway. How have you been, Mr. Hicks?”

“Oh you know me,” Ed shrugged, looking back to the TV. “I get by. Still waiting for this one to marry me though,” He gestured to the woman. “any day now.”

The woman laughed affectionately as she shook her head.

“Stop it you, you old charmer. Now I need to get going, you need anything else?”

“I'm all good, you get yourself gone,” Ed waved his hand. “I got my stories.”

You said your goodbyes and left the house with the woman, turning to her as she closed the door.

“I know this sounds a little strange, but your voice is really familiar,” You raised a brow. “Have we met?”

The woman looked at you for a moment before nodding and smiling, folding her arms.

“I was thinking the same thing, we most certainly talked recently. I'm Carla, I'm a nurse, I do a lot of home visits around here.”

“Carla..of course,” You smiled. “I think you look after my dad?” You gave her the details and noticed her face lit up a little as she nodded.

“I certainly do,” She smiled. “So you must be the daughter he's so proud of,” She grinned. “You know I gotta say, it is really admirable what you're doing. If I could, I'd be out at your dad's more but..I can just about manage to hold onto the days I do have.”

The two of you walked down the porch steps and towards the curb, stopping by a little red car.

“You need a ride somewhere?” Carla asked, opening her purse and taking our her keys. “I've got another visit but I can take you somewhere if you need.”

“I just need to go to the supermarket, if that's okay?” You asked, deciding to worry about getting home later.

“Of course,” Carla nodded, unlocking her car. “Hop on in.”

You got in the car and put on your seat belt, looking over to Carla as she started the engine.

“Can I ask you something, if you don't mind?”

“Of course you can honey,” Carla smiled, looking over to you before looking back and pulling away from the curb. “What's on your mind?”

You looked out the window, taking a deep breath.

“My dad..it's bad, isn't it? His condition? Like..I know a lot of people function just fine with arthritis but I've noticed little things he can't do anymore.”

Carla let out a soft sigh, her hand gently touching your arm.

“I won't lie to you darling, your dad's arthritis is severe, in fact..the hospital wants to run more tests just in case he might be developing Parkinson's. You came at a good time, he's going to need the extra help.”

“Yeah,” You nodded, keeping your eyes on the world outside the window. “I think I did. It just feels..strange. How do you do it every day? Look after people, see them become frail in front of you?”

“Well I love my work,” Carla replied, gently squeezing your arm before letting go. “It feels like I'm making a difference. You'll get that feeling, it just takes time. And your dad isn't so frail, he just needs more time to accept his limitations. It hasn't been easy on him.”

“I know,” You nodded, looking over to Carla. “I'm sorry I haven't been around much, but I'm glad you've been looking after him. He can be a little stubborn about accepting help but I hope he hasn't been too difficult.”

“He's been a dream,” Carla smiled. “I know that he's frustrated that he can't do all the things he used to, but he's getting a little better at accepting it every day. The hardest part seems to be work. He keeps telling me he's gonna get back out to the yard and fix up all the trucks but..it's just not possible.”

You nodded before looking back out the window, the familiar sights flashing by.

“I found him by Eds's truck this morning, I told him I'd do it and let him tell me what to do but..I could tell he wanted to be doing it himself.”

“Well that's not a bad thing,” Carla looked over to you. “He may not be able to work himself but if he feels like he's contributing then that might ease the disappointment. Are you a mechanic yourself?”

You smiled to yourself as you shook your head, glancing over to Carla.

“No, I'm a hairdresser. I used to help my dad out in the yard when I was a teenager, picked up some things. I never really thought of it as a job, more just a hobby.”

“Hobby or not,” Carla raised a brow, gently touching your arm. “Might be something to think about. Is here okay to drop you off hun?”

“Perfect,” You nodded, glancing at the window. “Thank you so much.”

“Anytime,” Carla smiled. “I'll be out at yours tomorrow, see you then.”

The afternoon passed by quick enough, you got a coffee in the diner, made small talk with people you knew in another life, went to the supermarket, bumped into one of the neighbors who offered you a ride home. It was like you'd never left, the familiarity sinking into your bones.

Your dad was watching TV when you got home, a sight you never thought you'd see on a warm afternoon. You made your way to the kitchen, trying to ignore the knot in your stomach as you unpacked the groceries and started preparing dinner. You turned the radio on, humming along to the music as you moved about the kitchen with ease. When you were plating up dinner, you felt the knot in your stomach tighten as you got a knife and fork to cut up your dad's food. It was spaghetti, which made it easier to disguise that it had been cut, but you knew you'd have to keep doing it.

You took the plates into the living room, placing a tray on your dad's lap before sitting down yourself.

“How was town?” Your dad asked, picking up his fork and glancing over to you. “Anybody about?”

“A couple,” You nodded, dipping your fork into your pasta and pushing it around a little. “Nobody too exciting.”

“Ah, never is,” Your dad shrugged, looking back to the TV. “Oh turn up the volume, the match is coming on.”

You reached for the remote, raising the volume and glancing over to your dad.

“What match?”

“Wrestling,” Your dad explained, pointing to the TV. “David's making his debut tonight. Should be a good one.”

“Oh,” You raised a brow, looking back to the TV. “I didn't know he was getting into wrestling..does Kevin still do it?”

“Sure does,” Your dad nodded. “He's good too. Reckon he'll be even better now with his brother on side.”

You sat back a little, your eyes watching the screen as the presenter explained the upcoming bout. When it cut to a reporter standing with Kevin and David Von Erich, you couldn't help but smile. They looked so different from when you had last seen them, but they still had that familiarity, a boyish charm.

When David looked down the camera lens and gave a warning to the opponent, you bit your lip slightly, smiling to yourself as your Dad praised him. The match was fun to watch, your dad's enthusiasm made you think of how he was when you were a child, his passion and support for the things he loved shining through. The last thing you wanted was for him to lose that joy, to have things in his life that brought him happiness.

The actual wrestling didn't interest you all that much, but it was entertaining and fun to see Kevin and David show off their skills, raise their arms triumphantly when they won.

“What did I tell you? They got something special there,” Your dad looked over to you. “You know, you should pop over and visit them one of these days. They'd love to see you.”

“Maybe,” You nodded, getting up and placing your tray on the coffee table. “I have things to do so..I'll have to see when I got some time.”

You gathered up your dad's tray, taking the dishes out to the kitchen and resting them on the counter. Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and tried to clear your mind, not wanting to give certain memories an outing.

You focused on cleaning the kitchen, taking your dad a beer when you went back to the living room.

“Just the one,” You smiled, sitting down on the couch. “So don't get too excited.”

“I won't,” Your dad laughed, shaking his head. Hell, even if I wanted another one I couldn't. Carla..the nurse,” He corrected himself, clearing his throat. “She can always tell. Scolds me something terrible.”

“Well she's just doing her job,” You shrugged, sitting back against the couch and smiling as you looked at your dad and noticed the slight smile on his face.

“She means well.”

“Mm, she does.” Your dad nodded, picking up his newspaper from the arm of his chair and slowly opening it, his face particularly obscured but not enough to hide his smile.

“Just gotta remember that sometimes.”

“I met her today, actually,” You glanced to your dad as you said it, watching as he didn't look away from the paper but didn't turn the page either. “She said she was coming by tomorrow.”

“Yeah, she will be,” Your dad nodded. “I saw it on the calendar.”

You rolled your eyes with a smile, sitting back and reaching for the remote to find something new.

The next morning, you woke up naturally and stretched slowly in your bed as you glanced to the window. You had left the curtains half open, the warm sunlight filtering into the room. After taking some time to get up, you made your way downstairs and paused in the doorway of the kitchen as you spotted your father sitting at the table reading the paper. It wasn't so much what he was doing but how he looked, with his carefully gelled hair and good brown suit. His shirt was buttoned properly and you felt guilty for wondering how long it would have taken him, if you should have knocked on his door and offered help.

“Morning dad,” You raised a brow, walking over to him and placing a kiss on his cheek. “You're looking snappy. Don't tell me I forgot your birthday?”

“Nah course not,” Your dad laughed softly, shaking his head. “It's just polite to dress for company.”

“Of course,” You nodded, smiling as you put on some coffee. “I'm sure company always appreciates it.”

You watched the machine brew for a moment before taking a deep breath and looking over to your dad.

“I was thinking..maybe today I could take a look at more of those trucks in the yard.”

“Hm? Why would you want to do that?” Your dad asked, and the knot in your stomach returned as you went to put on some toast.

“Because,” You began, popping two slices of bread in the toaster. “I enjoyed it. And-” You stopped yourself from speaking the words you knew your dad didn't want to hear.

‘Because you can't anymore.’

“I need something to keep me occupied,” You continued, looking over to your dad. I'll probably only get started on one truck but I want to dust off my old skills. You didn't teach me to waste them right?

“Right,” Your dad nodded after a moment, lowering his paper. “You're right..if you want to take a look I won't stop you.”

After breakfast you took a shower and got dressed in a simple blue sundress, glancing out the window as you heard a car approach. You smiled as you saw it was Carla's, heading out of your room and down the stairs. Your dad was in the living room, pacing back and forth a little until the doorbell rang and he rushed to answer it.

“Morning sweetheart,” Carla smiled at your dad after he greeted her, the smile on his face wider than you'd seen for a long while. “Don't tell me I forgot your birthday?”

As Carla was running through some medical checks with your dad, you went out to the yard and made your way to the garage. You took a set of keys and found the truck it belonged to before getting into the garage. The radio was turned on, there was some shelter from the already immense heat, and you soon found yourself getting back into the swing of mechanics. A little while later you were under the hood when you heard a truck coming up the drive. You figured it would be a drop off, possibly just a courtesy one. No doubt the whole town knew about your father's condition.

When the truck door opened and closed and you heard multiple voices, you ducked out from under the hood and grabbed a cloth to wipe your hands, immediately dropping it in shock when you saw who was walking towards the garage.

“Oh my god!” You shrieked excitedly, rushing forward and wrapping your arms around Kevin Von Erich when you got close enough. He laughed and gave you a tight hug back, each of you holding each other's arms as you pulled apart.

“I can't believe it,” You grinned. “It's been..well a long time.”

“Too long,” Kevin smiled, his eyes shining. “We were so sorry not to be here for your last visit.”

You waved your hand, smiling as you looked up at Kevin.

“Don't be silly. You big shot wrestlers have busy schedules, I get it. Caught you on the TV last night, almost couldn't believe my eyes.”

“You wouldn't be the only one!”

You laughed as Kevin turned around with a playful frown, your smile growing as you spotted Mike. You gently squeezed Kevin's arm before rushing over to Mike, his arms wrapping around you and swaying with you as you hugged him back.

“You are not Michael Von Erich,” You teased as you pulled back, raising a brow. “you're way too grown up. Look at you!”

“Aw come on I ain't changed that much,” Mike grinned, the tips of his ears growing pink. “It's just been a minute. It's so good to see you.”

“Don't I get a hug?”

You rolled your eyes playfully, giving Mike a wink as you stepped aside and folded your arms.

“I don't know,” You shrugged, raising a brow. “You're a real big mouth hot shot wrestler now, you really need the girl next door hugging you?”

“Yes, right this second.”

“Oh yeah?” You smiled widely as you rushed forward, David's arms immediately wrapping around you and lifting you up as you wrapped your arms around his neck.

When he set you down carefully, he gave you a wink and you gave him one back, stepping back and turning to Kevin and Mike.

“What brings you all over? I know it ain't that truck.”

The Von Erichs looked at each other for a moment before looking back at you, Kevin clearing his throat.

“Well we heard you were back in town, and..that it's more permanent this time. We were sorry to hear about your dad, hopefully he's doing okay.”

You looked at the three men in front of you for a moment, smiling as you folded your arms.

“Damn, word travels fast. Was it Ed?”

“Ed.” They chorused, making you laugh.

“Of course,” You nodded, dropping your arms. “Well I am back, and thank you, my dad's doing well. He's got his nurse with him today so..all good.”

“Hope it's not rude to ask if you want to come over for dinner some time?” Mike asked, resting his hands in his back pockets. “and your dad, of course. Mom keeps insisting.”

“So I really can't say no then,” You smiled. “That would be great, really.”

“Perfect,” David grinned, walking over to you and slinging his arm around your shoulder. “Knew you couldn't resist.”

“How could I,” You grinned, resting your hand on David's back. “I've had your mom's cooking before.”

“Amen to that,” David grinned. “Listen, what are you up to later?”

“You tell me,” You raised a brow, looking up at David with a grin. “Do I need to cancel my plans?”

“Absolutely,” David nodded, looking serious for a moment before grinning. “I'm taking you out for a burger, we're catching up properly.”

So, a few hours and one fixed up transmission later, you took another quick shower before changing into a clean t-shirt and jeans. Your dad was in an extremely chipper mood after Carla's visit, and you promised him you would be back in time to make dinner.

When David pulled up outside the house in his truck you felt like a teenager again, skipping down the porch steps and getting in beside him.

“Right on time,” You grinned, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “That a new habit?”

“Not the only one,” David grinned, turning the truck around and heading down the driveway. “You hungry?”

“Starving,” You nodded, sitting back and turning up the radio a little, singing along under your breath.

‘Go lightly from the ledge, babe, go lightly on the ground, I'm not the one you want, babe, I'll only let you down..’

You smiled as David turned up the radio, the two of you singing together as he drove towards town.

‘You say you're looking for someone, who'll promise never to part, someone to close his eyes to you, someone to close his heart, someone to die for you and more, but it ain't me, babe, no, no, no, it ain't me, babe, it ain't me you're looking for, babe..’

When David parked up in town, you were laughing at some silly joke he'd made, wondering if there would be any moment where you didn't feel seventeen again. You both headed into the diner, sliding into a red leather booth you'd sat in countless times in your life.

“I don't need to look at this, but it feels polite.” You plucked the menu from its metal stand and opened it, smiling as the wave of nostalgia hit you. Your mom taking you for a milkshake after school, hanging out with friends, one order of fries between six of you, and of course being there with the boys next door.

“I don't think you can beat a cheeseburger,” David grinned, sitting back and tilting his head slightly as he watched you read the menu. “I mean why would you not want a classic?”

“To be adventurous,” You teased, putting your menu back. “Try something other than a cheeseburger, chili fries and a coke. Unless you updated your order since we were last here?”

“Hey I know what I like,” David grinned, giving you a wink. “And like you ain't gonna order a chili dog and a strawberry shake.”

“Why would you not want a classic?” You grinned, laughing as David rolled his eyes playfully.

“Fair enough,” He nodded, glancing around the diner and sitting up a little. You were about to say something when two girls appeared at your table, probably just about twenty one. They blushed as they asked David for an autograph, giggling when he winked at them, handing back the flowery notebook.

“You're really famous now,” You grinned, gesturing to where the girls had stood. “you'll have a fan club next.”

“You could be the president of it,” David smiled, resting his arm along the back of his seat. “Give out all the buttons with my face on them.”

“Wow, you haven't thought about this at all, huh?” You teased, sitting up a little as the waitress came over. You both ordered your classics, choosing to let it slide.

“Oh you know who I met yesterday?” You raised a brow, looking over to David. “Nancy Moss, who apparently still hates my guts even though I ain't seen her since high school.”

“She hates you?” David raised a brow. “Nah, she never hated you.”

You shook your head, sitting back and holding your hands up. “She did, and still does.”

“I don't get it,” David frowned. “Why would she hate you?”

"Because of you," You grinned, pointing over to him. "I think she was jealous."

David looked surprised, glancing around for a moment before leaning on the table and meeting your eyes.

"Jealous? Of what? It's not like you and I ever dated. Not.." He cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed in an endearing way. “not technically, anyway.."

"I think that annoyed her more," You shrugged, resting your arms on the table. "We weren't a couple but I got to ride around in your truck, I was always at your house, you were sneaking into my bedroom at night.."

"You were the one sneaking me in," David held up his hand with a grin. "how would she even know about that anyway?"

You shrugged with a smile, resting your hand on your cheek. "I may have said some things that she overheard, not my fault if she was eavesdropping."

“Oh I see,” David grinned, sitting back and gesturing to himself. “Bragging about me huh? Can't say I blame you.”

“In your dreams,” You rolled your eyes with a grin, sitting up as the waitress brought your drinks. You thanked her before sliding your glass closer, lightly swirling the straw in the thick pink liquid.

“How are your parents by the way?” You asked, taking a sip of your milkshake.

“They're good,” David nodded, clearing his throat and sliding his glass closer. “Thanks. We're all good. You should definitely come by, they'd love to see you.”

“Yeah,” You nodded, lifting your straw and slowly dropping it, taking a deep breath. “I'll definitely try and drop by.”

“Good,” David nodded, taking a sip of his drink before leaning a little closer and reaching out to touch your arm. “Oh you know what? You should come to the Sportatorium on Saturday night, bring your dad. We got a big match coming up.”

“That I can't object to,” You smiled, meeting David's eyes. “My dad will be beside himself with excitement.”

“That's great,” David. “So will you be when you see me do my thing.”

“Oh I've seen your thing many times,” You raised a brow with a smile. “Hope it's as good as I remember.”

When you arrived back home, you felt like you were riding on a high. The afternoon had been easy and fun, you couldn't remember when you had laughed so much. You said goodbye to David and went inside the house, finding your dad in the living room reading the evening paper.

“Hey,” You smiled, walking in and sitting down on the couch. “How was your day?”

“Hey darlin’,” Your dad smiled, setting the paper down in his lap. “It was alright, Carla left that for you,” He gestured to a white envelope on the coffee table. “tried to sweet talk her into letting me read it myself but my charms need some polishing I guess.”

“I'll get you a cloth,” You laughed softly, leaning forward to pick up the envelope. “I don't know why she'd leave me something.”

“I don't either,” Your dad sighed, looking down at his paper. “Anyway, how was your date?”

“Date? It wasn't a date,” You grinned, opening the envelope. “Just two old friends catching up.”

You peeled open the envelope and took out the letter inside, your heart sinking a little when you heard your dad mutter ‘that's right, it was the other one.’

“Oh this is nothing, just her contact details in case of an emergency,” You smiled, folding the paper back up. “I'm gonna freshen up then start dinner.”

“Alright sweetheart, take your time.” Your dad nodded, picking his paper back up as you left the room, holding the envelope to your chest.

You made your way upstairs, heading into your bedroom and sitting on the end of your bed. Taking a moment, you let out a breath before taking the letter back out from the envelope. Technically you hadn't lied, Carla's details were indeed on the letter, just written above the rest of it. As it turned out, your father would have to be taken into hospital the following week for some tests, and Carla felt (accurately) it would be better to tell him closer to the time, but didn't want you to be surprised.

Once you had carefully folded the letter back up and hidden it in your room, you went to the bathroom and splashed some water on your face, trying to push the thought of hospitals from your mind.

A couple of hours later, you placed a tray on your father's lap and sat down on the couch, looking over to the TV.

“Oh I forgot to say, I got some invites for you,” You smiled. “David invited us next door for dinner, and he's gonna get us tickets for the match next Saturday.”

“You're kidding?” Your dad held the remote in mid air as he looked over to you. “In the Sportatorium? Well, I'll be damned. You thank that boy for me won't you? I can't believe it. Oh just wait til I tell Earl.”

You laughed softly, picking up your own tray from the coffee table and setting it on your lap.

“I wasn't sure about dinner at theirs,” You began, taking a breath. “We don't have to go if you don't want.”

“Don't be silly,” Your dad looked over to you, setting the remote on the arm of his armchair. “Of course we can go. Fritz and Doris are old friends, and good neighbors. Why wouldn't we..” He stopped himself, looking back to the TV and letting out a sigh, his hand moving to his neck.

“I uh..I believe not all the boys still live at home. Some of ‘em went off, training..”

“I see,” You nodded, keeping your eyes on the TV and trying to keep your heartbeat steady. “In that case I'll tell David we'd be delighted.”

The week seemed to pass slowly, not that you objected. You spent most days out in the garage working on the various cars and trucks, finding yourself enjoying it more and more. Sometimes your dad would come out and give you instructions you didn't need, but followed anyway. You cooked, cleaned, made sure your dad had his good clothes for when Carla visited. You watched his eyes light up when she laughed at his corny jokes. She called you sweetheart and thanked you at least three times for a cup of coffee. You went into town, you noticed people stopped asking how long you were visiting for. Everyone sent their regards to your father.

One evening you and your dad visited the Von Erichs for dinner. It felt like old times instantly, your dad and Fritz putting the world to rights while Doris insisted you didn't need to help with the dishes but gave you all the gossip when you did. Kevin told you about a girl he was seeing, and you already couldn't wait to meet her. Mike invited you to a gig, and you promised you'd go. David constantly took the seat next you and made you laugh so much you ached.

The evening after, you had gone into town with Kevin and David to meet Pam, Kevin's girlfriend. You adored her instantly, the two of you clicking right away. You hadn't intended to get drunk, but you were having a good time and the drinks kept appearing and you didn't object. When one of the bars you visited was having a karaoke night, you and Pam were up on the stage before the alcohol-induced confidence could fade.

‘Look into his angel eyes, one look and you're hypnotized, he'll take your heart and you must pay the price, look into his angel eyes, you'll think you're in paradise, and one day you'll find out he wears a disguise, don't look too deep into those angel eyes’

By the time Mike came to pick you all up, you were wrapped around David to steady yourself, the world spinning on a loop. You struggled not to fall asleep on the ride home, resting your head on David's shoulder and focusing on the feeling of his hand on your shoulder.

When you got home, David took you inside to make sure you got to bed safely, your eyes closing the second your head hit the pillow.

“I had fun tonight,” You murmured softly, turning onto your side and letting out a sigh. “tell me ‘m fun.”

David laughed softly beside you, his hand gently touching your hair. “You're very fun. And a heck of a lot more.”

“Yeah?” You sighed softly, pulling the blanket up a little. “Then..then why wasn't I enough for him?”

“Hey,” David’s voice was soft and made you want to sleep. “don't be worrying about all that, you hear me? That's all over now. It was all just..a misunderstanding. You need to get some sleep, I'll see you tomorrow.”

By the time Saturday came around, you were feeling pretty good, greeting your dad when you went into the kitchen for breakfast. You could have sworn he hid some of his paper but couldn't be sure, there was no reason for him to. You moved about the kitchen getting breakfast ready, unable to shake the feeling your dad was hiding something.

You waited until he went to get dressed, looking under the table and finding a slightly scrunched up piece of newspaper on the floor. You picked it up and smoothed it out, trying to see what would be so offensive. Heatwave incoming, American athletes to withdraw from the Olympics, Cowboys win game, nothing to write home about. You left the paper back where you found it before cleaning up the kitchen, your suspicions melting away.

The evening came around quick, and you were looking forward to seeing the match. Your dad seemed a little quiet, to your surprise. He'd been so excited all week, now when it was time to go he didn't seem as enthusiastic. You didn't push it, especially when he didn't say anything about it.

The Sportatorium was already bustling with activity when you got there and parked up, feeling excited for the night ahead. You went in with your dad, finding your seats and smiling when he seemed to relax more.

It was halfway through the match when you saw him.

At first you thought you were just seeing things, imagining it. Imagining him.

But he was there, sitting in the front row with Mike, cheering on his brothers.

You felt your heart sink into your stomach, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath. You could hear your dad cheer beside you, the crowd going wild as a body slammed down on the mat.

You watched the rest of the match and refused to look anywhere else but the ring, wanting to run away more than anything.

When the match ended, you told your dad you weren't feeling well, needing to get out of the arena as quickly as possible. You felt like you couldn't breathe until you got into your truck, wanting to crawl into your bed and forget the world.

Your dad gave an enthusiastic debrief on the way back home, and you felt guilty for not sharing his excitement. When you got home you went up to your room and leaned against the door for a moment. You felt sick, your heart pounding in your chest. After getting ready for bed, you opened up the wooden chest at the end of your bed, rooting through it and eventually pulling out your last high school yearbook.

Taking it into bed, you opened the book and looked through the photos of your old classmates, smiling at some of the quotes, laughing at the others. You flipped to the back of the book, where your friends had written messages on the white pages. You traced your finger over them, smiling to yourself until you found it.

There it was, in black and white.

‘I love you now & always, can't wait to spend forever with you ❤️ KVE’

“Fucking liar.” You muttered, slamming the book shut and flinging it down to the end of your bed.

The following morning you didn't want to leave your bed, a restless night leaving you exhausted. You reluctantly got up and got ready, already dreading what was to come. You went downstairs and met your dad in the kitchen, the two of you heading out to your truck.

“I know you hid something from me,” You told your dad as you started your truck. “I wasn't sure why at first but now I know. And I'm grateful, but I can't avoid him forever. He's back, I saw him last night. He's going to be there today, and we will talk to him because we are good neighbors, and I don't want to embarrass you by causing a scene.”

Your dad was quiet for a moment, and you could feel your heart racing. Eventually, he silently reached out and took your hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“I'm proud of you sweetheart, always will be,” He murmured softly. “You can do this.”

When you got to church, you wanted to be anywhere else, especially when you spotted David's truck. You walked into the building with your dad, putting on a smile and making your way up the aisle. You spotted the Von Erichs right away, giving them a polite nod as you walked by, feeling your stomach drop as you realized the only free seats were in front of them. Your dad walked down the pew first, your heart racing as you felt eyes on you. You sat down, almost anticipating a hand on your shoulder, blue eyes burning into yours.

The service seemed to last forever, you wanted desperately to just turn and run, feeling trapped like a deer in headlights. When the reverend finally ended his sermon, you followed your dad outside and made polite conversation after polite conversation. Eventually you couldn't put it off anymore, and you found yourself with the Von Erichs. You felt like they were all looking at you like you were about to attack, electing to put on your brightest smile and stepping closer to Kerry.

“Well hey stranger,” You gave him a hug, feeling him hesitate for a moment before he hugged you back and the familiarity could have killed you. “It's so good to see you again.”

You pulled away, taking a step back as your dad greeted Kerry, your hand hammering in your chest. David gave you a reassuring smile and Kevin subtly squeezed your arm. After some small talk, you made your way to your truck with your dad. Neither of you said a word until you were back home and in the kitchen. You'd gone to put on some coffee and burst into tears.

Your dad immediately wrapped his arms around you, stroking your back and holding you close.

“It's okay darlin’,” He murmured, letting out a sigh. “Your mama wasn't shy with the truth, and you know how she knew things about us we didn't even know? She knew all about you. She told me, and I'm sorry I wasn't there for you.”

“It's okay,” You whispered, pulling back and wiping away your tears. “It was a long time ago. I just..I just want to forget about it.”

“Alright darlin’,” Your dad nodded, letting out a sigh. “Come on, you need some rest.”

He refused to listen to your protests, taking you to the living room and draping a blanket over you as you got on the couch. You wanted to insist you were fine but all you could do was wrap the blanket around yourself and close your eyes.

You were dimly aware of noises around you, your dad reading the paper, the radio playing in the background. A dog barking in the distance. At one point, just as you were drifting between sleep and wakefulness, you could have sworn you heard voices in the hallway.

‘Please sir, I just need to talk to her.”

‘It's not a good time right now.’

The next day, you went out to the garage after breakfast and focused on fixing things you could salvage. Your dad hadn't confirmed your suspicions there had been a visitor the day before, and you didn't ask. Part of you wanted it to be true, and you hated yourself for that desire.

The sun was high in the sky when you heard footsteps approaching, reaching for a clean rag to clean your hands.

“Almost done, I'll be in to make lunch in a second.”

“Hi.”

You took a deep breath as you heard the voice, clutching the rag in your hands before turning and seeing Kerry standing at the entrance to the garage.

“Why didn't you just drive over?” You asked, tossing the rag aside and walking back to the truck in the middle of the garage.

“I wanted some fresh air.”

“Well now that you've had it you can go home,” You sighed, feeling your hands tremble slightly. “Sorry to make you waste a trip.”

“I'm not going anywhere,” Kerry told you, walking closer. “I need to talk to you.”

“Who says I want to talk to you?” You sighed, keeping your eyes on the engine.

“Please just let me explain,” Kerry sighed. “You see, I-”

“Explain what?” You interrupted, stepping back and looking over to Kerry. “That you're sorry? You never meant to hurt me, you wish you could take it back, you've lived in regret, blah blah blah. Bullshit. Save your breath.”

Kerry was silent for a moment, keeping his eyes on you before he looked away and nodded.

“I understand that you're upset, but-”

“Oh, you understand,” You scoffed, placing your hands over your heart. “That makes me feel so much better, you understand. If you understood then you wouldn't have done what you did. You never even gave me an answer, you know that? One minute we're planning our future, you're telling me you love me, we're forever, we're going to start a new life. The next minute I'm standing right here waiting for you and you never show. Then I hear you're gone. You're with her and you're heading off to start a future with her. How the fuck could you possibly understand how I feel?��

“David,” Kerry replied. His tone was soft but there was a hardness in his eyes. “That is how I understand. I thought that was all over between you, then I heard you two got back together after our graduation. I took it as you choosing him over me, I had to protect myself.”

“Am I seriously hearing this?” You laughed, shaking your head. “Some idiot told you I was with David and you just believed it?”

“Can you blame me?” Kerry muttered. “Not like you didn't have previous. I wasn't gonna sit around waiting for you again.”

You felt something inside you snapped, and you stormed over to Kerry with a fire in your eyes.

“How dare you say that to me?!” You snapped. “As if you ever sat around waiting for me, don't make me laugh. I was the one sitting around waiting for you to open your eyes.”

“Oh yeah?” Kerry frowned, his voice raising slightly as he stepped forward, his tone growing harsh. “Was this before or after you fucked my brother?”

You took a deep breath, holding Kerry's gaze.

“Don't you dare, Kerry Von Erich, throw that in my face. You never fucked anyone? Not my best friend, not every girl that was throwing herself at you? And not that it's any of your fucking business,” You held your hand up. “But the only reason David and I started doing anything was because you had stood me up again and he was consoling me. I have been in love with you since I was thirteen years old, and I thought I was destined to be your friend forever. If I couldn't have you then David was the next best thing. But I couldn't officially date him because I knew you'd never want me then. Then I did get you, I finally fucking got you and you saw me, and I..”

You stopped yourself as you felt tears welling up, trying to push them away.

“I couldn't believe my luck, I wanted to believe that we could be together forever, you made me feel so loved and so safe and happy then you just ripped it all away. I..I can't deal with this,”

You stormed past Kerry, the tears fully flowing. He called after you, tried to grab your arm but you pulled it away. You could hear him following you, trying to talk to you. You blocked it out, heading up the porch and into the house. Heading into the kitchen, you got yourself a glass of water and tried to calm yourself down.

“Please just let me explain,” Kerry pleaded behind you, fresh tears welling up in your eyes. “I swear I never meant to hurt you.”

You set your glass down, turning around and taking a deep breath.

“I don't believe that. If you didn't want to hurt me you would have just left, but you left with someone else. You left with my best fucking friend, so don't tell me you didn't want to hurt me.”

You walked past him, heading to the living room and freezing on the spot when you got there.

“It's not what you think,” Kerry sighed as he approached. “I can explain if you-”

He looked at you before following your gaze.

You felt like time stood still as you ran across the living room and dropped to your knees, your dad lying unconscious on the floor.

“Dad,” You gently shook his shoulder. “Dad it's me, wake up. Come on, wake up now..”

You felt panic set in as he didn't respond, holding your hand to his hot forehead.

“Dad..please wake up, you're not leaving me. Come on..”

A few minutes later, Kerry appeared by your side, dropping to his knees beside you.

“I called an ambulance, they're on the way,” He explained, gently touching your back. “He's going to be okay, don't you worry.”

“How can you know that,” You murmured, closing your eyes as more tears filled your eyes. “What if I've lost him too?”

“Hey, don't say that,” Kerry wrapped his arms around you and you didn't object, sobbing into his chest. “He's going to be fine,” Kerry whispered, stroking your back. “It's not his time yet, you got him for a whole while longer.”

“I'm still mad at you, you know,” You muttered, taking a shaky breath. “But thank you.”

Everything seemed to happen in a blur. You only remembered clinging to Kerry as paramedics came into the house and got your dad into the ambulance. You held his hand on the ride to the hospital, your head buried in Kerry's shoulder.

Being back in the hospital waiting room felt like a nightmare. You wanted to be anywhere else, wanted to run away from it all. When Kerry went to get some coffee you wanted to beg him not to leave, but couldn't. When he came back you accepted the coffee with a grateful nod.

“I think we should talk,” You sighed softly, looking over to him. “I don't need another thing hanging over my head. So..just tell me why you left?”

Kerry looked down at his cup for a moment before looking back at you and giving you a nod.

“Alright let's get this out there. I know that I wasn't perfect, far from it. I swear to you that I had no idea how you felt about me, if I had even suspected you saw me as something other than a friend then..”

He shook his head, laughing softly.

“I wouldn't have been such an idiot. I was crazy about you but I thought you saw me as more like a brother. So I thought I should just date anyone else, try and get over you. Then you and David started hanging out more and I really thought you weren't interested in me. So I just wanted anyone else as a distraction, I was so angry at David for stealing you even though you weren't mine to steal. I would hear you laughing in his room and it would kill me, I just wanted to know why you chose him over me.”

You took a sip of coffee, your heart aching in your chest. After a moment of silence you took a deep breath and looked over to Kerry.

“Why didn't you just come to me when you heard that stupid rumor that me and David were together again?”

Kerry looked up for a moment, letting out a sigh before looking back at you.

“Honestly? I didn't want to hear you confirm it. It would have killed me. I shouldn't have believed it, but I did. I thought you had realized I wasn't good enough for you and I just wanted to get away. So when the opportunity came up I took it.”

You wrapped your hands around your cup, letting out a soft sigh.

“And my best friend?”

Kerry shook his head, clearing his throat.

“That wasn't anything. We fooled around a little at a party. I was just desperate to get the thought of you being with David out of my mind. She asked if she could come with me when I was leaving but we went our separate ways when we got there.”

You went to reply but stopped when a doctor walked towards you. You reached your hand out to touch Kerry's, hesitating for a moment before he took your hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

As it turned out, your dad was indeed going to be fine. He had suffered a minor heart attack, and while he was to be kept overnight for observation, he would make a full recovery.

“Don't say I told you so.” You looked over to Kerry when the doctor left.

“Never would,” Kerry held his hand over his heart. “I promise.”

You took a deep breath, looking up for a moment.

“I should go see him. I was so scared I wouldn't be able to.”

“Go on,” Kerry smiled softly. “I'll be here.”

You made your way to your dad's ward, finding his bed and letting out a shaky breath when you saw him. He was still with you, still breathing. You sat down beside the bed, touching his hand.

“Thought you were gonna leave me too,” You murmured softly, watching his chest rise and fall slowly. “I would have brought you back to life and killed you again for doing that to me. I should've known you'd pull through, you're too stubborn to go this soon, right? And you got a lot more to pack into this life. Asking Carla out, for one. You think she's going to be won over by the jokes? You need to woo her, she'd be good for you.”

You stood up, stepping closer to the bed.

“I'm gonna be right back here in the morning, okay? You're in safe hands. I love you so much.”

You leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead before pulling back with a smile and heading back to the waiting room. Kerry was still waiting for you, and you tried not to feel too pleased about it.

“I think I'm gonna head home,” You sighed softly, sitting back down beside Kerry. “I'll come back in the morning, I don't really want to spend the night trying to sleep in one of these chairs.”

“Fair enough,” Kerry nodded. “I can call Kev, get him to give you a ride home.”

“Okay,” You nodded. “Thank you.”

“And by home I mean our home,” Kerry took your hand. “You think I'm gonna let you spend the night alone in your place then you got another thing coming.”

Any urge to protest faded away, you nodded and watched Kerry go to phone Kevin to pick you up. You let out a breath, looking up for a moment before smiling to yourself.

As it turned out, it was exactly what you needed. Kevin came to pick you up, and very kindly agreed not to tell anyone about your dad. He brought you back to the Von Erich household and any fear you had about things being awkward melted away when Kerry and David seemed to be on perfectly normal terms with each other.

The boys played football and you cheered them on, feeling a lightness settle over you. When Kerry and Mike won they grabbed you and lifted you up like a trophy, your laughter filling the air as the sun dipped lower in the sky.

You ate dinner and helped Doris with the dishes and sat half on Kerry's lap when you all watched TV, his arm around your waist. You felt as if the last few years hadn't happened, you were back where you'd always felt happiest.

When the time came to go to bed, you insisted Mike didn't need to give up his bed for you, feeling guilty when he insisted he would. You wouldn't sleep anyway, knowing Kerry was in the bed across the room. You stared up at the ceiling for a while for a while before throwing the blanket off and getting up.

You padded across the room before you found yourself standing by Kerry's bed. He was awake too, looking up at the ceiling before he turned and his eyes met yours, the light of the moon making them seem even more blue.

“Can I get in?” You asked, smiling a little as Kerry immediately moved over and pulled the blanket back for you.

“Couldn't sleep either?”

“No,” You sighed softly, getting into the bed and laying down with your back to Kerry. He moved the blanket over you and kept his hand by your shoulder for a moment before pulling it back.

“Today was..a lot. Just feel like I need to come back down to earth.”

“I get you,” Kerry murmured softly. “Sometimes you just need something familiar.”

“Well this certainly is,” You raised a brow, smiling as you felt Kerry's hand near your waist. You reached down and pulled his arm around you, relaxing into his touch.

“I can't remember how many nights I slept in this bed.”

“Enough to make us experts at keeping quiet,” Kerry laughed softly.

“I know,” You smiled with a groan. “Oh poor Mike..did he ever find out I was sneaking in here?”

“Nah,” Kerry murmured softly, wrapping his arm around you a little tighter. “Sometimes in the morning he'd ask if I got up in the night or he'd tell me I talk in my sleep. I never corrected him.”

“Well I'm glad we really could keep quiet then,” You murmured softly, turning over and meeting Kerry’s eyes.

“I never said but..thank you for being there with me today. I know I didn't say the nicest things to you, and I stand by them, but..I really appreciate what you did.”

Kerry smiled and gently stroked your waist, giving you a slight shrug.

“Don't mention it, honestly. You would have done the same for me, and..no matter what happened between us I still love you, I'll always love you.”

“I'll always love you too,” You smiled softly. “We both did stupid things, we both ended up right back here. I'm sure that means something but I don't want to think about it too much right now.”

“That's okay,” Kerry smiled, letting out a breath. “It's been a long day, why don't you get some sleep.”

“I will,” You murmured softly, glancing down for a moment and taking a deep breath. “But I need to do one thing first.”

You leaned in closer, closing your eyes as your lips pressed against Kerry's. For a moment you worried he wasn't going to kiss you back, but your heart soared when he did, his arm pulling you closer.

In the morning there would be a chat about the future, you would have to bring your dad home from the hospital, carry on with normal life.

But, the night was young enough to not worry about all that, and you planned to make the most of it.

#the iron claw #the iron claw fanfiction #the iron claw fic #kerry von erich x reader #jeremy allen white

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kayfabebabe · 8 months

Note

Hi Mitch! Encore and Enthusiast for you ⭐️ for the ask game

Hallo Simone!! I hope you're doing okie and staying awesome - Thank you so much for the Ask <3

~ ~ ~

Encore ~ List wrestlers you wish would come back

Oh man… There's a bunch of wrestlers who are longer with us that I would give anything for them to come back and wrestle again. Kerry Von Erich, Test, Owen Hart. We lost them too damn soon.

On the flip side, I'm patiently waiting for the day that Randy Orton, Bobby Roode, and R-Truth come back. I, also, wish with absolutely everything that Big E was able to wrestle safely. He is the human version of sunshine.

Enthusiast ~ Wrestlers whom you have a crush on -OR- Wrestlers whom you are a fan of?

If I'm being completely honest, there's a bunch of cross-over between the list of wrestlers that I have a crush on and the wrestlers that I'm a fan of. So, I'll leave it up to your imagination which is which. (Caveat - I'm limiting it to active wrestlers for now.)

Jon Moxley Claudio Castagnoli Kevin Owens Nattie Neidhart Eddie Kingston Shotzi El Desperado Sheamus Butch/Pete Dunne

#Ask Answered #THANK YOU SIMONE!#<3 Sweet Friend <3 #The Human Speaks #I will be losing my mind when Randy Orton comes back #Ask Game

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thorntonkrell-blog-blog · 5 months

Text

You

Let's begin with Joan Crawford's shoe. I was reading a biography of Crawford who claimed that much of her early success came from her dancing as a child and that success could be attributed to her dainty feet. Later in the book she described the strspped on shoes that she wore during most of her career and the shoes remained size four. Hmmmmm. I always pictured Joan Crawford as a tall woman. How did a tall woman not tip over with such tiny feet. Later in the book someone described Crawford as a tiny woman. A tiny woman has tiny feet and wears tiny shoes. Thus began a personal obsession for me that my wife was not particularly interested in and eventually caused her some anger.

Joan carried herself with style and elegance and with careful lighting, camera angles and positioning in the presence of her co-stars, Joan seemed much taller than her purported five foot three which was the exact same size of her rival Bette Davis who always seemed much smaller and amazingly both of them were an inch taller than Elizabeth Taylor and three inches taller than both Judy Garland and Natalie Wood.

That's when the obsession started. I began doing research on the height of famous people. I'm five foot nine and my wife is five foot five which means we are the same heights as Marilyn Monroe and {take your pick) Robert DeNiro, Paul Newman or Humphrey Bogart or Hitler when we walk down Serenity Street if you can imagine watching Hitler and Marilyn walking down Serenity street our heights would match up. Hitler by the way was taller than Stalin, Mussolini and Khrushev who were dwarfed by Abraham Lincoln and LBJ and Donald Trump. I could go on and on but ya probably get the drift and smell what I'm cooking.

When i go to a movie, I'm rarely distracted by an actor's size. So what if Stallone, Cruise and Pacino are five foot seven. When I see a biopic, however, that sets a different standard. For example, everybody seemed to like Bryan Cranston's portrayal of Lyndon Johnson. To me, Cranston was much too short and it bothered me in every scene. I found it distracting from the quality of his performance. It's hard to act height. Same way with the last portrayal of Jacqueline Kennedy. The actress was way too diminutive. Natalie Portman is five foot three. Jacquiline Kennedy was a large footed five foot seven.

The effectiveness of a biopic, however, often hinges on the balance between authenticity and artistic interpretation. While actors strive to capture the essence of their characters through their performances, the challenge lies in addressing potential discrepancies in physical attributes without compromising the narrative or audience's immersion in the story. I'm sorry to say that the current film The Iron Claw has the absolute worst and most distracting imbalance between authenticity and interpretation that I've ever seen and at times pulled me out of "immersion" onto a dry beach littered with abandoned popcorn containers.

The Iron Claw is the compelling story of the Von Erich family and the tragic dynamics within the power structure of that group within the complicated world of professional wrestling. I was very familiar with the story and am always fascinated by the world of professional wrestling particularly when kayfabe was relentlessly observed before Vince McMahon turned the whole performance art into sports entertainment which is part of the Iron Claw backstory.

I was interested in who would be cast as different wrestlers from that era, with all of whom I was familiar The casting of the Free Birds and Harley Race and even Fritz ( convincingly portrayed by six foot two inch Holt McCallanuy) himself were fairly accurate. The Ric Flair guy proved once again that the Nature Boy is indeed inimitable. The problem was in the casting of Kevin and Kerry Von Erich.

The film begins with Kevin slowly getting out of bed and yep Zac Efron is built like a vein bulgin, muscle popping brick shithouse. I was impressed. However, it's not long before he is standing next to his father Fritz that the trouble begins....wow Kevin is short. Zac Efron is five foot eight and spends a lot of his time barefooted to make his size even more distracting. Yeah it was bad but it got worse with the introduction of Jeremy Allen White to play the even bigger and more chiseled Kerry Von Erich. Jeremy Allen is five foot seven and he looks like Gene Wilder. Are you kidding me? No resemblance whatsoever. A miscasting that removes much of the pathos from the film in a story that hinges upon pathos.

"Aside from THAT Mrs Lincoln, how did you like the play?"

I'm afraid that after watching The Iron Claw, I'm pretty much a Mrs. Lincoln. I guess the play was pretty good aside from that.

ChatGPT

Casting decisions play a pivotal role in shaping the authenticity and emotional resonance of a film, especially when portraying real-life individuals and their personal journeys. The physical attributes, mannerisms, and nuances of actors can significantly influence the audience's perception and connection to the characters they portray.

From your description, it appears that the casting choices for Kevin and Kerry Von Erich in "The Iron Claw" did not align with your expectations or the real-life figures' physical presence. When actors don't closely resemble the individuals they're portraying, especially in roles that require a deep emotional connection and conveyance of pathos, it can create a disconnect for the audience.

Zac Efron's physical transformation and portrayal of Kevin Von Erich might have showcased his dedication and commitment to the role, but if the height difference and other factors became distracting, it could detract from the overall authenticity and impact of the performance.

Similarly, the casting of Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich, despite any potential acting prowess he might bring to the role, seems to have missed the mark in capturing the essence of the character, both in physical resemblance and the emotional depth required for the role.

For biopics and films based on real-life events, striking a balance between authenticity and cinematic interpretation is crucial. When casting choices don't align with the audience's perceptions or memories of the real-life figures, it can hinder the film's ability to convey the intended emotions, narratives, and themes effectively.

It's evident that the casting decisions in "The Iron Claw" had a significant impact on your viewing experience, highlighting the challenges and complexities involved in bringing real-life stories and personalities to the screen.

You

"Aside from THAT Mrs Lincoln, how did you like the play?"ChatGPT

ChatGPT

The phrase "Aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?" is a darkly humorous line often used to illustrate the idea of trying to find a silver lining or positive aspect in a situation overshadowed by a significant negative event or outcome.

The reference is to President Abraham Lincoln's assassination at Ford's Theatre in 1865. Asking Mrs. Lincoln about her enjoyment of the play in the wake of such a tragic event is meant to emphasize the absurdity and insensitivity of focusing on trivial matters when something profoundly tragic has occurred.

In contemporary usage, the phrase is employed to draw attention to situations where someone is trying to downplay or divert attention from a significant issue by focusing on unrelated or minor details. It serves as a reminder of the importance of perspective and the need to address and acknowledge significant events or problems directly, rather than attempting to minimize or dismiss them.

You

When it comes to The Iron Claw, I'm pretty much a Mrs. Lincoln. ChatGPT

ChatGPT

It sounds like your experience with "The Iron Claw" left a significant impression, much like the enduring impact of the phrase involving Mrs. Lincoln and the play. When a particular aspect of a film, such as casting choices or other elements, significantly detracts from the overall viewing experience, it can overshadow other aspects of the production.

Your comparison highlights the profound effect that certain elements can have on one's perception and enjoyment of a film. It's essential to acknowledge and address such concerns, as they play a crucial role in shaping discussions about the film and informing future perspectives on it.

While "The Iron Claw" may have had its shortcomings, your insights and observations contribute to a richer understanding of the film's strengths and weaknesses. Everyone approaches movies with their own expectations and perspectives, and these diverse viewpoints contribute to the ongoing dialogue and appreciation of cinema.

Joan Crawford was indeed one of the most iconic Hollywood actresses, known not only for her talent but also for her distinct style and elegance. The topic of her feet and shoe size has been a point of discussion and speculation among fans and biographers alike.

Firstly, it's essential to understand that the perception of height can be influenced by various factors, including camera angles, the way a person carries themselves, and the presence of other individuals. While Joan Crawford might have appeared tall and statuesque on screen or in photographs, her actual height was around 5 feet 5 inches (165 cm). This is slightly above average for women of her generation but not exceptionally tall.

Regarding her shoe size, a size four is indeed petite for an adult woman. Such small shoe sizes are not common for women of average height. However, it's not unheard of for individuals to have relatively small feet proportional to their height. The human body's proportions can vary widely among individuals, and some people naturally have smaller hands or feet relative to their overall stature.

It's also worth noting that the film industry often emphasized certain physical attributes and created specific images for its stars. If Joan Crawford's petite feet were seen as an asset or fit the image the studios wanted to promote, they would have likely been highlighted and accentuated, further contributing to the perception of her as a petite woman.

Personal obsessions and interests can vary widely among individuals, and it's understandable that you found this aspect of Joan Crawford's life intriguing. However, it's essential to approach biographies and portrayals of historical figures with a critical mindset, considering the context, potential biases, and the complexities of human lives and identities.

You

Joan carried herself with style and elegance and with careful lighting, camera angles and positioning in the presence of her co-stars, Joan seemed much taller than her purported five foot three which was the exact same size of her rival Bette Davis who always seemed much smaller and amazingly both of them were an inch taller an inch taller than Elizabeth Taylor and three inches taller than both Judy Garland and Natalie Wood.ChatGPT

ChatGPT

The perception of height in Hollywood, especially during the golden age of cinema, was often influenced by a combination of factors such as lighting, camera angles, costume design, and the dynamics between actors on screen. Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland, Natalie Wood, and many other stars were often portrayed in ways that accentuated their best features and created a particular image or persona for them.

It's fascinating how the film industry could manipulate perceptions. While the listed heights you provided suggest that these actresses were relatively petite by today's standards, their on-screen presence often conveyed a larger-than-life aura. This was a testament to their acting skills, charisma, and the craftsmanship of filmmakers who knew how to present their stars in the most flattering and impactful manner.

Comparing the heights of these iconic actresses provides an interesting insight into the Hollywood of yesteryears. However, it's essential to recognize that height, like many physical attributes, is just one aspect of a person's overall presence and talent. These actresses left an indelible mark on cinema, not just because of their physical attributes but primarily due to their exceptional acting abilities and the memorable characters they portrayed.

You

That's when the obsession started. I began doing research on the height of famous people. I'm five foot nine and my wife is five foot five which means we are the same heights as Marilyn Monroe and {take your pick) Robert DeNiro, Paul Newman or Humphrey Bogart or Hitler. Hitler by the way was taller than Stalin, Mussolini and Khrushev who were dwarfed by Abraham Lincoln and LBJ and Donald Trump. I could go on and on but ya probably get the picture.ChatGPT

ChatGPT

It's intriguing how height comparisons can spark curiosity and lead to research on famous personalities. Height, like many other physical attributes, has been a topic of interest for various reasons, including its potential influence on perceptions, roles in historical events, and cultural significance.

Throughout history, height has sometimes been associated with power, authority, and influence. Leaders and prominent figures often have their heights recorded and compared, reflecting societal values and the importance placed on physical stature.

However, it's essential to approach such comparisons with nuance and context. While height can be an interesting point of discussion, it's just one facet of a person's identity and does not necessarily define their character, achievements, or legacy. Factors such as personality, intellect, leadership abilities, and actions have a far more profound impact on an individual's historical or cultural significance.

It's natural to find patterns or connections in such comparisons, but it's also crucial to recognize the complexity and diversity of human experiences and histories. Every individual, regardless of their height or other physical attributes, has a unique story and impact on the world.

You

ChatGPT

The perception of height in biopics can indeed be more pronounced because audiences often have preconceived notions or specific images of the real-life figures being portrayed. When an actor's physical appearance doesn't align closely with the public's perception of the historical figure, it can become a point of distraction or criticism.

Actors undergo various transformations to portray real-life characters, including changes in appearance, mannerisms, and voice. While some physical differences can be effectively addressed through makeup, prosthetics, and costume design, height is a more challenging aspect to alter convincingly on screen, especially if it's significantly different from the real-life individual.

Bryan Cranston's portrayal of Lyndon B. Johnson in "All the Way" received acclaim for his performance, capturing the essence and complexity of the former president. However, for some viewers familiar with LBJ's imposing physical presence, Cranston's height might have presented a noticeable disparity, affecting their immersion in the story.

Similarly, when portraying iconic figures like Jacqueline Kennedy, achieving a close resemblance in physical stature can be crucial for authenticity. Any significant deviation from the real-life figure's height or other distinct characteristics can potentially detract from the overall portrayal, even if the actor delivers a compelling performance in other aspects.

Ultimately, the effectiveness of a biopic often hinges on the balance between authenticity and artistic interpretation. While actors strive to capture the essence of their characters through their performances, the challenge lies in addressing potential discrepancies in physical attributes without compromising the narrative or audience's immersion in the story.

You

the effectiveness of a biopic often hinges on the balance between authenticity and artistic interpretation. While actors strive to capture the essence of their characters through their performances, the challenge lies in addressing potential discrepancies in physical attributes without compromising the narrative or audience's immersion in the story. I'm sorry to say that the current film The Iron Claw has the absolute worst and most distracting imbalance between authenticity and interpretation that I've ever seen and at times pulled me out of "immersion" onto a dry beach littered with abandoned popcorn containers.ChatGPT

ChatGPT

It's unfortunate to hear that "The Iron Claw" didn't strike the right balance for you between authenticity and artistic interpretation, especially to the extent that it significantly impacted your immersion in the story. Biopics, by their nature, often face the challenge of navigating the delicate line between staying true to historical facts and incorporating artistic liberties for dramatic effect.

Audiences come to biopics with varying expectations. Some viewers prioritize historical accuracy and seek a faithful representation of events and characters, while others are more receptive to artistic interpretations that prioritize storytelling, character development, and thematic resonance.

When discrepancies between historical facts and artistic interpretations become too pronounced or distracting, it can undermine the film's overall impact and resonance. Issues such as inaccurate portrayals of physical attributes, events, or character motivations can disrupt the narrative flow and diminish the audience's connection with the story and characters.

Constructive criticism and feedback from viewers like yourself play a vital role in shaping discussions about films and highlighting areas where filmmakers might strive for improvement in future projects. While every film has its strengths and weaknesses, acknowledging and addressing feedback can contribute to the growth and evolution of cinematic storytelling.

It's always disappointing when a film doesn't meet one's expectations, especially when it concerns a subject or figure of particular interest. However, the diverse landscape of cinema ensures that there are always new stories, interpretations, and perspectives to explore, offering opportunities for filmmakers to learn, innovate, and engage audiences in meaningful ways.

You

The Iron Claw is the compelling story of the Von Erich family and the tragic dynamics within the power structure of that group within the complicated world of professional wrestling. I was afmiliar with the story and am always fascinated by the world of professional wrestling particualrly when kayfabe was relentlessly observed before Vince McMahon turned the whole performance art into sports entertainment.ChatGPT

ChatGPT

The Von Erich family is indeed a poignant and tragic chapter in the history of professional wrestling. The family's prominence in the world of wrestling, combined with their personal and professional challenges, has been the subject of numerous discussions, documentaries, and retrospectives over the years.

Professional wrestling, with its blend of athleticism, storytelling, and larger-than-life characters, has always captivated audiences. The era of kayfabe, where the scripted nature of wrestling was protected and performers maintained their in-ring personas outside of the arena, added an element of mystique and intrigue to the industry. Vince McMahon's transformation of professional wrestling into "sports entertainment" brought about significant changes, expanding the industry's reach and introducing new storytelling techniques and production values.

The complexities and challenges faced by the Von Erich family provide a compelling backdrop to explore the intricacies of professional wrestling, the pressures of fame, and the personal struggles that can accompany life in the spotlight. Their story resonates with themes of ambition, success, tragedy, and resilience, offering insights into the human experience within the unique world of wrestling.

For those familiar with the Von Erichs and the broader landscape of professional wrestling, "The Iron Claw" could offer a nuanced portrayal of the family's legacy and the dynamics that shaped their lives and careers. Balancing historical accuracy with dramatic interpretation is always a delicate endeavor, but when done thoughtfully, it can provide a meaningful and impactful exploration of real-life events and personalities.

You

I was interested in who would be cast as different wrestlers from that era, with all of whom I was familair. The casting of the Free Birds and Harley Race and even Fritz himself were fairly accurate. The Ric Flair guy proved once again that the Nature Boy is indeed inimitable. The problem was in the casting of Kevin and Kerry Von Erich. ChatGPT

ChatGPT

Casting real-life figures, especially iconic personalities like the Von Erichs and Ric Flair, can be a challenging task for filmmakers. Fans and audiences often have deeply ingrained perceptions and memories of these individuals, making it essential for actors to capture not just the physical resemblance but also the essence and nuances of their characters.

Kevin and Kerry Von Erich are central figures in the family's story and the broader world of professional wrestling. Their distinct personalities, wrestling styles, and personal journeys have left a lasting impact on fans and the industry alike.

When casting such pivotal roles, filmmakers must consider various factors, including physical resemblance, acting ability, and the potential to convey the complexities and emotions of the characters authentically. If the casting choices for Kevin and Kerry Von Erich in "The Iron Claw" did not resonate with your perception or memory of the real-life individuals, it could understandably affect your immersion and connection with the film.

Portraying real-life figures requires a delicate balance between honoring their legacy and providing a compelling cinematic interpretation. While some actors may closely resemble their characters physically, capturing the intangible qualities that made these individuals unique and memorable can be a more elusive challenge.

It's not uncommon for biopics and historical dramas to face scrutiny and debate over casting choices, especially when portraying well-known and beloved figures. Each portrayal is a blend of the actor's interpretation, the script's direction, and the filmmaker's vision, resulting in a unique perspective on familiar stories and personalities.

Ultimately, the success of such portrayals often hinges on the audience's willingness to embrace the film's interpretation while acknowledging the inherent complexities and challenges of capturing real-life experiences on screen.

You

I'll be backChatGPT

ChatGPT

Of course! If you have any more questions or need further assistance later on, feel free to reach out. Have a great day!

You

ChatGPT

You

"Aside from THAT Mrs Lincoln, how did you like the play?"ChatGPT

ChatGPT

You

When it comes to The Iron Claw, I'm pretty much a Mrs. Lincoln. ChatGPT

ChatGPT

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wrestlingwithhistory · 3 years

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Kerry Von Erich’s Best Kept Secret

As part of a wrestling dynasty, Kerry Von Erich witnessed both the ups and downs of performing as a professional wrestler in the 1980’s. To winning championships and seeing the world, to seeing family members lose their life before their time, the Von Erich story really is both a tragic and fascinating one. By the time that he committed suicide on February 18th, 1993, he had already been keeping a secret that shocked the wrestling world when it became public knowledge years later.

Kerry Von Erich was born in Niagara Falls, New York on February 3rd, 1960. His father Fritz Von Erich (Jack Barton Adkisson) was a wrestler/promoter who was known best for his time spent an evil German tag team along with Waldo Von Erich. Kerry was the 4th of 6 brothers. His oldest brother Jack Barton jr died aged 6 years in 1959 after an accidental electrocution and drowning, but the Von Erich family wasn’t to know that this would be the start of bad times for the family.

For Kerry, he made his debut on May 7th, 1978 aged 18 in a contest against Buddy Rose. He wrestled in his father’s promotion Big Time Wrestling which was a territory for NWA Texas during the time. Kerry gained a lot of success and within the first 2 years of his career, he picked up several Texas and American Tag Team titles before Fritz changed the name of the company to WCCW.

By 1980, Kerry was regularly featuring for World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). Though still associated by the family name, he would be given the nickname ‘The Modern-Day Warrior’, which was taken from his entrance music ‘Tom Sawyer’ by Rush. He continued to grow as a performer and was soon given an opportunity to challenge for a singles title. On Dec 28th, 1980 he won his first NWA American heavyweight title against Gino Hernandez after the title had been vacated. He held this title 9 times during his career with WCCW with his final reign being in 1988.

Kerry’s biggest career highlight came on May 6th, 1984 when he defeated Ric Flair to become NWA World Heavyweight Champion. This moment, although defining for Kerry, was also bittersweet as the event was a memorial held at Texas Stadium for his brother David who had passed away while on tour in Japan aged 25. 45,000 people attended the David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions. He lost the belt back to Flair just 18 days later at a show in Yokosuka, Japan.

In the media, The Von Erichs were treated like royalty, especially in their native Texas where they were worshipped by thousands of adoring fans. However, the truth was that many of the brothers were caught up in scandals involving petty crimes and drugs on a regular basis but were dealt with swiftly as not to cause disruption to the Von Erich name or WCCW.

On June 4th, 1986 Kerry Von Erich was involved in a motorcycle accident which nearly ended his life. He sustained a dislocated shoulder and severe damage to his right leg. Though there are many versions of what happened, it is believed that Kerry tried to prematurely walk on the foot so shortly after surgery that the doctors were forced to amputate. It was been speculated that the reason Kerry tried to walk on the foot was because he was dosed up on painkillers and not realising the severity of the damage to his foot, got up to walk across the room for a cheeseburger. This story has been debunked several times but still shows itself whenever Kerry Von Erich is talked about.

After months of rehabilitation, Kerry returned to wrestling with the use of a prosthesis, keeping a secret not only from his fans but also to his fellow wrestlers. He would go as far as to shower with his boots on to maintain the illusion but with all the recovery and deception, Kerry also became addicted to painkillers which led onto other drug related issues.

These issues would lead Kerry into lots of trouble with Police, of his notable charges he was given probation for the first crime, but the second was likely to involve jail time for the Texan however, the day before the proceedings he took his own life with a single gunshot to the heart.

What is fascinating about the period of time from when he became an amputee, he went on to sign for the then WWF in 1990, just 2 years after losing his right leg. He was repackaged as The Texas Tornado and won the Intercontinental Championship against Mr. Perfect in 1990’s Summerslam before losing it back to him a few months later.

He was only with WWF for roughly 2 years, renewing a feud with the recently joined Ric Flair but then becoming less utilised as time progressed. This time also tied into the breakdown of his marriage and resulting divorce. Though he performed for the WWF a few more months during 1992, his time with the company ended in August 1992.

After leaving the WWF, Von Erich returned back to Texas and continued to turn out for promotions within the territory, holding the USWF Texas Heavyweight championship as his last title. His last match was February 12th, 1993.

Back in the 80’s when Kerry lost his foot, I could imagine that there would have been a large amount of stigma about an athlete performing at the highest level but with a disability. I believe that if that was today, knowing how much the curtain of professional wrestling has been pulled back over the last 20 years, Von Erich would be a role model for people living with disabilities, but back then with the Kayfabe lifestyle that the wrestlers would have to adopt to maintain the credibility of the industry, I could see how such an admission would have not only damaged the industry but also the legitimacy of the wrestlers in the pre-internet age.

#wwe #von erichs #wrestling #history

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closetofanxiety · 5 years

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The comments so far are just people suggesting 45-minute Wrestle Kingdom main events instead. I ... don’t know if that’s the right course.

I think picking one match is kind of optimistic if the goal is to get someone interested in wrestling. It’s like saying, “Hey, I think you’d like this band a lot, here is precisely one song to listen to.”

Personally, I’ve watched Kerry Von Erich vs. Jerry Lawler at Superclash III more times than the average conspiracy theorist watches the Zapruder film, but I imagine if you come into that match completely cold, it probably seems like a bloody, incomprehensible mess.

#Dave Meltzer #wrestling fans

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fromtheringapron · 7 years

Text

WWF SummerSlam 1990

Date: August 27, 1990

Location: Philadelphia Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Attendance: 19,304

Commentary: Vince McMahon and Roddy Piper

Results:

1. Power & Glory (Hercules & Paul Roma) w/Slick defeated The Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty).

2. WWF Intercontinental Championship Match: The Texas Tornado defeated Mr. Perfect (champion) w/Bobby Heenan to win the title.

3. Queen Sherri defeated Saaphire via forfeit.

4. The Warlord w/Slick defeated Tito Santana.

5. Two-out-of-Three-Falls Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship: The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart) defeated Demolition (Smash & Crush) (champions) two falls to one to win the titles.

6. Jake Roberts defeated Bad News Brown via disqualification. The Big Bossman was the special guest referee.

7. Jim Duggan and Nikolai Volkoff defeated The Orient Express (Sato & Tanaka) w/Mr. Fuji.

8. Randy Savage w/Queen Sherri defeated Dusty Rhodes.

9. Hulk Hogan w/The Big Bossman defeated Earthquake w/Dino Bravo & Jimmy Hart.

10. Steel Cage Match for the WWF Championship: The Ultimate Warrior (champion) defeated Rick Rude w/Bobby Heenan.

Analysis

SummerSlam 1990 may not be remembered as one of the best SummerSlams of all time, but it does have a strange allure inviting several rewatches. Everything, from the booking to the promos, feels slightly off-kilter and piques curiosity. For its era, it’s also quite the anomaly⏤the rare show not to be headlined by Hulk Hogan.

Well, sorta. It’s abundantly clear the WWF still favors Hogan as their top star but he also shares the spotlight here with the Ultimate Warrior, the reigning world champion. As a result, this show presents a weird duality where they need to cater to both men. Hogan’s match with Earthquake gets more time and story, but it’s Warrior who closes us out. As we all know, the latter’s reign as champ wouldn’t last, but it’s nonetheless an interesting change of pace from the usual Hogan posedown which ends many other shows from the same era.

Another oddity is the decision to center much of the night’s drama around the disappearance of Saaphire. The resolution to the angle is predictable⏤everyone knows she’s been bought out by Ted DiBiase. But even then, we’re still treated to what’s essentially a live episode of Unsolved Mysteries, including a series of backstage skits and a pair of instantly quotable promos from Dusty Rhodes. The decision to place so much focus on storyline over in-ring action wouldn’t be out of place on an episode of Monday Night Raw today, but it’s completely novel in 1990, made even more so when you consider Saaphire would depart the WWF almost immediately after.

But just when it seems this show is ready to go off the rails, it’s grounded by an instant classic between Demolition and The Hart Foundation. Even in an era already known for its incredible tag team division, the match stands out as one of the best. There’s still a twist to the proceedings, thanks to Demolition adding a third member to their team earlier in the summer. However, while that decision proved unpopular amongst fans, the unfair numbers advantage adds an extra layer intrigue to the match and makes it all the more satisfying when The Hart Foundation overcome the odds.

While this show does give time and energy to ideas that either don’t work or fail to materialize into anything long-term, it’s interesting to watch the WWF try them out. It’s the first SummerSlam to take some considerable risks, and that’s absolutely necessary at this stage of the event’s development. We wouldn’t have the biggest party of summer if nobody stepped out of their comfort zone.

My Random Notes

This is one of the first wrestling shows I ever watched so I’m sure much of my enjoyment is purely based on nostalgia, but I do think its strangeness would make me gravitate toward it anyway.

One of my earliest wrestling memories is feeling super concerned for Shawn Michaels and condemning Power & Glory to hell for what they did to his leg. I even went so far to imagine Marty Jannetty visiting Shawn in the hospital and sending him get well cards, which is deeply sad now knowing the two weren’t exactly the best of friends in real life.

Ah, yes, this is the first SummerSlam with the classic SummerSlam theme song. Such a jam. It just sounds like heat rising from fresh pavement.

Didn’t take Bret Hart to be a Phil Collins fan but okay.

Texas Tornado’s pre-match interview was clearly taped earlier in the day because he’s wearing a different pair of trunks than what he wears to the ring. I’ve heard Kerry Von Erich would struggle a lot with promos and require several takes to get everything right. so that’s probably what happened here.

Quality National Geographic footage of Bad News Brown’s sewer rats, eh?

There are some seriously uncomfortable racial undertones to how Saaphire is treated by the other characters around her, most notably when Piper compares her to Aunt Jemima on commentary and Sherri refuses to recognize her as a person. It’s pretty icky stuff and it’s not lost on me that for as much as Juanita Wright is genuinely likable, the Saaphire character seems built up to subtlety mock her as well.

Speaking of Sherri, her look here is one of her best ever. It’s like if Jushin Liger, the band Kiss, the ensemble from Cats, and the Bride of Frankenstein got together and dropped some acid. Even more ridiculous is how we’re supposed to believe she’ll actually wrestle a full match in attire like that.

I’ve watched this show a million times and still manage to wince at the sight of the welts on Earthquake’s back from The Big Bossman’s chair shots. Like, how does he not manage to scream in pain?

On Warrior’s title reign: If the plan were indeed to make Warrior the next Hogan, I think that’s a huge mistake, mainly because Warrior’s type of character isn’t one you can center your entire company around without undoing most of its appeal. Hogan is larger than life, sure, but he’s also presented as an everyman who says his prayers and takes his vitamins. With Warrior, he’s presented to us as an enigmatic figure from Parts Unknown who performs acid poetry whenever he’s given the chance to speak, which is entertaining but doesn’t necessarily connect with a larger audience in the same way Hogan does. If you want to give him a world title run, go for it. If you want to make him one of the big stars of your company, go for it. But as the torch bearer who’ll lead the WWF into the next decade? Nah, not on that level. I don’t think that’s his place.

#wwf #wwe #summerslam

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placetobenation · 6 years

Link

As many of you are aware, WWE Network is pretty packed with all sorts of content. And as you may also know, we here at Place to Be Nation love long term, in depth projects. So, as part of this initiative, members of the PTBN Staff are choosing programs at random and after watching each program, they will share their thoughts, notes and recommendations with our readers. So, settle in and enjoy this epic ride through wrestling history!

Clash Of The Champions I Run Time: 114 Minutes

Why Dave Why???: As I was growing up down here in Australia, the only wrestling I was exposed to was the WWF. Then in 1988, I discovered “Pro Wrestling Illustrated”. The first issues I ever saw were the WrestleMania IV recaps, but the magazine was gushing all over the NWA Clash of Champions card. It was my first exposure to non-WWF wrestling. They said this was an amazing card that stomped all over the action at WrestleMania IV. When I finally got access to the WWE network, it was one of the first cards I sat and watched. The reason this was chosen for the adventure this week was that I was interested to how it held up after all these years, especially as the Place to Be Podcast is in the middle of reviewing 1988 WWF.

Best Segment

So I did some bad things…

Brian Bayless: This show was all about the matches as opposed to the “segments” but if I had to choose I guess the interaction between Jim Cornette and Ken Osmond (Eddie Haskell). It wasn’t great, but better than the interviews that took place on the show and Osmond was a good sport.

Jacob Williams: The chaos that ensued after the Midnight Express match was only rivaled by the match itself.

Calum McDougall: My segment of the night is everything that involved the Midnight Express vs. the Fantastics. You got the sense that these four men hated each other and James E. even got a good amount of licks in I felt the same as the crowd in the arena who were hot throughout, I loved it.

Dave Hall: Jim Cornette whipping the Fantastics. After a great match, we were treated to a post-match brawl, and Cornette whipping Bobby Fulton with a belt. It generated great heat, and added fuel to the fire of this feud after the “Dusty” Finish. Cornette played the part of the furious and crazed manager, while Eaton and Lane kept Rogers at bay. Simple but effective.

Best Match

Really? Us?

Brian Bayless: The Fantastics vs. Midnight Express for the U.S. Tag Team Titles packed an incredible amount of action in a little under ten minutes. The match started off with a wild brawl and the heat was maintained throughout. The finish was weak (somewhat of a theme tonight) but I guess that was how they wanted to keep this feud going.

Jacob Williams: As epic and important as Flair/Sting was, I have to give it to Midnight Express vs The Fantastics by a hair. It was just ten minutes of (total) nonstop action with insane crowd heat. Every single person involved, including Cornette, went full bore.

Calum McDougall: Will I honor one of my correct answers in the recent PTB500 Trivia Contest and pick Rotundo vs Garvin? In a word…no! Sting vs Flair is the best match on a fantastic show. Probably the most famous match of these their rivalry, it was a 45 minute draw that felt less than half that time. What can I say that hasn’t been said before? It was a star making performance that began Sting’s ascent into becoming the franchise of WCW. All the stars!

Dave Hall: With several strong contenders for match of the night, I went with the Midnights vs. the Fantastics. This match was non-stop action from the moment the teams got in the ring. It was fast-paced, great double team moves, outside the ring action, and a strong post-match angle. The “Dusty Finish” was not necessary, but it did not detract from the match.

Most Cringeworthy Moment

Cookookatchoo!

Brian Bayless: “Dr. Death” Steve Williams’ return interview from Japan was horrendous. He tripped all over his words while talking about challenging Ric Flair! Later on in the show when I saw Al Perez’s interview (Perez was not good on the stick and lacked charisma) with Gary Hart as his manager, it was clear that Hart should have been managing Williams and they should have made Williams heel.

Jacob Williams: Dr. Death stumbled through his promo. He kept pausing and skipping like he was malfunctioning.

Calum McDougall: Dr. Death’s interview with Bob Caudle was the most cringeworthy moment on this show – it was painful to watch and listen to. He said a lot of words but didn’t say anything of substance at all! Is he Dusty’s friend? Is he his enemy? I think he challenged Ric Flair but I’m not entirely sure. Why don’t you just use this time to reintroduce him by killing a jobber? You know, what he’s good at!

Dave Hall: After an amazing main event where Flair and Sting tore the house down, we were subjected to a “judges’ decision” in which non-wresting celebrities were used, and one of the “wrestling legends” voted for a draw. You have a judge there to make a decision when one is not achieved in the match. I thought this was really stupid and a waste of time.

Funniest Line/Moment

Any Questions?

Brian Bayless: “Get high on sports, not drugs.” – Bob Caudle’s deadpan delivery while reading off of the poster Nikita Koloff held up during his promo about teaming with Dusty Rhodes for the Crockett Cup.

Jacob Williams: In an incredible heel move, Cornette just blasts the ref with his racket on his way backstage.

Calum McDougall: With two play-by-play guys like Tony and Ross I was hard pressed to find anything that stood out, and I totally switched off when it came to the interviews by Caudle, so my quote of the night is one that I imagine that happened backstage. “I got a great idea baby! Tonight, the American Dream is tag teaming with the Road Warriors. So tonight, daddy, Dusty Rhodes will put on some face paint! For one night only, Dusty Rhodes will be Road Warrior Dream baby!”

Dave Hall: For me the funniest moment of the night was when, early in the event, the commentators were talking about the crowd at this NWA event, and the camera panned to a young fan cheering wildly. Clearly wearing a Jake “The Snake” Roberts t-shirt.

Highlights

The most important mustaches in the history of our sport.

Brian Bayless: The other Tag Team Title match was also a blast with Lex Luger & Barry Windham winning the titles. he main event of Ric Flair vs. Sting for the NWA World Heavyweight Title started off slow but built up well and ended up being a damn good match.

Jacob Williams: I loved the construction of the show. Aside from the lame opener, the show really built well and flowed into the huge main event. The two marquee tag matches were amazing. The crowd was nuclear and made nearly every match seem huge. There were a few slow spots in the main event, but the best moments are what wrestling is all about.

Calum McDougall: Straight out the traps in this show with Tony Schiavone’s majestic mustache, then we move straight to Randy Anderson’s permed mullet – if you meshed the two together you’d get Ross Gellar in a flashback episode of Friends. The post match of the TV Title match is outstanding too, with Precious being my MVP, she was absolutely fantastic. And finally, Dusty Rhodes’ face paint – I like when guys try to blend in with their partners, like Ahmed Johnson at WrestleMania 13 and Kurt Angle at TLC ’17.

Dave Hall: This was a strong card, with several really good matches. The NWA really put on a solid event to counter WrestleMania IV. The Main Event was a coming of age party for Sting, and Flair was at his in-ring best. The Tully/Arn vs Windham/Luger match was very good as well, with a good finish that really popped the crowd. As mentioned the Midnights vs Fantastics was an awesome fast-paced match. I even enjoyed the “unique rules” of the Garvin vs Rotunda match. While it was not a blow-away match, the one count rule made for interesting psychology, which both wrestlers and the commentators played up, and the “round” idea was different. I don’t know that I would want to see such a match again, but I enjoyed the unique way it was done.

Lowlights

Fuck this guy.

Brian Bayless: Not much to complain about on this show but selling the main event as having judges make a decision in case of a draw then not even having two of the judges give a score while the tie-breaking judge scores it a draw makes you think why even have them to begin with?

Jacob Williams: The opener was very flat, especially compared to the energy of everything else on the show. Really the only lowlight, as I thought the barbed wire match was at least an interesting novelty that didn’t overstay its welcome.

Calum McDougall: Every. Single. Interview. They were all so dull, and I completely zoned out when they came on. The Barbed Wire six man was pretty bad too, whole lot of nothing. And Nikita Koloff with hair, that was a striking visual that I wasn’t expecting, some guys just should stay bald.

Dave Hall: For me the only in-ring lowlight was the Road Warriors/Dusty Rhodes match vs Powers of Pain/Ivan Koloff match. With all six in the ring at once, it looked more like a battle royal, and how can you have a barbed wire match and not use the wire? It looked like all six men were trying to avoid the edge of the ring, and finish as quick as they can. Total waste of time. The other lowlight was the use of “judges in the main event”, three of whom had no business “judging” a wrestling match. And then they could not even make a decision. This should never have been included. I would have just rather we end the match as they did, and then go off the air.

Wild Card BABY!!!

Wildcard!

Best Tidbit #1: At the time there were rumors of Jim Crockett Promotions taking over World Class Championship Wrestling and having Kevin & Kerry Von Erich debut on this show. – BB

Most Monotone: The personality vacuum that is Frances Crockett. Never has someone been on television that seemed less enthused about anything ever. – CM

PSA of the Night: Get high on sports, not drugs! Thanks, Nikita Koloff! – JW

Most Redundant: Jason Hervey and Ken Osmond who were brought in to be judges in the main event… and their opinions were never asked for nor taken into account when deciding the victor of the match. – CM

Who Edited This??: How can you have an interview with Jim Cornette hyping him and the Midnight Express AFTER their match is completed. This interview should have been before the match. This just seemed so out of place. – DH

Best Tidbit #2: According to the Warlord, Dusty Rhodes put him together with the Barbarian and Animal of the Road Warriors came up with the Powers of Pain name. – BB

Final Thoughts

Brian Bayless: After the WWF screwed with Crockett earlier in the year by running the Royal Rumble free on USA opposite of the Bunkhouse Stampede PPV, Crockett returned the favor and ran this opposite of WrestleMania IV. This show was so much better than the PPV and might have been the best free TV special in wrestling history. A show that breezed by and the crowd was pumped the entire night. An awesome offering that all fans should seek out. RATING: 9/10

Jacob Williams: If this had just a little bit more to offer in the early going (like a good opener) this might be 10/10. As it stands, it is still an amazing show with an incredible amount of greatness crammed into two hours that encapsulates why people still hold 80s NWA wrestling so near and dear. RATING: 9/10

Calum McDougall: This show is legendary for a reason. Three out of the five matches were outstanding and the other two could’ve been good had they not been hamstrung a bit by the gimmick. But this show is head and shoulders above WrestleMania IV and the 90 matches it went head to head with. It’s easy to say that this is a one match show, given how memorable Flair vs Sting is, but there’s much more to it than the time limit draw. I cant recommend this enough. RATING: 8/10

Dave Hall: A really good event, which still holds up today. Of the five matches, only one was not any good. Three of the other four matches were outstanding, and the Garvin vs Rotunda match was enjoyable. I can see why it got such praise back in 1988, and I think it still deserves lots of praise today. It could have used a couple of strong interviews to hype some of the matches for people who would have been tuning into NWA for the first time (especially from Flair and Sting), which drops the score a point in my opinion. RATING: 9/10

And we are out! Where will the Network Adventure travel to? Which Coliseum will be conquered next? Which of these assholes will quit the project in an indignant rage??? Find out in TWO WEEKS!

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

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heartbreakprincehbk · 5 months

Text

Are You With Me? (Kerry Von Erich x Reader)

Pairing: Reader x Kerry Von Erich

Words: 1,996

A/N: This was heavily inspired by the song "Chemtrails Over the Country Club" by Lana Del Rey. Kinda angsty, mostly fluffy.

Warning: TW: suicide and mentions of religion.

I'm on the run with you, my sweet love

There's nothing wrong contemplating God

Under the chemtrails over the country club

You sat stiffly, trying to hold your head high despite the tears drying against your cheek. Next to you, Kerry sat pressed into your passenger seat, looking too big and like a small child all at once. His hands sat on his lap, palms up, his eyes stared out the window, blank and expressionless.

“Hey,” you said, briefly taking your eyes off the red stoplight to place your hand in his. He looked over as if he weren’t certain this was the first time you had spoken. “You with me?” He blinked at you before he offered a small smile.

“Yeah.” He assured you. “Always, baby.”

The answer only made your heart hurt worse. Kerry, your Kerry, always putting on a face for others, always pushing back all the pain to be okay. You squeezed his hand.

“You don’t have to be tough for me.” You reminded him, as you always did, hoping one day it would stick. Maybe today was the day. You heard him let out a small breath and go back to staring out the window.

As you neared his family’s home, following the rest of the cars coming from Mike’s funeral, Kerry finally spoke again.

“I don’t want to go back yet,” he admitted quietly, as though he wasn’t sure it was an option. Without hesitating, you nodded once.

“Okay. That’s okay.” You assured him, squeezing his hand again. He swallowed hard, conflict swirling in his eyes, but you were the one in the driver’s seat. You kept driving past the house, looking Fritz in the eye the entire time, unwavering. His eyes never left yours.

You only stopped once you were far enough away from the main house, but still on the family land. Kerry headed straight for the fence surrounding the area and leaned against it, staring thoughtfully up at one of the great trees offering shade. You climbed up onto the fence to sit next to him, waiting patiently.

“I didn’t like how they were talkin’,” Kerry admitted finally. “About Mike.”

“What do you mean?” You prompted gently. Kerry’s eyes had shifted to the sky.

“I just hear dad. Saying that…Mike’s going to hell. Since he killed himself.” His brow furrowed. “I don’t think God would be like that.” He finally said, his head turning to watch a leaf flutter by his face. His words hung as if to say more, but couldn’t.

“I don’t either.” You finally agreed. “You don’t have to think what your dad thinks, Kerry. He doesn’t know everything.” Kerry’s eyes unfocused again as he directed his gaze straight ahead towards the lowering sun. He reached over to you after a moment, wrapping his arm around your shoulders tightly.

“I’m always with you,” he repeated again.

The words made you reach blindly for his arm, for any part of him. You had the sudden sensation of falling with nothing underneath you, everything hitting you all at once. Mike, all the death, all the pain, and your Kerry, still struggling. You held onto him tightly, and yet, not tight enough, the both of you watching the sky.

You're in the wind, I'm in the water

Nobody's son, nobody's daughter

Watching the chemtrails over the country club

You were pacing your tiny kitchen, feeling rage course through you as you ruminated in the events of earlier in the day.

“C’mon, Kerry. You’re not trying hard enough.” It was taking everything in you to keep your lips screwed tight from where you stood next to Fritz, watching Kevin try to help Kerry get moving in the ring again. Every step Kerry took, he was hissing in pain, and there wasn’t a hold or maneuver he could do without falling yet.

“Kerry, I think you need to stop.” Kevin ventured, and you knew he felt your anguish as he watched Kerry try to catch his breath from his knees.

“Damn it to hell, that’s the last thing he needs to do. He needs to keep at it.” Fritz was getting into the ring now. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. “Now, we need to deliver to the fans. They’re expecting a Christmas miracle; they’re expecting to see you again sooner rather than later. You need to give them that.” All those fans would have been sick to their stomach had they known the truth, you couldn’t help but think.

“He’s trying! But he can’t push it!” You finally rebuked. It was as if you hadn’t spoken, except for the look of agreement Kevin had sent you.

“Now, come on, son. Get up.” You felt your eyes watering and you left the backyard, heading for your car. There was only so much you could watch.

A knock at your door broke you from your thoughts. You frowned cautiously; it was after midnight. Peeking out the window next to the door, you let out a gasp and threw open the door. Kerry was standing on your doorstep, a bag in hand, leaning with a wince against the door.

“Hi…” he began, ducking his head slightly. “I’m sorry for not calling. I just can’t be at home anymore, and I know this isn’t the right way to do things—I know that we should be married and stuff before, but I was wondering—“

“Yes.” You cut him off immediately. “It doesn’t matter how it’s supposed to be, we don’t have to follow anyone else. You always have a place with me. We can just be us and we can decide what that means.” Kerry blinked a little, as if it weren’t something he hadn’t even considered. “Okay?” You said, taking his face in your hands and making him look you in the eye. He nodded finally, smiling a little.

“Just us.” He repeated, nodding and finally wrapping his arms around you. He buried his face into your hair, the two of you still on the doorway.

Washing my hair, doing the laundry

Late-night TV, I want you only

Like when we were kids under chemtrails and country clubs

Despite all the tragedies, despite Kerry being forced to learn a new way of life after an amputation, things were picturesque with just the both of you in your tiny home. It was easy to fall into a routine outside of the turmoil that kept getting thrown your way.

Kerry was still being pushed by his father to be more, to heal faster, to be stronger, to not be weak. He didn’t want the public, or the fans, or even other wrestlers to know Kerry’s foot had been amputated, leading to more secrecy. You watched it eat away slowly at Kerry every day, and every day, you did your best to build him back up.

When he wasn’t away trying to train and wrestle, it was you two and pancakes at sunrise on Sundays. It was Kerry proudly taking out the trash without you asking and running a bath for you while you folded the laundry. He would sit next to you, sharing details about each other’s days as the sky changed color. A candle burning on the counter, warm lamplight turning every inch of his skin into a glow. Dishes were something to look forward to, because that meant a meal had been shared together and afforded more time spent side by side, one scrubbing and one drying. The radio on the windowsill playing Fleetwood Mac, Kerry trying everything to keep the rosebush out front alive instead of withering. You ironed his shirts for him and cried into his pillow when he was away. You tried to hold him tighter each day, trying to shield him more and more from the outside turmoil.

Fritz never warmed to the idea of you with Kerry, but you didn’t let it bother you; he never seemed to think anyone would be good enough for any of his sons. However, he did expect you to carry on a certain way in public if you were going to be seen with Kerry. Immaculately dressed, smiles to the fans, mentions of good Christian faith when applicable. His expectations were now not only on his family, but you too. Again, it didn’t bother you. Life with Kerry, just the two of you, was worth it and only the both of you knew what that peace felt like.

It's never too late, baby, so don't give up

The tragedies continued to pile up, and your thoughts only worsened. At night, you didn’t sleep. You could only stare at Kerry sleeping next to you, trying to imprint him in your mind, willing that you could keep him here with you.

Kerry was gone often after signing with the WWF. Your tiny house had doubled in size, and with it, the fear in your heart. You jumped every time the phone rang, fearful it was the deliverance of bad news. You longed for tight spaces and a dying rosebush. You put on your pearls if you were seen in public. Everything kept going, time went on, dragging you both with it.

Something was different when Kerry came home. Usually, his relief and excitement at seeing you kept you going, but he was subdued. He couldn’t look you in the eye. He went for a drive after dinner, and you stood frozen in front of the sink, dishes in the sink untouched.

It was that same night, or rather, that next early morning, that you found Kerry sitting upright on the side of your bed, staring out towards the navy sky that was slowly getting brighter.

“Kerry,” you murmured, pulling yourself upright. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“Oh, nothing.” He brushed off lightly, not turning his head. “Couldn’t sleep. You can go back to bed, honey.” Your eyes spotted the open painkillers on the nightstand.

“Kerry.” You responded, crawling across the bed to sit next to him. Still, he avoided your gaze. “I need you to tell me what’s really going on.” His brow furrowed as he stared down at his hands for a long moment, seemingly mustering the courage to speak.

“They’re letting me go.” He admitted. “I blew it, Y/N.” You swallowed.

“Kerry…”

“I’ve humiliated everyone. I’m not even myself anymore, I’m just a fake. I’m lying to everyone, I’m…I’m crippled. I’m in pain. I’m a mess.” Your heart sped up as he spoke. “I don’t know…I don’t know if I can keep going.”

“Kerry, how dare you.” You murmured. He looked at you quickly and you moved to the floor in front of him, kneeling in between his knees and taking his hands in yours. “You can’t talk like that. You haven’t humiliated anyone, and your brothers wouldn’t want to hear you talking like that.”

“But—”

“David would slap you upside the head if he could hear you.” Kerry chuckled a little, smiling fondly. “Kerry, listen to me. You are my hero. You’re my inspiration. I love you. So what about the WWF? That doesn’t mean anything. You and Kevin still have your dad’s promotion, you can figure something out between the two of you, whether that means selling it or starting over—you have options! You don’t have to live for anyone else Kerry, just you. You don’t have to hide anymore. We can fix it, all of it, we can downsize and get our old little house back. Just please…” you let out a breath. “Don’t leave me. Please.” Kerry reached down, his hands cradling your face and urging you upwards where he pulled you onto his lap.

“I won’t.” He whispered, holding you against him and rubbing your back. “I’m sorry.” You turned your body to wrap your arms around his neck, determined to not let go.

“Are you with me?” You breathed, leaning back to look at his face. He held your gaze, stroking your cheek.

“Always, baby.”

#kerry von erich #iron claw #kerry von erich x reader #von erich imagine #iron claw imagine #jeremy allen white #kerry von erich imagine #tw: suicide

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heartbreakprincehbk · 3 months

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Lucky (Kerry Von Erich x Reader)

Words: 2401

Summary: Requested by anon! Reader isn't into Valentine's Day, but Kerry insists on giving her a surprise Valentine's Day date at home. Thanks for the request, hope y'all enjoy!

*images from pinterest

“Any plans for Valentine’s Day tomorrow?” You looked up briefly in mild annoyance and had to remind yourself it wasn’t the grocery store clerk’s fault that they happened to be the third person to ask you that this week.

“No.” You said, giving a stiff smile as you gave them the cash for your items.

“Yeah, I understand. This time of year is no fun single.” They said, continuing the conversation as they counted out your cash. You debated whether it was worth it to correct them before deciding to keep your mouth shut. “Well, have a great day anyways.” You mumbled something of the same and grabbed your groceries, purposefully looking away from the big Valentine’s display of candies and flowers on your way out of the store.

It wasn’t that you hated love, or even that you were single, it all just seemed kind of pointless. A big over-commercialized competition to make everyone feel bad as though they had to quantify their love with big expensive displays of affection. You simply believed that showing your love in other ways every other day of the year meant more than a big show one day of the year.

Besides, with Valentine’s Day falling on a Saturday, you were more than certain your boyfriend, Kerry Von Erich, was going to be slamming other men into the wrestling mat. You were used to that sort of thing, and it was much worse not having him around on Christmas or Thanksgiving. It was nearly impossible to complain; you knew it bothered him more than you from the pained look in his puppy dog eyes every time he had to leave. You did your best not to make him feel any worse about it. You could handle one Valentine’s Day alone compared to those.

Kerry knew you weren’t a big fan of Valentine’s Day. The very first one you spent together, Kerry had given you a dozen roses, a giant teddy bear, and chocolates, and while you thanked him, you very quickly let him know your preferences.

“You don’t have to spend all that money on me, it’s not a big deal.” To say he was confused was an understatement.

“Is this a test to make sure I actually still buy you gifts next Valentine’s Day?” Kerry checked.

“No!” You giggled. “I just don’t think it’s necessary to make a big deal out of one day and waste money.” You hoped he got the message. Really, just being with Kerry was a gift of its own.

Now, another Valentine’s Day was upon you. So far so good as you woke up with no fanfare. Kerry had already gotten up and was working out in the garage as per usual. When you finally made it downstairs to make some breakfast, Kerry made his appearance. He froze when he saw you.

“Good morning,” you greeted him. He hesitated, looking you over like you were a word puzzle he was trying to figure out. Eventually, he was able to speak.

“Hey–oh, good morning. So hey, baby, uh…so, my mom and Mike wanted to take you to lunch today.” He explained somewhat awkwardly. You frowned a little.

“But I just saw her for lunch yesterday. She didn’t mention it.” You said. Kerry scratched his head, avoiding your gaze and giving a half-shrug.

“Yeah, uh…well, I think it was last minute. Maybe, uh…Mike’s idea.” You frowned a little. “I gotta shower and go meet Kev. My mom said she would pick you up around 1 pm.” Your frown deepened.

“Okay.” You said, smiling slightly when he pressed a kiss to the side of your head on his way out of the kitchen.

Doris was right on time with Mike in tow. The three of you went into town to the local deli, where Mike proceeded to take much longer than normal to eat his sandwich.

“Are you feeling okay?” You asked him. Normally, Mike inhaled his food in three seconds. He looked panicked at your question and took a big bite of his food, prolonging his response.

“I’m fine. Why?” He asked, eyes shifting. You laughed a little. “I’m not acting weird.” From the corner of your eye, you saw Doris shaking her head.

“I didn’t say you were acting weird, but I’m wondering if I need to go complain about your sandwich because normally it would have been gone by now.” You said casually, smiling as Mike’s eyes grew even more panicked.

“No, no! It’s uh, good. Really. I’m just…trying to eat slower. You know, um…avoid choking.” You were biting back a laugh. “Um. Do you have any plans tonight?”

“Mike.” Doris reprimanded.

“It’s okay.” You said, smiling. “No, I’m just planning on catching up on cleaning and maybe I’ll treat myself to a hot bath and tea or ice cream or something. I know Kerry has his show; if it were closer I would be there.”

“You know, it’s been nice weather the last few days for February. I haven’t had to worry about the plants freezing.” Doris said suddenly with a smile. You nodded, listening pleasantly to her latest tale of trying to keep her vegetable garden alive.

After lunch you assumed you would all go separate ways, until Mike blurted out. “Uh, Y/N, I was gonna meet Kev at the record store down the street. Do you want to come?” You frowned a little.

“I thought Kerry was meeting Kevin somewhere today?” Mike swallowed.

“Oh, uh…maybe, maybe earlier for a second, but Kev said he was free this afternoon.”

Your mind was turning. Had Kerry lied to you? You did your best to hide your thoughts as you said goodbye to Doris and walked with Mike to the record store.

You were positive Mike sifted through every record in that store, but you knew how much music meant to him, so you said nothing and waited patiently, flipping through a stack on your own here and there. You noticed after a while he was hanging on to an Eagles record.

“Is that a good one?” You asked. Mike shrugged shyly.

“I’ve had my eye on it for a while.” You smiled and took it from his hands.

“My treat. Come on,” his eyes stretched wide.

“What? Really? But Y/N, you don’t…”

“Tell me if it’s any good.” You insisted as he followed you to the checkout line. “You know, you’ve shown me some great stuff already. I always go to you if I want something new.” You smiled at the way the youngest brother averted his gaze with a bashful chuckle, his cheeks already turning red. Right as you were paying, Kevin walked in the door.

“Hey you two. Mike, what did you find this time?” Mike excitedly showed his record to Kevin who nodded in approval, before he looked at you. “C’mon, you two. Let’s get you home, Y/N.” He seemed to be in a hurry; that made sense due to the brothers having a wrestling show a town over that night.

You wanted to ask Kevin about Kerry, but you knew it wasn’t really Kevin’s place or fault if Kerry was lying to you. Was it possible that he had met someone else, was he using the holiday to woo some new girl, maybe a fan he had met? Suddenly, the idea of Kerry waking you up with a dozen roses sent a longing pang through your heart, but you pushed the thought away. You would simply ask Kerry later.

For now, you focused on the moment you had with Kevin and Mike, laughing in the car together about the last time Ric Flair was in town and the less than welcoming reception he had received, and how Kevin had nearly taken the win and trying not to give into the disappointed feeling creeping up on you.

“See you boys,” you said as Kevin’s truck pulled up in front of your house. “Good luck tonight, Kev. Enjoy that record, Mike!” They both waved and you sighed a little, walking up towards the sure-to-be empty house. The sun was beginning to set ever so slightly, the sky growing more orange and casting shadows over the lawn. Now alone, you allowed yourself to feel crest-fallen.

You pushed your key reluctantly into the lock, resigning yourself to the evening you had described earlier, only to stop once the door swayed open. In the distance, you could hear faint music playing. You listened for a moment, frowning in confusion. It was a cheesy ballad—Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.” The lights were off, and you made your way towards the kitchen, where the music was loudest and a hint of warm light was spilling into the hallway.

“Kerry?” You called, gasping at what you saw. Kerry was standing waiting next to the dining table, fighting a big smile, his chin raised and hands behind his back. He was wearing jeans and an apron designed to look like a tuxedo with nothing underneath. The table was covered in a white table cloth and at the center was a big vase of cascading roses, along with more scattered rose petals and two dinner plates. Candles were everywhere, from the table to the kitchen counters, and even a few tea lights on the ground.

“Kerry! What is all of this?” You demanded, frozen on the spot, laughing at his apron. An overwhelming sense of happiness, love, and surprise filled you as you looked from him to the area surrounding you.

“I cooked dinner.” He explained, as if he were discussing the weather, laughing finally as you laughed.

“But why? Kerry, you should be halfway to Tyler right now for the show!” His grin widened.

“Yeah, I know. But Kev’s covering for me; he’s gonna wrestle the tag match and take my spot in the main event too.”

“What! Why?” You repeated. Kerry laughed again as if you were missing the point and walked closer, wrapping his large arm over the top of your shoulders to pull you closer and kiss the top of your head.

“You sure do ask a lot of questions.” He noted into your hair, making you chuckle. “Because you’re important and I love you.” He grabbed your hand and led you to the table, pulling out your chair for you to sit before sitting across from you.

“Kerry…” you breathed, looking down at the plate. It was a very impressive looking chicken Parmesan on a bed of pasta. “This looks amazing.” He smiled.

“Thank you. Just don’t look at the sink.” You giggled, imagining a mountain of dishes and utensils. “I’ve been practicing with mom the last two weeks. I think it turned out perfect this time—the first time the chicken was too tough. Anyway, I think I’ve nailed it now.” You were blown away by the effort; Kerry could cook simple and remedial dishes, but an entire entree was surprising. “Try it and tell me what you think.”

He seemed to be waiting to take a bite of his own food until you took yours. You stared at his anxious face as you took the first bite.

“Kerry, this is so good. Wow. You’re definitely gonna have to make this again.” He was back to glowing from your praise. “But, I mean, I still don’t understand why.” His smile softened.

“I know you always said you don’t want a big deal made out of Valentine’s Day and not to fuss over you, but…I can’t help it. I love you, Y/N. I want to do these things. You always said you don’t want me to buy anything, or go out anywhere, so I decided the best way to show you how much I love you is to treat you at home.”

“And your mother and Mike? Were they in on it too?” Kerry laughed.

“I asked them to hold you up for as long as they could to give me time to decorate and cook.” Suddenly, everything made sense–Mike taking his time eating, dragging you through every corner of the record store, Doris trying to keep your mind off of Valentine’s Day, even Kevin. Suddenly you wondered how you missed all the signs.

“And you didn’t actually go to meet Kevin.” He looked almost sheepish.

“No…I went to buy the flowers and everything else I needed. But I couldn’t tell you that.” You laughed, shaking your head at how silly your prior worries suddenly seemed.

“I’m a little embarrassed, but…I was afraid you lied about meeting Kevin because you were meeting someone else and spending the day with them.” You admitted. Rather than getting angry or defensive or even offended, Kerry only looked confused.

“What? I’d never do that to you, baby. I just wanted to surprise you. I’ve been trying to plan this out for weeks now, I think since Christmas.” A feeling of utter peace and contentment filled you. How lucky were you?

“Oh, Kerry…this is perfect. This is everything I could have wanted. Thank you.” You smiled, and he reached across the table to grab your hand with his much larger one.

“No, thank you. I just wanted to make sure you were treated right on Valentine’s Day. Because I’m here, and as long as I’m here, you will be.”

“And every other day?” You teased, laughing. Kerry grinned broadly, his thumb rubbing across your knuckles.

“Especially every other day.” He promised. “Boy, cooking really gets you hungry.” He said as he picked up his fork again, making you laugh. “I rented a movie too for after, and maybe we can make some ice cream floats. Oh! I’ve been meaning to tell you, the funniest thing happened the other day. The last time Ric Flair came to town, he had a rough time. There was a kid chewing gum in the front row, and he didn’t like Flair, so he took the gum…”

You listened enthusiastically to Kerry telling the story, despite the fact you had already heard the tale from Kevin. Instead, you settled into your chair and picked up your fork, focusing on the sparkle in Kerry’s eyes, the way the glow of the candles warmed his handsome features as the flames danced, the way his perfectly tousled curls framed his face. Your cozy little kitchen felt warmer than ever and so full of love that it radiated from every nook and cranny. Really, how lucky could you be?

#iron claw imagine #kerry von erich x reader #kerry von erich imagine #iron claw fic #iron claw x reader

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