✨ Oneshots ✨

I'm The Greatest - Paul and Ringo (platonic)

This is because it's Ringo's birthday. Peace and Love, everybody. 

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1971

Paul was setting up for a little bit of a party for his friend, Ringo, and he had the almost 23-month-old Mary with him. Linda was in the kitchen making the food.

Mary babbled, looking at her dad happily. She was a very happy baby. 

"What are we doing? We're throwing a party for Ritchie! Yes, we are!" Paul grinned.

"Have cake!" Mary declares, after looking into the kitchen and seeing a birthday cake.

"Yes, we will have cake later! Not right now, baby." 

Mary pouts in some disappointment, but easily gets distracted with a pink balloon. Paul was blowing up balloons to decorate the room with.

The room is soon looking beautiful, and Mary toddles over to Linda. The cake was out of the oven and now she had been making icing. "Mumma!" 

"Hello, Mary. Do you want to help Mummy?" She asks with a kind smile.

"Want 'at," Mary points at the dessert. 

"I know. But that's for later, sweetheart. Tell you what, you can help me put icing and sprinkles on the cake, and then you can lick the spoon." 

"Okay!" The toddler agrees and does just that, Linda guiding her in how to frost the cake.

Paul notices Mary had left him, and he goes to find her and Linda, seeing the scene of his daughter licking a spoon covered in chocolate. She had chocolate all over her face too.

"Cheeky little girl! Did you get to have some icing?" Paul asks in a playful tone.

"Yeah!" Mary holds the spoon out to him, in offering. He politely declines.

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Mary was walking around, playing with the dog, while Heather was watching her sister. Heather was about seven years older than Mary, so she often looked out for her.

Paul and Linda didn't make or tell the older girl to watch the baby, she just did it on her own. They were grateful and happy that the girls loved each other.

Linda then went to the telephone to phone Ringo, asking him to come and visit — in a non-suspicious way. He said he'd be right over.

"Ok girls, Ringo will be here in a few minutes!" Linda says to her children.

"Ooh! For his birthday?" Heather asks with a smile. Mary cheers in delight.

"Yes, that's right. But we are going to surprise him." Linda confirms, figuring that Ringo would know why he was asked randomly.

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And just like that, Ringo arrived and knocked on the door. He waits patiently as he listens for the footsteps. 

Heather opens the door, and grins when she sees him. "Hello, Ringo! Happy-- um, Wednesday!" 

"Happy Wednesday to you too," Ringo says with obvious suspicion. He waits to be invited in, and then walks into the living room cautiously.

"Surprise! Happy Birthday!" Paul and Linda shout as they jump up. Ringo smiles widely, about to speak.

"Pies!" Mary shouts too, to which Ringo pretends to be startled and she bursts out laughing at that.

"Wow, that is so nice of you all. Thank you!" The drummer comments as he sits down.

"Cake now!" Mary remembers. Paul laughs.

"She's been waiting all morning for that," the bassist mentions.

"Oh? Well then, we better have some, shouldn't we?" Ringo asks Mary.

"YES!" She says dramatically. The adults giggle.

They put some candles in the cake, and then sing Happy Birthday. Ringo blows out the candles as Mary and Heather applaud.

Finally, they eat some home-made dessert and talk. Mary has chocolate all on her face once again.

"This is a wonderful cake, Linda. I love it." Ringo says kindly.

"Thank you. Heather helped me bake it and Mary helped frost it." Heather looks proud at the mention.

Paul has finished eating first and is playing a guitar in the background. Mary goes to him and dances in time. She picks up a tambourine and starts hitting it on every other beat.

"She's already got a musical sense, I see." Ringo points out. He was a bit impressed.

"Oh, yes. She loves listening to us sing and play piano and guitar, things like that. She tries to sing along too sometimes." Linda replies.

"Oh, we got you a present, too!" Heather runs to the other room and returns, handing a box to the drummer.

Paul stops and carries Mary over to watch. "We hope you'll like it," he adds.

Heather asks to hold her little sister, and he gives Mary to her carefully.

Ringo opens the box and is happy to find a picture drawn by Mary and Heather - mostly Heather - and a pair of new shoes. "Thank you, I love them. I'll hang this artwork on my wall at home." 

Mary leans over and hugs Ringo, which means Heather leans too, and Paul and Linda hug him eventually as well. He enjoys the embrace. 

"You're the greatest, Ringo." 

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Word count: 775