#kerry von erich x you

[daysofyellowroses]

red rose ii

kerry von erich x reader | 2.6k | sequel to this story (you can read this as a standalone as it's basically just plotless and i won't expect anyone to read a 10k fic just to know a backstory) | 18+ minors dni - this is plotless smut because i felt like it, enjoy!

“I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride.”

A chorus of cheers rang out from the congregation, hands clapping together as whistles rang out around the church.

You met Kerry's eyes, standing across from him in your pink, puffy bridesmaids dress. He gave you a wink and you rolled your eyes with a smile as you cheered on Kevin and Pam, the two of them starting to head down the aisle. After a moment you were by Kerry's side, your arm in his as you began to leave the church.

“Second time today you've walked me down an aisle,” You grinned, looking over to your boyfriend. “Making a habit of it, are we?”

��Might just be,” Kerry teased, giving you a kiss on the cheek. “hope you don't mind.”

“Not at all, I encourage it.” You smiled, watching a shower of rice wash over Kevin and Pam as they walked out ahead of you.

There was some standing around as the wedding photos were taken, all the various relatives and friends being swapped in and out, the photographer giving more demands thanan army sergeant. Part of you felt a little silly being in the photos, being a bridesmaid alongside Pam's old friends, but you had still been so thrilled when she'd asked you. After all, the two of you had become friends, which was a joy.

As Kevin and Pam took pictures with their parents, you rested your head on Kerry's shoulder, his arm around your waist. David and Mike stood across from you, bored expressions on their faces that made you smile.

“Can't memories be enough?” David sighed as he rested his hands on his hips, looking over to the photographer. “I'm starving, I'll eat his damn camera if I need to.”

“Give me half,” Mike sighed, folding his arms. “A crumb, anything.”

You smiled as you turned and whispered in Kerry's ear, his hand tightening on your waist.

“I'm still full.”

“Good to know,” He murmured softly, grinning as he looked down at your dress. “You know, you really can't tell this thing was crumpled up on the floor a few hours ago. All that panic for nothing.”

“I wasn't the one pulling it off,” You grinned, your hands coming to rest on Kerry's shoulder. “that was all-”

“You!” The photographer snapped, gesturing to you and the boys. “get on over here, all of you.”

“You hold him down,” David looked at Kerry. “I'll get the camera.”

A couple of hours later, you were taking your seat after your latest twirl around the dancefloor. You took a sip of your drink, looking out to the floor filled with people having the time of their lives. Your gaze fell on your dad, smiling as you watched him and Carla sway together, laughing about something and unable to keep their eyes off each other. A moment later, Kerry came and sat next to you, his arm resting over the back of your chair.

“Having fun?” He asked, looking over to you with a smile.

“Of course,” You grinned, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek, your hand resting on his thigh. “I was just thinking..my dad and Carla will stay a while longer, the house is gonna be empty. Seems a shame to waste it.”

“It would definitely be a shame,” Kerry smiled, resting his hand on top of yours. “I say we sneak out the back and if anyone asks we'll just say I felt sick and didn't want to make a big fuss.”

“Wow,” You raised a brow with a smile as you stood up. “I'm making a rebel out of you, Kerry Von Erich.”

The drive home seemed to take an age, all you wanted to do was get out of your dress (again) and wile away the evening in Kerry's arms.

When you finally arrived, you practically leaped out of the truck, rooting around in your purse for your key. You could hear Kerry laughing as you held half the contents of your purse in your hand while you searched, rolling your eyes with a smile.

“Alright I got it, we're good,” You finally fished the key out, walking up the steps to the front door and opening the door. You walked into the small lobby and turned as you waited for Kerry to join you.

“Still feels strange,” He grinned as he walked into the house, closing the front door. “I still expect to have to sneak through your window.”

“You can walk around the back and shimmy up the drainpipe if you want,” You grinned, lightly pushing down your puffed up sleeves. “For old time's sake.”

“And leave you here all alone?” Kerry raised a brow, striding over to you with a smile, wrapping his arms around you. “Absolutely not.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck, feeling truly content as you met his eyes.

“Good..I don't want to be apart from you for even a second. Who else is gonna help me out of this thing?”

“Good thing I got experience then,” Kerry grinned, and you laughed before an excited squeak flew out of you as Kerry picked you up and started walking to the stairs, your arms secure around his neck.

When you reached your bedroom, you got onto your feet and wasted no time turning your back to Kerry so he could pull your dress off as he had before you'd left the house earlier.

To your surprise, he took his time, standing close behind you as his fingers slowly released each button. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss to the nape of your neck and you let out a soft breath as you closed your eyes.

“Kerry,” You groaned softly, no real admonishment in your tone.

“Shh, we got time,” He murmured softly, trailing kisses down your back as he slowly unbuttoned your dress. “Just enjoy it.”

You didn't need to be told twice. As much as you had enjoyed the morning, it had been rushed. You'd been in Kerry's bedroom, with the background noise of David asking where his tie was, Mike banging on the door to get his shoes, and the radio blasting out.

Now, you were more than happy to feel Kerry's hands slowly glide along your bare back before he carefully eased your dress down your shoulders.

“Turn around, gorgeous.”

You moved slowly, holding your dress to your chest as you turned and met Kerry's eyes with a smile. After slowly pushing the dress off yourself to pool at your feet, Kerry held his hand out and you took it before stepping out of the dress and wrapping your arms around his neck.

“Well this really isn't fair,” You grinned, moving your hand to lightly toy with the grey bow tie wrapped around Kerry's neck. “You get to stay fully clothed, bow tie and all, and I have to be naked?”

“You've still got these,” Kerry grinned, his fingers hooking into the waistband of your panties. “So it's fine.”

“Is it though?” You hummed, moving your hand to gently stroke Kerry's cheek. “Because I don't think it really i-!”

You gasped as Kerry picked you up and carried you over to your bed, throwing you down on it and taking his suit jacket off. Your panties were instantly soaked as you watched him move slowly onto the bed, settling between your legs.

“I don't need to be undressed to do this,” He murmured softly,his hands gripping your thighs. You closed your eyes as you felt him slowly peel away your panties, feeling his gaze on you. It was already driving you crazy, your body desperately wanting more, but at the same time you found yourself enjoying that he was taking his time, giving you so much attention.

When you felt Kerry's hands gently moving along your thighs you let out a soft breath, your chest tightening as he placed a soft kiss on your inner thigh. You were sure neither of you had moved so slowly since you sparked your relationship back up again.

Not that it was a bad thing, of course. You were snatching moments where you could, in his bedroom or yours, in your truck, and that very enjoyable time when he dropped by the garage to pick you up and you got a little delayed. You couldn't quite meet Mrs. Davenport's eyes when you dropped her car back.

But now..now it was like there was nobody else in the world but the two of you, Kerry wasn't having to hold his hand over your mouth to cover up your moans, you didn't have the thrill of potentially being caught, but you did have Kerry between your legs, licking a slow stripe up your soaked core.

A moan escaped your lips and you relished not having to hide it. Your hands found the sheets as you let the moans fall freely. Kerry seemed content to keep a slow pace, taking you apart a little at a time, and your protests died in your mouth, replaced by ragged breaths and moans.

“So pretty,” Kerry murmured softly, and you slowly opened your eyes as you felt him slowly rub his fingers over your clit, spreading you open as he moved down. His eyes met yours and you felt like you could die happily in that moment as he smiled at you.

“All mine, ain't you darlin’?”

“Yeah,” You managed after a moment, your heart racing. “All yours baby.”

Your head fell back against the pillow as he slowly pushed his finger into you, his tongue slowly swirling over your clit. You wanted to tell him how good it felt, how you wanted, needed more, but the words couldn't get out, your mind swimming and your body crying out.

Emotion and tiredness and desire all melted together within you, and felt like you could cry as Kerry pushed another finger inside you, crooking the digits as they found that wonderful spongy spot inside you.

“Oh god,” You moaned, your hand falling over your forehead. “Kerry..I..please..”

You were sure you heard him murmur something like “I got you baby” but the building wave in your stomach grabbed your attention as it began to crescendo, a cry escaping your lips as Kerry worked you open.

It took a moment for the breath to settle back into your body, your heart hammering in your chest. Kerry lapped you up, and you whined at your own sensitivity while loving the feeling nonetheless. You reached down and touched his arm, wanting him closer, needing his arms around you.

Kerry moved slowly, your hands reaching out to touch his arms when he was finally above you, trying to steady yourself.

“Please tell me I can undress you now,” You murmured softly, your hands moving to the top button of his shirt. “Don't torture me..”

“Go ahead,” Kerry grinned, watching as your fingers moved to undo his bow tie, the material gathered around your hand as you unbuttoned his shirt. You hadn't had time to take his shirt off earlier, you relished in being able to freely.

“I love you,” You murmured softly as you slid the shirt down Kerry's arms. “You know that, I know, I just like reminding you.”

“I know,” Kerry smiled, getting his shirt all the way off before meeting your eyes. “And you know that I love you. Always have. Always will.”

“I always have too,” You smiled, hands moving to unbutton his pants. “I always will..you're it for me. Nobody gives me what you do, makes me feel the way you do.”

“You mean..like this?” Kerry asked, leaning down to kiss you and grinning into it as you gasped. You felt his hand move on top of yours, helping you push down his pants.

“Exactly like that,” You murmured softly, resting your forehead against Kerry's. “Just need you to do one thing..”

You gripped his shoulders, pushing him over onto his back.

“There, perfect,” You grinned, leaning over to pull his pants all the way off and dropping them to the floor before looking back at him.

“I think I should just keep you here forever. It suits you.”

“You won't hear me complaining,” Kerry smiled, holding his hand out to you. “C'mere angel.”

You took his hand, moving forward til you were straddling his lap. The friction of his shorts against your bare core was heavenly, your hips shifting a little.

“Comfortable?” Kerry asked, a teasing tone in his voice as he gently stroked his thumb over the back of your hand.

“Very,” You nodded, a soft moan escaping you as you moved again, biting your lip at the sensation.

“I was gonna take ‘em off but maybe not yet,” Kerry mused, moving his free hand to your hip.

“No,” You breathed, your hand moving to the waistband of his shorts. “I need to feel you. Please.”

Kerry gave you a nod before you pulled the shorts down, his hard cock springing free and resting against his stomach.

“Fuck,” You murmured softly, gently gripping Kerry's election and giving it a few slow strokes before lining yourself up and sinking down slowly.

“Oh god,” You moaned, your eyes falling closed as your head tilted back. “Mm..”

When you were filled completely, Kerry wanted no time in sitting up and wrapping his arms around you before flipping you onto your back. He took your hands on his and held them above your head, pushing deeper into you. Your legs wrapped around his waist, wanting him as close as possible.

“You're everything, you know that?” Kerry murmured softly, leaning on to kiss your neck as you arched your back. “So perfect..my good girl..”

You slowly tugged your hand from Kerry's, moving it to grip his hair as his fingers deftly moved to your breast, thumb rolling over your nipple.

“I shouldn't let it affect me so much,” You moaned softly, your hand in Kerry's squeezing tightly. “But..fuck..”

“It's okay,” Kerry murmured, sucking a mark onto your collarbone as he thrust into you harder. “You can enjoy it, being such a good girl for me..”

“Mm,” You nodded, your eyes rolling back as Kerry hit that spot inside you, your hands gripping his hair. “Yes, I..”

“You what, baby?” Kerry asked, his lips trailing kisses back up your neck as you tried to gather your thoughts.

“I..I love being your good girl,” You moaned, legs falling apart as Kerry began fucking into you harder, deeper. “Please..”

“I got you, darling,” Kerry moved his hand to grab your thigh, holding it up and open, your eyes clenching shut as you felt the wave build.

“Hey, eyes on me, angel.”

You felt like you could let go then and there, your eyes opening to meet Kerry's. You could feel the desire in his gaze, the want and the passion and the all consuming love that had you wanting to wrap your arms around him and never let go.

Everything fell away as you cried out, eyes rolling back as you saw stars, felt Kerry's warm touch and heard his sweet words somewhere in your mind, feeling him fill you with warmth.

It took a moment to come back down to earth, turning on your side slowly and wrapping yourself around Kerry. He wrapped around you instantly, placing soft kisses to your forehead and whispering to you about how good you were, how perfect and beautiful and wonderful.

It wouldn't always end in such a way, where you had time to heap praise and embrace each other. At least not for a while. But in that moment, there was nothing else, just the two of you, in your perfect moment.

[thecapricunt1616]

Promptober Day 13👻

𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐛 (𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐭): Kerry rested his head on your shoulder as he held you from behind, rubbing over your cute little 5 month baby bump as you looked over the horror section in your neighborhoods newest Blockbuster store. You were currently in the horror section, torn between Friday the Thirteenth, or A Nightmare on Elm Street for your scary movie night. 

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: Hello everyone! I'm kinda caught up, heres promptober 13/31! I hope you like it, It's my first time writing Kerry soooo eeeek! I hope that I did it right, of course feedback is always appreciated. Love you all! 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1.1k 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Implied smut, thats like it. Not very edited, of course (since we die like men here.) 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐬: @/𝘀𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗸𝗮-𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰𝘀 & @/𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰𝘀

Kerry rested his head on your shoulder as he held you from behind, rubbing over your cute little 5 month baby bump as you looked over the horror section in your neighborhoods newest Blockbuster store. You were currently in the horror section, torn between Friday the Thirteenth, or A Nightmare on Elm Street for your scary movie night. 

“We take any longer choosin’ the little guy is gonna be born in a blockbuster” he teases, curls tickling your cheek as he gives you a gentle kiss on the temple, and rubs under your little bump. You giggle a bit, putting Friday the Thirteenth back and settling for A Nightmare instead. 

“The little guy is getting hungry let’s get a pizza on the way home I wanna eat dinner on the couch like a heathen” you giggle, following him up to the counter. 

“Sure thing, darlin. We’ll get extra cheese just for you” he said happily as he got you checked out with the teen working at the front counter. The drive home was nice, giggling and singing along to the radio with Kerry. Your life had been like this since you’d gotten married, simple. After you found out that you’d been expecting? It was just the icing on the cake that you two of you were starting your own little family. 

“My goodness I swear I’m about to start droolin’ like a dog this pizza smells to die for” you said as you plopped on the couch after washing your hands, opening up the box and putting a slice on your plate as Kerry got the movie set up. 

“Make sure you leave some for me over there missy” he teased, coming and sitting with you, hitting play on the remote and grabbing a slice for himself. You cuddled up to him as you ate, sighing contently. 

“I love our date nights. Especially ones like this. They’re always so nice” you said softly and he hums in agreement 

“S’always nice to stay In with my favorite girl” he said, pecking your lips sweetly and you smiled gratefully, turning your attention back to the tv. After 3 slices of pizza and a can of sprite you were comfortably snuggled into Kerrys side as you watched the movie. It came to the part where Freddy sticks his tongue through the phone causing you to jump a bit and cover your mouth in surprise. Kerry just laughed and you giggled a bit, looking up at him.

“I think i’d burn my lips if that happened to me. Unless it was your tongue of course but then I’d just slap your arm for lickin’ me like a dog” you teased and he chuckled, planting a chaste kiss on your temple. 

“Well lucky for you I only lick you where you want me to” he teased, running his hand up your side and over the curve of your waist. You looked up at him with a playful glint in your eyes. 

“Wherever I want?” You asked, lips curling into a smirk and a chuckle rumbles low in his chest.

“Is someone feelin’ naughty today, little miss?” he asked, his southern drawl thick with the huskiness of his voice and you giggle, blushing like a schoolgirl and becoming putty in his hands. Kerry always did this to you, something about those blue eyes and southern charm had you malleable to his every desire- not that you minded though. 

“Maybe you just bring it outta me, Mister Von Erich” you said, leaning in and giving him a gentle lingering kiss on the cheek. “Are you gonna teach the bad girl a lesson?” you whisper in his ear and he chuckled, standing up and picking you up bridal style like you weighed nothing. 

“I think I need to teach you a lesson on how that mouth you have gets you in trouble, it got you knocked up an’ya still haven’t learned, ain’t that right?” he chides as he carried you to the bedroom, causing you to drop your head back and giggle.

“Maybe it’s your teaching style, professor. Have you considered that?” you teased as he gently laid you on the bed, still ever careful with you even while playing considering your condition. He chuckled at your teasing, tugging off your flowy skirt you’d invested in many colors to accommodate your growing belly and helping you tug off your blouse, kissing along your skin as you did so.

“Maybe you’re on t’somethin sweet stuff. We’ll try somethin’ different this time, you wanted me t’lick you, right?” he asked hotly in the shell of your ear sucking gently on your earlobe and the sensation sent warm tingles all down the back of your neck, sucking in a sharp breath.

“Yes- b-but not there- somewhere else” you said shyly, cheeks flushing with heat. He chuckled, his hot breath causing goosebumps to rise on your neck and shoulders. 

“Where? Tell me where babygirl-” he ran his hand down your neck, cupping it lightly with his palm and looking into your eyes “Here?” he asked lowly, and you brought your bottom lip between your teeth, swallowing thickly and shaking your head no and he hums, trailing his hand down and unhooking your front clasp bra, rubbing the pad of his thumb over your peaked nipple and smirking a bit when your jaw dropped in pleasure, back arching into his touch.

“Alright pretty girl, how about here?” he dipped his head down, licking from the column of your throat down through the valley of your breasts, causing you to shiver. He chuckled a bit, his warm breath trailing up the wet spot he’d left moments prior with his tongue, moving up and swirling his tongue over your intensely sensitive bud causing a choked moan to tear from your throat, hand finding the back of his head and pulling him closer. 

“Thats not what I had in mind but oh my - that feels wonderful” you breathed, arching your chest into his mouth. The feeling of his tongue flicking and swirling over your nipple was sending jolts of pleasure right for your core, right where you really needed him. You gasped and gently tugged his hair, before getting the bright idea to take his hand from your hip and cup his palm over tour clothed heat. “Here- I want you to lick me here” you breathe and he huffs a chuckle into your breast, pulling off your sensitive bud with a pop.

“I can do that for you angel- I’d love to” 

Fin

Tag List:  - @carmenberzattosgf - @daysofyellowroses - @mouseymilkovich  - @gallaghersgal - @maggiesarchives - @carmybrainworms - @l4long-winded - @babyspiderling - @southsideserendipity - @djlnkaled

[idksmtms]

gold rush (Kerry Von Erich x reader) - evermore series

evermore series

A/N: After writing literally only angst about David, I thought I would write… a different kind of angst with Kerry. I had way too much fun writing similes and metaphors with gold…

Summary: Kerry had always been a golden boy in the town, first with the Olympics talk, then with his wrestling career. And you? You had just been a girl with a crush, that’s all. 

Word count: ~2.6k

Trigger Warnings: 18+, she/her pronouns, AFAB reader, light angst, a hint of movie spoilers, unrequited love, turbulent teenage emotions, just vibes of liking someone who doesn’t know you exist and the warnings that come with that, all the good and bad emotions that come with a crush, kind of happy ending bc I couldn’t help myself, (please let me know if I missed any) 

Disclaimer: This is based solely on the portrayals of the brothers in the movie, not the real people. I do not own any of The Iron Claw characters. I do not claim to own any of The Iron Claw characters. I do not own any pictures used nor do I claim to do so. 

Always appreciate comments, likes, and reblogs :)

Ever since you could remember, the Von Erich family had been the talk of the town. From tragedy to stardom and everything in between. Which meant that ever since you could remember, you had known of Kerry Von Erich’s existence. 

It started in highschool. He was a couple years ahead of you, but he was a sports star, so everyone knew who he was, regardless of grade. Football, wrestling, athletics, any sport under the sun was his forte. Which also meant the teachers loved him and went easy on him, meant he was friends with basically everyone, revered by people for the success he brought. And he was fun, always smiling, always laughing, always ready to party, which definitely helped his popularity. He was fashionable, a long tumble of dirty blond locks on his head that never quite became neat but added to his charm, a pair of nice jeans to add to his casual cowboy look, or a leather jacket for that hint of bad boy that everyone in highschool seemed to crave for some reason. He had all the makings for a golden child, meaning every day at school was a goldrush for those desperate enough to seek it. 

But not you. It wasn’t even on purpose, in all fairness. You didn’t hate him or anything, you just happened to be a little younger, you ran in circles that didn’t really overlap with his. While you read books in your room, he was running laps on the field. While you drank sickly sweet chocolate milkshakes with your friends, he partied with his. No overlap. 

But that didn’t mean anything to your poor, traitorous heart, because eventually the irrational little creature that sat in your chest and made you feel crazy decided it wanted in, even if it was secretly, and even if you didn’t like it. 

It started slow. You had always known he was good looking in a unique sort of way, how his face naturally fell into this almost pouty expression when he was listening or simply relaxing. He had a wide smile that he doled out without care or caution, and a huffy sort of laugh that could be heard all the time. You remembered this one time when you had been leaving school, and the parking lot was right next to the field, separated only by a chain-link fence. He was there, standing around with some friends while waiting for his turn for whatever exercise the coach was putting them through. He wore a pair of baggy shorts and a tank top, but you could already see how muscular and big he was compared to the others. One of his biceps was probably as big as your head even then. But what had caught you in the moment was the thin headband he was wearing on his forehead, a line of red that held back the sweaty bangs of his mullet. That image had stuck in your head for some reason. You recalled it later when you were sitting at your desk, trying and failing to write a history paper. Each time you brought the pen back down and began writing a few sentences, your mind would suddenly trail off to that look, how fluffy his hair looked, to the way he threw back his head and laughed and clapped one of his friends on the shoulder. You wondered what he could be laughing at, what kinds of things he found funny, and then scolded yourself for getting lost in thought about something so random and pathetic when you had better things to be doing (like said history paper). 

Then, it really started to hit you at the first houseparty you ever went to. Everyone was milling around with red solo cups, pointing each other to the table with the bottles or the glass door at the back of the room that led to the patio with the beer kegs and the crush of teenage boys trying to convince everyone to do a kegstand. All the lights had been dimmed and there was loud music from all directions. Loud chatter, drunken laughter, and the very faint sound of someone throwing up behind a bathroom door accompanied the music. 

Your friends had decided that it was their year to raise their social status, to change their personalities and become party girls. You were quite sure that they wouldn’t enjoy it, that this was all a deluded fantasy to go along with their middle school image of what a highschool experience should be like, but went along with their new whims as any supportive friend would. You had questioned if you should follow them into the house when you had all arrived, but as only one of you could drive and she was the one most hellbent on having this experience, you knew you were too late to be having second thoughts. So in you went, clutching your purse tightly and trying not to let your shoulders curl in too much. 

Once you had a drink in your hand and stood sort of near the dancefloor, the party wasn’t all bad. The music was actually quite fun and having a friend near made you feel a lot more comfortable. You had even begun lightly dancing to the music when a loud cheer was carried in from the patio and picked up by the people milling around in the living room. The crowd parted just enough for you to catch a glimpse of what had caused it, someone coming down to rest their legs on the floor after what a passerby called a ‘legendary’ kegstand.

It was Kerry, he seemed to catch the dim light perfectly even in the dark patio. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, just a shiny black leather jacket left open so everyone could see the body honed by years of sport and work on the Von Erich ranch. His scruffy hair was falling all around his head and you were quite sure beer and spit were trailing down his chin and onto his chest as he sucked deep breaths in.

And suddenly he was looking right at you, through the patio doors and the gap in the dance floor, right into your eyes. Your entire body suddenly felt like it was burning. The world slowed down then, every movement around you, from the people dancing to your friend talking animatedly beside you was suddenly so hazy and… slow.

Then, just as quickly as it had started, it stopped. Because he looked away, and the world was moving slightly quicker than normal and you had to close your eyes for a moment to bring yourself back to reality. He hadn’t been looking at you. He had looked vaguely in your direction, but he hadn’t seen you. And it didn’t matter anyway. Of course it didn’t matter, because he didn’t know you, and you didn’t know him! No one knew each other and nothing had happened and you weren’t suddenly feeling a bit hot and sweaty and needing a refill. 

You shook it off, scolding yourself for being so enraptured in the party atmosphere that you let yourself be lulled into a weird place where you believed Kerry Von Erich would look at you, on purpose. Maybe you did have some sort of inferiority complex when it came to the popular people, unrealised until this moment. But whatever. Didn’t matter. 

Hours later, hours you didn’t know were so easy to pass at a party that you were sure would be horrendous (but were secretly enjoying very much), you ended up in a circle of conversation with a few friends, a few people you had never before seen in your life (but somehow went to your school?!), and a little gaggle of the golden child society. Kerry stood almost directly across from you, smiling at the girl who was going on a tangent about how it was unfair to have their English class read The Great Gatsby and how boring and weird it was. You cleared your throat, biting back a smile as you sipped from your drink, waiting for her to come to a slow close. You were nervous to talk, sure, but sometimes your passion (and mouth) got ahead of you. 

“It’s actually not that bad,” you added quickly when she was quiet for more than a second. She turned to you, one eyebrow raised. A few other people did the same, Kerry included, but his face was passive, open, that expression just before a smile where a person’s eyes were alight. “I mean, sure, it can get a bit confusing, the language is in that old style, but the actual story is really interesting and captures a lot of themes.” You shrugged, smiling politely at her. Her face softened slightly, and you could tell that she didn’t view you as an enemy anymore, but you were more focused on watching Kerry out of the corner of your eye. He had turned to fully face you, arms crossed over his chest and his torso leaning back slightly. His eyebrows came just a little closer together as he looked at you, not questioning exactly, more simply intrigued. 

“Aren’t you a freshman?” The girl asked, without malice or a smirk, just curiosity as she brought her solo cup to her lips. 

“Uh, no, no, I’m a sophomore,” you told her, nodding with your own words. You saw her eyebrows raise and let out a little huff of a laugh. 

“Then why have you read the book?” It was Kerry, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion and head tilted to the side slightly. You shrugged your shoulders, a little almost incredulous scoff of a laugh leaving your lips as you poked your tongue into your cheek. Feigning confidence was the best combat to the sudden flutter in your chest, the burning at the tips of your ears, and the sudden need to blabber so there was never silence on the Earth again.  

“Um, because I have? I don’t know, I got it from the bookstore in town, and it’s a classic.” When they still looked at you like you had your head on loose, you shrugged again, adding “I like to read” like it was no big deal. To you it wasn’t, to them it was a weird hobby to have. 

“Damn, I can’t imagine sitting down on the couch and reading a book, like on purpose,” he breathed out, shaking his head. 

“Why not?” You asked, crossing one of your arms over your stomach as he looked at your face again and your insides began jumping around. 

“I don’t know, there’s so much else to do,” he shrugged, “you could be out on the field throwing a football and scoring a TOUCHDOWN!” And some of his friends gathered around him at those words, cheering loudly and shoving and shaking each other so the circle dispersed and Kerry was swept away to somewhere else. He looked back at you, just for a moment, a fleeting look where you met eyes and he was smiling just a little as if he had enjoyed the few sentences you guys had shared, barely even a second long, then he was swept up in the guys from the football team and you couldn’t see him anymore. 

And from then on, he was all you could think about, like a detective obsessed with their case, a prospector stuck on the thought of all the gold waiting for them in California. That night when your friend had driven you home, you had talked and laughed in the car but couldn’t help yourself from slipping in mentions of Kerry in the conversation. When you were laying in bed you thought about his voice, when you closed your eyes you saw him standing casually, jacket open. Even when you went back to school, you began searching him out with your eyes. You always knew where he was if he was in the same room as you, always had a little bit of your attention on what he was saying or wearing or simply just… him. 

And you began to live for those moments. Though life had gone back to exactly the way it was before the party, you hadn’t. Every brush past in the hallway, his sleeve gently grazing your arm, made the world feel unsteady, like you were falling and waiting for the inevitable hit to the ground. 

You went through all the emotions, the elation and giddiness and weird jumping feeling in the stomach. Then, as the time passed and absolutely nothing changed except this sudden and painful awareness of his existence, you slowly moved into anger and intense sadness, self-loathing and a feeling of wanting to rip your hair out. 

You weren’t a prospector like the rest of these people. You didn’t want to be a part of the goldrush. You didn’t like the gold rush. You didn’t like the way you suddenly started blushing when you saw him walking down the hall, turning your face back to your locker as if that would hide the burning even from yourself. You didn’t like that when he was in the room, your eyes were drawn to him, that your thoughts wandered to questions about what it would feel like if he held your hands in his, if there were calluses on his fingertips or how strong of a grip he liked to use. Questions about what it would feel like to love him. You didn’t like the rose-coloured glasses someone had suddenly shoved over your eyes.

And of course you kept this all to yourself. You had spent years cultivating an image as someone unbothered by highschool politics and the worship of those deemed ‘popular’. You couldn’t exactly be seen fawning over the person right at the top of the pyramid, the shiniest nugget of gold in the river. So you kept it to yourself, spiralled in your own head, getting lost in little scenarios of him driving you around in his truck with his hand on your thigh, or walking around the picturesque town that was about an hour’s drive down the highway, before zoning back into your room and the ratty grey t-shirt you were wearing.Before reconciling yourself to impossibility and that untouchable quality that seemed to hang in the air around him.   

And then one day, months later, when you had fallen deep into the throes of your secret goldrush, he came walking down the hallway during a quiet moment, when you were standing alone at your locker looking for a textbook and paused just beside you. He smiled, hands in the pockets of his school hoodie, and said “hey! Great Gatsby girl, long time no see!” And of course a million thoughts ran through your head, that you guys have gone to the same school every day before and every day since the party. That he had walked past you in this very hall earlier that morning and not once glanced in your direction. That the universe was playing a joke on you that he chose today to talk to you when you had woken up late and hadn’t given a single thought to your appearance in the morning due to a severe lack of energy. 

Instead, you just smiled, closed your locker door and wittily sent back “guy who freely admits he doesn’t understand the concept of reading!” And though the comment was a little on the mean side, and you regretted it as soon as it left your lips, he began laughing and shook his head, looking into your eyes with a wide smile and a shrug of the shoulders. And suddenly it felt like you had arrived at the part where you hit the ground after the fall… 

A/N: I’m sick of ppl thinking The Great Gatsby is overrated or weird because they were forced to read it in school. It’s literally one of the best books I’ve ever read if you actually sit down and analyse it and think about all the things it presents. Thank you for coming to my ted talk. (I’m so sorry that my intense thoughts about TGG came out today. I have zero control over myself). 

Also, genuinely might just write a separate oneshot of the little scenarios the reader was imagining because a college/highschool Kerry doing cute things with his girlfriend is now stuck in my head.   

Taglist: @nosebeers, @tourturedfolkloredepartment (a gift for bestie Jess <3)

[heartbreakprincehbk]

Fool For You (David Von Erich x Reader x Kerry Von Erich)

Words: 4,046

Summary: A tale old as time; an angsty love triangle. Requested by @richiejerimovichh ! Thanks for being patient hun!

“Oh, finally. Y/N’s here!” You could hear in the distance as you walked up the long Von Erich dirt driveway. You already wore a grin on your face as you heard a scuffle of shoes approaching like a pack of wild animals. 

It was hard to really explain how you found yourself as an unofficial member of the Von Erich clan. Really, it had more to do with vicinity; your parents knew Fritz and Doris and you went to the same school as all the brothers. You were at the Sportatorium for every show, like most of your old classmates, and even got a job there taking tickets after your senior year. That turned into becoming a member of the office, which turned into befriending the Von Erichs, which turned into late night burger joints and shakes and family dinners. Pretty soon, you were letting yourself into their home and getting greeted just like any other family member.

Mike had been the voice you heard, and the relief was evident all over his face; he and his brothers had been playing football and you were–hopefully–his way out.

“I’m so happy to see you.” He told you breathlessly, nearly falling into your arms. You laughed as you hugged him back, steadying him on his feet.

“This ain’t over yet, Mike.” Kevin warned, giving his brother a playful push so he could hug you in greeting next. “Dave and I ain’t done with you and Kerry yet. Hey, Y/N. Did you pick up a movie for movie night?”

“Kevin, movie night isn’t until a few more days. I’ve got time! Can’t you take it one day at a time like the rest of us?” You teased, making Mike laugh. “So, I see I’m just in time. Who’s winning?”

“Who do you think?” David was approaching quickly, a bright light in his eyes, eyes that were locked solely on you. Just the sight of him set a swarm of butterflies loose in your chest. “I sure am glad to see your pretty face. It’s a sight for sore eyes around here.” He said just before he swept you up into a hug that brought you off your feet. 

Where to start with David…and where did it end?

Kevin was like the older brother you always wanted, always keeping you dutifully on your toes and there for you with advice when you needed it. Mike was like the baby brother you always wanted, and he looked to you for the advice and comfort. It was the best of both worlds. But David…

David was just so funny and charismatic. He had a quiet assuredness to him that you always admired. So, the fact that he always seemed to have his eyes on you made your heart skip a beat. The passenger’s seat in his truck was your designated seat; he wouldn’t let anyone else have it. If ever you and his brothers went anywhere, it was unspoken that you were riding with him. He saved you a seat at the dinner table next to him, his coat was the one offered if you got chilly. 

And yet, despite all of that, despite him constantly driving you home and spending any spare chance he got in your office while you worked, that seemed to be all it was. Sure, there were lingering looks. His hand touching yours a second too long. He had drunkenly kissed your cheek an inch from your mouth one night, but any solid admittance of romantic feelings? There was none.

So were you wrong in thinking maybe there was more to it? Maybe. Did it stop you from hoping? Not a chance. And if that made you foolish, then you were the biggest fool.

“You won’t be winning for long.” Another voice brought you out of your thoughts. You glanced over David’s shoulder and finally saw Kerry, who, curiously, also only eyed you. 

“Shoot. Wanna bet, brother?” David said, almost reluctantly placing you back on the ground. Kerry approached you and gave you a tight hug, one that lingered longer than you were expecting.

“Hey, Y/N. Missed you.” He murmured softly, close to your ear. It sent a shiver up your spine.

“Hey, Kerry.” You replied, left mystified as he finally let go. The touch of his skin left yours tingling. You weren’t quite sure if you were imagining the glare on David’s features.

“Are you joining us, Y/N?” Mike asked hopefully. You managed to smile again, shaking off the last interaction. 

“No, sorry, buddy. I’m gonna help your mom set up dinner. Kev, is Pam comin’?” Kevin nodded in the affirmative. You turned to Kerry. “What about Becky?” 

Becky was Kerry’s most recent girlfriend. You had only met her once, the first time he had brought her around the family. She was beautiful, such a vibrant bubbly person that made you just want to be a better person. Kerry looked away at your question.

“Nah. We’re not together anymore.” His response was quiet. It felt like tripping into a hidden hole in the grass and you wished you hadn’t asked.

“Oh…I’m sorry to hear that.” You replied. Kerry now looked right at you, his eyes clear.

“Don’t be.” You blinked. Now, you were certain the glare on David’s face was real.

“C’mon! Less chit chat, let’s finish this game.” David interrupted gruffly. You left them to their game, chuckling a little at the exasperation on Mike’s face. 

After dinner, once you finally convinced Doris to let you do the dishes and shooed off Pam to enjoy some of Kevin’s company, you were scrubbing plates in a comfortable silence. 

“You know, it goes by faster if two people do it.” You gasped and dropped the plate you were holding into the suds and water.

“Kerry? Don’t scare me like that!” You scolded. He approached your side with a chuckle, leaning against the counter. “I’m all good, really. Don’t you and your brothers have a show to be preparing for?”

“Exactly. We’re leaving in an hour. You’re coming to watch, right?” You gave a nod. “Okay, so let’s get it done faster.” He pleaded with you with his eyes and you sighed.

“Fine. You dry. And you better be better than Mike at polishing these forks.” You warned. Kerry chuckled again.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Soon, the comfortable silence was back, this time with the addition of Kerry, his large arm touching yours as you both worked diligently. But soon, with each plate, you felt the urge to speak nearly consuming you.

“So,” you said finally after clearing your throat. “I know you said not to be, but I really am sorry about bringing up Becky. I had no idea.” You apologized. Kerry was shaking his head.

“I meant it, Y/N. No need to be sorry.”

“So, what happened? She was a really great girl.” Kerry shrugged.

“Yeah…I don’t know. As great as she was, she just wasn’t really the one.” You gave a small chuckle.

“Well, Kerry, you hardly gave her a chance. How would you know?” He paused, looking over at you.

“You just do sometimes. I didn’t feel that with her. She didn’t really like the wrestling part of everything, so it wouldn’t have worked in the long run…and…I guess I realized I was never going to be fair anyways.” You frowned.

“What do you mean?” He looked away, giving another shrug.

“I was always comparing her to someone else. And wishing I was with her instead.” 

He looked at you again, putting the plate he was drying down and turning entirely to face you. You felt your words get caught in your throat and your heart speed up nervously.

“Oh, um…well.” You sputtered out. “A lot of guys make the mistake of not taking a leap and speaking up about how they feel.”

“I know.” Kerry replied. “I’ve seen it. I don’t wanna make the same mistake.” He continued to stare at you and you could’ve sworn he was moving closer.

“Hey, darling, should I wear the red and blue jacket tonight or the black and gold–” David had entered the kitchen and stopped short at the sight of Kerry next to you. You watched his eyes narrow. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, nothing. Just helping Y/N with the dishes. She shouldn’t do all the heavy lifting.” Kerry replied. You nearly elbowed him.

“No, and she doesn’t. That’s what I’m around for. I think Y/N’s capable enough of washing dishes without you slowing her down.” David replied. 

“I really don’t mind!” You cut in, but the brothers continued to stare at each other. The tension in the air was growing thick. “It’s the least I can do for always free-loading around here.”

“It’s a little dumb of you to think a woman should wash the dishes, Dave.” Kerry challenged.

“I never said she should! I know she’s her own person and better than anyone, I know she doesn’t need anyone’s help for anything. She’s not some helpless doll, and the last thing she needs is your help.”

“Just because she doesn’t need it doesn’t mean she should always have to do it on her own.”

“I’d gladly wash the dishes for her if she asked me too, you’re putting words in my mouth! Who’s the one always making sure she gets a plate full of food first or opening the door for her? Who picks up lunch for her every day of the week while she’s working so she doesn’t have to?” David was beginning to yell, and if you weren't the subject, you would have found the entire thing ridiculously amusing. Half of you wanted to laugh at the sudden absurdity and the other half of you was mortified.

“What’s going on?” Kevin demanded as he came into the kitchen. Pam was looking knowingly between Kerry and David before shooting you a sympathetic look that made your face grow warm. “C’mon, Kerry, why don’t you have your bag? We’re gonna be late.”

“You know the red is my favorite.” You said to David after Kerry left up the stairs. He looked a little abashed now that it was just the two of you, fiddling with his fingers and avoiding your eyes.

“Look, Y/N, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean I think it’s your place to do the dishes or something. That was really stupid of me to say, I didn't mean–”

“I know.” You reassured him. He glanced up at you and his mouth opened to say more. You held your breath, waiting to see, but he closed it again.

“I should get my stuff.” He muttered, heading up the stairs. You sighed a little, looking around the little kitchen, aghast. 

***

At the Sportatorium, you took your seat in the front in between Mike and Pam. 

“Everything okay?” Pam asked you. You were jumpy and flinched when she touched your arm. 

“Huh? Oh. Uh…I think so.” You sighed. “I hope so.” You tacked on under your breath. Soon, the main event was on and the brothers were making their way to the ring for a six-man tag match. 

Kevin passed first, giving you a nod and a quick kiss to Pam. Then David, who gave you his yellow rose and a kiss to the top of the head, his red jacket matching your cheeks. But when Kerry came, you weren’t expecting him to stop and wrap his arms around you in a hug, nor were you expecting the kiss to your cheek. You didn't even feel the glares from all the women surrounding you; the only thing you could focus on what the way David had frozen and was now staring in outrage at Kerry.

“Uh oh,” you heard Mike mutter beside you, voicing your thoughts out loud. Suddenly, David took a step towards Kerry and shoved his chest.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? You think I don’t know what you’re doing?” You heard him yell, and noticed a few fans giving the brothers confused looks. Kerry swatted David’s hand away before giving him a shove back.

“Stop it!” You hissed at them, to no avail. It was as if you suddenly weren’t even there. Thankfully, Kevin had turned back and given both of them stern slaps to the shoulder before stepping between them. 

“Cut it out right now, we have a match to do.” You heard him scolding parentally, not before sending an exasperated look in your direction. You felt yourself shrinking lower. 

“Oh god…this is my fault.” You mumbled to yourself, burying your face in your hands and sinking down in your seat. 

“Oh, honey, this is not your fault.” Pam told you quickly, rubbing your shoulders comfortingly. “This is just two grown men acting like silly little boys.”

“Yeah, it’s not your fault they’re acting like kids.” Mike added helpfully, looking desperate to cheer you up. “You can’t blame yourself just because Kerry likes you too.”

“Too?!” you exclaimed. “What are you talking about?” Mike looked genuinely bewildered and Pam once again looked sympathetic. “When did this even happen, how?”

“Oh, honey.” She merely repeated, shaking her head. Your head was spinning.

“Pretty sure Dave knows about Kerry too, but he’s been pretending he doesn’t notice because it’s not really a secret that he likes you." Mike started to try to explain, but you were barely keeping up. "So he’s expecting Kerry to back off because you know, brothers and everything but—"

“If he didn’t know before, which he did, he does now.” Pam said, her eyes watching as David and Kerry appeared to continue arguing from where they stood on the ring apron with Kevin in the ring.

“First of all, David’s never even asked me out.” You replied finally.

“That’s what I said!” Mike seemed to defend himself. “But he just says he’s waiting for the right time. We think he’s kinda nervous you do actually like Kerry. Do you?” You blinked several times again.

“Oh my god…these boys.” You sighed, burying your head again.

You continued to watch the match unfold through squinted eyes that were further blocked with your hands, nervous that at any point David and Kerry were going to start swinging on each other instead of their opponents. Pam had her arm looped through yours, a helpful anchor keeping you from floating away. Thankfully, they seemed to be fine, and only you, Pam, and Mike were aware of the coldness between Kerry and David. As soon as Kevin got the pin, Kerry left the ring, ignoring fans all the way to the dressing room. David wasn’t far behind him, leaving Kevin to slap fans hands and sign autographs. 

“I’ve got to fix this.” You said, to yourself more than anyone else. Mike and Pam were on your heels, but you all stopped short at the sound of two voices thundering inside the dressing room. You winced.

“Mike, please go in there and grab Kerry for me.” You begged. Mike’s eyes widened. 

“So it is Kerry?”

“Michael, please! Before they do something!” He snapped out of it and dutifully ducked into the room. You cringed as the yelling only picked up, ten times worse. There was a clattering sound of something metal hitting something.

“I can’t tell if you’re the best thing that happened to this family…or the worst.” You jumped at the sound of Kevin’s voice behind you and groaned at his words. Thankfully, he seemed to have a half humorous grin on his face. Pam hit his shoulder lightly, shaking her head in disapproval.

“This is not her fault!” She insisted. Kevin shook his head.

“No, I know. Took everything in me to keep them from going at each other in the ring.” He muttered, looking towards the dressing room with a grimace. You groaned.

“Kev…I’m not trying to do this! The last thing I want is to get between them. I don’t want to be the reason they hate each other; if that’s the case, I’ll remove myself from this situation.”

“Hey! No one wants you to leave.” Kevin said. “We love each other to death. That just means sometimes we fight too. But we always work it out. Dave and Kerry are just gonna have to accept whatever decision you make. And they’ll have to respect it.” You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. Kerry came out of the dressing room at the moment. The second he left, the door slammed shut behind him, presumably David’s doing.

“After I talk with Kerry, can you make sure you stick around waiting in the parking lot?” You lowered your voice to Pam and Kevin. You knew instantly Pam understood. Kevin opened his mouth in question, but she pressed a finger to his lips.

“We got it.” She assured you, and gave your arm a squeeze. As they walked away, Kerry approached. It was just the two of you in the dingy backstage hallway.

“Hey,” Kerry said lightly, a small smile on his face. “Mike said you wanted to see me.” 

“I did…” you said, before you sighed. “Listen, Kerry…I…” you looked from the smile on his face to your shoes and the scuffs on the ground next to them. You traced circles around the marks with the toe of your shoe.

“Let me stop you for one second, Y/N.” Kerry said. You frowned a little. 

“But, Kerry—“

“Just listen, please. Y/N…I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t. All those girls out there on the way to the ring, it’s like they’re not there. All I see is your face. I dreamt about you the other night. We were together in a house of our own, just making breakfast. I mean, I know we’ve been friends for a while and everything but…I really care about you. It’s just what I meant, about Becky. I couldn’t see it working out no matter how much I tried, but with you…” You bit your lip, still unable to look up, knowing the scuffs on the floor were going to be committed to your memory forever. “Y/N?” You felt his fingers tilt your chin up gently and looked into his side eyes, like a beautiful sunny day. You allowed yourself for a second to jump into them, imagining what that path could bring. The breakfast he had mentioned, the house. Knowing every time you stepped out with him, he was the envy of every woman around you. The passion that he carried for everything and every goal would now also be geared towards you and loving you so completely and fully. 

And it still didn’t feel right. Because you could see it all; the picturesque home, a loving embrace, maybe even a family of your own…but Kerry wasn’t the person in your dream. 

“Kerry, I’m sorry. I don’t feel that way for you.” You whispered. “I’m sorry. I’ll always care for you as a person, but I can’t be your person.” He stared back unwaveringly, and to his credit, he nodded his head and stepped back.

“I understand that. I’m…sorry if I ruined any of the kindness you have in your heart towards me, or made you uncomfortable, I just thought that…” he sighed and straightened up again. “I should be honest. I’ll work real hard to make everything right again, alright?”

“It’s okay, Kerry. Consider this conversation forgotten.” He grinned a little.

“I do feel a little stupid now, though.” He admitted, making you laugh. “I should have known it was always David.” Just at his name alone, those familiar butterflies rushed back. You smiled.

“I really need to see him. Kevin and Pam should be waiting out back for you and Mike. I need to talk to David.” Kerry nodded, and you knocked on the dressing room door. Mike’s face appeared, looking eager for some kind of update.

“I need to talk to David.” You told him. He looked over your head to where Kerry was waiting. “Alone.”

“Oh…uh. Right.” Mike replied, still looking confused, but quickly leaving the room to join Kerry. You walked in and shut the door behind you before taking in the surroundings. There was a chair laying on the floor next to the wall, seemingly laying there after being thrown if the dent in the wall was any clue. David was sitting in another chair, one hand pressed to his mouth and the other wrapped around his midsection. He was staring at the floor, one leg shaking.

“Hey…” you murmured, not taking a step. There was a long pause.

“Y/N, you really don’t have to do this.” He said finally. “I don’t need a little pep talk, or for you to tell me how great I am but just not the right one or something. I’m a big boy, I’ll be just fine with your decision.” You frowned.

“David…”

“Really.” He said, looking up at you. “I mean, it’s Kerry for crying out loud. I get it, alright? I mean, I’ve seen every day how girls look at him. He’s great. I’m not mad, I promise. I’ll be happy for you both.”

“David, wait, seriously—“

“No, I don’t want you trying to make me feel better, Y/N.” He stood suddenly as if he couldn’t contain himself in the chair any longer. “It’s really my own fault anyways. You’re one helluva lady, you know that? Every day, I just look at you and I can’t believe you’re real. And in front of me, just sorta breathing the same air as me. I just can’t get enough of you, and I should have done something about it sooner, but I’ll admit I was scared, alright? Because you’re way out of my league, but I should have made it known. I should have told you time and time again every second how I felt, I should have treated you like it. But I just want you to be happy. I swear it. And at the end of the day, if it’s with my own brother, then that’s fine. I know he’ll take care of you.” Despite his words, you could see the unhappiness burning in his eyes. You couldn’t help but admire every word coming from his mouth, you couldn’t help but stare at his mouth, desperate to shut him up with a kiss. 

“Are you finished?” You asked. His face frowned and you couldn’t help but chuckle. “Now, what on earth did Mike tell you?” David’s frown deepened.

“That you needed to talk to Kerry.”

“Okay. Is that all?” He frowned even further.

“He just started consoling me and telling me it ain’t your fault, which I never said it was—I would never blame you. Then some, you know, run of the mill peppy speech about fish in the sea…” At this point, you gave an outright laugh. “Oh, now you’re laughing at me?”

“You and Mike really should learn not to jump to conclusions so quickly. Didn’t your father ever tell you about making assumptions?” David’s face melted slowly from confusion to a hopeful wide eyed wonder. 

“…What are you saying?”

“I love Kerry, but not like that. Not like…how I’ve always felt about you.” 

David crossed the room within the blink of an eye and suddenly hoisted you into the air, his face buried against your neck, his arms encasing you against him.

“Oh, Y/N…oh man. You had me losing my mind.” He admitted, voice muffled against your skin. “You mean it?” He asked, leaning back to check your expression.

“Do you?” You demanded cheekily. “On second thought, maybe you should listen to Mike more. I’m still waiting for you to ask me out, David Von Erich.” David's head tilted back in laughter. 

“You got it, darling, I’m not wastin’ a second more. How about this Friday?” 

“That’s movie night; Kev’s not gonna be too happy with that.” You replied, giggling. David laughed again, and the both of you seemed dizzied in relief and euphoria, gripping each other tightly with the hands and yet, weak at the knees.

“Well, Kev’s just gonna have to deal with it. We’ll do movie night another night.” David said, placing you back on the ground and kissing the top of your head. Finally, finally, everything felt right.

[gallaghersgal]

hello all! welcome to my version of promptober. i will be mixing some of my own prompts with those created by my lovely friend olive for bearblr promptober!!

RULES → you can request; lip gallagher, fiona gallagher, kevin ball, veronica fischer, carmen berzatto, richie jerimovich, sydney adamu, nat "sugar" berzatto, marcus brooks, or kerry von erich. prompts marked with an * are for characters from the bear only. prompts without an * are free rein.

day one

apocalypse, lip gallagher

day two

haunted house, lip gallagher

day three

somnophilia, kerry von erich

day four

temp. play, veronica fischer

day five

ghosts, marcus brooks

day six *

carving pumpkins, richie jerimovich

day seven

role play / knife kink, lip gallagher

day eight *

autumn leaves, richie jerimovich

day nine

edging, gallzatto

day ten *

rain soaked, carmen berzatto

day eleven

size kink, kerry von Erich

day twelve *

blindfolds, gallzatto

day thirteen *

hot coco / baking, sydney adamu

day fourteen

seance, kerry von erich

day fifteen

apple picking / hay ride, nat "sugar" berzatto

day sixteen

costumes, college dad!lip

day seventeen *

dumbification, carmen berzatto

day eighteen

sick day, kerry von erich

day nineteen

vampire, sub!lip

day twenty

drive in, kerry von erich

day twenty one *

spiked cider, culinary!carmen

day twenty two

impact play, kevin ball

day twenty three

slow morning, patsys!lip

day twenty four *

haunted house, richie jerimovich

day twenty five

crying kink, kerry von erich

day twenty six

corruption, carmen berzatto

day twenty seven *

nightmares, carmen berzatto

day twenty eight

choking, richie jerimovich

day twenty nine

cockwarming, kevin ball

day thirty *

sweaters / sharing clothes, nat "sugar" berzatto

day thirty one *

trick or treat, carmen berzatto

© gallaghersgal, 2024. dividers © cafekitsune (x), saradika (x).

huge shoutouts to my baddies @carmenberzattosgf @thecapricunt1616 @carmybrainworms @mouseymilkovich @l4long-winded

[wrestlinghistorywithkay]

I have an announcement: As all of you know I’ve been writing about the Von Erichs. And today, I promoted Growing Up Von Erich , the podcast started by Hollie ( Kerry’s daughter ) and Kristen ( Kevin’s daughter) on X! They saw it and I got a follow back from them! This is so amazing ! I would love to be on their podcast one day! It’s a goal for me as a wrestling historian!

[buffyfan145]

Saw this on Twitter/X of one of the UK promos for "The Iron Claw", which finally is coming out there Feb. 9th, and it broke the brothers down by "type". They got Kevin/Zac as "The Tough One", David/Harris as "The Cute One", and Kerry/Jeremy as "The Funny One". LOL For some reason that feels mismatched to me and I'm not sure if they did this on purpose or not. It does kind of fit their wrestling personas but really they all were considered "heartthrobs" back then, as you rewatch their matches and there's tons of girls screaming like it's a boyband concert which is something that's not really a thing anymore in wrestling. LOL 😀 But it also got me thinking about how people used to joke there are 5 basic types in a boyband (the heartthrob/leader, the rebel/bad boy, the reassuring older brother, the shy one, and the adorable baby brother) and weirdly the Von Erich brothers fit that. 😏

[qnewsau]

Thirstiest reactions to Jeremy White Allen in Calvin Klein

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/thirstiest-reactions-to-jeremy-white-allen-for-calvin-klein/

Thirstiest reactions to Jeremy White Allen in Calvin Klein

Actor Jeremy Allen White is the latest male celebrity to strip off as the face of Calvin Klein underwear, and the thirst is real.

The American actor became a global sex symbol after his role as the short-tempered but brilliant chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto on The Bear, streaming in Australia on Disney+.

In the new Calvin Klein campaign, which dropped overnight, Jeremy trades his chef’s uniform for underwear in the photos and videos by fashion photographer Mert Alas shot in New York.

Jeremy got ripped to film his latest film The Iron Claw. In the A24 flick, the actor plays beefy professional wrestler Kerry Von Erich alongside Zac Efron and Harris Dickinson.

“I was used to running around in front of large groups of people in my underwear because of [that movie],” Jeremy told GQ. “So maybe there was some mental and emotional prep [for this shoot] from that job.”

The Iron Claw is in Australian cinemas next week.

Check out Jeremy’s Calvin Klein photos below, and watch the promo video as many times as you need:

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by Calvin Klein (@calvinklein)

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by Calvin Klein (@calvinklein)

After the campaign dropped, over on Gay Twitter X, Jeremy Allen White’s Calvin Klein shoot had people assuming the position.

*assume the position pic.twitter.com/dfs03EAfxC

— Jeremy (@jeremyyrayy92) January 4, 2024

me liking every jeremy allen white for calvin klein tweet i see on the timeline pic.twitter.com/iTzWgMHxOb

— juan (@redrumjuan) January 4, 2024

My bussy seeing these photos of Jeremy Allen White this morning pic.twitter.com/evYPr6kTFj

— Cole Barrett (@barrettjcole) January 4, 2024

talking to people who don’t find jeremy allen white attractive pic.twitter.com/elj8Jy1nnF

— rad libs (@Rad323) January 4, 2024

the types of images that make a young gay boy start realizing things https://t.co/V04uJnxzNz

— matt (@mattxiv) January 4, 2024

i would let him spit in my food https://t.co/Je6RNNpx16

— Matt Bellassai (@MattBellassai) January 4, 2024

“Jeremy Allen White for Calvin Klein”

Me: pic.twitter.com/PprmUrA1WZ

— 🏳️‍🌈Jackson🏳️‍🌈 (@jackHollywood09) January 4, 2024

me double tapping to zoom in on all the jeremy allen white pictures this morning pic.twitter.com/Ya6bPhhhof

— monica (@waystarroyhoe) January 4, 2024

Jeremey Allen White it seems I’ve grown quite AWOOOGA HUMANA HUMANA HUMANA BOO-OI-OI-OINGGG of you… https://t.co/O0yGtrw1bO

— Paul McCallion (@OrangePaulp) January 4, 2024

I just bit a chunk out of my bed frame https://t.co/Mojc1vC1Me

— bailey (@gaileyasf) January 4, 2024

Jeremy Allen White you would be unstoppable in Ancient Greece pic.twitter.com/nKdneJtAxc

— Meech (@MediumSizeMeech) January 4, 2024

Having some very LGBTQ+ thoughts https://t.co/dFn4qHubLa

— Joe ✨ (@JoeWritesThings) January 4, 2024

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[daysofyellowroses]

masterlist

The Bear 🐻

one shots:

Carmy:

toast

chocolate

steak

honey

honey ii

peanut butter

fries

chilli

cherry

strawberry

sandwich

cupcake

noodles

beef

Richie:

jam

cake

The Iron Claw 💪🏻

oneshots:

David:

yellow rose

Kerry:

ride

comfort

red rose

red rose ii

All posts have tw attached, currently all afab!reader, with as little physical description as possible as ideally anyone can see themselves in these stories!

Please feel free to send requests if you want to!

[thecapricunt1616]

Promptoober 2024 Masterlist!

Promptober Calendar

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝐬𝐭 - 𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 ; 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐟 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐚 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝐧𝐝 - 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲 ; 𝐋𝐢𝐩 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝐫𝐝 - 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝟏 𝐁𝐞𝐝 ; 𝐒𝐲𝐝𝐱𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝐭𝐡 - 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ; 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟓𝐭𝐡 - 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐬 ; 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟔𝐭𝐡 - 𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐤 ; 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐟 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐚 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟕𝐭𝐡 - 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐝; 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟖𝐭𝐡 - 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 ; 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟗𝐭𝐡 - 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 ; 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐟 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐚 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎𝐭𝐡 - 𝐃𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧; 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟏𝐭𝐡 - 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 ; 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟐𝐭𝐡 - 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐤 ; 𝐋𝐢𝐩 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟑𝐭𝐡-𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞;𝐊𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐕𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒𝐭𝐡 - 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚 ; 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟓𝐭𝐡 - 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 ; 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐟 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐚 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟔𝐭𝐡 - 𝐁𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐝; 𝐋𝐢𝐩 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟕𝐭𝐡 - 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐩 ; 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖𝐭𝐡 - 𝐃𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐲𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚; 𝐋𝐢𝐩 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟗𝐭𝐡 - 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐟 𝐏𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 ; 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝐭𝐡-𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲;𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐟 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐚 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟏𝐬𝐭 - 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐞 ; 𝐋𝐢𝐩 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟐𝐧𝐝 - 𝐕𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐤 ; 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟑𝐫𝐝 - 𝐒𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐃𝐚𝐲 ; 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐟 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐚 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡 - 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 ; 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟓𝐭𝐡 - 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐬𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 ; 𝐋𝐢𝐩 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟔𝐭𝐡-𝐏𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠;𝐊𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲𝐕𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐱𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟕𝐭𝐡 - 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 ; 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟖𝐭𝐡 - 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐳𝐞 ; 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟗𝐭𝐡 - 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ; 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐟 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐚 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟎𝐭𝐡 - 𝐇𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 ; 𝐋𝐢𝐩 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟏𝐬𝐭-𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 ; 𝐃𝐚𝐝!𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲 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 - Modern!Aemond Targaryen

gold rush - Kerry Von Erich

'tis the damn season - Aegon II Targaryen

tolerate it - Daemon Targaryen - I Sit And Watch You... (p2)

no body, no crime - Daemon Targaryen

happiness - David Von Erich

dorothea - Cillian Murphy

coney island - Kendall Roy

ivy - Kerry Von Erich

cowboy like me - David Von Erich

long story short - Cillian Murphy

marjorie - David Von Erich

closure - Uhtred Ragnarsson, Ragnar the Younger

evermore - David Von Erich

[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.”

[daysofyellowroses]

training season

kerry von erich x afab!reader | 3.4k | 18+ minors dni | honestly zero plot to be found, just smut because why not!

i don't think it's an overstatement to say this is incredibly overdue 🤦🏻‍♀️ i started writing it in..march i want to say, and then hit a bit of a mental health slump but here we are in july, surviving if not thriving ✨️ this story is based on this request from the most patient angel in the universe, love of my life, @thecapricunt1616 do yourself a favour and scoot on over to discover the best blog in existence 🫶🏻💗🌼 enjoy!

🥇

“He's here again.”

“Who?”

“Your not-so-secret admirer.”

You rolled your eyes with a smile, not looking across the room. It was the third or fourth time that week that some of your fellow team USA athletes just happened to be in the same gymnasium as you. Sure, their disciplines were based outdoors, but you were all happy to keep up the charade that they were there for moral support. Not to watch you and the other gymnasts walk around in flimsy practice leotards, absolutely not. Like you and the girls never went to watch the guys strut around in their flimsy vests, you were just there for moral support.  

When it was your turn on the mat, you took your time unzipping your hoodie, carefully folding it and setting it aside as you felt eyes on you. When you walked over to the corner of the mat, you gave a slight glance across the room, checking who was sitting in the stands. Of course Kerry was there, you would have been disappointed if he wasn't. 

You always pushed yourself to be the best, but knowing he was watching you always pushed you harder, made you add a little extra flair to your routine as you moved across the floor with ease, throwing yourself into your practice. 

After you'd finished and had rejoined the girls, you found Kerry still watching you when the next girl went to practice, looking away after giving him a smile and trying not to feel too smug to have his attention. 

It wasn't like he didn't have yours, you supposed. You just enjoyed keeping him on a hook. 

Of course, you and the girls just happened to be going for a walk around the training grounds later that afternoon when Kerry and his teammates were out for practice. It was a beautiful afternoon and you were just enjoying the weather while you had some free time.

While some of the girls stopped to properly watch the guys training, you linked arms with your bestie on the team and kept walking, giving the occasional glance over your shoulder before looking away and bursting into a fit of laughter about how teenage it all was. 

Still, teenage or not..it worked.

As you were rounding a lap of the training grounds, you spotted Kerry walking over to you and had your bestie giving you some excuse or the other before she went to join the other girls/spectators. You didn't mind having an audience, after all it was girls you'd known for along time and you'd been in the group watching on enough times.

“Hey,” Kerry grinned as he approached you, his hoodie draped over his shoulder. “what brings you out here?”

“This weather, obviously,” You grinned, unzipping your hoodie a little. “It felt criminal to be inside any longer.”

“Fair enough,” Kerry nodded, smirking a little as he glanced over to the girls, huddled together and giggling as they all pretended the grass was suddenly fascinating. 

“How are you feeling about next week?”

“Like the gold is already around my neck,” You shrugged with a smile, folding your arms as Kerry looked back at you. “what about you? Feeling confident?”

“Absolutely,” He grinned, gesturing to himself. “You saw me out there, I got this.”

“Who says I saw you?” You rolled your eyes with a grin. “I was taking a walk, I don't have time to watch you.”

“Right, that walk all around here..where I just happen to be,” Kerry raised a brow. “There's no shame checking me out, I'll take the support.”

You laughed and shook your head,adjusting your arms to sit tighter under your chest. “Can I borrow some of that confidence for my routine?”

“Like you need it,” Kerry rolled his eyes playfully. “You were great out there. Couldn't keep my eyes off you.”

“You're welcome,” You grinned, taking a step closer. “Happy to provide you with some free entertainment.”

“Oh yeah?” Kerry stepped closer too, the distance between you now minimal. “Maybe I can repay the favor.”

“How do you plan to do that?” You asked, looking up at Kerry under your lashes with a grin. “I'm not easily impressed.”

“Then let me try,” Kerry winked, taking a slight step back. “Come by tonight. We're having a party. You can show me some of those moves of yours up close.”

“I'll think about it,” You shrugged, unable to stop the smile on your face. 

“I know you will,” Kerry grinned. “Just try and think about the party too. Be great to see you.”

You did think about it, and you knew you and the girls would absolutely end up at the party but you weren't going to make that known. It was the same with all the Olympic village parties, you and the girls would show up fashionably late, looking drop dead gorgeous and have the best time. 

Kerry's party wouldn't be any exception. Music blasted while you and the girls got ready, drinks flowing as you all perfected yourselves. Technically the athletes weren't supposed to have parties, to drink or smoke or eat burgers or in some people's cases work their way through the countries of the world person by person. But once you all brought home medals, the coaches were willing to look the other way now and then.

You were feeling pretty buzzed when you got to the party, which had spilled out from the apartments onto the grounds. Music was blasting, drinks were flowing, a cup being handed to you as soon as you arrived. You took your besties hand and twirled her around before doing a lap of the party. You waved to some of your fellow team USA athletes, keeping an eye out for Kerry. When you spotted him, you and your bestie kept yourselves within his eyeline, dancing to the music.

It didn't take long until you felt a hand on your back, giving your bestie a grin as you rolled your eyes playfully. You turned around and smiled as you spotted Kerry, resting your hand on your hip.

“Found me then?”

“You're hard to miss when you're looking like this,” Kerry grinned, eyeing you up and down. “Got all eyes on you when you're looking so good.”

“Oh yeah?” You grinned, raising a brow before looking back to your bestie. She took your empty cup before telling you she'd get you another drink, giving you a wink before walking away.

“Seems weird,” You looked back at Kerry, touching the sleeve of his t-shirt. “Seeing you so covered up. I'm used to you in your vests.”

Kerry laughed before taking a sip of his drink, his eyes focused on you. You knew the black mini wrap dress you'd thrown in your suitcase at the last minute was a good idea. 

“Is that your way of saying you prefer me half naked?” Kerry teased.

“Absolutely not,” You raised a brow with a grin. “Why would I prefer half naked to the whole thing?”

Before he could respond, you held out your hand with a grin, tilting your head slightly.

“Come dance with me.”

“Yes ma'am.”

You turned once Kerry's hand was on yours, leading him further into the crowd before turning back and wrapping his arm around you as you swayed against him. He moved his free hand to grip your waist, holding you flush against him. The music felt louder, pounding in your ears as you moved your body to the rhythm. 

Kerry leaned down to kiss your neck, your head falling back against his shoulder as your hands moved over his, your heart racing as warmth flooded you. For all your teasing and flirtations, you'd never gotten so close to him before, felt all of him pressed against you. Really you cursed yourself for not doing it earlier.

 “Didn't know you knew how to dance,” You grinned, slowly stepping forward before turning in Kerry's arms and wrapping your arms around his neck. “You got any other hidden talents?”

“Plenty,” Kerry smirked, his arms wrapping around your waist and pulling you closer. “Though they ain't gotta stay hidden.”

You gently trailed your fingers through Kerry's hair, smirking slightly as you leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“I hope not. Show me what you got.”

As you felt Kerry's hands move down your body to grab your ass and pick you up, you let out a squeak of excitement as you wrapped your legs around his waist. 

“No time like the present hm?” Kerry smirked, taking a step forward as you held onto him, giving him directions as best as you could, distracted by the feel of him against your already soaked panties.

You were feeling desperate by the time you reached Kerry's bedroom, weaving through the heated crowd who in a few days wouldn't be smoking, drinking and dry humping on couches, the world watching respectable athletes at the peak of their prowess.

The feeling of a solid door behind your back snapped you from your thoughts, you met Kerry's eyes and moved your hands to touch his neck.

“Come on then,” You murmured with a grin. “whip out your talents.”

Kerry laughed before he leaned in to kiss you, to your unexpected surprise. You had often thought about how it might feel, knowing it was inevitable. It turned out to be better than you could have ever imagined. He tasted like beer and a hint of cigarettes, his lips soft against yours. His hands were still gripping your ass, and you didn't object to it when his fingers found the waistband of your panties. 

“Put me down, I'll take them off,” You groaned into the kiss, your hands moving to grip Kerry's curls. “ruined anyway.”

After a moment, Kerry slowly set you down, and you broke the kiss just long enough to reach under your dress before Kerry's arm touched yours.

“No,” He met your eyes before glancing down, his hand moving down your arm to slip under your dress and touch your wrist. “Let me.”

You managed a nod, watching Kerry sink to his knees before you. He slowly reached under your dress, fingers digging into the waistband of your panties. He tugged them down slowly, his eyes held on yours. 

“Fuck,” You murmured softly as you noticed the size of the wet spot on your panties, now pooled at your feet.

“Not a bad start,” Kerry grinned as he looked down and reached for the hem of your dress. “But you can do better. Get this off for me, will you?”

You took a breath as you reached for the hem of your dress, your fingers brushing against Kerry's. It took some serious self control to slowly peel your dress up over your head and not just rip it away. When you were left standing in just your bra, your heart raced as you met Kerry's eyes, a smirk on his face.

“Good girl,” He murmured softly, his hands moving along your thighs. “So obedient, ain't you?”

As much as you wanted to give a sassy little retort, you found yourself distracted by some primal part of your mind for a moment, lifting your leg up slowly and draping it over Kerry's shoulder. You smirked slightly as you noticed he was caught off guard, tilting your head slightly. 

“Waiting for someone to wave you in?” You teased, reaching for your bra strap and slowly tugging it down your shoulder.

“Don't be a brat,” Kerry grinned, hooking his arm around your leg as he leaned in and placed a soft kiss to your wet center. You closed your eyes as he slowly locked a stripe up to your clit, your heart racing. Your hand moved to grip his hair, a gasp escaping you as you felt Kerry's hand grip your thigh.

As he slowly licked along your wet folds, you tried to steady your breathing, opening your eyes and glancing down. The sight of Kerry buried between your legs had you weak, gripping his hair tighter as he moved his free hand between your legs. The pads of his fingers brushed over your entrance, the teasing getting to you. 

“Gotta be patient, darlin’” Kerry murmured against you, lapping at your clit as you let out a moan. You wished you hadn't waited so damn long to get him between your legs, but you were determined to make up for lost time.

Kerry's fingers sweeping over your entrance drew back your attention, your high feeling closer as he slowly pushed a digit into you.

“Fuck,” You groaned, closing your eyes and tilting your head back. You gripped Kerry's hair as he brought you closer and closer to the edge, your heart racing as you felt the high closing in on you. 

You weren't sure if you screamed or if the sound caught in your throat when you came, the feeling of it hit you harder than you expected and had you seeing stars. It took a moment to register Kerry standing up and holding your waist, your body slowly coming back down to earth.

You took a breath as you met his eyes, knowing he'd give you anything in the world in that moment if you asked.

“Kiss me,” You murmured softly, reaching for the collar of his shirt and pulling him closer until his lips were against yours. You could taste yourself on his lips, addicted to it immediately. You grabbed at the hem of his shirt, tugging it up and letting out a gasp when he pulled back. His shirt was on the floor in a flash, and you watched as he began removing the rest of his clothes. When he was down to his boxers, he reached for the waistband before pausing and looking at you with a smirk. 

“Not gonna be the only naked one,” He grinned, gesturing to your bra, just about still on you. “Fair is fair.”

“Then come even the playing field,” You teased, toying with the strap of your bra and letting out an excited shriek when Kerry was on you in a heartbeat. He kissed your neck as his arms weapon around you, his fingers making swift work of ridding you of your bra. You wrapped your arms around his neck, letting out a soft breath as he pulled back to look at you.

“Feeling okay?” He asked, eyes searching yours.

“Better than okay,” You grinned, leaning in to kiss him. His arms wrapped around your waist before he picked you up, your legs wrapping around his waist. “As long as you keep doing what you're doing.”

“Oh yeah?” Kerry murmured against your lips, smirking as he walked over to the neatly made bed and promptly tossed you down on it. “You mean something like that?”

“I suppose so,” You rolled your eyes with a grin as you propped yourself up on your elbows and glanced at the bed.

“Wow..I guess these things are a little sturdier than they wanted us to think.”

“I'm happy to test them out,” Kerry grinned, standing at the end of the bed and watching you keenly.

“See what they're made of.”

You sat up a little, eyeing Kerry with a smirk.

“We can do that..if you ever take off those damn shorts. Are they glued to you or something?”

“Not necessarily,” Kerry grinned, snapping  waistband. “Just like making you wait.”

“Kerry Von Erich,” You raised a brow, giving him a pseudo serious look. “you can either take those shorts off or get the hell out.”

“You gonna kick me outta my own bedroom?” Kerry teased, stepping closer to the bed. “doesn't seem fair to me.”

You laid back down on the bed, stretching your arms up for a moment. 

“Doesn't have to be fair. Your choice, I can always do this without you.”

“Well as much as I would love to see that,” Kerry grinned, his hands moving to his waistband. “It ain't gonna be necessary. Get on your knees for me like a good girl.”

“Yes sir,” You grinned, rolling onto your stomach and slowly drawing your knees up to expose yourself to Kerry. A thrill shot down your spine as you felt the mattress dip, taking a breath as you felt Kerry's hand gently stroke the back of your thigh.

“You gonna spread these for me?” 

You were pretty sure your arousal was dripping onto the bed as you spread your legs wider, your heart racing. What you expected was to feel Kerry's hand grip your waist, feel his throbbing dick tease your entrance, what you didn't expect was to feel his tongue lapping at your wet folds once again. 

“Kerry,” You moaned, clutching at the tightly tucked sheets. “I..”

“What's the matter?” Kerry murmured behind you, his hand moving slowly across your thigh, fingers brushing against your hot core. “Cat got your tongue?”

“Very funny,” You scoffed, taking a breath as you felt Kerry's hand move between your legs, fingers replacing his tongue. “I'm just wondering if you're going to fuck me or if I need to do it myself.”

“Would you prefer that?” Kerry asked softly, placing a soft kiss to your back as his fingers slowly spread you open.

“I..I'll take what I can get,” You murmured in response, heat riding in your abdomen. “But I suppose you're the preferable option.”

“Lucky me,” Kerry chuckled, slowly easing his fingers from you and patting your raised ass.

“What are we waiting for?”

“You tell me,” You grinned, looking over your shoulder and moving your ass back towards Kerry. “I'm running out of patience here.”

Kerry shook his head with a grin, gently touching your hip as he met your eyes.

“Turn over then. I wanna see your face.”

You felt your heart race at the comment but tried not to let it show, instead giving Kerry a nod before you moved onto your back, taking a breath. 

“Is this okay?” Kerry asked, the sincerity in his eyes making you smile. 

“It could be even better,” You grinned, your arms moving around Kerry's neck. “But yes, it's okay.”

Kerry grinned at your answer, his lips capturing yours in a kiss that felt like it should have taken place on a beach at sunset and not on a flimsy cardboard bed in the Olympic village but you weren't going to complain.

For all your bravado and teasing, you felt like you and Kerry were teenagers again. You had known each other since you were teenagers, of course. Always had an eye on each other, thought about what it could be like.

And now that it was happening, you felt like it was just as exhilarating and passionate and fun as you imagined it would be. Your legs wrapped around Kerry's waist as he gently moved in you, his lips kissing a trail along your neck.

As much as you would never admit it, you were pleasantly surprised that Kerry took it a little slow at first, getting you used to the feeling. And when you let him know he could take it a little further he didn't hesitate, pushing your legs apart and burying himself deeper, but keeping a slow pace that had you melting into the bed.

When you felt like you were falling closer to the edge, you pushed Kerry onto his back, climbing on top of him and letting out a moan as you let yourself sink down onto him, taking a moment to enjoy the feeling, to feel his hands on your waist, his eyes burning onto you.

You weren't sure how you managed to go so long without giving in when it felt so good, your nails digging into Kerry's chest as you rode him towards your high, the sounds of his moans and cries of your name drawing you closer and closer, you leaned to down to kiss him as you felt the wave build, the most wonderful sensation taking over you before you let a shriek.

Not due to your (impending) orgasm, but rather due to the bed proving itself to be as unstable as intended. 

You clung to Kerry as the bed crumpled underneath you both, the blankets curling around you. There was silence for a moment before you both erupted into laughter.

“Guess they really are trying to stop us this year,” Kerry grinned, gently stroking your back. “too little too late though.”

“Oh we're not done yet,” You grinned, carefully getting up before walking over to the wardrobe and leaning against it, giving a light knock on the wood.

“Reckon we could break this too?”

“I think we could certainly try,” Kerry grinned, getting up and walking over to you, his arms pulling you close. “what have we got to lose?”

[daysofyellowroses]

yellow rose

david von erich x afab!reader | 6.2k | 18+ minors dni | tw: language, smoking, mild smut | a reflection on your journey to the altar

so this is a complete and utter work of fiction, based on the very brilliant movie the iron claw. i knew as soon as i watched it i would have stories but i was a little surprised david came to me first. obviously harris dickinson is beautiful but i am down so bad for jaw. i got some kerry ideas too, and i always have a hundred different bear ideas on the go too so more to come | also just to note that because this is totally fictitious, i am choosing to ignore real life events for the most part and live in fanfic delusion. enjoy 🌼

-

It all seemed to happen in a flash.

In theory, you should have been used to it. Ready for it.

One minute you were heading to a local sports center on a work assignment, then in what felt like the blink of an eye, you were walking up the aisle to marry the subject of one of those photos.

But, to get to how exactly you ended up walking down that aisle, you need to go back to how it all started.

Which, like with most things when it came to you,started with a picture.

📷

From an early age, you loved photography. Capturing a moment in time, being able to look at it any time and relive the moment was always a thrill. Your childhood home was full of framed photos and photo albums, a collection of memories surrounding you.

When you turned 13, your parents gave you your own camera. It wasn't anything too technical or fancy, but it was immediately your most treasured possession. You took photos of everything, family occasions, your friends hanging out, nature, snapshots of Dallas.

As you grew older you threw yourself into studying everything about photography, worked an extremely tedious part time job to save up for a real camera, dedicated yourself to honing your skills. It wasn't difficult, your friends and family kept you busy with birthday parties, weddings, christenings, anything worth celebrating and you were there to capture the moments.

When you were in your senior year of high school, you discovered a fondness for a particular subject of your photos. You had been sitting in the bleachers after school one day with your friends, all you of chatting and laughing about something when you'd looked onto the football field and spotted two of the players talking about something animatedly, one of them slapping the other on the back as they laughed. 

You had grabbed your camera, snapping a photo and rolled your eyes playfully as your friends teased you. Sure, the players were cute, but that wasn't why you took their photo. When the shots had developed, you were thrilled that your instinct had been correct. The red of the players jerseys popped, the gold star on their helmets gleaming in the sun. They looked graceful, despite their large frames, natural and charming. 

From that photo, you began to base more of your photos on sport. It wasn't an area you had expected to become interested in, but it inspired your photography. Cheerleaders in perfectly formed pyramids, track stars crossing the line, football players clutching the ball to their chest as they threw themselves across the post.

After graduation, you applied for a journalism course, figuring it didn't hurt to have a backup plan and maybe it would get you a gig as a photographer for a newspaper or magazine. 

Leaving home was tough, especially when a big going away party was thrown for you, your friends and family coming together to celebrate your accomplishments. When the time came to leave you were sure you'd never cried so much, trying to hype yourself up for the adventure ahead.

It was a lot of fun, being at college, as it turned out. Making new friends, learning new things, having new experiences. By the time it was over it felt like you could back and do it all again in a heartbeat.

You decided to move back to Dallas after you graduated. A job opportunity at a big paper came up, and your friend Pam had found an apartment that came with a spare room so it seemed like the right move.

It was about two weeks later you were tasked with going down to the Sportatorium on a Saturday night to document the latest wrestling match. Every time you went to a sporting event for work, you were accompanied by the senior sports writer, Duke. He was older than your father, far too old for his cheap toupee to be even the slightest bit believable. He wore cheap polyester suits, too much cologne and had a fondness for calling you ‘missy’ and placing his hand a little too low on your back.

You had psyched yourself up to ask Pam to come along, preparing a whole speech in your head. If she was with you then you could avoid Duke like the plague, couldn't possibly leave your guest alone. 

Turned out Pam didn't take much convincing at all, in fact she practically jumped at the chance to come along. You tucked her excitement away in your mind, curious to see if the source would reveal itself at the match.

When the day came, you were excited to get some shots of a new sport. From what you'd seen on TV, the Sportatorium was bright and colorful, the wrestlers just as much so. You packed up your camera before getting changed into some jeans and a t-shirt. 

Pam had taken one look at you and marched you back into your room, your protests of “But I'm working!” falling on deaf ears.

A compromise was reached. Your t-shirt stayed but a denim mini skirt replaced your jeans and brown cowboy boots replaced your beat up sneakers. You felt a little ridiculous, your job had you in all kinds of angles and positions to get the best shots, the last thing you wanted was to be unable to get a good picture because you'd end up flashing tomorrow's laundry to thousands of strangers.

When you arrived at the Sportatorium, the sun was dipping below the horizon and what seemed like hundreds of cars and trucks were pulling up. People were grabbing beers out of coolers, blasting music from boomboxes, grilling up hotdogs on portable barbecues. You got a couple of shots before Pam was hustling you inside to get your seats. Well, her seat. You told her you'd meet her outside after the match, not that she seemed to be paying attention, her eyes focused on the empty ring. 

You made your way down to the ring, keeping an eye out for Duke and ready to sprint back to Pam if needed. To your relief, Duke wasn't in attendance. The junior sports reporter, Brian, had been sent in his place. The two of you weren't exactly close friends but he was much more professional. You got some shots of the crowd, feeling excited to see a match live. The atmosphere in the stadium was electric, like something incredible was about to happen. 

When the announcement came for the first tag team, you got some shots of them walking through the tunnel and into the ring, holding their arms in the air and greeting the crowd. Brian walked around the ring slowly, scribbling into a notepad, cigarette perched behind his ear.

Then they announced the next tag team, and you moved to the opposite tunnel to get shots of them. You took a breath as you snapped a shot of the taller one, his wavy blonde hair peeking out from under his back cowboy hat. He was wearing a leather jacket that he promptly tore off before he got into the ring, his back muscles rippling. 

You cleared your throat, taking more photos and trying to concentrate on what you were there for. 

The bell rang, and once the match started you had no shortage of great photo opportunities. The men in the ring moved with perfect proficiency and style, playing up to the crowd and putting on a spectacular show. You found yourself more and more drawn to the tall blonde, David Von Erich, you discovered. 

He was so graceful yet could have these huge men slammed onto their backs, his arms bulging and a cocky grin on his face. Once or twice you could have sworn he caught your eye and winked at you but you were sure it was your imagination. 

The Von Erichs won the match, you snapped a photo of the referee holding up the brother's hands as the crowd roared. Brian checked back in with you, telling you he was going to grab some quotes before heading off. You bid him farewell before going to find Pam, heading outside with the rest of the crowd.

“Hey, over here!”

You quickly spotted Pam, smiling as you waved back at her, weaving your way through the crowd to join her.

“Hey,” You smiled, laughing softly as Pam grabbed your arm, a wide grin on her face. “Are you al-”

“Come on,” Pam immediately started tugging you in the opposite direction. “let me show you something,”

You just about managed to maintain your balance and hold onto your camera as you dodged through the dispersing crowd, wondering what exactly Pam was doing.

Before long you had an answer, as you and Pam joined a large group of women hanging around the back door of the Sportatorium. Her keenness to come to the match made much more sense when Kevin Von Erich walked out the door, towel around his shoulders and bag slung over his shoulder. You had never known Pam to look at any man the way she was looking at Kevin.

“What are you waiting for?” You asked, giving Pam a gentle nudge. “Get on over there, girl.”

“I can't, there's too many girls round him,” Pam sighed. “I am not desperate. I'll wait for my time.”

“Saving the best for last huh?” You grinned, watching Pam roll her eyes playfully. “I don't think he's gonna be able to take his eyes off you.”

“You think?” Pam asked, glancing over to you. She looked genuinely concerned and you gave her a reassuring smile. 

“I know.”

A little while later, when the crowd had dispersed and Kevin was signing the last couple of autographs, you gave Pam a gentle nudge, smiling as she quickly fixed her hair.

“Good luck,” You grinned, gently squeezing her arm. “Not that you need it.”

You gave her some space, walking over to a trash can before fishing a pack of cigarettes from your purse. You lit one up, glancing over to Pam and smiling as you spotted Kevin heading in her direction. Closing your eyes as you looked away, you took a long drag on your cigarette and felt yourself relax.

“You know it's a bad habit to smoke those things.”

You opened your eyes, finding a familiar face standing close to you. He looked better in person than he did in the ring, if that was possible. 

“Well I'm sure you know that it is very rude to keep your hat on in the presence of a lady,” You raised a brow, flicking your ash into the trash can. “I could be deeply insulted.”

“I apologize,” David grinned, taking off his hat and giving you a slight bow as he did. He introduced himself properly, as did you, his hand moving over his heart as he tilted his head. “You know I was just joking, there's worse habits to have than smoking.”

You nodded, smiling a little. “Like creeping up on strangers?”

He laughed and you felt a flutter in your stomach. You willed it away, not wanting to be another simpering fan.

“You want one?” You asked, holding out the box of cigarettes. David looked like he was considering saying yes before he shook his head. 

“No, thank you. I shouldn't.”

“Fair enough,” You nodded, putting the box back in your purse. “It really is a bad habit. I'm trying to quit but I got some time to kill so..”

“Oh yeah?” David raised a brow, glancing around the quiet car park before looking back at you. “What you waiting for?”

“My friend,” You gestured in the direction of Pam, who was deep in conversation with Kevin. “she's a big fan.”

“So I see,” David grinned, looking over to his brother and Pam before focusing his attention back on you. “and uh..what about you? Are you a big fan?”

You thought about it/made him wait for a moment as you took a drag on your cigarette and raised a brow.

“I'm just here for work.”

“Really?” David looked a little surprised, lightly rubbing his jaw. “What kinda work do you do?”

You held up your camera with a smile before flicking your cigarette in the trash can. “I’m a photographer,” You explained. “for a newspaper.”

“Oh right,” David smiled, folding his arms. “I'll have to buy that, see if you got any good ones of me. Which paper is it?”

“It's the uh..huh,” You grinned as you glanced over to Pam, watching her laugh as Kevin said something to her. “Excuse me for one second.” 

You turned slightly, holding your camera up and focusing it on Pam and Kevin. You felt very aware of David's presence behind you, trying to hold your hands steady as you snapped a picture. 

“I have a feeling I may need that one day,” You smiled, settling your camera strap back over your shoulder and turning to David. “They're cute together, don't you think?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” David nodded, his gaze staying on you. “She ain't the cutest one here though.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn't fight the smile on your face and multiple flutters in your stomach. 

“Oh shut up, that's such a line.”

“I'm deadly serious,” David grinned, holding his hat over his heart. “I promise.”

You were about to say something when Pam appeared, linking her arm with yours and giggling as she went to drag you away. 

“Hang on one second,” David called, making you look over your shoulder with a smile.

“You never told me the name of your paper!”

“It's in Dallas,” You called back, walking forward with Pam, the two of you giggling. “If you find it, call me!”

📷

A couple of days later you were in the newspaper office, going over some photos for an upcoming article when one of the secretaries knocked on the door and asked for you.

“Call for you,” She explained, gesturing to the phone as you went to her desk. “They didn't give a name, just asked for you.”

“Okay, thanks Margaret,” You smiled, feeling a slight knot in your stomach. It was extremely rare someone called you at work, and you tried not to think the worst. 

Going to the phone, you picked it up and took a deep breath before holding it to your ear. 

“Hello?”

“Hello yourself.”

You let out a soft sigh of relief as you realized who was on the other end of the line, a small smile on your face.

“How many papers did you have to call before you found me?”

“That's not important.”

You rolled your eyes with a grin.

“More than two?”

“..five.”

“Oh wow,” You grinned, turning more towards the wall. “That's perseverance right there. I'm flattered.”

“Well so am I,” David replied. “I saw those pictures you took. They were great, I wanted to thank you for catching me at such a flattering angle.”

“You're welcome,” You smiled, glancing over your shoulder before looking back and lowering your voice slightly. “That the only reason you called six newspapers? Angles?”

“Not quite,” You could hear a cheeky tone in his voice, your fingers holding the phone cord. “I was hoping you'd come see me again. You don't have to take pictures this time, if you don't want.”

“As it happens I am coming,” You raised a brow with a smile. “Your brother beat you to the invite. He invited Pam, who invited me. So I'll be there.”

“Well damn,” David laughed softly. “I guess I'll just have to come right out with it then..ask you on a real date.”

“Oh?” You grinned, feeling like a teenager as your cheeks grew warm. “How about we make it interesting?”

“I'm all ears.”

You took a breath, trying to calm your heartbeat. You were aware of Margaret behind you, knowing she'd be listening to every word. 

“Alright, if you win..I accept. If you don't, no deal.”

“Hm, sounds fair,” David replied. “I guess I'll have to try a little harder this week. I'll let you get back to work, alright?”

“Alright,” You nodded, trying not too smile too widely. “I'll see you Saturday. Bye.”

You hung up the phone, turning around to Margaret with a polite smile.

“Thank you, I'll be in the office.”

Once you closed the door and found yourself alone, you let out a laugh, shaking your head and wondering what you'd let yourself in for.

📷

Saturday came around quickly, and most of the day was given over to preparing. At first you were just helping Pam, heading into store after store to find the perfect outfit. Then you started looking for yourself, realizing that you wanted to put in just a little more effort since you were going to watch, not work. 

As the evening drew closer, the radio was on full blast in the apartment as you and Pam cracked open a bottle of wine and started the beauty process. You couldn't shake the slight nerves that were settled in your stomach, but they were joined by an excitement. 

“Oh,” Pam turned from the bathroom mirror to look at you. You were sitting on the edge of the bathtub, carefully painting your toenails. “Did he ever get in touch? David? I completely forgot to ask.”

“Yeah, he found me,” You grinned, laughing as Pam gasped. “Asked me to come along tonight. I told him I was already coming.”

“And?” Pam asked, waving her hand at you. “What else? Did he ask you out?”

“I told him he can take me out if he wins,” You smiled, holding the bottle of nail polish up in the air with a laugh as Pam rushed over to hug you.

“This is so exciting! We're gonna be like sisters!”

📷

When you arrived at the Sportatorium, it seemed to be even busier than it had been the previous week. You stepped out of your truck, smoothing out your outfit. It was only a black off the shoulder top and some denim jeans but you hoped it still looked good. 

You linked your arm with Pam's as the two of you headed inside the bustling arena, your heart beating faster as you took your seats. As it turned out, watching the match was totally different to photographing it. You couldn't move about, couldn't pick one thing to focus on. It was all happening, bright and loud and thrilling. You found yourself cheering and whistling with the crowd, you and Pam both jumping up and screaming when the Von Erichs emerged victorious.

When it was all over and you were enjoying the fresh air, you couldn't help but find it adorable when Kevin couldn't keep his eyes off Pam while he signed autographs. Once he was free you gave him and Pam some space, almost immediately bumping into David.

“Hey winner,” You smiled, resting your hands in your back pockets. “Nice angles in there.”

“I hope someone was there to capture them,” David grinned, taking his hat off. “Did you have a good time?”

“Yeah,” You nodded, watching David for a moment, smiling as you realized he almost seemed a little nervous. “I really enjoyed it..though I'm a little curious about something.”

“What might that be?” David asked, moving his hat from one hand to the other. 

“Well,” You smiled, stepping closer and looking up at him. “Are you going to honor our agreement?”

📷

It was only when you were putting on your coat to leave the apartment when it dawned on that you hadn't actually been on a first date for..a while. There were some relationships in high school, a couple in college along with some dates and flings but the last had been before you graduated. 

You tried not to think about it too much, you were just going for dinner and seeing a movie. Worst case scenario, you and David didn't end up hitting it off and the world would go on as it always did. But part of you was hopeful that something would come from the date, that it would develop into something really great.

Grabbing your purse, you left the apartment and went downstairs to hail a cab, excitement starting to outweigh the nerves.

📷

“No way,” You laughed, your eyes going wide as you placed your hand over your chest. “You did not do that.”

“Yes I did,” David nodded, a serious look on his face before he laughed. “I was so sick afterwards. Never got found out though. Mom just went and got Kerry and Mike a new egg each. I couldn't eat chocolate for like three months.”

“I'm not surprised,” You laughed, picking up your drink. “You can't say you didn't deserve it.”

David laughed, nodding as he picked up his own drink. 

“I certainly did deserve it. Moment of weakness I guess.” 

You took a sip of your drink before setting the glass down and glancing around the restaurant. It was a steakhouse, but it felt like a nice one. Elegant lighting, candles on the tables, classy music playing. No sawdust or butcher paper to be found. 

“So do you think your brothers ever found out?” You asked, sitting up a little and resting your hands in your lap. “Or did you tell them?”

“No to both I'm afraid,” David sighed softly, lightly tapping his glass as he set it down. “Though I think Kev knew it was me..” He smiled to himself as he looked down. “Never said anything if he did know, though.”

“Seems like you two are close,” You smiled, your heart picking up a beat as David looked back at you with a warm smile. 

“We are,” He nodded. “We all are. I can't imagine life without them, they're amazing.” 

You felt your heart swell, trying not to get too swept up in your emotions. 

“That's so wonderful,” You smiled. “It's amazing that you're all so close.”

“Yeah,” David grinned, sitting up a little. “I just feel so lucky every day, like..” He stopped himself, lightly rubbing his neck.

“You know what, I feel like all I've done is talk about myself, my brothers, I don't want you to think I'm self absorbed or nothing, I promise I ain't like that.”

You shook your head, reaching your hand across the table and grinning when David held it with his own.

“I know you're not,” You insisted. “You're wonderful. Now tell me more about your family, I want the good stories.”

You ended up missing the movie, but neither of you cared. You talked until the restaurant was closing, David's jacket around your shoulders as you walked out into the night air. He gave you a ride home and kissed your cheek by your door  like a gentleman. 

“I had a great time,” You smiled, carefully taking off David's jacket and giving it back to him. You could tell he wanted to tell you to keep it, and you knew why he couldn't. 

“Maybe you should win another match, take me out again.”

“It's a deal.”

📷

Going to matches became a weekly event. You and Pam would cheer and cling to each other, laughing at how silly you were being. You took pictures for yourself, wanting to remember every moment. Afterwards you would meet David and Kevin, go for burgers and debrief on the match. 

It wasn't always easy for David to visit you, so you called each other when you could, spending an hour or two talking about anything and everything. You drove down to Denton a couple of times, meeting him for something to eat or just for a drive. 

He was always a perfect gentleman, opening doors for you and holding your hand, never pressing for anything more even though you suspected he was just as keen as you were to take things further.

You decided to nudge things in the right direction one night when you had gone down to visit him. Pam had come with you, and David and Kevin had taken you to the lake with their brother Mike, who you instantly adored. 

The afternoon was perfect, gorgeous hot weather and ice cold beers, floating along in the water and feeling like nothing else could possibly matter but being in that moment. 

You were sitting on the edge of the dock while the others drifted along on the huge rubber float, snapping a couple of shots of them before setting the camera aside. David appeared next to you, sitting down and resting his hand on your back. You leaned into the touch, his arm moving around your shoulders. 

“I love this,” You smiled softly, closing your eyes and letting out a breath. “If every day was like this..what a world.”

“It's perfect,” David murmured softly. “I can't think of anything better.”

“Hm, I reckon I can,” You smiled, opening your eyes and looking up at him. His eyes were already on you and you grinned as he took a breath and leaned in, his lips feeling like heaven against yours. 

You could hear the cheers and whistles, smiling into the kiss and feeling satisfied beyond belief. 

📷

“You ready for this?”

“Absolutely not. You?”

“Absolutely not.”

You flicked on the indicator and headed up the long drive to the Von Erich home, glancing over to Pam in the passenger seat.

“At least we're in this together.”

It was incredibly daunting, the thought of meeting David's parents and his brother Kerry, who had recently come home. He had told you countless times that they would love you, but it didn't ease your nerves. 

You were relieved to have Pam with you, that she was in the same boat. Mike met you both at the door, giving you both a hug and chatting away as he led you outside. 

It was a flurry of introductions, handshakes and hugs and the most perfect kiss from David that had you instantly relaxing.

By the time everyone sat down for dinner, it felt as though you had known the Von Erichs forever. The food was delicious, the weather was beautiful, the company was amazing. You felt David reach for your hand under the table when his parents talked about how they met, your heart swelling. 

When Doris forbade Mike from going to a gig that night, you glanced across the table to Pam smiling as she gave you a slight nod.

📷

“Alright, drive, drive!”.

You put your foot down, laughing as you glanced in the mirror and watched your boyfriend and his brothers gradually haul themselves into your truck. You turned the radio up when you left the driveway, rolling down the windows and cheering as you hit the road.

It didn't matter whose house the party was in, it was big and roomy and most importantly, fun. You had a beer in your hand before you knew it, hitting the makeshift dance floor. The brothers spun you and Pam around, laughter filling the air as you moved to the music, not a care in the world.

When Mike took to the stage with his band, you stood with David behind you, his arms wrapped around you. You all cheered as the song started up, swaying along as you held your hands over David's. 

Later in the evening you gently took David's hand and pulled him into a quiet corner, whispering in his ear and enjoying the slightly tipsy smile that crossed his face, a flash of worry passing his eyes.

You led him upstairs, finding an empty bedroom and closing the door.

“We..we don't have to,” David insisted as you slipped off your shoes. “I don't want you to feel pressured.”

“I don't,” You smiled, walking to the end of the bed and unzipping your dress before turning back to David. “But I will think you don't want to if you don't get over here in the next thirty seconds.”

He didn't need to be asked twice.

You laughed as you were picked up bridal style and carried to the top of the bed, letting out a soft moan as David laid you down and gave you a tender kiss.

Despite your suspicions that David was possibly a virgin, you didn't ask when he didn't bring it up. He was a little apprehensive, but once you took the lead he seemed to tap into his ring persona and the confidence in his movements had you struggling not to scream as your nails dug into his back, the sheets, your body crying out for more. 

“Oh god,” You moaned, touching David's cheek and looking up to meet his eyes as your legs hooked around his waist. “Baby..’m so close, please..”

You closed your eyes as he pushed deeper into you, his forehead resting against yours.

“Me too,” He murmured, his hand reaching for yours. “Fuck..fuck..I love you.”

Your eyes went wide at the confession, a deep moan spilling from your lips as you felt a wave crash over you, feeling David fill you moments later. You moved your hands to his neck, meeting his eyes and taking a deep breath. 

“I'm sorry,” He sighed, looking down. “I shouldn't have-this isn't the time..”

“No,” You insisted, a smile spreading on your face. “It's the perfect time. I love you, too.”

📷

“Mind if I get one of those?”

You turned around, letting out a sigh of relief as you spotted Kerry walking towards you. 

“Of course,” You smiled, taking the box of cigarettes from your purse and handing it over. “Thought you were David for a second.”

Kerry laughed as he accepted the box, shaking his head.

“Nah, your secret is safe with me. Just needed one huh?”

“Yeah,” You nodded, flicking away the ash. “I'm so nervous. I don't know why, it's not like I have to walk down the aisle in front of hundreds of people wearing this,” You raised a brow, gesturing to your dress.

As much as you adored Pam, and as thrilled as you were that she was getting married and had asked you to be her maid of honor, you did not exactly love the dress she had chosen. For a start, it was a mix of dusky pink and peach, the skirt was so big you wondered if you fit down the aisle, and the sleeves were almost the size of your head.

“I feel you,” Kerry nodded, looking down at himself as he lit his cigarette. “I think we all feel a little ridiculous. But you know the worst part?”

“Go on,” You smiled, lifting up the puffball that had slipped down your shoulder. “shock me.”

“I gotta do this three more times,” Kerry sighed, lightly prodding the flower attached to his suit. “At least you get to choose your wedding dress. I'm stuck in velvet hell.”

You laughed, shaking your head and taking a drag on your cigarette. 

“Oh come on, it ain't so bad. I think I heard Mike say he would never have velvet.”

“Really?” Kerry raised a brow, looking over to you. 

“Promise,” You grinned, holding your hand over your heart. “He said he'd have velour.”

“Oh fuck off,” Kerry laughed, shaking his head and holding his hand out. “Gimme a mint and get out of here, I'll velour you.”

“I'd like to see you try,” You laughed, getting a mint from your purse and flicking your cigarette away before walking over to Kerry. “See you inside. Don't destroy that flower.”

📷

“Isn't she beautiful?” You smiled, watching Pam and Kevin sway on the dancefloor, smiles etched on their faces as they moved to the music. 

You felt the urge to take a photo, but a professional had been hired for the day. Pam had insisted she wanted you to be in the pictures, not the one behind the camera. You had been a little disappointed, but you gave her the photo you'd taken from when she and Kevin had first met, and her reaction made it all worth it.

“She really is,” Doris nodded, looking over to you and taking your hand with a smile. “And you will be too.”

“Thank you,” You smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Let me go get us another drink.”

You stood up, making your way over to the bar with a smile. While you and David weren't officially engaged, it was kind of an unspoken truth that when Pam and Kevin had gotten married, David would propose to you next. Kerry wasn’t seeing anyone, and while Mike was dating a girl, they had only been together a few weeks.

So, you knew you were next up.

As you waited for your drinks, you smiled as you felt a familiar presence by your side.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look today?”

“Yes,” You grin, turning to face David and giving him a kiss. “But I don't mind hearing it again.”

As the song ended and a new one started up, more guests took to the floor.

“Should we go for a twirl?” David asked, gently stroking your cheek. “or maybe not quite a twirl, that dress will take out anyone who comes close,” He teased.

“Oh shut up,” You laughed, lightly swatting him. “I'm getting your mom a drink, if I don't take you out first.”

“I'll take it to her,” David smiled, leaning down to give you a soft kiss. “Then you owe me a dance.”

📷

So, here it is. 

The big day. 

You thought at times it would never come, but it's here. 

A lot has happened, of course. Weddings need buildup, after all. The guests can only talk about how beautiful you look and wonder who did the food for so long. You gotta give them something. 

So what's new? It's been a minute, a luxuriously long engagement. 

The Von Erichs have gone from strength to strength, reaching the top of the wrestling game. You still go see matches, when you can. They're global now, you always feel a rush of pride when you watch them on TV at some crazy hour.

Pam is a world class veterinarian, an incredible mother to the most gorgeous baby, and still the best friend in the world. 

Kevin won the WHC belt, is the most devoted husband, father, brother, brother-in-law and son. He and Pam keep saying they're going to buy a ranch in Hawaii for everyone to live in, and you like to think maybe it could be true.

Kerry insists he's your favorite brother-in-law, and you insist that you couldn't possibly choose a favorite but deep down you think he's most likely right. He makes you laugh the most, teases you and makes stupid jokes to cheer you up when you need it. The two of you have sneaky cigarettes and know what the other is thinking when you look at each other. 

Mike has just signed a recording contract with his band, and you tell him all the time he better come to you first with concert tickets. He's going to be the next one engaged, he's so loved up and it's adorable. 

Then there's David. 

The yellow rose who called up six different newspapers just to ask you out, who let you into his life, who loves you unconditionally and makes you so unbelievably happy that you wonder what you ever did without him. You would never have pursued your dreams without him and his family, that's something you know. And let's not forget his proposal, which was the most beautiful moment of your life.

David had taken you on a surprise trip one night, insisting that you were just going for a drive after you'd been out for dinner, but you knew it wasn't true. You found yourself at the lake, David's hand in yours as you walked down to the dock, which..was decorated with candles in jars, rose petals, a bottle of champagne sitting in ice. 

Knowing that you were marrying your soulmate, joining a family you loved deeply, it made you feel so safe, so secure. You quit your job, deciding to pursue your real passion. You bought a gallery in Dallas, and displayed your own work along with other local artists, including your soon to be mother in law. It took time, but it's become a success, and you don't care what any of them say, you couldn't have done it without your family.

Plenty for the guests to talk about, right?

You take a deep breath as you step out of the car, Pam fixes your dress and you take a deep breath. Her dress is beautiful, and most importantly, simple. 

Before you know it you're walking down the aisle, your heart beating faster as hundreds of faces smile at you, but there's only one you need to see, and when you do it makes everything okay. 

You reach the top of the aisle, feeling overwhelmed with love, beaming as you turn to look at your soon to be husband.

“You know it's a bad habit to leave the bride with a veil over her face,” You grinned, watching David gently touch the hem of the silky veil and carefully move it back, a wide smile on his face.

“I do apologize,” He grinned. “Still gonna marry me?”

“Of course,” You smiled. “You look perfect from this angle.”

[daysofyellowroses]

ride

david von erich x reader | 1.5k | based on this lovely lovely request 🫶🏻 | no real warnings, just some softness 🌼💗

It sometimes makes you laugh when you think about how ridiculously stereotypical your relationship is in some ways. You love it, and wouldn't change it for anything, of course, but you really hit some classics.

Neighbors? ✔️

Met as little kids? ✔️

Went through school together? ✔️

First kiss? ✔️

First time? ✔️

Prom King & Queen? ✔️

But, while there are a lot of typical things about your relationship, you like to think you still have your own thing going on too. You and David have been officially dating since you were fourteen years old, you know each other better than anyone. You have your own private jokes, references, pet names, memories. 

It wasn't planned, of course. To get together so young and go through your life together. Hell, you both had a lot of life to live yet. Early twenties weren't exactly over the hill. But you just felt like what you had with David would be forever when you first got together. So far, you haven't been proved wrong.

The two of you always support each other, build each other up and push each other to go for your goals. Sometimes your friends ask if you get jealous now that David has joined Kevin in the ring, and has so much attention from girls. You just laugh when it comes up, there's really no reason to be jealous. If anything it just makes you feel more secure in your relationship. You know David enjoys the attention but he only has eyes for you, you're the one in his bed, in his truck, laying beside him in the grass, his hand intertwined with yours as he talks about your future together. 

It doesn't feel scary, thinking about a future with David. You can see a home, kids, a dog, the whole nine yards. Even if it was just you and him forever, you would still be deliriously happy. 

“What are you smiling about over there?”

David's voice snaps you from your thoughts, and you glance over to the driver's seat. 

“I would tell you but your hat wouldn't fit anymore,” You tease, looking back to the window. “And I would feel guilty, can't have that.”

“Aw come on,” David grins, his hand reaching out to touch your thigh. You're wearing shorts and the feel of his hand on your bare skin feels, as always, deeply comfortable and satisfying. “take the risk.”

“Nope,” You look over and stick your tongue out playfully. “You know anyway. I don't need to tell you.”

“Who says I know?” David is a terrible liar, always has been. 

“You know,” You grinned, shaking your head. “There's very few things that I allow space for in my daydreams.”

“True,” David nods, looking back to the road. The smile on his face has you wanting to kiss him. “And obviously I'm top of that list.”

You roll your eyes with a smile.  

“Stop being so cocky.”

“I don't think so darlin’,” David gently squeezes your thigh. “you love it.”

“Do I?” You raise a brow, knowing you both know the answer.

A comfortable silence falls over you, your hand resting on top of David's. You wonder if you'll ever get tired of this, of getting into his truck with no particular destination in mind. You don't think you could get tired of it, not when it feels so perfect. 

“When is Kerry coming home?” You ask, glancing over to David. He lets out the smallest of sighs, his thumb gently stroking your thigh.

“He leaves tomorrow morning,” David tells you, his eyes still on the road. “Should be home by the evening.”

“Okay,” You nod, gently stroking David's hand. “Just curious.”

“Could you..could you be there?” David asks after a moment. 

“Of course,” You nod, looking over to him. “You think I wouldn't be? It's like you don't even know me, babe. ”

David smiles a little and you feel yourself relax.

“Can't wait to see him though,” He says. “I mean, the circumstances ain't ideal but I can't say I ain't missed him like crazy.”

“It'll be nice to have him back,” You nod. “I'll have to fill him in on all the juicy gossip.”

“Do I get to know?” David teases, glancing over to you. “Or is it top secret stuff?"

“Oh it's just a silly thing,” You sigh with a smile, looking over to your window. “The blonde Von Erich boy is a big hot-shot wrestler now. On TV and everything, you should hear the filth that comes out of his mouth.”

“Oh he sounds incorrigible,” David gasped dramatically, making you laugh. “What a scoundrel.”

“Tell me about it,” You grinned, looking down at your hand on his. “I heard he's got a hot little girlfriend though.”

“Lucky him,” David grinned. “I bet she's got men throwing themselves at her feet, I'm sure he's extremely grateful she chose him.”

“Well when you can have the best, you get the best,” You smile, looking over to David. “And ain't nobody better than you.”

“Not true,” David looked over to you with a cheeky smile. “You're better, and I won't hear otherwise. I was lucky enough to get you and I don't plan to lose you.”

You still felt butterflies in your stomach when he said things like that, and you hoped that would never change.

“I don't plan to lose you either,” You grin, resting your free hand over your forehead. “You're stuck with me.”

“Then I'm the luckiest man alive,” David murmurs softly, you just catch it and it makes your heart soar.

You watch the world pass by the window for a while, the smile etched onto your face. In the moments David needs to move his hand from your thigh you feel the loss, your hand just waiting to hold his.

It's a little embarrassing, really, how in love you are. You have to laugh at yourself sometimes when you get moody because you haven't seen David for a couple of hours, or because he didn't hold your hand long enough. You suppose the fact that you're aware of it makes it better, and it's not really a bad thing. You're lucky enough to have an amazing relationship with a man who you love and who you know loves you.

You look over to him, watch him hum along to the radio, his fingers drumming against the wheel. These are the moments you treasure. All those girls screaming for him and desperately wanting his autograph only see one part of him. They see the confidence and the strength and the charisma, which are all amazing qualities, but they don't see what you see.

They don't see him snort out a drink because you made him laugh unexpectedly, they don't see him singing in his truck, or giving you a bunch of flowers on a Tuesday morning just because. They see what he wants them to see, and you feel beyond honored to see the real David.

“Oh hey, pull in up ahead,” You tell David, sitting up a little and gesturing at the window. “I need to grab something.”

“Your wish is my command baby,” David grins, parking up the truck and giving you a curious look as you wink at him and slip out of the truck.

You don't take long, coming back to the truck with a grin and two ice creams in hand.

“You're such a child,” David laughs as he opens the door for you and accepts one of the cones. “Making me stop for ice cream, really?”

“Well you ain't gotta eat it,” You shrug, closing the door and resting your leg up on your seat. “But we both know you will so stop complaining.”

“Oh I ain't complaining,” David smiles, leaning over and giving you a kiss. “far from it.”

“Eat that before it melts,” You murmur with a grin, leaning in to give him another kiss, pulling back after a moment and holding your ice cream between you both. “I mean it.”

“Yes ma'am,” David grins, sitting back and taking a lick of his ice cream. 

You laugh softly to yourself, looking out the window and licking your ice cream, David's hand finding yours across the seat.

The heat has your ice cream melting a little quicker, conversation is paused while you work on not getting strawberry all down your hand. David finishes before you, as always. You shuffle over and lean against him, his arm wrapping around your shoulders. Occasionally you hold the ice cream up and he takes a lick, insists you have it yourself.

You wonder if a day will ever come when you don't feel stupidly, wonderfully, madly in love, looking up and meeting David's eyes. He sticks his tongue out at you and you lightly jab his cheek with the ice cream in your hand.

“You started it,” You tease as he protests.

“Don't start a war you can't win.”

“Oh it's on,” David grins. You sit up and turn to look at him, your face starting to hurt from smiling so damn much.

“Then give me all you got.”

[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.