Ringo invites his friends over for a night, but when John shows up fresh out of a fight and George shows up drunk, things can turn out a little different than expected.
*also known as "The Beatles being dumb for an entire night" lmao.
Word Count: 2k
@devotedlyrainygladiator asked for a slumber party or camp prompt and I thought "Well...why not mix them both...kinda?"
Thank you for the request, love. I hope you have as much fun reading as I did writing!! <3
Ringo's initial idea was quite different. Very different.
His idea didn't involve George showing up at his house drunk or John getting into a fight, but if he wanted to have a free night with his friends, that would have to be overlooked.
Two days before, they had agreed to go over to Ringo's house to simply watch a movie or have a few drinks together. The idea sounded great until the actual day, when John showed up at his door with a black eye and a cut on his lips.
"John, what the hell happened to ya ??" Ringo asked, freaking out and jumping quickly towards his friend.
Paul, who was right behind with a bag of frozen strawberries, was the first to respond "This bonehead got into a fight at the pub" jumping to John's side, helping him under protests to find the sofa and placing the bag of strawberries above his eye "Just because someone... y'know what? It's not even important."
"What do I do?" Ringo asked, closing the door and quickly joining them in the sofa.
"Nothing, luve" John replied, taking Paul's hands with the strawberries from his face "Just fetch me a clean shirt, and I'll be brand new."
Paul seemed to be trying to hold back his laughter, but Ringo ran to get the shirt and decided not to ask anything.
Ringo chose a random white shirt and quickly took it to John. He had already taken off his dirty shirt and Paul helped him clean the small cut on his lips. Before John had even finished buttoning his shirt, a knock on the door signaled George's arrival.
Paul was talking quietly to John, asking if he needed a medicine, when Ringo opened the door to…well, nothing, since George was sitting perfectly on the floor.
"Georgie?" Ringo asked, looking at his friend "Did you fall?"
George needed Paul's help to get on his feet, and it didn't take more than a few seconds for everyone to know exactly why.
"So that's why you couldn't come with us you, yer troublemaker?" John asked laughing, helping Paul to put George on the sofa "He was too busy getting waisted."
Ringo didn't even know where to start. He had planned a peacefull night and quickly saw that his plans weren't going to exactly work out.
"I'm not... I'm not even that drunk" George babbled "I'm just a little... happy, that's all."
They laughed and helped George get out of his suit, putting him on a Ringo shirt.
"What happened to yer face?" he asked, pointing to John.
"You don't remember?" John replied, feigning astonishment "You punched me when..." Paul pulled him away from George by the waist before he could finish.
"Stop messing with him, John" he said "Don't listen to him George, he's just jealous you went to a pub and didn't get punched."
"This is nothing compared to what happened to the other guy" John countered offended.
Ringo was sitting next to George, patiently holding a glass of water to his lips.
Quickly the mood in the room improved and they started pouring themselves one of Ringo's whiskey (minus George, for obvious reasons).
Paul and Ringo danced excitedly to a song on the radio and John had conversations too deep to be described with the drunk George.
When John joined the dance, they noticed that George was practically asleep on the couch.
"I think somebody better get him to bed before he needs to be carried, y'know" John suggested.
He and Paul walked over to George, nudging him gently and trying not to laugh at his condition.
"John, can you give me a slice of cake?" George asked, his inebriated eyes barely able to focus on the men in front of him "I can give you a piece of Paul, what do you think of dat?" John pushed Paul towards George with a smile.
"C'mon, buddy" Paul said, gently putting his arm around George's back "Let's get you to bed."
They walked up the stairs slowly, George insistently talking about the cake while Paul nodded politely.
John poured Ringo's cup another shot of whiskey and they walked together to sit in the garden.
It didn't take more than a few minutes before Paul appeared again, loosening his tie and smiling "George doesn't stop talking about a cake you promised him" He said, pointing to John.
"I said I was going to buy one of those chocolate cakes he likes, y'know?" John explained "But on his birthday that is seven months from now."
The three boys laughed, making themselves comfortable around the table. Shoes and ties quickly piled in the corner as they passed the bottle among themselves.
They talked for what felt like hours, not worrying about schedules or fans going crazy for the first time in weeks. Ringo was more relieved now than when everyone arrived,honestly. Now that George was resting peacefully and John didn't even seem to be in pain, they were free to just have fun together.
"Fetch us another bottle of whiskey, John love" Ringo said "Macca's cup is empty and mine is almost there."
John got up quickly on his way to the kitchen, and before he even got to the door he realized something was wrong.
"Is this... WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" John yelled, looking intently at the mess he found in the kitchen.
The entire room was filled with thick gray smoke. Not even understanding what was going on, John was greeted by George, who was happily sitting at the table, licking a spoon with what he recognized as cake batter.
"What?" George asked, not even realizing he was surrounded by smoke "Yer said you weren't going to give me cake, so I am making one myself."
"Georgie, it looks like an entire bag of cocaine exploded on the floor" John laugh, trying to jump all the flour to get to the stove. George simply shrugged his shoulders "Don't go sniffing it."
The kitchen was shrouded in smoke, and John now knew it was George's failed attempt to use the oven.
"Paul!" John yelled without getting an answer "Paul???"
Paul appeared practically slipping through the door. It didn't take more than one look at the kitchen to understand what had happened.
"Remember when you said you were going to put George to bed?" John asked, crossing his arms "What happened?"
"I don't…George!" Paul walked confused to the table "I put you to bed and told you to stay there!"
"Well, I told myself to stay there too, y'know" George said, patiently licking the spoon "But I really needed this cake."
Paul could just laugh as Ringo walked into the kitchen and nearly fell on top of John, having slipped on an eggshell.
"John" He said, looking slowly at the scene around him "Why is there cocaine on my floor?"
"The hell would I know??" John protested, walking away from Ringo back to the garden "I don't know why you guys are doing such a big deal out of dis" George completed in the background gently fanning the smoke he only seemed to have seen now "Ringo, be a dear and turn the oven on for me would'ya? I have no idea how to use it."
"George" Ringo said, walking to take out of the oven a cake that could very well be used as charcoal "I think you do, my friend."
"Good God Georgie" Paul chuckled in the corner of the room, doing his best to ward off the smoke with a pillow "A few more minutes and you'd set the house on fire."
The boys couldn't do much more than laugh at this point, and make sure George was safe this time.
"We should sleep in the garden" Ringo suggested "With the stars... without the smoke."
"You want to sleep on the floor?" Paul asked amazed "Are ye missing our days in Berlin or something?"
George suddenly got up to hug Ringo and ended up with his face buried in his friend's shoulder "Not on the floor, Paul" Ringo added with a laugh "I have a tent and some sleeping bags stuffed somewhere."
"It actually seems like a good idea, y'know" Paul said, walking to the door that gave access to the garden "At least our clothes won't smell like George's burnt cake."
"John we're sleeping outside ok?" Paul yelled, getting an acknowledgment from John who was smoking outside in the dark "What about George?" Paul asked turning his attention back inside.
"This one definitely needs a bed" Ringo concluded, slapping his friend gently on the back.
After giving Paul quick instructions on where he could find the sleeping bags and the tent, Ringo began moving George towards the bedroom.
"You know I love you, don't ya?" George was trying to cling to Ringo's arms while Ringo was vehemently trying to wipe the cake batter from his chin. Despite knowing that George probably didn't even know where he was, Ringo smiled and quickly replied "Of course I do, Georgie."
He was finally put to bed again, wrapping himself in the blanket immediately "I love you too" Ringo whispered, leaving the room slowly.
Passing through the kitchen he thought "Cleaning this is my problem tomorrow, not today" and just kicked an eggshell out of the way.
He found John and Paul sitting by the tent with a cigarette each between their fingers.
"Are we going to set up this tent or...?" Ringo questioned "It's a symbolic tent, y'know. We just lie down next to it and don't ask questions" John replied.
Ringo finally pulled out one of the sleeping bags and sat on top of it, quickly joining his stream of smoke with that of his friends.
"Well... what were you two talking about?" He asked. Even in the dark John's swollen eye was visible, but that didn't seem to dampen his good mood "The fight" Paul replied, lifting the cigarette to his mouth to stifle his laughter.
"What happened there anyway?" Ringo asked, letting his body fall into the sleeping bag. Paul and John also lay down on the grass before John started to reply "Someone thought it was a good idea to talk shit, dats what."
"C'mon, John. It wasn't quite like dat" Paul added laughing "The barman just said he didn't like my tie."
"No one asked his opinion on you" John muttered seriously in the dark.
Ringo couldn't help but laugh. The fact that John now had a black eye simply because Paul's tie was insulted pushed him into a spiral of laughter and tears in his eyes. Paul quickly joined him, and John didn't hold his seriousness any longer. They spent a lot of time laughing and reminiscing about all the unusual moments they had together so far, just enjoying the night breeze and the nostalgia feelings.
When the boys' laughter died, they simply kept looking up. The only company for the three of them now seemed to be the stars and the distant barking of a dog. In the dark, where the only light was the lit end of their cigarettes, it was as if the stars took on the task of lighting the world.
"This feels really nice" Paul whispered.
Before either of them could add anything, the kitchen door slammed and a slightly less confused George walked towards the garden. He was curled up in the blanket Ringo had thrown over him, and he was looking around for his friends.
"Oi, mate" Ringo caught his attention "What are ye doing here?"
"You left me alone up there" George complained, finally spotting the other three and joining them "Why does everything smell like smoke?"
John started to reply "It's because that big head of yours..." before being cut off by Ringo, who simply said "It's a long story, luve."
George lay down between them, sharing a piece of blanket with John.
With everyone there together, Ringo felt that one way or another he had exactly the night he wanted. He closed his eyes contentedly at the sound of his friends talking in the background, finally forgetting that he would have to clean the kitchen when the sun came up again.
