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blowflyfag · 1 year ago

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WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION MAGAZINE : MAY 1990

YOUTH, SPEED, & FURY

SHAWN MICHAELS FACES BRET “HIT MAN” HART

It promised to be a dream matchup. Bret “Hit Man” Hart and Shawn Michaels, components of the two of the World Wrestling Federation’s most dynamic tag teams-the Hart Foundation and the Rockers, respectively–agreed to test each other’s heralded ralents in a singles bout. What followed was a dazzling display of wrestling scientific and grueling combat. Even after the contest became inflamed to the point that the referee had to call for a double disqualification, each gladiator left with great respect for the other.

“I didn’t expect anything less.” stated the handsome Michaels, unwinding in the dressing room with his partner Maety Jannetty after the bell. “When you sign on the dotted line against Bret ‘Hit Man’ Hart, you sign to fight a hurricane. I had to give it all I had, and—if you ask me—I came out of the battle looking pretty good.” He touched a bump above his left eye and joked, “This’ll heal fine, and soon I’ll be breaking hearts again. But the first thing on my mind right now is Bret Hart. What I wouldn’t do to step in the ring with him again and gain a decisive victory!”

Several yards down the corridor, the mood was the same. Hart and teammate Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart looked at one another and grinned.

“Tough kid,” Neidhart muttered.

Hit Man shook his head. “He fought some match. My ears are still ringing from his punches. I’d love to say ‘I didn’t know he had it in him,’ but that’s not true. The reason I wanted this match is that I knew that Shawn Michaels is a fabulous wrestler. I’ll give him this: He knows how to mix it up. I guess next time I’ll have to play a little bit harder.”

In the stands, the fans were almost as winded. The bout had been so intense that it seemed to blur past the spectators. When one man applied a punishing hold, the other was quick with a counter. As soon as the referee broke a clutch, the grapplers were tangled up again. When the combatants decided to start bending the rules, nothing less than a four-man brawl—starring the Rockers and the Hart Foundation—followed.

“These guys didn’t let up for a single second, observed manager Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, normally on the opposite side of both competitors. “I’m not saying that either of these chumps could beat one of my men, but I still watched the match with interest. Because Hart and Michaels are similar types of wrestlers, I figured I’d see what they use against members of the Heenan family. That’s the key to smart managing, pal. Learn their repertoires and use the knowledge to your advantage.”

[Bret Hart showed his lightinglike reaction time and his quick reflexes by grabbing Shawn Michaels in a reverse atomic drop when the two ran the ropes.]

Heenan was intrigued by this contest. While the manager is short on praise for his foes, his interests in the Hart-Michaels confrontation can be interrupted as a compliment to both men. By taking meticulous notes on the match, Heenan sent out a clear message: Hart and Michaels are at the top of their profession and pose a threat to every other wrestler.

The information was not news to the battlers. The bout had come about through mutual respect, coupled with the desire to overcome a formidable challenge.

Michaels was clearly the hungrier of the two, and his thirst for greatness was understandable. In Hart he saw an accomplished athlete, solid in technical skills and proficient in fisticuffs, who had “made it” as both a singles and tag team grappler. With Neidhart, Hit Man had held the WWF Tag Team Championship. In individual competition, he had established himself as a contender for the WWF Championship and Intercontinental Titles, and he was even profiled in a special issue of WWF Wrestling Spotlight.

Hart was just as anxious to log a victory. Despite Bret’s apparent youth, he has grown into a hardened veteran of the mat wars, and he wanted to ensure that he had not grown rusty. Hit Man viewed Michaels as one of wrestling’s “new breed,” one who rebels against the conventions of ring combat and who improvises and innovations in each match. The moves utilized by the Rockers impressed Hit Man, and he admitted feeling twinges of envy. Hadn’t he also been labeled a spectacular new force in the early days of the Hart Foundation? From the dressing room entrance, Bret watched the Rockers wage war with the mountainous Powers of Pain. He was reminded of the Foundation’s brace encounter with Andre the Giant in the closing moments of Wrestlemania 2’s battle royal. He wanted a bout with Michaels, to test himself.

Rather than being divided in its loyalties, the crowd was solidly behind both wrestlers, giving each a rousing cheer as he made his way to the ring with his regular tag team partner. To offer moral support–or, perhaps, when two fiercely determined athletes square off–Jannetty and Neidhart remained at ringside after the bell rang.

The match began in a sportsmanlike fashion, and it seemed relatively even. They locked up collar-to-elbow, with Michaels backing Bret into the turnbuckles. The Rocker broke the hold, detaching himself from his foe. When they tangled again, Hit Man applied a reverse wristlock. Michaels wiggled, loosened his opponent’s grip, then slipped behind Hart and clamped on a hammerlock. Bret displayed his experience by reversing the maneuver.

The fireworks that would be seen later in the match were ignored in the manner in which Michaels broke the hold. He thrust his elbow backward into Bret’s throat. The gesture was hardly a whack with a closed fist or a kick to the rings, but it qualified as roughhousing.

Hart recovered swiftly. He caught the Rocker in a reverse atomic drop and leveled him with a meteor of a clothesline. A snapmare appeared to disable Michaels further, but the war was just beginning. Whether the Rocker had exaggerated his injuries or recovered from the brink of defeat by pure heart, he still will not say.

[Shawn Michaels struck with solid skill and dazzling moves. In the end, tempers flared, and a wild, full-fledged brawl ensued.]

What is known is that Michaels began fighting as if he had never been hurt. He slid out of the way of his foe’s elbowdrop and did some fancy spinning in midair to land on his feet after a backflip. Hart turned around to be blasted by a dropkick. Seeing Hit Man sprawled on the canvas, Michaels went for the kill.

His planning was premature. Bret waited for his opponent to mount the top rope before gripping him from underneath and hurling him across the ring. Possibly embarrassed by Michaels’ good showing, Hit Man got tough and unleashed forearms and elbows.

Tempers were starting to flare. Michaels contained his anger long enough to avoid a side suplex–doing a 360-degree turn while being lifted, landing on his feet and bodyslamming Hit Man. Again, both men ran the ropes. This time, it served neither’s advantage, as they elbowed on another and hit the mat simultaneously.

A classic moment occurs when they rose and took turns exchanging suplex attempts. The defensive skills of each were so refined that neither could accomplish his task.

Frustrated, they wrestled into the corner. Neither wished to break. Asserting his authority, the referee wedged between them. When separated, they could not wait to duel again. Words were exchanged, then shoves. Bret clocked his adversary. Jannetty stepped onto the apron to argue with– and then punch–Hit Man. Neidhart chimed in and was slugged by Michaels. Within seconds, the ring was flooded with WWF officials trying to restore order in a four-way free-for-all.

Remarkably, the bad feelings were left in the ring. Each man recognized the others gutsiness, and each will go so far as to compliment the rival tag team. Both the Rockers and the Hart Foundation pledge support for each other if it is needed.

But if it is not, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels cannot wait to tear into each other again.

#wwf #world wrestling federation #shawn michaels #bret hart #marty jannetty #jim the anvil neidhart #jim neidhart #bret the hitman heart #The Rockers #The Midnight Rockers #The Hart Foundation #Bred #magazine scan #magazine transcript #WWF magazine 1990s #WWF magazine #1990s #1990

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mr-wrestlemania · 3 months ago

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Living Legends Chapter 2(Monster AU)

(Previous Chapter Link)

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/58924921/chapters/151198903

Chapter Summary: Tensions grow between the rockers as Shawn gets more and more restless. He knew he wasn't the only monster in the WWF, but as he learns just how close they are the more it seems like there's trouble in paradise.

Contains: Minor scene of two characters smoking weed

Bret took a deep hit of his cigarette and exhaled with his eyes to the floor. The parking garage was less than ideal to mope about but it was the only vacant spot Bret could find. He glanced down at his hand and clacked two of his claws together.

A tired sigh escaped his lips as he leaned against the wall behind him. The guilt of blowing up at Shawn made his chest ache. Just as Bret took a second hit, Jim came through the door.

“There you are! I've been looking all over for you.” Jim panted a little and walked over, “What's going on? That wasn't like you back there..”

Bret loosened his jaw and held up the hand that bore claws.

Jim's eyes widened and looked at Bret nervously, “It's coming already?! Shit. You brought that bracelet with you or is it back at the hotel?”

“I left it behind by accident. I didn't mean to do that back there, I just..You know I get around this time.” Bret turned away and flicked the cigarette into the trash can.

“Look, we'll talk to him. If memory serves, Shawn had a weird reaction to you too. The whole eyes thing.”

Bret nodded slowly as he recollected the brief moment before he ran. Shawn's eyes were a vibrant, inhuman baby blue color with pure white pupils. The shape eluded him since he couldn't look too long, but how did he never notice..?

“You're right, maybe he would understand. I can't blame him for never telling me.. I'm not eager for everyone to know about my situation. I'm still not sure why he threw the match, but I'll ask later.”

“There ya go.” Jim beamed, “I think the Rockers are in the same hotel as us. I saw that Marty guy at the front desk last night.”

Bret finally started to smile and nodded at Jim, “I'll talk to him tonight. Don't let me forget.”

Marty sat next to Shawn on a bench to tie his sneakers up. “So, that aside, you mind telling me why you decided to throw a match like tonight away? Was it because of the overdose-”

“No! Fuck, Marty no. I'm over it okay?” Shawn glanced away when Marty met his gaze. “Look. The writers wanted me to spice things up a little. I think it'd be better if we met with them tomorrow so you aren't left out. I'm sorry I didn't tell you beforehand I wasn't right-”

A gentle hand rested on Shawn's shoulder and Marty sighed softly. “I think I get it. You'd have told me if you were in the right state of mind. I wanted to ask you about that when I saw you but it wasn't the right time. Are you okay?”

Shawn scratched his arm, his whole body felt like it shrunk in itself. “No. I don't even know how to put it into words, Marty. something feels wrong with me but I can't place it. I couldn't drain you dry, so I only took a little..”

Marty only looked more concerned, “Did you feed while I was gone? You had that blood transfusion treatment..”

“I had that yeah, but emotionally I had scraps. The lust from a random woman, pity from others seeing my treatment.. it was all so shallow. None of it was filling, no matter what I did.”

Marty pulled Shawn out of his near fetal position and hugged him close. “I'm sorry. You must have felt so alone.”

Shawn let out a shaky sigh and laid his head on Marty's shoulder.

“Do you want to go out tonight, have some fun to forget all of this for a night?”

The idea itself made Shawn feel numb all over again, “No! Dammit Marty no! I don't want that. I just want you to hang out with. Don't you get it?!” He pushed Marty off of him with tears in his eyes.

“Shawn..” He frowned at the fact he made Shawn cry. The sight of it alone made him tear up. “We can have fun on our own then. Just us, okay?”

Shawn took a deep breath and lowered his shoulders. “Yeah. Are you ready to go?”

Marty nodded with that dumb smile of his and slung his bag over his shoulder. “Can we get take out on the way back?”

He couldn't help but snort at Marty and followed his partner close.

The Rockers laid themselves out in their hotel room, both transfixed while passing a blunt back and forth. If Shawn had to pick one substance for Marty to be on, it was weed. He was calmer and less likely to do something stupid besides making absurd munchies. It was also one of the few substances his body would actually accept, so he hardly had any complaints.

Marty was on the bed with his eyes narrowed at the TV, “What channel is this..?”

“I don't even know man. I can't find the remote.” Shawn chuckled as he crawled across the bed to turn the ac unit on. There was something so satisfying to Shawn about the sound of a window unit but it was like a siren's lullaby to him.

Once it was cold enough, Shawn plopped down beside Marty and took the last drag of their blunt. “So..what kind of addicts were in that program you went to?”

Marty grunted and shifted towards Shawn, “All kinds but mostly boring humans who drank because they were sad. Why?”

Shawn slowly reached toward his bag and pulled out a brush. “I should've checked you for fleas first if you were on time. You never know what they could carry. Desperate people from desperate situations.”

He folded his arms as he sat up, “You're overreacting. Or.. are you making excuses to touch me?”

Marty's jests hardly phased Shawn and he carried on looking through Marty's hair. The feeling of the plastic brush and Shawn's fingers combing through his scalp gave him goosebumps. It was especially more tingle inducing because of the weed.

“I have a right to be jumpy, you know. They're stupid and steal blood. They also make blood taste weird!” Shawn huffed.

Marty giggled, “Did you drink from a flea infested rat in school-Ow!!” He recoiled from Shawn flicking one of his horns.

“It was a dare I don't wanna hear it dude.” Shawn rolled his eyes at Marty's continued giggles. “Cool you're clean. I'd hate to have to compete with something smaller than my fucking pinky.”

“That's why you inspect the hotel beds so furiously for bed bugs, I know. Least I got a free scalp massage out of that.” Marty laid his head back with his eyes closed and a dumb smile on his face.

“Fuck you, those little bastards are just as bad if not worse.” Shawn curled his nose but perked back up at the sound of A knock at their door.

“Mmm…Can you get it?” Marty stretched his legs out and rubbed his nose.

Of course he'd get it, who else would. Shawn tried not to feel too pissy while he got up but he did nudge Marty's hoof while he scooted by.

He peered into the peep hole and could see Bret pacing a little. Shawn perked and started to unlock the door. “Bret! Hey..What are you doing here so late?” Bret sighed and stuck his hands in the pockets of his jacket. “I just wanted to talk to you, if you got a minute.” Shawn glanced over at Marty giggling away at the TV, “Yeah. I actually do.” He turned around to shout at Marty, “Hey! I gotta talk to Bret, don’t let me get locked out!” “Yeah sure.” Marty responded but didn’t turn away from the TV. Shawn rolled his eyes and shut the door behind them.

He smiled nervously and walked with Bret along the sidewalk. The buzz of the streetlights put Shawn at ease, but Bret kept occasionally glancing up at the sky instead.

“I just wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier. I’d normally never blow up at you like that it’s just..” Bret bit the inside of his lip. “You can already tell I’m not like the others, right?” Shawn gave the veteran a lax smile, “The claws kind of tipped me off. They were kind of hard to miss.” Bret chuckled and shook his head, his body looked more relaxed as they continued to walk. “I figured. Don’t spread this around okay..? Not many people know about it.” “I can be real tight-lipped if I want to, don’t worry.” Shawn nudged him, “Come onn tell me I’ve been guessing almost all evening man.” “I’m a werewolf.” Bret said quietly. “When a full moon is right around the corner, I can get a little high strung.” “You almost sound like you’re pmsing.” Shawn snickered until Bret punched his arm, “Ah! Okay okay, but you can’t say I’m wrong. You probably can’t even eat chocolate like them huh?” “Fuck you.” Bret softly laughed.

Shawn sighed deeply, “It's not completely your fault though. I threw the match on purpose. Management thinks Marty and I should be.. well. They want to push me towards a solo run.”

Bret raised his brows a little and hummed, “So you did that to cause tension? Does Marty know..?”

“....Not yet. He deserves to. I wanted to tell him, believe me. I just haven't been..feeling my best I guess.”

“You and me both.” Bret glanced at Shawn with a glint of curiosity in his eyes, “What about you?”

A pit sat in Shawn's throat and his eyes instinctively looked at their feet. Bret being a werewolf made him all the more nervous to confess his nature. “Would you think differently of me if I told you?”

“That depends.” Bret shrugged a little as he thought, “I haven't met many like me, so I can't say I have reservations. Ones who prey on kids though are pretty low in my book.”

Shawn looked Back up at Bret, in surprise. He certainly kept children off his list, so perhaps there was a chance?

“Okay, just don't tell anyone, please. They might get paranoid or jumpy around me.” Shawn looked at Bret, pleading with his eyes.

“..I promise. My word is as good as gold, besides you said you'd keep mine. Take a deep breath and just say it. You'll be okay.” Bret smiled.

Shawn folded his arms close to his chest, his stomach flipped at the sight of Bret's smile. “Okay. I'm an Emotional Vampire. I mostly feed off people's emotions…”

Bret's eyes widened, and the lack of immediate response made Shawn shrink even more. “Hey, hey. I don't hate you for that. I just don't think I've ever met a vampire, let alone ever heard of one like you. I mean, you can walk in the sun.”

“Really?” Shawn chuckled a little. His chest felt less tight the more he listened to Bret, “Well, yeah I can do things they can't but some stuff still applies to me.”

“You'll have to tell me about that sometime. I don't wanna keep you too long.” Bret smiled at Shawn before he looked back at the hotel. “Be safe on the road, okay?”

“Always. I appreciate you talking it out with me.” Shawn returned the smile, clasped hands with Bret, then finally went back to his room.

However, to Shawn's horror, Marty wasn't answering the door. “Fuck, MARTY!! Wake up bastard!!” He hit the door as hard as he could but heard nothing on the other side.

Shawn paced wildly while he ran his hands through his hair. “Fuck..fuck!!! I don't even have the keys to the car..”

Just then, a nearby door opened and a familiar woman poked her head out, “What the hell are you doing??? Do I need to call the cops?”

Even without her makeup, Shawn recognized the fierce woman in the doorway. He nearly forgot to close his mouth as he stared at her with a red face. “I- Sorry..My tag partner fell asleep and locked me out- ma'am. Are you Sherri Martel..? I'm a wrestler too. .”

Sherri's posture relaxed and she even started to smile, “Aw, and here I thought you were some lunatic. Who are you? You do look familiar..” Her dark eyes looked him up and down. For once, Shawn felt bashful under a woman's gaze.

“Shawn Michaels. I'm part of The Rockers..” He rubbed his neck, almost sure she didn't know him.

“Oh!!! Yes Randy commentated for a few of your matches. I almost didn't recognize you without your hair styled.” Sherri giggled.

Shawn sighed, “Yeah. I just washed it, that's why. Uh..Is there any chance I could use your phone to try and wake Marty up..?”

“Better idea, you write him a note to slip under the door and you can stay in my room. Unless you want to try to wake him up all night.” Sherri leaned against her door with a curled smile.

“Really? You don't mind?” He could hardly believe her generosity, but it matched up with what he heard about the strong manager. .

“Not one bit, long as you keep those fangs in your mouth.” Shawn's shocked reaction caused Sherri to chuckle again. “Shhh it's okay. You're not the first I've met.”

Sherri jerked her head inside to invite Shawn into her room. Shawn felt like his legs were frozen to the concrete, unsure of what Sherri would do to him. He hesitantly followed her inside, only to be met with a pretty standard room. Her outfit for the next venue was neatly folded on the dresser and her makeup was neatly organized on the side table next to the couch.

The only thing that stuck out to him was a pair of sticks that stuck out of her bag. Sherri watched him out of the corners of her eyes, like she knew he was scanning her space. She sat on the bed and sighed.

“Relax, I'm not going to kill you. I can't say I'm like you but I guess we're in a similar boat.” She leaned back to stretch her arms until they popped.

Shawn sat down on the couch and raised a brow, “You mean you're- SHIT!” He shot onto his feet again when he got a good look at Sherri's arms.

Her arms had turned into watery tendrils that extended towards the ceiling. She almost seemed amused by Shawn's reaction and pulled them back. Sherri brushed the tendrils on her nightgown to turn them back into regular hands.

“Ah, didn't mean to stretch that far.” Sherri smiled at Shawn's shocked expression and leaned back onto the bed. “What? Never seen an Aloja before?”

“A what..?” Shawn swallowed nervously, “Is that like a water woman..?”

“Technically. I can turn into a Water Blackbird… cast spells with my hazel wood..” She hummed a little, “I like taking a watery form mostly. It's a bit more fun to scare someone who doesn't know what no means.”

Shawn finally snapped out of it and laughed at the mental image she painted for him. “Man, that would be a riot to see. Sad you had to resort to that though.”

She shrugged and kicked her slippers off, “It's a tough industry, but right now? I can't be a wrestler, dumb bastards don't know what to do with their female talent. Managing is the next best thing.”

“You're a tough bird- Uh no pun intended.” Shawn rubbed his neck.

Sherri sat up with a little smile and went to get a blanket. “What about you? You wrestling for the same thing? Not many vampires last in this industry.”

Shawn rubbed his neck and sighed, “I've always wanted to be a wrestler since I was a kid. I'm not sure I can describe what drew me in honestly.”

She returned with the blanket and sat it in Shawn's lap. Her gaze was as warm as her smile, “Well, you’re an extraordinary performer and vampire. You must not be used to talking about this, I'm not making you uncomfortable am I?”

“No! No-I mean.. You pretty much read me like a book. I'm used to being secretive with others but today it's just been a lot.” Shawn returned the smile and unfolded the blanket, “Thank you though.”

“You're welcome.” Sherri grabbed him a spare pillow, then went to turn off all the lights.

Shawn didn’t fall asleep as easily as his host. He laid on the couch with questions that nagged at his mind. Was it always so easy to just tell someone what he was all along? No, there was always that present danger if he told the wrong person. Maybe it was because he knew Bret and Sherri were like him. Still, he wasn’t used to being so open with people he barely knew.

In the end, he felt a calmness spill over him. His thoughts drifted into the void as his consciousness slipped. Whatever was plaguing him could wait til tomorrow.

That morning, Sherri rose first to answer the wake up call. She looked over to Shawn and chuckled quietly.

“Anyone else would have guessed you were a corpse from looking at you sleep.” She smiled while she watched Shawn stir.

Shawn slowly sat up and yawned, “Yeah, I get that a lot. Makes blacking out at places a little dangerous.

Sherri snickered at the idea and moved around to turn the lights on. “He might be awake now if you want to call him. I imagine you'd like to get packed yeah?”

“Right.” Shawn dragged his feet and sat on the bed next to the phone. He dialed the room number and waited. “Fucking hell Marty wake up..”

The second try finally got a response, “I told you guys I'm up.. I just got distracted.” Marty mumbled on the other end.

“I’m not the desk clerk buddy. I got locked out last night, can you meet me at the door?”

“Shawn!! Oh shit, shit! Yeah hold on, I'll do just that!” Marty hung up the phone before Shawn could respond.

Shawn sighed and could only laugh at everything that happened in retrospect. He looked at Sherri and gave her a soft smile.

“Thanks for letting me crash, I really appreciated it. I do hope I get to bump into you again, just on uh- better circumstances.” Shawn was walked to the door by Sherri.

Her gaze was soft, but Shawn couldn't detect much from her aside from mild affection.

“Oh of course. See you at the next venue.” Sherri watched him before she shut her door.

Shawn knocked on his door a few times and sure enough Marty yanked Shawn inside in the blink of an eye.

“I fell asleep didn't I? Shit Shawn I'm sorry. So much for a guys night. We'll have a redo, promise.” Marty paced around to help Shawn pack, “Where did you crash?”

“Oh you won't believe it Marty. Sherri Martel, the Sensational Sherri, let me crash.” Shawn swooned and fell back onto the couch.

Marty paused and he raised his brows, “You got lucky, I hear she is such a sweetheart. You didn't make a snack out of her right?”

Shawn stretched and started to help Marty pack, “Oh no. She knew what I was before I could say a word. Yet she let me in anyway. She's something else Marty. I hope we can work with her, man...”

His emotions were all over his eyes, literally. Shawn's pupils resembled hearts the whole time he spoke about Sherri. Marty couldn't help but laugh. It was adorable to see Shawn be the one so smitten.

“Check your eyes big boy, they're doing the thing again. Want your shades until they go back to normal?”

Shawn checked a nearby mirror and turned bright red, “Fuck-Yes.. Thank you Marty.”

While they were on the road, Shawn could sense something was stirring inside Marty. Marty was in the passenger seat spacing out. He turned the radio down a little and sighed.

“Marty, somethings eating at you. What's going on?” Shawn kept his eyes on the road while he spoke

Marty didn't look at him, “Its not important, but heaven forbid I try to keep my feelings to myself.”

Shawn furrowed his brows, “Where the hell is this coming from? If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. Fuck.”

The hostility only grew in Marty but he did his best to swallow most of it. “I don't know, it's just funny how you cried to spend the night with me and the first chance you got? You ran away to Bret. I'm surprised you didn't sleep with him.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Shawn pulled over to the nearest shoulder and put the car in park, “You were the one who fell asleep and locked me out! I would have spent the rest of my night with you!! Not like you were present anyway.”

Marty scoffed, “We were having fun! Shit you even smoked with me Shawn!”

Shawn grunted and rolled his eyes, “Maybe I really wanted to do something with you besides getting drunk or high! Wasn't the whole point of rehab was to help you see that?!”

“Oh please, that place was a joke, Shawn. I only got through it to come back to work with you. Us Satyrs aren't exactly known for being boring and sober anyway.”

His stubbornness made Shawn want to rip his hair out. Sure if he was human, he'd probably be doing things alongside him, but his body couldn’t take the same things as Marty. Partying was fun too, but partying with Marty was starting to lose its luster.

Shawn sighed and pushed his shades up to hide his eyes, “Yeah, you're right. Look, let's just forget last night. I'm ready to party later if you want to celebrate.”

Marty relaxed and smiled again, “I'd like that. Thanks for that, Shawn. Sorry if I said anything too harsh..”

“It's okay.” Shawn feigned a smile as he put the car in drive.

By the time they got back on the street, Shawn was already completely numb.

The locker room was bustling with everyone getting settled in. Some had to shoot promos, others had interviews to do but The Rockers had a rematch with the Hart Foundation to tape.

Shawn was preparing by doing some stretches with Marty. Although Shawn looked like he was a million miles away.

“Hey-Shawn? You listening?” Marty waved a hand in front of his face, “Helloooo?”

“I'm here. Sorry. I kinda got lost in thought.” Shawn realized he forgot to blink and took a second to close his eyes.

Marty sighed with a smile on his face, “It'll go great, don't worry. If we do well here, we'll get to face off with them for tag titles! Can you imagine?”

Shawn smiled at the idea of him wearing a championship belt and hummed, “Yeah.. Then we better give it our all then. Could you do me a favor when we're out there?”

Marty took a deep swig from his thermos, “Ahh. Sure, what is it?”

“If it looks like I'm in a tough spot, can you get the crowd to clap?”

The Satyr grinned at his friend and laughed, “Ohhh that will be perfect! It will give you an edge and feed you at the same time! I might have done that anyway, but now I will for sure.”

“Good.” Shawn nodded and started to pick some earrings out.

“Do you need a snack before we go out there?”

“No.” Shawn lied through his teeth.

He was hungry but not enough to feed off Marty again.

“Alright, just make sure you eat sometime today okay?” He smiled and pat Shawn's back. “Oh should I go talk to the writers like you said? I almost forgot after..well everything.”

Shawn winced, “Maybe..? All they really told me is that they had an idea . I didn't agree to it just yet.. I wanted to wait til you got back.”

Marty sat up a little and his smile waned, “What was their idea?”

“Well..” Shawn scratched his arm a little and frowned, “They want us to try singles. You know.”

“They want us to break up..?” Marty got quieter and his eyes strayed to the background. “Do you want us to?”

The silence was deafening. Marty's heartbeat was all Shawn could hear. It pumped blood faster the longer Shawn stayed quiet. The thumping almost drove him mad. He took Marty's hand and squeezed.

“I don't want to hurt you. Singles or not, you're my friend. You know that, right?”

Marty's muscles relaxed and he finally looked at Shawn. “Yeah? That's reassuring. I don't wanna lose you. We're all we have, yknow?”

That wasn't true.

But Shawn had to keep his smile up and nod.

“I know. If I hear anything else, I'll let you know. Promise.”

Marty finally got up, “Thanks for telling me. It feels like that weight has lifted off us huh? Woo!!”

“Yeah!” Shawn lied again.

“Lets give the Hart Foundation hell!”

Shawn followed behind Marty rather in front of him. Despite being pumped and looking restless; the light did not reach his eyes.

#shawn michaels #hbk #wwe #wwf #bret hart #shawn michaels wwe #90s wrestling #80s wrestling #marty jannetty #hartbreak #hbk wwe #jim the anvil neidhart #jim neidhart #sensational sherri #sherri martel #wrestling fanfic #living legends fic tag #the rockers

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