@socialseasons | continued from (x)
John was dead. No matter how many times Ben read and re-read Gregory’s frantic, pleading words, he couldn’t quite wrap his head around them -- couldn’t fathom why the boy believed Francesca needed his help. The malaise was too strong, he’d claimed. She would write home with pleasantries, but refused their mother’s fervent plea to come home and rest.
But what could he do, Ben wondered? After his departure, he’d promptly cut off all ties with Francesca. Her letters arrived for many months, and despite his yearnings to correspond and keep himself abreast of her life, he’d selfishly discarded them into the fire, not even giving in to the temptation of opening them and reading what laid inside. A little over a year later, the letters finally stopped, and despite the undeniable hole in his heart from the loss of her friendship, he’d deemed their separation for the best. She had a husband now. She would soon have a family...
And now Francesca had nothing. She had no one in that big, empty manor, and despite Ben’s distance and lack of connection to her plight, he couldn’t help but feel responsible. He should’ve been there. He should have never let her face all this alone.
It was this guilt that fueled him into accepting Gregory’s secret invitation. Weeks onboard a cramped ship gave way to a stormy, unpleasant arrival with a chilling sense of foreboding. The wind whipped pellets of rain into his face, and waterlogged his clothes within moments of being on land. It was fitting, Ben thought. He was surely being tested for intervening where he was not welcome -- he was surely being punished with this tragedy of his own making.
By the time Ben pounded on the double doors to Francesca’s manor -- or rather, her husband’s -- it was late afternoon and he was shaking from the chill. Impatient, he shifted between using the door knocker and his fist, banging on the thick oak surface until it opened and revealed a servant with a cautious, disapproving scowl.
“Lady Francesca,” Ben choked out, abruptly lowering his fist. “Please...I need to speak with her.”
He knew he must appear bedraggled and untrustworthy at best, and his suspicions were confirmed once the woman denied him entry.
“I’m sorry, but her ladyship is not currently admitting any guests,” she said.
She moved to close the doors, but Ben was quick to lodge his foot in between the wooden slabs. “Please,” he begged, “I’ve come out all this way...”
“And I’m sure she’d appreciate that,” the woman coolly said, “but I’m afraid you-”
“I was sent for!” Ben furiously cut in. “Please, you must let me through!” When the woman yet again moved to shut the doors, he used all his body weight to barrel in across the threshold, the servant’s shrill cry rising above the din as Ben breathlessly shouted, “Frannie! Fran, it’s me... Please. You must come down here!”
“Sir, please!” the woman growled. “If you don’t leave right this instant, I will have you thrown out by force!”
The commotion finally seemed to rouse someone’s attention. A woman appeared at the top of the staircase, and both Ben and the servant stopped in their tracks, the former feeling as though an awl had punctured him right between the ribs. It was her... It couldn’t be, and yet it was. The weight of womanhood carved itself across Francesca’s features, soft and refined, yet grief had mellowed out some of the brightness in her smile and the sparkle in her eyes. She was no longer sweet and carefree -- she was no longer a child, naïve and at fate’s mercy.
Finally, something seemed to register in Francesca’s face, and then she came rushing down the steps to meet him, her arms flinging around his neck and holding on tight. Forgotten was their small audience, and Ben stooped to properly embrace her, a lump in his throat as he passed his fingers through her hair and closed his eyes. “I’m so sorry,” he choked out. Please forgive me. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.
Words failed him in that moment -- after all, what could he say to a friend he’d so heinously abandoned? -- and pressing a kiss to her temple, he finally settled on asking what happened. Francesca went rigid against him, and her silence tore his heartstrings akin to knives as she lowered down to her proper height, her eyes scanning his face with clear confusion.
“Your husband,” Ben weakly explained. “Frannie, I didn’t know... Why didn’t you tell me?”
You know exactly why.
Pressing his lips inward, shame bled across his features and he swallowed, suddenly unable to return her gaze. “I...I don’t know what to say,” he finally admitted. It was true. He didn’t know what to say, and as tears filled his eyes, he was suddenly grateful to the rainwater masking his emotional turmoil. It was her -- it was really, truly her -- and somehow, it hurt nearly as much to have Francesca there with him as it did to be apart. Her hands were clasped in his own, and yet the weight of them didn’t feel real...couldn’t be real.
And then just like that, she pulled away from him. It was as though a curtain had been drawn, promptly closing off the warmth in her face as she reverted back to something colder, proper and guarded. Don’t hide from me, he wanted to plead, and yet he knew the sentiment was laughable. Had that not been what he, himself had done over the past four years? He’d once told Francesca she taught him not to run from his problems -- that he needed to face them -- and yet Ben was still running, even now.
While Francesca fussed over his wet clothes, he finally felt the chill in the significantly warmer foyer and shivered, guilt ribboning through him upon her question.
“I didn’t wish to be presumptuous,” he said, “so I do have an inn I can return to, should you prefer it. Caleb helped me with my last minute travels, so he’s presently staying there.” Wiping the rainwater from his face, Ben offered a feeble smile and quipped, “You know, all those years ago during your debut, you had quite the stunning entrance. I suppose I was well overdue.” In more ways than one.
Once Mary had left to prepare his room, Ben reached down and took hold of Francesca’s hand, his heart in his throat as he gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll stay,” he finally agreed. “For as long as you need me.”
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Snack Box
— pairing: tsukasa x f. reader
— t/w: harsh words
the school bell rang twice a minute ago, signaling it was time to go home. you could hear your best friend who also your seat mate hurriedly packing up her stuff before bowing to the teacher.
it's not something you can see every day, actually. it's happening because she’s too excited to see her crush. and no, they're not planning to go somewhere, it's just her wanting to give a snack box she made for him. and honestly, you don't know him. you've only heard of him a few times from her and that's all.
actually, there are a lot of guys from different schools who are popular among girls in your school. you don't know much about them since dating someone is not your intention at all for now. so, you don't understand what makes them so desirable.
“help me, please, please, please.” sakura hold your hands while she give her doe eyes.
you look at your best friend's eyes in doubt. “are you sure you want me to give this to him?”
sakura nod her head repeatedly. “yes, please.”
“but what if it makes him thinks that i was the one who liked him?”
“i wrote a note with my name inside and he knows me, don't worry.” she smiles widely.
you exhale heavily. this is going to messed up your study schedule at home and more importantly, you're not into this kind of thing.
she hands you the box. "come on," she says, then pulls your wrist towards the school front gate.
you know how shy sakura can be when it comes to someone she likes. so it's always like this: she does you a favor, and then she asks you to do something for her crush. she already helped you yesterday when your senior asked you out on a date. she diverted his attention for you because she knew you were too uncomfortable to reject him. and now it's your turn to give the snack box she prepared for her crush.
"he will come from that street," she points to the alley next to your school. "that's his way home."
you look down at the box in your hand. "you already know him, it's better if you give it to him yourself," you say.
"but i already helped you yesterday," she pouts, and you roll your eyes in response.
"but how am i supposed to know it's him? i don't even know what he looks like."
sakura thinks for a moment. "i think he wears a red jacket lately. but i'm sure you'll easily recognize him, just give it to the most handsome guy you see. i'll wait here." you bite your inner lip unconsciously.
"go, go," she pushes your back and then hides behind the walls.
you look at the box one more time before heading to the alley. many of your schoolmates also pass through that way, so you start to feel nervous, knowing that someone you know might see you handing over a well-decorated box to a guy and misunderstand the situation.
your feet can't stop tapping as you wait in the alley, some people you know greet you with a confused look. their eyes always land on the box you try to hide against your chest. then, in the fifth minute of your wait, you finally see someone in a red shirt appear at the end of the street, heading your way.
you can feel your heart start pounding as if it would shake your whole body. you can hear people around you murmuring about him with their eyes sparkling. ah, so he is one of the popular guys.
his eyes doesn't meet yours, but somehow you can feel his gaze piercing through you. his blond hair flutters beautifully in the wind as he come closer, both hands in his pockets. he doesn't seem to care about the people frankly looking at him. he looks so calm and accustomed to the situation. you finally understand how attractive he is and why he is popular among your schoolmates.
"excuse me," you manage to voice when he finally in front of you, almost stuttering.
he stops and looks at you, raising his eyebrows.
you hand him the box. "for you," you say, then walk away in a heartbeat, leaving him in utter confusion. You can hear some people gasping at you, making you almost want to sprint back home.
“how was it?” sakura pulls your wrist to the corner when you met her behind the walls.
“you didn't see it?”
she shook her head. “i couldn't, my heart could've exploded.”
"he accepted it," you say then she jumps to hug you.
“thank you!” she exclaims while bowing to you.
the next day, you find yourself being the center of attention since you enter the school gate. the stares aren't a bad thing, but rather filled with amazement, or so you think.
sakura notices it too, and she is also clueless about what's going on until the senior who asked you on a date earlier approaches you during break time.
“i saw you yesterday,” he says languidly. you look at him, confused.
“you have a boyfriend, right?”
ah, so it's about that.
“i didn't expect someone like you to have one, actually,” wait, what?
“i'm sorry.” he continues. well, maybe he didn't intend to offend you, but you somehow feel deeply offended. he didn't expect someone like me to have a boyfriend? what does it even mean?
“yeah, that's fine.” sakura suddenly replied in the most unfriendly tone then pulled your arm to walked away.
“sakura, i'm sorry.” you spoke to her after not denying the prejudice in front of the senior.
sakura nodded. “that's okay.” she smiled. “what do you think about him, by the way? he's so charming, right?”
you tried to keep a poker face. “he's quite attractive.” you replied. a grin appeared on sakura's face. “this is the first time you've called a guy attractive.”
you looked up at the tree. “well, his blond hair quite interesting.”
“his what?” sakura almost yelped.
“his hair…” you whispered as you look at her fearfully.
“IT WAS BLOND???”
you nodded.
“do you think i would ever attracted to someone who's blond?”
you gasped, covering your mouth with your palm. sakura would never fall to a blond guy: she had a traumatic memory with one.
“WHO DID YOU GIVE THE BOX TO, STUPID?”
you put your palms together in front on your face then fell on your knees. “i don't know, sakura, i'm so sorry.” you said, almost crying out loud in guilt.
she clicked his tongue. “how was he looks like?”
“he was blond and quite attractive. some people even stops to see him,” you spoke so quickly. “and he was wearing a red shirt,”
“i said red jacket, not shirt, you dumbass.”
you gasped again. “i'm so sorry, i forgot.” you held her hand, begging for forgiveness.
she sighed. “ah, okay. the thing now is, we need to know who you gave the box to.”
you stood and nodded while pouting. “i'm sorry, really.”
“no, that's okay. maybe it's the time for me to push myself?”
you let out a deep breath. what a relief. you couldn't lose your five year friendship just because of that box, right?
when school was over and you were ready to go home, once again you found yourself at the center of attention. the difference this time was that one of your classmates approached you from outside the school as you neared the front gate.
“tsukasa is waiting for you.”
you furrowed your eyebrows. “tsukasa?”
she nodded.
“tsukasa of oya kou?” sakura gasped.
“yeah, he's your boyfriend, right? he asked me to look for you and sakura.” your classmate added.
your eyes were about to leave its place while sakura's jaw might have dropped if she hadn't held it. your classmate left, but you still couldn't move a muscle.
“so you gave the box to tsukasa?” sakura's laughter filled your ears as your body remain frozen. “no wonder you've got the spotlight, then.” she added.
“i don't know who he is,” you mumbled, eyes blanked. “but why is he looking for me? why?”
“don't worry, he's not like what you're thinking, i think. he used to receiving gifts from the girls but no one has ever dated him. he's not into this sort of thing either.”
“really?”
sakura nodded and guided you to the gate, holding back her laughter at your emotionless face.
“there he is,” she pointed a blond guy across the street. “do you want me to take you to him?”
you shook your head. “nah, i'm fine. it's my fault,” you said determinedly.
she smiled widely. “okay, fighting!”
you tried to catch your breath before crossing the street and walking straight to him.
“hi,” you greeted softly. he turned to you. “are you looking for me?”
he smiled a little. “sakura?”
“no. sakura is my friend. i'm so sorry, i misrecognized the person.” you bowed.
“no, no, it's fine. i knew this wasn't for me. but i saw the note inside, this box are meant for nakagoshi, right? i can take you to him.”
you stood up. “really?”
“yeah, he's not far from here.”
you nodded happily.
you walked side by side with him, telling him everything about the situation. he just laughed and you were almost dying of embarrassment. he wasn't that talkative but good at responding to your story. you kept apologizing repeatedly, worried that you were oversharing, while you were just trying to explain the story behind the box so he would understand everything.
but that moment could've lasted longer if you both hadn't encountered the senior you've rejected.
“oh, so this is the boyfriend?” he exclaimed from across the street. tsukasa stopped and stared at him.
he approached you both. “are you sure dating this girl?” he pointed at you then his friends were laughing from afar.
“and you, why are you dating him? seeking validation? ah, you want to be popular too?" he laughed.
what an asshole.
“what do you want?” tsukasa stepped forward.
you bit your lower lip, realizing which school tsukasa came from and now you were scared if something bad would really happen.
“i don't need your opinion, okay? it's up to you. and please, move aside. you're blocking my way.” you tried to sound as calm as possible and looked straight into his eyes.
tsukasa grabbed your wrist while still glared at your senior, signaling to continue your walk.
“are you okay?” he asked after those assholes disappeared from sight.
you nodded. you unable to take your eyes off his grip in your wrist.
“we're almost there,” he said still weren't aware of his own hand.
this was actually worse than facing your senior. at least you knew you could defend yourself from them. but for thing like this, you don't know what to do. it couldn't be like this, you couldn't fall for him so easily.
but your body couldn't lie tho. your blood rushed to your cheeks, giving them a rosy color in it, and even more when tsukasa finally released his hand.
“oh, i'm so sorry.”
shit, shit, shit. it's harder to deny your own feelings. but still, “it's okay.” you replied.
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Quick question, have we figured out why Richard is so damn ATTRACTIVE??? Like he was so fine during the Mutter and MiG Era but he's even better now??? Sir I have questions!!!! What is it about you that's so addictive??? And that belly??? A MASTERPIECE!!!! He needs to pay for my rehab I'm dying over him at this point lmao
Hi hello how did you get into my head and write down exactly what I think about daily?? Because I'm still so fascinated regarding how he changed over the years, while remaining so enticing and attractive, always reinventing himself a bit, experimenting with different looks and styles while maintaining his overall vibe and aesthetic 😌 This of course includes his physique and wonderful chunkiness, but I'll shamelessly use this ask to venture out in earlier decades, to appreciate this man in all his glory 😩 (I hope that's alright with you)
Let's take a tiny look at Mr. Richard Z. Kruspe over the years, just to process this delicious evolution of his:
Very early on we had a lean Richard with the dreads, for some a no-go, for others quite a charming look (i know exactly i'm not the only one who's down for dreadlock Richard 👀), picture from ca. 1993:
In the beginning of Rammstein, we have some brown and blond haired, somewhat muscly Richard (ca. 1995/1996):
Then of course the ethereal look of Live aus Berlin (recorded in 1998) and his general style during the Sehnsucht era (Viva interview from 1997):
Moving on to the Mutter era, the first time his iconic spiky black hair was introduced to the world (picture from 2001 in Tallinn, gif from 2001 at the Velodrom Berlin):
He maintained a similar style and physique (very much toned and gym-trained I guess) or a while, for example during Völkerball (recorded in 2005):
or in various music videos, such as "Mein Teil" (2004) and "Benzin" (2005, albeit with some very much 2000s eyebrows):
In 2009 while LIFAD was released and during the LIFAD tour, he shortly ventured into another hair style (I won't comment, it was.. something, picture of 2009), then again back to the spiky style and tried out the mohawk (picture from 2012 I think), while parts of his typical stage outfit were born plus he's rather muscly here too:
During the festival tour 2016/2017 you can slowly see him becoming a bit broader/meatier in his physique, which I find just absolutely wonderful, plus some combacks like his spiky hair (gifs from an interview in 2018):
And slowly but surely we arrive in the current time and Richard's current style and physique: vampire coat, chicken coat, meaty and chunky Richard in all his glory:
All in all I have to say: It's so interesting to see how he changed and still stayed true to himself and his aesthetic, to his enthusiastic and genuine self while continously trying out new styles. And this includes his physique!! His appearance of course changed over the span of 30 years, that's aging for you. Of course he put on some weight - but that doesn't negate the fact that someone can be unbelievably attractive. And yes, I wholeheartedly agree, his belly now is a master piece, forged by the heavens, a gift from god, just perfection 💖
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