#and i love the little signs that show ringo is slowly falling for easy

[yappyappyapp]

Can i rq a ringo x reader were the reader is an assistant for The beatles and is really burnt out and tired and ringo tried to care for them?<3

What’s up buddy 😝😝

Hello! First req ahh n this is so cute !!!

If I fell in love with you

Warnings: FLUFF. (And John being annoying.) (and bad writing.)

You happened to be an assistant to one of the biggest bands at the time, and it was absolutely lovely. Just kidding!! The Beatles made it a bit more difficult to work, John who would take his sarcastic and idiotic comments and remarks to a whole new level, eventually annoying the living crap out of you. George was okay, but he honestly talked your EAR of when he had the chance, how could anyone CONSIDER him the ‘quiet Beatle’? Paul was… okay, he had very pretty eyes, though. And then there was little old Ringo. He wasn’t as annoying. He had a pretty voice.

Brian had assigned you to keep an eye on the boys in a hotel in America, as it was their first time, and they strictly needed to stay in the hotel at all times for the show the following day.

“Would’ya pass me the water, Macca?” John asked innocently, his nasally British accent rang out. Paul passed over the salt as he had a burger half in his mouth. John grinned. ‘Oops.’ He muttered, still smiling as he poured the whole jug on Paul’s head. Macca’s eyes widened as the water trickled down his face and clothes, and he slowly turned to John. “It’s on, Lenny.” Paul picked a handful of whatever the heck was on the table, and hurled it towards John.

“Boys, please-“ you tried to interrupt, knowing their suits were freshly washed, dried, and ironed by indeed, you. You sighed deeply and wiped a hand down your face. You shouldn’t have signed up for this position. It was silly.

“John, food down!” Your voice raised slightly, a thing you never did, catching the attention of John, who put down the food and shrugged, still giggling at Paul, and Paul was doing the same. You could never control these boys, and it was like a war zone job if you did say so yourself.

After the food fight, no, literal war, you went back to your room and curled up on the bed, staring at the ceiling, praying to God that tomorrow wouldn’t be as bad.

A soft knock was heard on the thick wood of the door.

“Come in!” You hollered, (your nationality) accent wavered a tad.

The door creaked open. Maybe it was a serial killer? Just kidding.

Ringo stood in the doorway, plate in hand.

“hi.” You said, rushing to sit up and fix your skirt and hair, nodding in the process.

“Hello, love.” Ringo nodded, stepping farther into the threshold of your room. “Brought ‘ye supper.” He said softly, approaching your bed. You studied his face, his nose, and how his eyes were a perfect china shade of blue. You noticed how his hair falls on his forehead, and how the brown colour accentuated his rosy red cheeks.

“Why are you doing this for me?” You ask quietly, taking the plate, fingers heating up from the bottom of the plate.

“‘Cuz yer workin’ hard, and John n Paul n Goergie ain’t makin’ it easy for ye.” He shrugged and sat beside you, smiling a bit.

Gosh, his smile.

“Aww, Ringo.” You blush, smiling slightly. He smiled back and put his hand on your shoulder, squeezing it slightly and getting up. “I’m gonna run you a bath.” He grinned playfully, running off into the bathroom.

How sweet. Maybe being The Beatles assistant isn’t that bad. <3

(Ik this isn’t really the req im sorry i had trouble thinking of stuff : , ( )

[yasisworld]

The moment when the director of KayC's show flirts with Easy and Ringo just stands there and watches. The look on his face saying murder. And then he invites himself to the after party to be Easy's wingman and to rescue him when someone comes on too strong onto him.

Also, when he goes to meet Easy, all confidence and compliments him and gets complimented back. The way he exhales is too cute.

[mithranqueersmusings]

Baby, You’re A Rich Man XVI

Chapter: 16/28

Rating: T (Violence Warning)

Summary: Ringo could never understand why that group of three boys made him feel so uncomfortable, or why the way George looked at him sent him into a panic. After a chance encounter Ringo discovers the truth and has no clue what to do with the information.

Tags: AU - Gangsters, Slow Burn, Smut, Eventual Romance, Violence, Angst

Pairings: George Harrison/Ringo Starr, John Lennon/Paul McCartney

AO3 link here / Fic masterlist here

Ringo had ducked off the stage as soon as he heard the gunshots, he hurt his ankle somewhat as he sloppily landed on the ground and took shelter in the nearest booth. The rest of the band had scattered, most of them heading through the door to the backstage area immediately, but Shane had remained scoping the area until his eyes landed on Ringo. He rushed over to where he was crouched under the table and seized his arm aggressively.

"We've gotta get out of here, now." He commanded, trying to pull Ringo out.

Ringo tried to push him away, attempting to loosen the tight grip he had on his arm "I can't Shane, not while George is still here."

Shane sighed "Don't be stupid, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. Just come with me, Ringo, he's not worth dying for."

"You don't know him." Ringo smiled sadly "I can't leave him behind, I just can't. Just go, Shane."

Shane nodded solemnly, letting go of Ringo's arm and hurrying to the backstage door while trying to keep his body low. The initial gunshots had been followed by a series of screams, yells and the sound of glasses smashing. Ringo crawled out from under the table slowly, the dance floor had cleared completely and the sounds of screaming faded into the distance as the majority of the crowd managed to escape. He tried to keep his mind focused, as much as the terror of the whole situation tried to possess him he wouldn't allow himself to simply flee. As much as his mind told him that George was fine, that he'd know exactly what to do in this situation, he knew deep down that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he left him behind. He crept behind one of the many pillars dotted around the room that allowed him to get a full view of what was going on. He could see bloody footprints and trails heading towards the main entrance and it made him wince, he only hoped the people managed to get out alive.

He could hear voices, then he spotted the suspicious men he'd noticed earlier huddled in the centre of the room. There was four of them, all holding guns in their hands, and they all set off in opposite directions after conferring with one another. Ringo moved to the next pillar as carefully as he could manage, then he could finally see the table where George had been sitting previously, but he was no longer there. Ringo froze. Was he dead? Had he managed to get out? Maybe Ringo was just being an absolute moron for sticking around and George was already searching for him outside. He had to take a deep breath and shake his head to bring himself back into his body, trying his best to spot George somewhere hidden. The issue with the club is that it had been designed for privacy, particularly the booths, that were hidden away in all of the corners or obstructed by huge pillars or ornaments so that you couldn't see directly into them. Ringo squinted his eyes as he thought he saw a glimmer on the floor of one of the booths, but before he could make out exactly what it was a hand grabbed him roughly from behind.

The hand covered Ringo's mouth, stopping him from screaming, and pulled him back further into the darkness of the club. Ringo struggled as best he could, but their other hand pinned his arms back and all he could do was wildly kick his legs. He paused for a second, trying his best to not let the panic overcome him, and was able to swing his leg backwards hard enough into his attacker's knee that his grip on Ringo's arms faltered and he was able to free himself. Ringo pushed himself away immediately, spinning around to land a punch on the man's face. But the man was far too quick for him, and he caught Ringo's arm and twisted it to force him down to the ground. Ringo cried out in pain as his face was pushed down into the dirty carpet, and he heard voices calling from the centre of the room.

"I've got one!" His attacker shouted, the pride in his voice clear.

Ringo then heard the sound of tape being ripped from above him and before he was able to think through the pain he felt his wrists being tied together sloppily. Then he was dragged by his hair into the centre of the room where the four men he'd seen originally seemed to be waiting for him.

"Well isn't he pretty in pink." One man laughed.

"Who is he? He's not one of theirs."

"No clue, but he was sneaking around that's for sure." His attacker spat on the ground next to Ringo's knees.

"I recognise him... I've seen him with the Harrison lad quite a few times."

"Is that so? He could be useful then."

"Should we take him back with us?"

"Just wait a minute, let me try something." One of the men grinned, walking over to Ringo and seizing him by the neck to bring him closer into the middle.

The man pulled out a gun and Ringo yelped, he was cursing himself for being so careless. He felt the cold metal of the barrel pushing against his temple as he knelt on the ground, his arm was throbbing in pain and he felt like bursting into tears.

"Now! We wouldn't want anything sour to happen to your little friend now, would we Harrison?" The man announced, looking around the room for any sign of movement "Let's just make this easy for all of us, come out now and we won't have to hurt him."

Silence.

What if George wasn't even here? He easily could've gotten away, and if so was Ringo just going to die all the same? Ringo squeezed his eyes shut tightly as he heard the hammer of the gun being pulled back. This was really it.

"Last chance! If you don't want to get brains all over your friends lovely suit I suggest you show yourself, now." He called louder this time.

Silence.

Ringo steadied his breathing, trying to ignore the sweat forming on his forehead or the way his throat burned with the desire to cry. He had to pray the man was bluffing, he had to pray for something.

"Alright!" A voice called from afar, and Ringo felt a mixture of relief and horror when he recognised it as George's.

Ringo's eyes shot open and searched desperately for him, trying not to jerk too violently, when he saw him stepping out from one of the booths with his hands up. Ringo had never seen a more pained expression on his face than when he saw Ringo in such a desperate position.

"Are you alone?" The man asked, his hand still gripping the gun "Where are the other two?"

"They got out." George said plainly, taking slow steps down the stairs and closer to the group.

"Why didn't you?" The man asked with a grin.

George glanced immediately to Ringo, but brought his gaze back to the man a second later "What do you want?"

"Well things got a little ugly the last time, didn't they? We're willing to give your guys another chance, to make up for all the mess you made. If you don't kick up a fuss this can all go smoothly. We don't want to kill you, we're not animals." The man said with the gun still pressed against Ringo's head.

"Fine." George sighed "But you don't need to take him, he's got nothing to do with any of this." He was struggling to hide the panic in his voice.

"I dunno... He must be pretty important to you, so I think we'll bring him along." He finally moved the gun away but Ringo wasn't any less tense.

"He's not." George said flatly, but it looked like there were tears in his eyes "I just don't want anyone getting hurt, I couldn't care less about him."

Ringo looked at George desperately but he wouldn't return his gaze.

"Is that so? I guess we won't be needing him then." The man tutted, then signalled to some of the other men to move.

Two men approached Ringo now, one roughly dragging him to stand up shakily onto his weak legs. He was returned once more to his helpless position with his arms pinned behind his back, then the second man approached with his fists raised. Ringo turned his head and shut his eyes as if it would lessen the pain, but he couldn't ignore the sting of the man's fist punching his stomach. He was hit again and again, the building was silent except for the sound of Ringo crying out in pain and the repeated noise of the punches landing on his body. Ringo managed to open his eyes and catch a glimpse of George who stood there watching, he could see the tension in George's body and how his hands were shaking as they were still held up above his head. As much as he knew George was trying to protect him through all this, it still hurt to know that George wasn't doing anything to stop it. Ringo wished he could fight back, to just do something, but his body was only growing weaker and his chances against a group of armed men were ridiculously slim.

After what felt like a lifetime, George finally spoke up in a strangled shout.

"Stop it! Jesus, fine... Do what you want with me just leave him alone." George had never sounded so desperate, and the tears in his eyes were beginning to fall "Please."

The man who had previously held the gun to Ringo's head, who he figured had to be the leader of this little group, chuckled when he saw how effectively his plan had worked. He made another signal with his hands and Ringo was once again dropped to the floor, his knees would've stung with pain if his body wasn't already drowning in agony. His face and torso were bruised and aching, he struggled to open one of his eyes and it hurt to breathe. George made a step to rush towards Ringo, his face completely distraught, but the man held up his gun again but this time pointed it at George.

"Let's not get carried away here. You forced us to do that, don't forget it." His voice was like poison "Now I think we've stayed here far too long already, we best be on our way."

The man nodded and the remaining two men rushed towards George, kicking the back of his leg to force him to the ground and taping his wrists together behind his back just as they had with Ringo. George didn't resist, his head was bowed in shame. Ringo stared at him defiantly, trying to send his thoughts into George's head so that he would finally look at him, but he never did.

When George was tied up, himself and Ringo were carried out hastily from the club where two cars were waiting. The streets were fairly empty given the time of night and Ringo wondered how the police hadn't arrived yet. The boots of the cars were opened and George and Ringo were carelessly tossed inside like luggage. When darkness descended onto Ringo as the boot was shut with him inside, the panic really began to set in. It was pitch black in there and it made no real difference whether his eyes were open or not. He tried to struggle in his restraints but it was no use, he wasn't going to get out of them by himself. Then the car's engine turned on and it began to speed off down the road, rocking Ringo around in the boot roughly. None of this felt real, it was like some disorientating nightmare.

He began to curse himself for not running out of the club with everyone else, but then his mind debated what might've happened to George if he hadn't. It probably would've turned out for the best, both of them managing to escape and reunite without any problems at all, but Ringo just had to be so careless. There was no use dwelling on it now, he just had to pray that he'd get out of here alive. They had said they didn't want to kill them, but they didn't strike Ringo as the most trustworthy people. His whole body was still aching, he'd never experienced pain like this before and he hoped he never would again. He hoped the worst of it was over, and that it wouldn't be long before someone came to save them. George had told him about what had happened with Paul before, and they'd gotten him out safely, but it had also resulted in George getting stabbed and a bunch of dead bodies. Ringo shuddered in the darkness, trying to keep his mind as calm as it could be in a situation like this, but it wasn't easy.

After a long while the car came to a halt, Ringo tried to guess how long they'd been driving for and estimate where they might've ended up but it was near impossible. The boot was opened once more, the light flooding in blindingly, and Ringo was thrown out onto the hard road.

"Get up." The man said gruffly, forcing Ringo to his feet and shoving him forward.

They were at some kind of abandoned building, Ringo didn't recognise it which only made him feel all the more uneasy. He was ushered inside carelessly, he could barely walk but he had to keep going, until they came to a small, bare room which was lit by a single hanging light bulb. The man shoved Ringo forward harshly, causing him to fall to the floor yet again, and then slammed the door shut. Ringo hastily looked around the room for some way out, for something to get his bindings off him but it was stripped bare. A few moments later the door opened again and George was thrown to the ground in front of him, and this time when the door was shut he could hear it being locked.

Ringo wanted to rush over to George, to wrap his arms around him and hold him close, but he couldn't. They both looked at one another with pain in their eyes, and it was George who spoke first.

"I'm so fucking sorry, Ringo. This is all my fault, I never should've got you that job in the first place. It's all my fault." George sounded close to tears and it pained Ringo more than any injury he'd endured.

"George." Ringo spoke softly "You can't blame yourself. I shouldn't have stayed behind to look for you, it's my own stupid fault."

"I'm not gonna let them hurt you anymore." George began sounding angry but his eyes were still filled with tears "Over my dead body."

"Please, George, just calm down. Everything's gonna be alright, they'll send someone for us just like they did for Paul, right?" Ringo tried his best to smile comfortingly, but his face was all bruised and bloodied.

"Eventually... But there's no knowing how long that'll be. We've really pissed these guys off, and I don't trust them one bit." George spat "We have to get out of here ourselves."

"How are we gonna manage that?"

"I dunno yet, I'll think of something..."

"What about your knife, do you still have it?"

"No, they took it off me right quick. We just need something sharp to pierce through the tape, then we can at least be up and moving." Ringo had never heard George sound so focused.

Ringo racked his brain to think of something, looking around the small room and then over at George "What about your belt?"

"What?"

"Your belt... You know, that sharp bit on the buckle. Would that work?"

"It's worth a shot." George smiled now and it eased Ringo's pain somewhat.

George stood up then as best he could, wobbling as he did, then walked over to Ringo who did the same.

"It's gonna be fiddly, but you've gotta try to push it through the tape hard enough to make a hole. Once you've done that I should be able to get them off you." George explained "Just relax, alright?"

Ringo nodded then turned his back to George so that his hands could awkwardly reach for his belt. It would've been a lot easier if he could see what he was doing, but he knew his captors weren't really considering what was best for him. With his wrists pressed so close together it was difficult to get a grip on the thin piece of metal and even more difficult was trying to angle it so it could hit his restraints. Ringo began to get flustered, losing grip of the metal or moving his wrists down too quickly and missing it entirely. This wasn't going to work, and the panic in his mind began to rise again. George noticed he was getting frustrated and rested his chin on Ringo's shoulder.

"Calm down, love. Just breathe, and try again. I'm right here with you." He whispered, kissing Ringo's neck lightly before pulling back so Ringo could try again.

Ringo took a deep breath and got hold of the metal once more, then pulled his wrists upwards and slammed them down hard until he felt it pushing through the tape. He gasped, even though he felt it tearing at his skin somewhat he didn't care.

"It's through." Ringo breathed, but he felt more tense than he had previously.

"Well done. Now I'm gonna try and rip them off you, hold still." George was still whispering as he turned around to get his finger through the small hole Ringo had created.

Ringo felt George pulling at the tape desperately, but it wouldn't tear and he heard George sighing behind him. He tried again with more force but to no avail.

"I'm gonna have to use my teeth. Can you get up against the wall, love?" George spoke softly and Ringo appreciated how much George was trying to calm him.

Ringo obliged and pressed his front up against the wall, George knelt down behind him and kept adjusting his angle as he tried to get a grip with his teeth. It was awkward to say the least, and Ringo only felt appreciative that he was stuck with George rather than anyone else. After a few tries George managed to get a grip of the restraint in his mouth and he jerked his neck to try and tear it. At first nothing happened but Ringo remained calm, he had to trust George that this was going to work. Then he heard a ripping sound, it was only short but it was something.

"Alright, almost there. You're doing so good, Ringo, just stay calm." George's voice was tight.

He set to work again and it wasn't long before he had ripped through the tape, Ringo couldn't help thinking how useful George's sharp teeth must've been in all this, and finally Ringo could move his arms freely. The restraints were lose enough that Ringo could break through them and the feeling of the tape falling to the ground was something beyond relief. He turned around with an ecstatic expression in his face and quickly set to work on freeing George too. It wasn't easy, the tape was thick and tight, but he persevered and soon they were both free.

Immediately George captured Ringo in a hug, pulling the older man closely to him and taking in a deep breath.

"You did it." George said softly "God you're brilliant, Ringo."

"Let's not get too excited just yet." Ringo chuckled, holding George tightly "We still have to get out of here."

"Right." George huffed, pulling away reluctantly "I've got a plan. Just do what I say and we should get out of here in one piece, alright?"

"Alright." Ringo breathed.

"Before we try this, I just wanna say..." George's voice trailed off "You mean an awful lot to me, Ringo, and I'll do everything I can to keep you safe. If it comes down to it and you can get out without me, I want you to go, okay?"

"George don't be insane, I'm not gonna leave here without you." Ringo placed his hand on George's neck gently.

"Please, Ringo, I couldn't live with myself if you- If..." George struggled to meet Ringo's gaze.

"You've gotta get this in your head, George, we're in this together. No matter what happens I'm gonna be here with you, yeah?" Ringo smiled weakly "I care about you, George, more than anything... In case I don't get a chance to say this: I love you, okay?"

George looked up at Ringo in alarm, those were the last words he was expecting to hear right now. Ringo looked afraid, as though he instantly regretted the words as soon as he said them but when he opened his mouth to explain himself, George silenced him with a kiss. It was a short kiss, but a passionate one, and George whispered in Ringo's ear as he pulled away.

"I love you too, Ringo."

"Really?"

"Really." George smiled, his hand caressing Ringo's check "Now let's get out of here so I can show you how much I mean it."

"Alright, what's the plan?"

[leeuwchen]

Can you write the 14 for Angst and Fluff for Ringsy? Thank you.

This one took a while but here it is (including minor spoilers)

“Can you shut up for once in your life?” –

“Am I your lockscreen?” “You weren’t supposed to see that.”

 If Easy Winter had to rate the different versions of Richard Beckmann, this one would be particularly difficult to put a number on. Sleepy Ringo for example is shockingly cute in 8 out of 10 times and therefore easily a candidate for a high score.  Hungry Ringo on the other hand is almost always unpredictable and can go from weirdly hot to downright annoying within a split second but would still nick 9 out of 10 points because he looks so content when being fed that one can’t help but falling in love with him all over again. And then there is Smug Ringo, like the one standing right in front of him inside the kiosk now, who is clearly meaning no harm but saying all the wrong things, nevertheless.

“Sorry, but can you please repeat, what you did to my place?”

“I reorganized it.”

Easy takes a look around and sighs.

“Reorganizing, you say? Reorganizing is putting the chocolate bars from the right-hand to the left-hand side because they are easier to grab for you from there but this…”

He has no idea how to finish the sentence without sounding too annoyed. There are new shiny price tags on all of his products and a plastic-coated list with new “buy together - combination deals” that Ringo probably would call improvised but is still looking more professional than most of the stuff Easy has put up here lately. It must have cost his husband a great deal of his working day to come up with this concept.

“How long did all of this take, Ringo?”

The tall guy in front of him shrugs nonchalantly.

“Ahhh, don’t worry about that. I had your numbers before-hand since I did  your taxes yesterday, so I knew your price calculation was a bit…”

“A bit what?”

Ringo furrows his brows tentatively.

“A bit… not so good?”

“Meaning?”

There is a long sigh coming from very deep-down Ringo’s chest before he calmly tries to answer the question, clearly feeling that they are at the verge of a fight now.

“Bärchen…”

“Don’t you Bärchen me now, Hase, I mean it. The kiosk is doing just fine without you meddling with my calculations.”

“Exactly, Easy. It is doing just fine. But it could do so much better. Here… take a look at today’s earnings and you’ll see what I mean.”

Ringo opens the cash register and yes – no need to count there – this is more than Easy would have made on an average Sunday, he has enough experience to see that right away. So why isn’t he happy about it? Why does he feel like picking a fight? He knows Ringo is the smart one… he always has been… and normally it doesn’t bother Easy. He knows Ringo is unchallenged at the moment, having no job and no real perspective for once in his life. He should just let him have this… but he can’t, and he doesn’t know why. Meanwhile, Ringo is still looking at the money he made proudly. “Oh”, he suddenly exclaims, “and Leni still owes us 2 more Euro since she didn’t have enough money to pay for her soft drink and chocolate sugar rush…”

“Leni doesn’t have to pay more than before… she’s family!”

“First rule when owning a business: No family favours!”

“Bit rich coming from someone who never pays.”

Ringo chuckles softly and helps himself to some wine gum.

“Okay, let’s say I am the one exception you are allowed to make.”

“Allowed to?”

There is a warning in Easy’s voice but Ringo seems completely oblivious to it. In his world, showing his husband the money clearly is enough to prove himself and his arrangements right.

“Well, I won’t write a penalty scale or something like that but you should really listen to me. I’ve studied business administration after all. I know how to avoid suboptimal calculations. Just don’t worry about it if you are not interested in doing the mathematics yourself. It’s peanuts to me, really. And you know what else? I must admit… I never thought of this place like that, but it does have some potential. If only you would - ”

“Can you shut up for once in your life?”

The words are out of his mouth quickly and they are not even true. Sure, they both can get wordy at times (who in this street can’t?) but they are also good at finding the exit, giving the other one some space and getting back to their respective points calmly after a while. So, this whole shut up for once-stuff is hell of an unfair thing to say and Easy knows that but it’s too late now as Ringo has indeed shut his mouth and nods silently before turning around to leave.

“Honey, I…”

But his husband is out of the door already and for a moment, Easy waits for the door of the kiosk to slam shut behind him but it doesn’t and somehow he doesn’t feel relieved by the silence.

                                                        *

“Sorry, but I think, you gave me too much change. The tag says 2.50 - There.”

The young woman points at one of Ringo’s new signs and shows Easy the money in the palm of her hand. He raises his shoulders defensively.

“No, no. It’s still 2.25, forget the sign. My new temp mixed up some of the prices.”

She smiles at him.

“Okay, cool. I was just wondering and didn’t want to trick you.”

“Don’t worry. Everything around here stays the same.”

The woman walks away and grinning Leni steps up to the window holding up a coin.

“So, I don’t have to pay you the 2 Euro?”

“Of course not… just forget it, please.”

Leni puts the money back into her pocket and takes the wine gum Easy is handing out to her. “Good, but don’t forget to tell, Ringo”, she says while chewing, “out of all of my dads around here, he is the strict one.” Easy smiles.

“He didn’t mean it like that. He just wanted to help my business.”

“And did he?”

Sighing Easy helps himself to a chocolate bar and narrows his eyes thoughtfully.

“He did.”

“But?”

“He might have been a little bit… overachieving.”

“I’m shocked and surprised… since normally he is known as such a laid-back person.”

Easy chuckles quietly.

“I know, I know… you can’t hand him a project and expect him not to act on his business instincts. But you know what’s really bad?”

“What?”

“I acted like a complete asshole.”

Reaching through the window to get some more sweets Leni eyes him suspiciously.

“Well, now I’m really shocked. Shall I set up a fake photo shooting a bit outside of town to get you two to talk things over or would it be enough to take over your shift here so you can go and apologize?”

“Would you do that?”

“What do you think?”

                                                         *

 Tobias and Vivien are standing in the kitchen cooking together when Easy enters the flat share.

“Oh, hi. Is Ringo in our room?”

Tobias shakes his head while putting his hands around his girlfriend.

“Do you really think your hubby would voluntarily stay away from food? Unless… were the two of you fighting?”

“No! Well… not proper fighting… I… I said a pretty stupid thing. Really, really stupid.”

“Well, then”, Tobias says calmly and points to the ceiling with his index finger, “I would have a look around the roof top terrace if I were you and hope that my brother hasn’t picked up a hot blonde on his way up there… hey.” He rubs his rip cage with indignation as Vivien has forcefully pushed her elbow there. “Don’t be an ass!”, she tells her boyfriend who gently puts his face against her shoulder holding her closer and with a small trace of jealousy Easy leaves them alone, heading to the roof.

Ringo is sitting in the small hut, his laptop in front of him. Carefully, Easy knocks on the door frame.

“Can I come in?”

Ringo looks up from his work.

“Well, there is an entrance fee but since you are family I am not allowed to take it - so be my guest.”

His words don’t sound like a real invitation so Easy decides to lean against the door frame instead.

“I’m sorry I told you to shut up when you weren’t saying anything wrong… and even if you had been saying something wrong that wouldn’t have been an acceptable way to handle a dispute.”

Ringo nods and hums approvingly.

“I only wanted to be helpful and the new prices weren’t unreasonable. They were still fair offers.”

“I know”, Easy mumbles and pushes himself away from the hut’s frame to slowly walk inside.  “It’s me, really. I am really emotional when it comes to the kiosk, you know?”

Ringo chuckles.

“I might have noticed. But I meant no harm. Nothing would have happened to it.”

Strolling around the inside of the hut, Easy tries to find the right words.

“As a photographer I do like all the different locations, the weird customers, the constant change… the challenges… but when it comes to the kiosk, I want everything to stay the way it is. The same people coming back there every day buying the same stuff, having a nice chat, mostly about the same two or three topics. It’s home. Well, no… you are home… but it’s still something very emotional and to me the kiosk doesn’t need to do more than provide for a fair living so when you made all these changes it felt like you were belittling what I have built there and that striked a nerve. I’m sorry, I know you only meant well.”

He is looking down at the man sitting on the old worn-out sofa. Ringo is looking grave, fumbling around his nose bridge with one finger for a few moments before clearing his throat.

“I see. Well… we all have our soft spots, I guess. You see, whenever you tell me that I meant well it reads to me that I may have meant well but still acted like same old evil Ringo.”

“Wait? What?”

Easy is sitting on the couch next to his husband before even realising.

“That’s not what it means. Not at all. We have left that behind for good, okay? You don’t need to prove yourself to me and you are allowed to make mistakes like everyone around here does without being judged harder because of stuff you did in the past and it wasn’t even a mistake, it was… wait… Am I your lockscreen?”

“You weren’t supposed to see that.”

With a swift movement Ringo pushes the screen of his laptop down but Easy is still grinning at him when he turns around again.

“Why am I your lockscreen? I thought your lockscreen was supposed to be something you envision for your future or something you identify with like this ridiculous picture of a shark Huber has put up in his office.”

“I think, you kind of answered your question yourself”, Ringo mumbles softly, putting an arm around Easy’s shoulder, pulling him closer to his side.

“Getting rejections to all of my applications isn’t the nicest experience so from time to time I like to look at something that makes me feel better about life… myself… the future.”

“And that’s me?”

Ringo rolls his eyes.

“Now that’s fishing for compliment but yes – if you must hear it – it’s you. Always you… well, almost always. I sometimes have a look around Saskia’s bakery webpage to decide which pastry will cure my poor unemployed soul but I guess that’s the kind of cheating we both can live with, right?”

Smiling, Easy nudges his nose against the soft skin of Ringo’s neck.

“Maybe. But better not tell me too much about it, I can be unreasonably at times and I am again very sorry for how I acted today.”

He gently kisses his husband’s cheek, waiting for Ringo to turn around for a proper kiss but the other one just sighs and lets his finger run through some of the curly dark hair in Easy’s neck.

“Don’t worry about it anymore, okay? It gave me a business idea after all.”

“It did? Well, let’s hear it then!”

Easy frees himself from Ringo’s hug and sits up excitedly. Ringo seems to be a bit unsure for about one second but when Easy nods at him encouragingly, said insecurity vanishes visibly.

“Well, I thought… not all small businesses are against change… and there have to be tons of people who just started or took over a business and don’t adapt numbers as quickly as I do so they would be thankful for someone going over their calculations pointing out flaw- I mean, not so well designed strategies. I have already emailed someone I know from university about it who went into that direction in Frankfurt… not that I really need the advice.”

“Of course not, you are Richard Beckmann after all.”

“So, what do you think?”

Ringo is looking positively excited now and Jumpy Ringo is a solid 10 in 10 out of 10 times so Easy can’t help but kiss him hard before he answers his husband’s question.

“It does sound like the perfect thing for you to do.”

“You really think so?”

“I do.”

There is a sigh of relief coming from Ringo and his upper body kind of slums back against the sofa’s backrest.

“Oh good, because I wasn’t sure if I might be losing it.”

Contently, Easy rests his head on Ringo’s chest, putting his arm around his slender waist.

“I really think, you would do well as a freelancer. Huber was always holding you back and claiming the glory for all your hard work.”

“Yeah, getting some appreciation would be nice for a change.”

For a while they are sitting there in silence, huddled together until suddenly Ringo’s cell phone beeps and he wiggles around a bit helplessly because Easy is not willing to give up his comfy sleeping position on his chest. When he finally manages to get his mobile and checks the message, he chuckles triumphantly. “What is it?”, Easy inquires drowsily and the telephone’s screen is pushed in front of his nose showing a picture of Leni who has put up today’s earnings in little towers of coins on the kiosk’s desk. “You have to read her message as well”, Ringo demands. Easy scrolls down to the picture’s caption. 

“RICHARD BECKMANN, BUSINESS GOD!”, he reads proudly.