"HOLY SHIT."

"Language."

Ringo gave the man an incredulous look. "Well, what kind of response do you expect? You killed an innocent woman---"

"She wasn't innocent." Paul snapped, that dark look clouding in his eyes.

"Well she certainly didn't kill someone!"

"You asked for the story and you got it." He retorted, biting into the sandwich harder than he was supposed to. "Now tell me yours."

Ringo nibbled on his lip, hands gripping the edge of countertop where he was currently sitting. The dining table was small and the space between the chairs were too small for comfort. God, what the heck was he thinking? Of course Paul wouldn't bother to change his perspective about poor Lucy. Ringo forced down the bile that threatened to rise up his throat and spoke up as calmly as he could.

"What do you want to know?"

"Well," Paul began, wiping the crumbs from his mouth. "For starters, it's a Thursday."

"And so?"

Paul gave him an irritated look, in which he regretted when Ringo faltered a bit.

"Sorry." He muttered. "Anyways, don't you have school? Like normal seventeen year olds do?"

"Yeah but," Ringo bit his lip, sheepishly picking the loose threads from his loose sweatpants. "I can't just leave you here alone at home. People would get suspicious since they'll see someone else other than me at home. And I don't like school anyways." He mumbled quietly, but Paul caught it.

"Why not?"

"Isn't it my turn?" He drawled, giving him a faux irritated look that mirrored the one Paul gave him earlier.

"Fine." He licked his dry lips, and for a moment Ringo's blue eyes flickered to his mouth. "But I'm not gonna let go of that question."

"What happened to your mum?" Ringo asked softly, and carefully. He took note of the change in Paul's features and quickly made up for it. "I-I mean... It's okay if you don't want to answer that one..."

"Yeah, you could? Y'know?"

"Um..." Ringo thought hard of another question that didn't made him tread on thin ice.

"Five seconds and I'm stealing that question," Paul teased, lips curled up into a cat-like smirk. "One, two---"

"Ugh." Ringo groaned. "You know what? Go for it. I'm at a blank space here."

"Why don't you like school?" Paul asked simply.

"People are assholes there. Except for George, he's alright."

"Specifically?" Paul noticed the way the teen fidgeted with his Rolling Stones shirt.

"They, um, tease me alot," The answer was vague but he could see right through it.

"They bully you?"

Ringo bit his lips harder at that.  "It's nothing much, Paul."

"What?"

Ringo blinked, eyebrows knitted as he cocked his head slightly to the side in confusion.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"You called me Paul." He said, his turn in giving Ringo an incredulous look.

"Would you prefer Liverpool Lady Killer instead?" Ringo quipped, jumping off the counter with a small "umf" as he went to the refrigerator. He looked over his shoulder and Paul shook his head. "Thought so."

Paul wanted to say something, anything. But in his stupid little awed stupor, he stayed quiet instead. Hearing his name from his lips made him sound normal, human. It was either a sickenly sweet Paulie from his mother or a dreaded, furious Mccartney from the policemen.

"Thanks, Ritchie."

"For what?" Ringo stammered, was taken a bit off by how genuine his voice suddenly sounded.

Paul shrugged. "For lunch? I haven't felt full since, well," He trailed off, knowing that Ringo already got the point.

The teen flushed. "I-It's just a sandwich, Paul. It's not like some ten-course banquet." He chewed his lip. "You're welcome."

Paul gave him the smallest of smiles, leaving the boy to wonder if he truly was the insane man depicted in the newspapers.

<><><><><>

Things are getting interesting-ish :D

Dedicated to my dad for um sorta helping me with this :) I had to turn their names to "Nick" and "Ashley" so he wouldn't freak out XD