Work Text:
++++++
The punch that landed on Paul's jaw made a cracking sound as Olli's fist connected with Paul's face. The last echo of Paul's 'o' at the end of singing 'Radio' was eclipsed by the sound of the hit.
Everyone stopped what they were doing at the video shoot and froze in shock as Paul fell to the floor.
"Olli, what the hell?" Richard finally asked and helped Paul to his feet.
"Ow! What the fuck was that for?" Paul cried as he clung to Richard, wincing in pain.
"Every time!" Olli spat. "You cut me off every single fucking time!" He flipped the small keyboard over and stalked away leaving PA's and AD's as well as Flake looking on in wonder and horror. The medic quickly arrived to tend to Paul who stood there, holding his sore jaw.
++++++
The same day for the first time.
Schneider was already on set when Paul arrived, tapping against his drums, smiling, nodding his head and making faces as he played; Schneider's drum kit looked like a child's, but he kept trying to make it sound as loud as possible, twirling the sticks in his fingers between the hits.
After a final makeup check and some small adjustments to his outfit by the wardrobe people, Paul picked up the white guitar from his mark, looped the strap over his shoulder and started strumming. None of their instruments were plugged in for the video shoot, they usually weren't. That didn't stop them from playing them and tuning them if needed. Paul picked at the strings, then started playing some power chords, banging his head for a moment before looking up as Flake walked by to position himself behind the keyboard.
They all looked really cool, Paul thought, dressed up in these vintage outfits; this video was going to be one of their best! The whole band was in a good mood and jokes flew back and forth between them all in wardrobe and makeup. Everything felt great; the new album was finished, they had a tour to look forward to with a new stage and pyro show. Paul felt rather excited about all of this.
Richard came over to him, smelling like cigarettes, they wouldn't let him smoke in here even though he had tried a few times already only to be told sternly to go outside. He had one of his custom guitars to use, and as always, the two guitarists started strumming together, playing a warmup song they'd created years ago when they all shared one dressing room.
They smiled at each other as they went through the song twice then nodded that they were finished and started picking away at different things.
Olli entered the large, round room they were using as a set and walked barefoot to stand next to Schneider on the riser built for them.
Paul bumped Richard with his arm, and they turned around, giggling.
"Nice Moustache!" Paul laughed. "That's amazing! You should keep that all the time!"
Olli smiled back, picked up his bass and started playing something while Richard went back to plucking at his strings.
Paul beamed at Olli one more time, he did look rather fantastic in his bellbottoms and black turtleneck with a pendant on a long chain.
Richard started in on a new song and Paul moved his own fingers on the strings to complement the notes. He couldn't help it, if he had a guitar in his hand, he was going to play, and if Richard was playing one of their songs, Paul's fingers naturally played his own part.
Finally, Till joined them, wandering around to everyone to make sure they were all ready. Schneider said something about Till's mouth and his makeup, but Paul wasn't paying attention, he was now watching Richard as he played a song from the new album. They knew all these songs but should probably keep practicing to get everything perfect.
The cameras were finally ready, someone yelled "places everyone" and they all stood up straight and waited for playback.
+
After miming the entire song repeatedly for over an hour, everyone was sent for a short break. Richard and Till headed directly outside for cigarettes while the rest of the band grabbed waters and snacks from the catering room.
Paul was on his way back to makeup when he saw Richard, water bottle in his hand, returning from having his smoke.
"Hi," Paul smiled.
"Hi," Richard smiled back.
They both ducked into an alcove that had probably housed a bank of pay telephones at one time.
"You look good," Paul said, his eyes scanning Richard's suit and bow tie.
"So do you," Richard touched Paul's velvet jacket, rubbing up and down his arm then nodded to the pink fabric around Paul's neck, "I like this."
"It's a plastron."
"Hmmm…" Richard fondled Paul's jacket again.
"It was made for me."
"Was it?"
"That's what wardrobe says."
"I also like this little pearl and diamond thing here," Richard caressed his thumb over the decorative pin in the knot at Paul's throat.
"Do you?" Paul moved a bit closer, looking into Richard's eyes, admiring the dark makeup framing them and the mascara making his lashes look impossibly long.
"You ready to get back out there? On tour?" Richard asked.
Paul shrugged, "I guess." He took in a large breath in then let it out, puffing his cheeks. "Going to be busy for the next few years."
"Yeah," Richard answered, moving his body even closer, running his fingers down the lapels of Paul's suit. "I'm looking forward to…"
"Hey, come on, they're waiting for us," Olli said, suddenly beside them.
Paul gave Richard a longing look and a smile as they followed Olli back to the entry hall of the building where Flake was waiting with 4 keyboards set up on small stands.
Hair and makeup immediately descended on Paul and Richard, freshening them up before each of them stood behind the keyboards and started to sing the chorus of the song.
Of course, Paul and Richard couldn't keep serious and started singing as loud as they could to hear themselves echoing off the walls. Olli even joined in for a moment before he was drowned out by Paul and Richard.
Laughing, they continued, bantering with each other until the camera was finally ready to roll.
+
The same day for the second time.
"Nice Moustache!" Paul laughed. "That's amazing! You should keep that all the time!"
Olli looked at Paul wide-eyed then opened his mouth like he was going to say something but shut it and picked up his bass instead.
Paul tilted his head at Olli, he did look rather fantastic in his bell bottoms and black turtleneck with a pendant on a long chain.
"You, okay?"
Olli nodded his head then looked at the floor.
Richard started in on a new song and Paul moved his own fingers on the strings to match the movements. He couldn't help it, if he had a guitar in his hand, he was going to play.
Finally, Till joined them, wandering around to everyone to make sure they were all ready. Schneider said something about Till's mouth, but Paul wasn't paying attention, he was now matching Richard note for note as they continued to play a song from the new album. They knew all these songs but should probably keep practicing to get everything perfect.
The cameras were finally ready, someone yelled "places, everyone!" and they all stood up straight and waited for playback.
+
The same day for the tenth time.
"Nice Moustache!" Paul laughed. "That's amazing! You should keep that all the time!"
Olli looked at Paul and Richard and laughed then missed his step to the riser and fell with a loud thud. Paul and Richard put their guitars down and rushed over.
"Olli, are you okay?" Paul asked then shook the bass player's shoulder, noticing a definite odour. "Are you drunk?"
"He smells like he's shitfaced!" Richard exclaimed.
Olli laughed again then rolled his eyes and vomited all over himself. Paul shook his head and stepped back, Olli did look rather fantastic in his black turtleneck and now it was all ruined.
+
The same day for the 25th time.
"Nice Moustache!" Paul laughed. "That's amazing! You should keep that all the time!"
"NICE MOUSTACHE! NICE MOUSTACHE! HA HA FUCK YOU!" Olli shouted, held up his two middle fingers, then fled the room, leaving everyone in silence.
Paul nudged Richard with his elbow and stood there not sure what to do. Paul was sincere, Olli did look rather fantastic in his outfit, why was he so angry?
+
The same day for the 100th time.
"Nice Moustache!" Paul laughed. "That's amazing! You should keep that all the time!"
Olli came over to where Paul and Richard were standing and looked at them, fear in his eyes. "I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you this, but I'm stuck in a time loop."
Paul gestured, "I think your outfit's from the 1950's. Maybe the 1960's"
"Like déjà vu?" Richard asked.
"Yeah, like that, but for the past 100 days or so," Olli looked at Paul and Richard, his eyes worried, threatening tears.
Richard bumped Paul's elbow, "Olli, are you high? Can we help you with anything?"
"No. I don't know. I just want this to end." He dropped his head. "I knew you wouldn't believe me," he whispered.
Till came over to them, "Olli, take your mark."
Olli raised his head, opened then closed his mouth again and headed back to the riser beside Schneider.
Paul looked back at Olli one more time, when they had a break, he'd check in with him and make sure he felt okay.
Someone yelled "places, everyone!" and they all stood up straight and waited for playback.
+
The same day for the 280th time.
Olli entered the large, round room they were using as a studio and walked barefoot to stand next to Schneider on the riser built for them.
Paul bumped Richard with his arm, and they turned around, giggling.
"Nice Moustache!" Olli said.
Paul opened then closed his mouth then raised his eyebrows.
"I should keep this all the time!" Olli continued.
Paul laughed then pointed at Olli, shaking his finger. Olli did look rather fantastic in his outfit.
Olli shrugged and stared straight ahead while Richard and Paul went back to plucking at his strings.
Richard started in on a new song and Paul moved his own fingers on the strings. He couldn't help it, if he had a guitar in his hand, he was going to play it.
Finally, Till joined them, wandering around to everyone to make sure they were all ready. Schneider said something about Till's mouth, but Paul wasn't paying attention.
The cameras were finally ready, someone yelled, "Places everyone!" and they all stood up straight and waited for playback.
No one felt a thing as Olli pressed a button on a controller, triggering the building to explode around them.
The members of the band Rammstein have died after a pyrotechnic effect went horribly wrong at a video shoot. Witnesses say that no pyro was scheduled for this particular video so it's unclear what exactly happened.
Rammstein's management declined to comment, however fans worldwide remarked that if the band were to die, they would have all wanted to go this way.
+
The same day for the 375th time.
Paul and Richard ducked into an alcove that had probably housed a bank of pay telephones at one time.
"You look good," Paul said, his eyes scanning Richard's suit and bow tie.
"So do you," Richard touched Paul's jacket, rubbing his hand up and down the velvet then nodded to the pink fabric around his neck, "I like this."
"It's a plastron, wardrobe says."
"Hmmm…" Richard fondled Paul's jacket again.
"It was made for me."
"Was it? I also like this little pearl and diamond thing here," Richard caressed his thumb over the pin in the knot at Paul's throat.
"For fuck sakes, hurry up!" Olli bellowed from hallway.
"We're coming!" Paul answered and looked at Richard shaking his head. What was Olli's problem today? There was a weird noise coming from the set, it sounded like something wasn't working correctly.
A swarm of deadly killer bees shut down a video production this afternoon for the band Rammstein. It's reported that the entire band were found completely covered in bee stings. There were no survivors.
+
The same day for the 419th time.
Paul and Richard ducked into an alcove that had probably housed a bank of pay telephones at one time.
"You look good," Paul said, his eyes scanning Richard's suit and bow tie then raising his eyebrows and smiling.
"So do you," Richard touched Paul's velvet jacket, rubbing his hand up and down Paul's arm then nodded to the pink fabric around his neck, "I like this."
"It's a plastron."
"Hmmm…" Richard fondled Paul's jacket again.
Olli appeared before them, a wild look in his eyes, "Come on, they're waiting!" He shook his head and looked at the floor, "This doesn't feel right for some reason."
"We're coming," Paul answered and shrugged to Richard then looked at Olli. "It's only a video, we've done this a dozen times already."
"Yeah, yeah," Olli answered and turned to walk toward set, Richard and Paul following behind.
Paul could hear Olli talking to himself then laughing, which was unusual. Paul hoped he was okay, he seemed stressed for some reason.
+
The same day for the 527th time.
Paul and Richard ducked into an alcove that probably housed a bank of pay telephones at one time.
"You look good," Paul said, his eyes scanning Richard's suit and bow tie then raising his eyebrows and smiling.
"So do you," Richard touched Paul's velvet jacket, rubbing his hand up and down Paul's arm then nodded to the pink fabric around his neck, "I like this."
Olli appeared before them then cocked his head and frowned, "Let's go!"
"We're coming," Paul answered and shrugged to Richard.
Olli mumbled to himself, shaking his head, and turned to walk toward set, Richard and Paul following behind.
+
The same day for the 628th time.
"Radiooooooo!" Paul sang, cutting Olli off from singing.
Richard laughed then his body twitched violently as he touched the keyboard in front of him.
Paul looked at him funnily as he also started to twitch. The same thing happened to Flake, then Olli who had a huge smile on his face.
A fatal misadventure during a video shoot with the band Rammstein has left four members of the band dead by electrocution. Their management declined to comment.
+
The same day for the 700th time.
"Radiooooooo!" Paul sang, cutting Olli off from singing. Laughing, Paul and Richard bantered with each other, making jokes as they always did.
"I think I'm almost there," Paul heard Olli say.
"Yeah, the main camera should be ready soon."
"I'll have to keep trying."
"Olli, what's going on? You've been distracted all day," Richard asked.
"Nothing," Olli replied and let out a huge sigh.
Hair and makeup came over to do touchups. "Your eyes are watering," the makeup woman said to Olli.
"Sorry," he whispered.
Paul and Richard nudged each other and started singing deliberately off-key while laughing.
+
The same day for the 713th time.
"Radiooooooo!" Paul sang, cutting Olli off from singing. Laughing, Paul and Richard bantered with each other, making jokes as they always did.
"It's getting closer," Paul heard Olli say.
"Yeah, the main camera should be ready soon," Richard said.
Paul pretended to play a huge, long chord on his keyboard, banging his head a bit.
"I'm going over all the details and there's one thing that's not quite right. I'm writing things down, but they disappear the next day. I've even tried tattooing on my body, but they're all gone when I wake up. I can't stay awake; I always fall asleep."
"Olli, what are you talking about?" Richard asked.
"Nothing," Olli replied and let out a huge sigh.
Hair and makeup came over to do touchups. "Your eyes are watering," the makeup woman said to Olli.
"Sorry," he whispered.
Paul and Richard nudged each other and started laughing, causing the makeup artist to back up for a moment.
"Sorry," Richard wheezed as he kept laughing.
+
The same day for the 729th time.
Olli entered the round room they were using as a set and walked barefoot to stand next to Schneider on the riser built for them.
Paul bumped Richard with his arm, and they turned around, giggling.
"Nice Moustache!" Paul laughed. "That's amazing! You should keep that all the time!"
Olli smiled "I think I've figured it out, we'll see!"
Paul shrugged; he had no idea what Olli was talking about, although he really liked his cool outfit, especially the pendant on the long chain.
Richard started in on a new song and Paul moved his own fingers on the strings. He couldn't help it, if he had a guitar in his hand, he was going to play it.
Till came in, wandering around to everyone to make sure they were all ready. Schneider said something about Till's mouth, but Paul wasn't paying attention, he was still focused on Richard.
The cameras were finally ready, someone yelled, "Places everyone!" and they all stood up straight and waited for playback.
+
After playing the entire song repeatedly for an hour, everyone was sent for a break. Richard and Till headed directly outside for cigarettes while the rest of the band grabbed waters and snacks from the catering room.
Paul was on his way back to makeup when he saw Richard, water bottle in his hand, returning from having a smoke.
"Hi," Paul smiled that smile he had just for Richard.
"Hi," Richard smiled back in that smile he had just for Paul.
They both gave each other a look then ducked into an alcove that had probably housed a bank of pay telephones at one time.
"You look good," Paul said, his eyes scanning Richard's suit and bow tie, licking his lips.
"So do you," Richard pet the arm of Paul's velvet jacket, fingers pressing in then lightly sweeping away. He nodded to the pink fabric around Paul's neck, "I like this."
"It's a plastron."
"Hmmm…" Richard fondled Paul's jacket again.
"It was made for me."
"Was it?"
"That's what wardrobe says."
"I also like this little pearl and diamond thing here," Richard caressed his thumb over the pin in the knot at Paul's throat, his tongue sneaking out to wet his lower lip.
"Do you?" Paul moved a bit closer, tilting his head, looking into Richard's eyes.
"You ready to get back out there? On tour?" Richard asked.
Paul shrugged, "I guess." He took in a large breath in then let it out, puffing his cheeks. "Going to be busy for the next few years."
"Yeah," Richard answered, running his fingers down the lapels of Paul's suit. "I'm looking forward to being alone with you."
"Same," Paul whispered, his heart beating fast in his chest. He moved even closer and pressed his lips to Richard's, his hand cupping the back of Richard's head.
He felt Richard's tongue enter his mouth for a moment then gave a short moan before they broke away, smiling at each other.
"Guys," Olli whispered. "They're waiting for us."
Paul raised his eyebrows at Richard then leaned in and kissed him again quickly before they both followed Olli back to the entrance hall where Flake was waiting with 4 keyboards set up on small stands.
Makeup immediately descended on Paul and Richard, freshening them up before each of them stood behind the keyboards and started to sing the chorus of the song.
Of course, Paul and Richard couldn't be serious and started singing as loud as they could to hear themselves echoing off the walls. Olli even joined in for a moment before he was drowned out by Paul and Richard. Olli countered back with a long chant ending in a very loud 'radioooooooooo' that left the others applauding.
Laughing, they continued, all of them bantering with each other until the camera was finally ready to roll.
++++++
Paul's phone was ringing. He could hear it, but it took him a moment to realize what was going on. He rolled over and grabbed it, poking blindly at the screen until he finally hit the answer button.
"H'llo?"
"Paul! Paul, it's Olli!"
"Hey, Olli, what's up?" Paul grumbled.
"I wanted to say good morning and it's going to be a wonderful day!"
"Uhhh, are you okay? You're not usually one to call people so chipper at… Olli, it's only 7 in the morning! Are you still drunk from last night?"
"Not drunk! Not high! Say hello to Richard! I'm going to enjoy my freedom!"
"You do that," Paul laughed softly.
"Bye Paul! Love you!"
"Love you too," Paul mumbled and ended the call.
He threw his phone on the bedside table and rolled over to hug Richard, "Olli says hi."
"Mmmmfmm."
"Yeah," Paul kissed Richard's shoulder and fell back to sleep.
++++++