#von erich imagine

[heartbreakprincehbk]

Headcanon: Dating David Von Erich

Requested by @unforgettble420 !

To be completely honest, Kerry was always my favorite BUT honestly David is replacing him because he’s complete husband material. That man is a Cancer so you know he cares deeply about a family, taking the role as a provider seriously, responsible and protective and sentimental, etc. 

He would have first spotted you at one of the WCCW shows in the crowd and been distracted during his whole match. Kevin would have to yell at him to get his head in the game, and Kerry would catch on that you were the reason he was distracted after one too many looks in your direction.

After the show, Kerry and Kevin encouraged David to approach you in the parking lot. They both realized David wasn’t normally like this. He wasn’t nervous, but he did his best to shoo his brothers away to not ruin the moment. Little did he know, Kerry and Kevin were watching from around the corner of the Sportatorium.

He would be casual and calm as he approached and wasn’t afraid to compliment you in front of your friends.

“Excuse me, I don’t mean to interrupt anything, but I just had to tell you I think you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

Not only were your friends impressed, but you were already smitten.

You would both keep talking, and he would eventually ask you out. You weren’t expecting much, maybe dinner or a movie, but he brought you to his family’s house where they had acres of land full of beautiful big trees. He had a picnic set up for the both of you, and was eager to get to know you.

Things would progress between the two of you pretty quickly, because David isn’t really the type for games or wasting his or anyone else’s time. He would know immediately that you were the one for him, and it would get serious pretty quickly.

He would ask your opinion on things like kids, what your goals and dreams were, if you minded him wrestling and traveling. He would be willing to make compromises, such as taking you with him on the road when you were able, and making up for the times he had scheduled matches. 

If you didn’t know wrestling or weren’t so familiar with it, David would teach you about it patiently, explaining the in’s and out’s, the characters, the training. He would always be amused when you worried over him getting hurt, but secretly, he would be thrilled that someone really cared about his well-being.

David would show you a new way of life, taking you to the lake with his brothers, riding with the windows down in his truck, tending to his horses with him. In turn, you softened him a bit with all the neck rubs and scalp massages. He wasn’t used to someone taking such care to buy him new socks to replace the ones with holes, or soft blankets on the bed.

David would love knowing you were taking time and care to make your house a home, and in turn he would always provide everything you ever needed; there was never anything you ever wanted because David made sure you had it. 

You mention you would like to learn how to ride a horse one time? David would get you your own and explain why he picked the breed and teach you himself. You mention you would like to paint? There would be an easel, paint, and different sized canvases in the spare room. You’re a little extra chilly when winter comes around? There’s a new fur coat in your closet. You like reading? He would literally build you your own bookcase. 

He trusts you entirely; as soon as he gets paid from wrestling, the money goes straight into your hands. 

He would take your wishes into account, but David was eager to have a family of his own. If that wasn’t something you wanted, he was prepared to be the best uncle to his brother’s kids and have them over often.

You were that couple that everyone thought had been together for 20 years; it was as if you had known each other your entire lives. David knew you better than himself. He knew all your moods, every look on your face, every answer to every woe. 

Naturally, all of his brothers were extremely supportive. 

Kevin, being the oldest and already starting to establish his own family, was very grateful and appreciative that David found someone so perfect for him and made him so happy. He would do a lot to make sure you felt comfortable within their family, always asking how you were doing, what you’ve been up to.

Kerry would treat you like the sister he never had. He would keep you company while you watched David wrestle, ask your opinion on everything from how his hair looked to how his own match went. He would also tease you, but never maliciously. 

Mike really adores you. He would gravitate to your side during family occasions, he would show you songs he had been working on first, and was always eager to talk about music with you. He nearly cried when you got him a new record player for Christmas.

Chris took a while to warm up to you, but pretty soon, he was your biggest fan. He would always be at your side asking you to help him build a puzzle he was working on, or asking you and David if he could tag along. You basically adopted him together, always taking him with you when you went to get lunch or see a movie. 

Doris normally held the belief that no one would ever be good enough for her sons, but then she met you. After watching the joy on David’s face around you, and how apparent it was that you genuinely cared for him and got along with everyone else, her mind changed almost immediately. She would love to chat with you about your future plans with David, and it would soon turn into lazy Sunday afternoons, you and Doris drinking tea on the porch while she painted–after your encouragement.

Fritz was less than thrilled when he found out another one of his sons was in a serious relationship, believing that it would damage the fanbase David and his brothers had established, but David wasn’t budging. As a result, he and his dad got into many arguments.

“She’s just like every other woman out there; they’re just interested in your money and want someone to take care of them!” “I’m not gonna let you talk about her like that. Unlike you, I want to take care of someone!” 

David didn’t let his father sway his feelings. He proposed barely a year after you started dating, taking you for a horse ride around his ranch and out towards the pond where he had flowers waiting for you and the ring in his pocket. 

Doris and his brothers were overjoyed; of course they were all excited and thrilled. Doris couldn’t wait to plan everything with you. Fritz finally came around, admitting you weren’t a bad person at all and realizing the relationship was more serious than he had thought. 

Your wedding was quite a huge deal, with the whole ordeal being mentioned on World Class on TV, with snippets being shown from the wedding. You had flowers from fans being delivered the entire month. 

David was sure to never leave your side the entire night of your wedding. It was important to him to start the marriage off with the most important thing–being together.

#david von erich #von erich imagine #david von erich imagine #iron claw #david von erich headcanon #von erich hc

[fangirl-imagines]

Dating David Von Erich Would Include...

A/N: The Iron Claw and David have been living rent free in my brain. Also shout out to @heartbreakprincehbk for their amazing Iron Claw fics.

You are absolutely his number one fan.

Every match he or his brothers are in you can be found sitting front row cheering him on and trying your best not to wince when he goes down in the ring. Even though sometimes its only Michael or Pam giving your hand a reassuring squeeze that keeps you from rushing into the ring. 

David considers you his good luck charm, he says having you there to watch him always makes him perform better in the ring. Fritz hates it, reminding David that there's no such thing as luck and to focus on his training instead of some girl in the audience. 

Either way, David takes you everywhere with him. An out of town match? You’d better pack an overnight bag. Him and his brothers are heading to the lake? Grab your swimsuit baby, he's already on his way to pick you up. He’s working out today? He’s already on the phone asking if you want to come watch him. 

His brothers give him a hard time about it but they all are thrilled for David that he found someone as good as you. 

Being protected like crazy since you’re constantly surrounded by wrestlers that look at you like a sister.

You become especially close with Michael as the two of you spend time hanging out waiting on his brothers at matches. 

He is often the third wheel for you and David, being like a little brother to you too. You’re never too bothered by having Michael come hang around with you and David. 

David is such a family man, he loves having you around his family, seeing how naturally you fit in with them. It makes him all the more excited to have a family with you in the future. 

He’d be the sweetest dad, play wrestling with his sons, watching them grow up close like his brothers and him and teaching them everything he knows. 

Lots of late nights driving around in his truck, your legs in his lap, the windows down, singing along to the radio together at the top of your lungs. 

Your favorite dates are always like this, just the two of you doing nothing but doing it together, just enjoying the slow moments. 

The best nights are especially when he takes you down to the lake late at night, both of you winding up skinny dipping together with the only light being the moon and stars. 

Laying on the dock together afterwards, wearing his shirt, thumbing his wrist wrapped around your waist, is the first time you tell each other that you love each other. 

Playing with his long hair. Wrapping strands around your fingers, even braiding little strands of it when laying in bed together. 

 He almost never calls you by your name, David is a nickname man for sure. 

“Darin, you almost ready to go?” “There’s my baby! Did you enjoy the match?” “Michael, you seen my girl?”

Always stealing his hat, leaving the sportatorium with his arm around you and his hat safely on your head. 

Sometimes he had to wrestle it back from you, playfully showing you his moves, careful not to be too rough with you when he tosses your giggling self around, gently pinning your wrist and stealing his hat back, joking that he was gonna use the iron claw.

#david von erich #david von erich imagine #david von erich x reader #the iron claw #the iron claw imagine #von erich imagines #harris dickinson #harris dickinson x reader #zac efron #jeremy allen white #zac efron x reader #jeremy allen white x reader

[idksmtms]

evermore series

To all the swifties who enjoy my writing, this one is for you! I got this idea at 3am and I am now committed! I'm gonna write a one-shot for each song from the album (at least the ones I can think of) for a variety of characters! This will probably go a bit slowly because I'm writing another series at the same time but I got a bunch of inspo for some of these songs and this idea so I have to do this!

Below I have the track list and the characters:

willow - Cillian Murphy

champagne problems - Aemond Targaryen Modern AU

gold rush - Kerry Von Erich

'tis the damn season - Aegon II Targaryen

tolerate it - Daemon Targaryen

no body no crime - Daemon Targaryen

happiness - David Von Erich

dorothea - Cillian Murphy

coney island - Kerry Von Erich

ivy - Kerry Von Erich

cowboy like me - David Von Erich

long story short - Cillian Murphy

marjorie - David Von Erich

closure - Uhtred Ragnarsson

evermore - David Von Erich

#taylor swift inspired #evermore inspired #evermore #my work #my writing #my ideas #cillian murphy #cillian x reader #cillian x fem!reader #cillian fic #cillian murphy fanfiction #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen #aemond one eye #aemond #aemond fanfiction #aemond targaryen imagine #aemond x reader #aemond x you #hotd aemond #prince aemond #prince aemond targaryen #hotd modern au #modern au #kerry von erich x reader #kerry von erich #the iron claw #harris dickinson #jeremy allen white character #aegon the second

[creature-wizard]

Is the spiritual person a conspiracy theorist? A list of red flags

They talk about a shadowy group of people supposedly manipulating everything behind the scenes. They might refer to them by terms such as globalists, bankers, international bankers, secret rulers of the world, the elite, the cabal, Kabbalists, Talmudists, satanists, satanic pedophiles, pedophiles, generational satanists, satanic bloodlines, the Illuminati, the Babylonian Brotherhood, lizard people, Reptilians, Orions, regressives, regressive entities, Khazarians, Marxists, cultural Marxists, or leftists. Sometimes, very rarely, they'll just come right out and say "Jews."

They claim that the conspiracy has been working to conceal historical and spiritual truths from humanity.

They claim that the conspiracy uses stuff like food, entertainment, and medicine to control the masses. For example, "additives in food suppress our psychic abilities" or "Hollywood films contain subliminal messages" or "COVID vaccines were actually created to alter your DNA to make you more docile."

Also, claims that the conspiracy controls people via spiritual or technological implants, 5G, or alter programming, with or without explicit mention of Project Monarch (a conspiracy theory promoted by far right cranks such as Mark Philips and Fritz Springmeier, who used hypnosis to respectively convince Cathy O'Brien and Cisco Wheeler that they'd been put under mind control by a global satanic conspiracy).

They claim that this conspiracy is controlling the media, has fingers in every institution they disagree with, and is generally behind everything they disagree with. (EG, the conspiracy created the Catholic Church; that other New Ager they disagree with is actually controlled opposition, etc.)

They claim that the conspiracy is trying to keep people in fear.

They claim that the conspiracy harvests something from people. Blood and adrenochrome are common ones. Loosh is somewhat less common. Expect to see something else pop up eventually.

They claim that the conspiracy practices genetic engineering; EG, creating animal/human hybrids, using vaccines to genetically sever people's connection to God, etc.

They claim that true spiritual wisdom can be traced back to places like Atlantis, Lemuria, or Mu.

They claim that world governments have secretly been in contact with extraterrestrials for years.

They appeal to known frauds and cranks, including but not limited to Erich Von Daniken, Zechariah Sitchin, David Icke, David Wilcock, Graham Hancock, Jaime Maussan, Bob Lazar, Steven Greer, Richard C. Hoagland, Fritz Springmeier, and Drunvalo Melchizedek.

Appeals to forged documents, including but not limited to the alleged diary of Admiral Richard Byrd, The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean, and The Urantia Book.

Appeals to channeled information, such as that provided by Edgar Cayce, Carla Rueckert, or George Van Tassel.

"But all of this has to come from somewhere, doesn't it?"

Oh, it all comes from somewhere, all right, but the where isn't what most people imagine.

A lot of the stuff above is just a modern spin on the content of The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, a Russian hoax created to justify violence against Russian Jews. The Protocols itself was plagiarized from a political satire and incorporated a lot of the post-French Revolution conspiracy theories about Freemasons and Jews being behind the French Revolution. I wrote a summary of the conspiracy tropes found in The Protocols over here.

The stuff about Satanic sacrifices and the consumption of blood, adrenochrome, loosh, or whatever are simply just variations on blood libel, an antisemitic conspiracy theory that claims Jews practice ritual cannibalism. Blood libel can be traced back to ancient Greece. (With the Greek version, I really can't help but notice the similarity to modern urban legends of gangsters kidnapping random people for initiation rituals.)

Many of these tropes can also be linked back to the early modern witch hunts. It was believed that witches sacrificed babies to Satan, practiced cannibalism, and put people under mind control by way of diabolical magic. It was also believed that some witches didn't even know they were witches; they'd go off to attend the Devil's Sabbath at night and come back in the morning without remembering a thing. In the late 20th century, this witch hunter's canard would be reinvented as the alter programming conspiracy theory when media such as the 1973 book Sibyl and its 1976 television adaptation put DID (note: the woman who inspired Sibyl did not have DID) into the public consciousness. For a more complete list of witch panic and blood libel tropes, I wrote a list over here.

Lemuria was a hypothetical landmass proposed to explain the presence of lemur fossils in Madagascar and India while being absent in continental Africa and the rest of Asia, because if lemurs evolved naturally, they wouldn't be in two separate places with no connection to each other. The discovery that India and Madagascar were once connected not only made the hypothesis obsolete, it precludes the existence of Lemuria.

The whole notion of Mu began with a horrendous mistranslation of the Troano manuscript. A man named Augustus Le Plongeon would link the mistranslation with the story of Atlantis, and use it to claim that Atlantis actually existed in the Americas. (For Plongeon, Mu and Atlantis were one and the same.) And then other people (like James Churchward) got their hands on the whole Mu thing, and put their own spins on it, and the rest is history.

Le Plongeon's ideas influence modern Atlantis mythology today; EG, the idea that it was in the Americas. Another guy who helped shape the modern Atlantis myth was Ignatius L. Donnelly, an American politician. Dude claimed that Atlanteans spread their oh-so-superior culture far and wide. He also claimed that Atlantis was the home of the Aryan people, because of course he did.

The idea that all of the world's wisdom can be traced back to Thoth/Hermes goes back to Hermeticism, a product of Greco-Egyptian syncretism. Hermeticism produced a fascinating body of mythology and an interesting way to consider the divine and its role in shaping human history, but that doesn't mean it was right. And the Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean is a modern text that has fuck-all to do with ancient Hermeticism and more to do with HP Lovecraft.

This idea that the conspiracy uses pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines for evil also has roots in Nazi Germany. The Nazi government, wanting to reserve real medicine for their soldiers, told the general populace that said medicine was the product of evil Jewish science and prescribed alternative healing modalities instead. (Said alternative healing modalities did not particularly work.) It also echoes the old conspiracy theories about Jews spreading the Black Death by poisoning wells.

The idea that the conspiracy uses genetic manipulation to create subhuman beings or sever humanity from the divine is a permutation of the Nazi conspiracy theory that Jews are trying to destroy the white race through race mixing. The idea of evil reptilian DNA goes back to the ancient serpent seed doctrine, which is indeed old, but no less pure hateful nonsense for it.

"But there's got to be somebody up to something rotten out there!"

Oh sure. But these people aren't skulking around in the shadows. They're acting pretty openly.

The Heritage Foundation has been working to push this country into Christofascism since the early 1970's. They're the ones responsible for the rise of the Moral Majority and the election of Ronald Reagan. They're also the ones behind Project 2025, which intends to bring us deeper into Christofascism. (Among many other horrible things, they intend to outlaw trans people as "pornographic.")

The Seven Mountains Mandate is another movement pushing for Christofascism. They intend to seize the "seven spheres" of society, which include education, religion, family, business, government/military, arts/entertainment, and media.

There's also the ghoulish American Evangelicals who support Israel because they think that current events are going to bring about the Second Coming of Jesus and cement the formation of a global Christofascist empire. Don't let their apparent support of Jews fool you - they believe that the good Jews will become Christians and the bad ones will go to hell.

All of these people are working toward monstrously horrific goals, but none of them are part of an ancient megaconspiracy. In fact, these are the kinds of people pushing the myth of the ancient megaconspiracy. From the witch hunts to Nazi Germany to the American Evangelical movement, if history has taught us anything, the people pushing the conspiracy theories are always the bad guys.

#conspiracy theories #conspiracy theory #conspiracism #conspirituality #conspiracy theorists #conspiracy theorist #spirituality #spiritual community #red flag #red flags #spiritual red flags #spiritual red flag #atlantis #lemuria #antisemitism #witch hunts #history #pseudohistory #religion #witchblr #paganblr #occultblr #discernment

[cryptotheism]

Imagine, if you will, that you were on your way to a time traveler’s convention with every historical occultist you have ever read about, but in your way there something fucked up and you ended up stranded on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. There are no plants on this rock, but there is a book that contains a ritual that will allow you to conjure everything necessary to create one gigantic meal. However, the ritual requires a human sacrifice, who will become the meat of the main course. You have an inexplicable knowledge that if you do not complete the ritual you will all starve on the island before help will arrive.

Which occultist are you killing and eating?

You gotta remember that a small percentage of occultists were literally Nazis. Like card-carrying members of the German Nazi party. And they would be very outnumbered by all the Jewish occultists throughout history.

I think you would have to physically stop most of the 20th century occultists from killing the Thule Society with their bare hands.

This is also a bit of a cop-out answer. Of course you kill the Nazis.

I'm gonna vote we kill Erich von Daniken. We don't need the ancient aliens people. This is also assuming that Battaille doesn't volunteer to be sacrificed as a sex thing.

[daysofyellowroses]

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! 🫶🏻💗

🌼

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

[daves-horse]

Could you do like a Kevin smut or tickle fic or a playfight imagine?

I know this is short, because you said imagine, but if you'd like a part 2 just let me know.

Hope you enjoy.

(smut under cut)

Pinned Ya

(kevin von erich)

I listen to hear the front door close, “Baby.” I hear My husband, Kevin, call. Silently, I take off running around the corner to jump on him. I successfully land on his back. Causing Kevin to stumble a bit. “Well, hello to you too.” He laughs, but don’t respond I’m too focused on getting the pin. He shakes me onto the couch, and walks away, swiftly turning around to come get me, but I’m too fast. I sprint forward and jump back onto him. “Woah.” He catches but still loses balance, falling back on the floor, with me on top of him.

“Pinned ya.” I giggle, victorious. Kevin laughs along with me. He rolls us over, while I’m caught off guard, so now he’s hovering over me. I sit up to kiss him, he kisses me back, he fell right into my trap. I grab his shoulders, and roll back onto of him while he’s distracted. “Pinned ya, again.” I say, falling onto his chest, exhausted. 

“Looks like I taught you well,” He chuckles. “Might just have to throw ya into the ring, next match.” He sits up, pulling me closer by my waist. He presses his lips to mine, pushes his tongue past my lips, his hands graze my body, he stops to grope my ass. He gently places me back on the floor, lips still connected to mine. He rubs, his hand over my clothed heat. I moan into his mouth, as he adds more pressure onto my clit. I feel myself nearing my climax. 

I feel my orgasm wash over me, most definitely leaving a wet spot on the floor. My panties are ruined, I feel them stick to me as Kevin slides them down my legs. He takes one hand going back to work on my heat which is desperately waiting to be filled by more than just three fingers. While he brings my hands up above my head holding them in place, with the other. Kevin looks at me a smirk evident on his face. My heart sinks as realization washes over me. “Pinned ya.” he says laughing. 

“dammit” I whisper in defeat. 

#iron claw x reader #iron claw #kevin von erich x reader #kevin von erich #kevin von erich smut #iron claw smut #zac efron #zac efron x reader #zac efron smut

[wrestlingarsenal]

Ole Anderson beats up Jerry Roberts in this 1980 squash match recently posted to YouTube. The jobber is actually afforded some Hope Spots near the end of the match, but this just inspires Anderson to get more aggressive to put this chump down for good.

Jerry Roberts is also known as Jacques Rougeau. The Rougeau family were a Big Deal up in Montreal, a revered multi-generational dynasty like the von Erichs in Texas. So it's no wonder Jacques changed his name to "Jerry" when he was hired as Enhancement Talent here in the U.S. He didn't want to bring shame and humiliation on his family name, given the degrading defeats and endless abuse he would have to endure for our viewing pleasure.

I can just imagine his shame when he went home for Christmas and his dad and brothers asked him about his Win-Loss record down here in the WWF!

#rougeau brothers #jobber squash match #male defeated #trunks and boots #classic pro wrestling

[buffyfan145]

Some interesting stuff was revealed last night during The Von Erich's latest podcast last night as they had a live Q&A. Breaking this down into points but I'm even more convinced they've signed with AEW. 😀

They were asked about all those articles out now about them signing and it was very similar to those interviews with Marvel actors where they can't say what's really going on but there was hints. LOL They keep teasing something is coming very soon but can't reveal it. Also went on about how they loved being on AEW and working with everyone there. Dustin Rhodes is their guest in tonight's episode too. Again that Texas residency AEW is doing this summer seems really suspicious again given this news of their possible signing. So like with the Marvel actors we'll see come July/August if they show up.

Had some more great stories about growing up in both Texas and Hawaii and their early wrestling careers.

Was interesting to hear them talk about how their family, others, and themselves have noticed their personalities match with Kevin and David. For those that don't know Marshall's first name is really Kevin, while Ross' is really David (they go by their middle names). However, their personalities match the opposite as Ross is more like Kevin and Marshall says he gets told all the time he's like David all over again (with him also looking like Fritz LOL). I even noticed this not just from watching Kevin & David's promos/interviews and knowing they were the original two of the brothers that were the first tag team, but also from "The Iron Claw" movie with Zac Efron and Harris Dickinson's scenes together.

Talked again about Kevin writing a memoir and that the Discovery Channel just helped them preserve a bunch of old home movies.

Told more about their uncle Chris and how he was, as well as more on how Fritz really was as the movie made him much more of a villain than he was. Also the movie left out Fritz' father, who actually would've been more considered a villain to both Fritz and the boys after hearing how he treated them.

While they liked the movie, they still think it should've been a miniseries and do think that might happen in the future. Though I can't imagine who could play them, especially David as Harris did so amazing as him but also Zac. I actually feel Jeremy could've done more as Kerry in a miniseries format keeping it more accurate, same with Harris as David.

Marshall even revealed he saw his uncle Mike in a dream once when he was a teenager going through some hard times. He told his dad but this was the first time he told Ross and he was amazed by it. He felt Mike gave him reassurance and that he was going to be ok after high school. Both brothers also said they do feel their uncles and grandpa's presence with them too especially when they're wrestling.

Also brought up Mike being a musician and that they wish they had recordings of him as everyone tells them he sang beautifully as well as being a guitarist. Ross also revealed he's a guitarist too and Marshall plays piano.

Then laughed so much about Marshall teasing Ross about all the DMs them keep getting on their shared Instagram as Ross is still single. LOL 😂

Totally rec their podcast as they've talked about so much and will also be having more guests. Their sister Kristen and cousin Hollie also do episodes too focused more on their experiences and on mental health too.

#the von erichs #marshall von erich #ross von erich #aew #all elite wrestling #kevin von erich #david von erich #kerry von erich #mike von erich #chris von erich #fritz von erich #the iron claw #zac efron #harris dickinson #jeremy allen white

[squadron-goals]

Richthofen (by Erich von Salzmann) Part 3

He developed over time. He was no longer just the single brilliant fighter, no longer that ruler of the air who was the terror of all enemies with his red plane, who, when reported, soon found the field empty; for in spite of the high head price that those over there had put up for him, they fled from Richthofen and his superior skill. He became a leader. His squadron soon distinguished itself from others. He led it from victory to victory. Like the individual man, those around him became the terror of the enemies. That's when you felt what you hadn't known before: There's more to this man than just a marksman, more than just cool, calm considerations and lightning-fast decisions. There is a leader in this man, one of those officers who is born with the gift of leadership. In this way he became the teacher of many others, only by his example, by his command. So he finally led a whole fighter wing of several combined squadrons. Richthofen knew exactly about the state of aviation. Although perhaps not an expert technician, he was perfectly aware of the mistakes made in the principles of aircraft construction and gave his calm, sober judgement. He knew that nothing perfect could exist on earth. He learned by comparing. He never underestimated his opponents and always did them justice. He recognized his opponent's strengths and weaknesses when he spotted them in the air with his eagle eyes, which saw farther and sharper than those of ordinary mortals. He assessed the opponent correctly, which gave him a large part of his superiority. More and more he occupied himself with aviation in general, with air combat specifically. When I saw him at home last August, he told me that we were approaching difficult times, that the enemy's constructions were catching up with ours and that some of them were already superior. He knew exactly how to assess that. In spite of this, he always approached his duty with the greatest joy, and the time he spent at home was only an interruption of the engagement with the enemy that had become so dear to him.

He, a Richthofen, belonged at the front, where the Richthofens always stood when it was a matter of defending the fatherland, right at the enemy! Hundreds, thousands of people at home must have followed the path of this man with concern, with the thought: if only he were in a safe place! He could not. He's said it to me often enough: "I have to go up front, I can't stay behind." So he died, a role model for hundreds, thousands who will come after him and who will traverse the air on airplanes. An embodiment of noble Prussianism, a nobleman full of patriotism and loyalty to duty, a young hero, as the people imagine him as the ideal figure of an officer, who our youth will one day imitate. But he will remain the one, almost inimitable. When this war is over, people will say of this young man, who only saw a quarter of a century: "There was only one Richthofen!"

#manfred von richthofen #Ein Heldenleben

[heartbreakprincehbk]

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

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

[autolenaphilia]

Golden Vanity

Golden Vanity is the debut novel by Rachel Pollack (1945-2023), first published in 1980 and it’s a solid little space opera novel. It’s remarkably short considering how many ideas there are in this book. The original 1980 print edition was only 227 pages long.

There are a bunch of common space opera tropes. There is the mysterious ancient progenitor race who seeded the universe with life, so there are humans like those on Earth all over the place, yet they’ve grown disconnected over the eons. There is jumps into hyperspace to facilitate interstellar travel. It’s the same ideas Star Trek draws from.

But the novel brings original takes on these ideas. Ships are steered by pilots using their minds and constructing elaborate fantasies. And the book’s equivalent of hyperspace feels truly alien and frightening. It’s a space beyond the universe that humans know, and Pollack understands that. It’s symbolic that in the novel, it’s literally only reachable by a great feat of human imagination.

And the universe is ruled not by a benign federation or even the evil galactic empire of Star Wars, but by ultra-capitalistic corporations. A single world got control over the technology of space travel and now is using it to exploit other worlds, stripping the planet of whatever resources it has, including their peoples. It’s capitalism at its most ruthless.

And Earth is one of the most recent human-inhabited worlds to be contacted. The humans of Earth unaware that the aliens who have landed don’t have their best interests in mind. They have abandoned developing and taking care of their own society, and are now waiting on whatever boons the aliens might bring. It’s a fascinating portrayal of societal decay and the dangers of relying on someone else for salvation.

The plot is set into action by the title character, Golden Vanity (or just Vanity for short), a young woman who escapes from her abusive father, an alien corporate executive by the name of Jaak, and escapes to Earth. She meets Hump (short for Humphrey), an ordinary but clever Earthman.

The relationship between Hump and Vanity is basically the screwball comedy thing, where normie man meets and falls in love with a weird woman. It’s straight of course, but again the book develops it beyond clichés. Vanity especially is an interesting and well-developed character. The most interesting part of the relationship is that they discover telepathic abilities, and can inhabit each others bodies via it. How this is written towards the end of the book destabilizes any cisheteronormativity of the straight relationship, as the lovers inhabit each other’s bodies. The telepathy becomes a message about the interconnectedness of humans.

And the book shows how patriarchy and misogyny is tied up with capitalism. The villains of the book are clearly Jaak the corporate executive and the mercenary starship pilot Loper, who both want to possess and abuse Vanity like an object. And this is an extension of the ruthless capitalist mentality of the corporations they serve, which treats human bodies as resources.

As dark as the book gets, there is plenty of humor. The book makes fun of everything from Erich von Däniken to radfems. There is a kind of joyful sprightliness to the plot, as the novel delights in the act of storytelling.

It’s a solid debut novel, a space opera that is able to create a fascinating world in a relatively short book. It has spent decades out of print, but is now available as an e-book in Gollancz SF Gateway imprint (which DRMs their books, but there are ways to fix that).

#my writings #book review #rachel pollack #golden vanity #this is a close to forgotten book #so little about it written online #but it's good y'all

[sholiofic]

A Biggles prompt : Von Stalheim is stranded in the middle of the dessert, escaping from another sticky situation. Wounded and exhausted, he powers through the dessert back to the civilisation. He knows when the hallucinations start, mixing past and the present, but is not ready when a hallucination of Bigglesworth suddenly grabs him.

tl;dr Biggles crash lands in the dessert and, while waiting for his team to pick him up, a delirious von Stalheim passes him by.

Answering some older prompts! The fill for this delightful prompt is a little bit AU, set between Flies East and Biggles & Co.

--

"You," Erich got out, through cracked lips. It was all he could say. He couldn't tell if this was reality, any of it; even what he had thought was a leather flight jacket turned out to be the collar of a sweat-soaked and sandy shirt, gathered in his clutching fingers. It could all be the product of his sun-fevered mind.

But there was a warm and living chest beneath the shirt, there were gentle hands steadying him. And if this was all a hallucination, then his imagination, with an unusual level of detail, had painted in signs of age—fine lines around the quizzical hazel eyes and the expressive mouth that hadn't been there when he had last seen that face at Zabala, when Erich hadn't even known his real name.

"I should be the one asking questions here," said Brunow—no—Bigglesworth. "The last I knew, you were supposed to be dead."

But his voice and his hands were both gentle, and Erich was dizzily aware of being guided into the sudden relief of shade. He half-lay, half-fell as he was lowered onto—yes—a flight jacket that had been spread out to provide a cushion from the sand. A slim, strong hand cupped the back of his neck and lifted his head so he could sip some lukewarm water. 

Erich turned his head to the side and watched as Bigglesworth, kneeling in the sand and stripped down to his shirtsleeves in the heat, poured a little of the water from the canteen onto his silk flight scarf. He laid it across Erich's overheated forehead. 

"Here," Bigglesworth said, pressing the leather canteen into Erich's hand. "Sip a little now and then—not too much. I'm going to try again to get that engine started. If I can't, don't worry, Algy will be along soon enough."

He hesitated, though, and reached out a hand to adjust the silk scarf, pressing more of the damp, cool fabric to Erich's cheek and neck. Erich still felt as if he was drifting in a dreamlike haze. It seemed to him that Bigglesworth looked as if he wanted to say something else.

But if there was something else to say, he couldn't seem to find it. And then he was gone, vanishing so abruptly that Erich thought for a moment he must have imagined him, after all.

The shade wasn't his imagination, though. He gazed up at whatever was blocking the sun, which showed dimly through a heavy fabric, and gradually realized it was the wing of an aeroplane. Of course it was. The war had been over for years, but Bigglesworth would still be flying. 

And he had the canteen in his hand, the flight jacket under his head. He raised a shaking hand to carefully run his fingers along the jacket's fur-lined collar, then touched the damp silk pressed to his hot face. After a moment, he felt strong enough to drink from the canteen.

#biggles series #biggles books #erich von stalhein #james bigglesworth

[kayfabebabe]

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

[mjfass]

MJF was just announced as part of A24’s upcoming wrestling biopic about the Von Erich family! Doesn’t look like they announced many other details like who he’s playing yet though, but your man is headed to the silver screen for the first time!

As a film student, who is a huge, huge, HUGE fan of A24, this is literally the best news EVER.

You guys can’t imagine what this means to me… A24 + MJF? DEAR LORD.

#MJF

[muznew]

Beatport Top 100 Best New Organic H / D: May 2024

- Artists: Beatport DATE CREATED: 2024-05-03 GENRES: Organic House / Downtempo Tracklist : 1. Erich Von Kollar - Sentimiento(Original Mix) 2. Riyoon - Revolt(Original Mix) 3. Agassi - To My Beat(Original Mix) 4. Pambouk - Power of Imagination(Intro Edit) 5. Da Iguana, Walass - Miercoles(Original Mix) 6. makeke - Yea But Naa...(Original Mix) 7. Arnas D, Deividas Bagdanov - Poema(Extended Mix) 8. SHARE (NL) - Bubbles(Original Mix) 9. re os - REO MATSUMOTO - Nico(Original Mix) 10. Mizology - Elenna feat. Mohamed Dawod(Original) 11. Hraach - Reality Shifting(Original Mix) 12. M.O.S. - Night Owls(Original Mix) 13. Nyvs - Sirko(Original Mix) 14. D-Nox, DJ Zombi - Sanctuary of Love(Extended Mix) 15. Oovsha - Conscience(Original Mix) 16. Carlos Luna - Oasis(Extended Mix) 17. Winson - Nemty(Original Mix) 18. Menori - Sirenas(Original Mix) 19. Ghenwa Nemnom - Gaia(Original Mix) 20. Alex Konstantinov - Birdland(Extended Mix) 21. Donz - Anael(Original Mix) 22. Read the full article