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loveisfriendship · 9 days
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the final scene of merlin was so unnecessary and for what. traumatizing an entire country on christmas eve with the implications that the magical twink with the death wish has spent 1500+ years waiting by that mother fucking lake for his wet golden retriever of a mythical noble boyfriend to come back. and it DOESNT EVEN END WITH A REUNION. haunting. jail for ten thousand years. i am devouring it with pita chips and hummus.
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loveisfriendship · 11 days
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Leaving Breadcrumbs behind [12/?]
Author’s Note: Wow, it has been a while…
But nonetheless the love this story still gets is overwhelming and I’ll probably never can make up for it. Here is to a new part.
Enjoy.
Love,
Lis
Leaving Breadcrumbs behind Masterlist
“Hey Kono, did you find anything that needs a password?” Steve asks, after he hung up with Hawkeye.
“So far nothing. Why?“ she asks, double checking everything again, just to make sure.
“We just got a password from Hawkeye that (Y/N) left. If anything pops up, let me know.” Steve answers, as Kono nods. Steve turns around as he hears the other entering the HQ again.
“Anything new?” Steve asks them.
“No, nothing in the houses. No more clues.” Danny answers.
“Sorry, Steve.” Chin says, giving Steve a pat on the shoulder.
“Thanks. But I didn’t think there would be more.” Steve answers, giving Chin a forced smile. Before they can continue, Joe arrives and has two Navy Officers with him.
“Commander McGarrett, nice to see you alive and well.” One of the Officers says, making Steve clench his jaw.
“Yeah, well, let’s leave it at that.” Steve answers, standing straight.
“Steve, these are Lieutenant Rath and Lieutenant Wily.” Joe introduces them.
„They have reportedly been handling the case we are working on.” Joe continues, keeping it vague and giving Steve a specific look, making it clear to not give away too much information. Steve sends another look to Kono, who puts up the Screensaver on all the screens and putting the letters and everything else beneath it.
“Nice to meet you Lieutenants. We hope you can explain to us what has been going on with my fiancée, that made her shoot me in the first place.” Steve greets them with a tight smile, challenging them to lie to him. Everybody of the 5-0 team, gathered next to him, including Joe. Whereas the Lieutenants stood opposite of them.
“Commander McGarrett, we can assure you, that we didn’t know, that she would turn to such drastic measures.” Lieutenant Wily says, trying to calm the atmosphere.
“Really, then enlighten me and tell me what you did know or expect to happen?” Steve answers.
“Sorry to say this Commander, but we are not allowed to just give out this information to anyone.” Lieutenant Rath said sternly, making Joe and Steve scoff.
“We are not just anyone, are we? I am her father and he is her future husband.” Joe snaps, taking a step towards Rath, eyeing him up and down.
“Nonetheless, we are not allowed to give out classified information.” Rath responds, getting closer to Joe as well, being practically in his face.
“Oh well, if that is the case…” Steve starts as he takes step towards the Lieutenants and Joe takes a step back. “Take us to someone who can.” Steve says, both SEALs standing straight trying to intimidate the Lieutenants in front of them.
Somewhere in the jungle…
“What do you mean until yesterday?” JJ asks concerned at the phrase and your behavior.
“That what it cost me to get to you… I was engaged to Steve.” You answer, new tears flowing down your cheeks.
“What happened?” your brother asks, grabbing your shoulders and making you look at him.
“I shot him…” you answer, starting to sob and loosing the strength in you legs and falling to the floor. Thankfully not hard, as JJ catches you as much as he can with the strength that is left in him.
“…and he is dead.” You sob into his shoulders, as he puts one arm around your shoulders and grabs the back of your hand with his other hand, trying to sooth you.
“Oh, (Y/N/N).” he answers, giving you a kiss on your hair.
“I miscalculated my shot…” you hiccup, trying to gain composure. “I shot him with my eyes close, but I apparently miscalculated. I saw him clearly and I did shoot him with my closed eyes on purpose. But I practiced beforehand and never missed. And now… I killed Steve.” You sob and you brush away your tears with your sleeve.
“Are you really sure?” he asks, moving your chin up with his hand, to make you look at him.
“What do you mean?” you sniff. “That’s what Wo Fat told me and I saw Steve on the ground before I ran. I didn’t see where I hit him in that moment.”
“When I know one thing, then that you never miss. Or miscalculate your shot.” JJ answers, grabbing your head again.
„And the other thing I know is that from all people Wo Fat is not to be trusted. He might have lied, to break you.” He continues.
“You think I didn’t kill him?” you look into his eyes, your mind racing, that of course your brother is right and you can’t trust Wo Fat with anything he tells you.
“I think, that you are the best shot the Army ever had. And when I still know my sister after all these years, than yes, I think you didn’t miscalculate.” He answers, giving you a smile and pulling you into another hug. You hug him back and when you pull back, you both stand up again.
“Okay, but whatever the case. We need to think about how we can get out of here.” you say, making your brother grin.
“Now THAT is my sister talking.” He says and you grin back. With some littler glimmer of hope inside of you, you start discussing what JJ knows about the surroundings, that Wo Fat and his minions.
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loveisfriendship · 12 days
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Peaky Blinder requests
Hey everyone,
some of you saw it already, but I am writing now for Peaky Blinders. I just finished the series and it gave me some of my creativity back.
I would love some requests for Peaky Blinders, to get back into my writing routine.
I am also still working on Leaving Breadcrumbs behind. So stay tuned for a new part.
Love, Lis
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loveisfriendship · 12 days
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A rare occasion
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Never would one have thought that a simple smile would mean so much to you. It being such a rare occasion probably meant that the importance to you was that significant.
Watching your husband from afar you noticed that his mood around his family got more and more irritated. Family meeting.
But not one gathered by him. One of his brothers asked for it. You didn’t really listen for what. Probably something about a women.
You were lost in your thoughts, looking at your husband. Thinking about his smile. It’s been a while that you saw it. But he just came back from London.
You’ve known him all your life. Running through the forests, sleeping under the stars. As children his smile was constant.
Time changes that… more war changes that.
Now that smile was reserved for family, but his real smile. The one that you remember from your childhood. The one from ear to ear, when he teases you and tells bad jokes. That one was strictly for you.
Usually in the intimacy of your own room.
Apparently you had been in your thoughts to long. Under the table a careful and gentle tap of your husbands foot gets you back to the reality. His blue eyes look at you confused with a subtle worry behind them.
You smile at him and reach for his arm and give him a gentle squeeze. A sign for him that you are fine. But nonetheless he sets down his cigarette and puts his hand above yours. He gives you a signal with his head that you two should leave. You nod and stand up, realizing again what his brothers are talking about.
“Where are you two of to so quickly?” Arthur asks or more slurs, pausing his discussion with John. Both of them eying you suspiciously.
“Sorry Boys, but it’s time to head home.” You smile at them on the way to the door of the snug. Tommy also stood up and put on this jacket before taking his cigarette again.
“Oh so that’s why you need to head home.” John says and winks at you, grabbing the toothpick between his teeth. It quickly earns him a smack across the back of his head from your husband.
“See you later boys.” He mumbles before opening the door for you. You wave and smile to Polly before you leave, leaving the pub and heading towards the car.
Tommy opens the door for you and you give him a small kiss on the cheek before getting in. The drive home was silent but your hand rested on your husbands neck whereas his hand rested on your thigh. Your finger slowly rub circles on the back of his head.
At home you hand your jackets to Frances before Tommy grabs your hand again and pulls you with him up the stairs to your bedroom. He opens the door and pulls you in before telling the staff not to disturb and closing the door.
You take of your shoes before Tommy stands before you and pulls you close by your hips. His hands settling there loosely squeezing your hips.
“Are you okay?” He asks looking into your eyes intensely before closing the gap between you as you lean in giving him a kiss.
“I’m fine, just daydreaming.” You smile, winking at him, causing him to smirk smugly.
“Oh yeah, what about?” He asks intrigued before pulling out his cigarette case, offering you one. You gladly grab one and wait for him to light it for you.
“A certain someone’s smile.” You answer, blowing out the smoke. But as soon as you see his face you giggle. His confused look was adorable.
“Love, you lost me. What are you talking about?”
“Remember when we used to sleep under the stars?” You ask and he nods, taking another drag from his cigarette.
“I was just thinking about that, and how we talked through the night and fell asleep barely before the sun rose.” You smile fondly, pushing your cigarette into the ash tray, Tommy doing the same. You take his face into your hands and giggle.
“And I thought of all the bad jokes you used to tell. Which cracked me up nonetheless, causing me stomach aches.”
At that description you saw it. That smile you meant.
“And that, that right there was what I thought about.” You smile back, Tommy putting his hands above yours on him face before planting a kiss in the palm of your right hand. Moving his hands to your waist he pulls you closer with a quick and strong drag, but by now smirking down at you.
“Is that so?” He hums and you hum back.
“For my favorite smile of you, we need to do something else first.” He smiles
“Is that so?” You retort and giggle as he nods and grins.
“Well than, Mr. Shelby. Better get to it right?” You say as he immediately crushes his lips to yours, slowly walking you backwards towards the bed.
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loveisfriendship · 13 days
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I loved are you Cinderella could u do like a part 2 or something similar
Hello Anon,
I don't know if you are still active or not. All my requests have been sitting in my inbox for probably years.
Part 2 of "Are you Cinderella" is up now!
Are you wifi?
Love,
Lis
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loveisfriendship · 13 days
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Are you wifi?
Author’s Note: As a celebration of the return of my creativity. And as this is one of my stories which still gets a lot of love, I wanted to give "Are you Cinderella?" a part 2.
Can’t believe this one is from 2018. Time flies.
Enjoy!
Love,
Lis
A couple days after your spontaneous Pick-up-Line challenge, you were all on a lookout. While you and Danny were in a car together and Chin and Kelly as well. Steve was with Lou. You were all just talking about Valentins Day, and how horrible they went for most of you.
“Maybe Danny could have used some of the pick-up lines that we heard a few days ago.” Chin chimed in, making everyone laugh, you even more when you not only heard Dannys groan but saw him through his head back against the seat. 
“Please don’t remind them.” Danny said.
“Oh, I heard of the best ones.” Lou chimed in.
“I have some of my one, you know.” He adds, and all of you could hear the smirk in his voice.
“No, Lou. Now is not the time.” Danny retorts at the same time as you say “Oh please, tell us.” The other also encouraging him.
“My wifes favourite was `I'd like to take you to the movies, but they don't let you bring in your own snacks.’” Lou says, making everyone crack up.
“I like it a bit more smooth, so my favorite is ‘Is it OK if I follow you out of here? My parents always told me to follow my dreams.’” He continues, causing everyone to ohh and ahh.
“I heard a new one, from a friend the other night. ‘Your middle name must be Gillette. Because you're the best a man can get!’” Chin chims in.
“What? That’s really just awful.” Kelly replies, but laughs nonetheless.
“Hey Steve.” You say, making Danny groand already, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Yeah?” Steves answers.
“Know what's on the menu tonight?”
“What?” he says, and you can hear the Kelly can barely hold it together.
“Me-N-U.”
Everyone burst out laughing.
“Hey baby?” Steve says.
“Yes.” You answer, smiling and looking at Danny.
“Don’t look at me like that. I don’t want to hear it.” He says.
“Are you wi-fi? Cause I'm totally feeling a connection.” Steve says anyway.
While everyone still chuckles, Danny looks at you.
“What? Smile Danno. It’ll do you good.” You say, nudging his shoulder.
“You think the one I have would have helped me with Melissa?” he asks you, making you gasp.
“Please Danno, let us hear it.” Steve says, everyone being completely silent, waiting on Danny’s line.
“If I had to rate you from 1 to 10, I'd give you a 9, because I'm the 1 you're missing.” He finally says.
Everyone whistles and Lou says “That’s even smoother than mine.” Followed by many “wow Danny.”’s by the others.
You take his hand and look him in the eyes. “Danny… That line?” you asks, making him hum, looking at you. “That would have been 100% better than what you gave her.” You say, bursting into a laugh, while Danny tries to tickle you.
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loveisfriendship · 13 days
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Heyyyyy! Could u do a Merlin x reader you fall asleep on his shoulder when out with the nights and like they tease merlin so much and he gets all blushy and it's adorable. And yeah thankssss btw I rlly rlly love ur work!
Heyyy
I know that this ask is from a reeeeeeeally long time ago. But I had it started in my drafts. And I'm working on old requests as well as new stories.
For some reason I couldn't tag you. Or at least it didn't properly show it.
Here is the link to your request Obiously oblivious
Hope you enjoy it.
Love,
Lis
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loveisfriendship · 13 days
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Obliviously obvious
Request by @danzalladaggers: Heyyyyy! Could u do a Merlin x reader you fall asleep on his shoulder when out with the nights and like they tease merlin so much and he gets all blushy and it's adorable. And yeah thankssss btw I rlly rlly love ur work!
Author’s Note: Hey you 😊 Always love Merlin requests. Hope you are not disappointed.
And I’m very sorry that it took me so long. I know this ask has been from ages ago. Literally. Hope you enjoy it nonetheless. It was great as a small coming back to writing.
Enjoy.
Love,
Lis
It’s been a very long day. After Morgana took over the Castle you all had to flee. You were exhausted, as you had to carry a lot. But Merlin helped you along the way. As the night started to set in, everyone set up camp. You could finally relax and rubbed your feet as you set on a log in front of the campfire. Slowly the knights and the prince, well now future king, as well as Merlin sat around you. With Merlin right next to you.
At first the atmosphere was numb and silent. Everyone didn‘t dare speak after what happened. But eventually Gwain lighted the mood by having a quarrel with Percival. The mood lightened and everyone started talking. You and Merlin laughing and joking with the others. You were a bit worried about Arthur, but after all he was more betrayed than anybody else.
Eventually you got tired and before you even realized it, you fell asleep on Merlins shoulder. He didn’t mind and smiled to himself, while moving his hand to your back, causing you the snuggle a bit better into his shoulder. That didn’t go unnoticed by the other knights who promptly nudged each other to point at you two.
“Well, well.. who would have thought that.” Sir Elyan said, making the others chuckle.
“Our little Merlin has a girl.” Gwaine said, followed by a whistled. Causing Merlin to sush him, to not wake you up. Luckily you were so exhausted, you slept like a stone.
By now though the Knights were having fun, teasing Merlin, singing childish songs about you both, causing Merlin to blush and looking at the ground or up in the sky.
“Could you all just shut up. We don’t want to wake her.” Merlin said, glaring at them all.
Gwaine lifted his hands in surrender, chuckling. “Well of course not. Wouldn’t want to wake you sleeping beauty.” He said causing everyone else to laugh again.
“That’s enough.” Came from Arthur, making everyone shut up immediately. That were the first words he had said since they left Camelot. Everyone stared at him, shocked, waiting for new orders.
“Everyone knows, for sleeping beauty to wake, she needs a kiss.” He said, looking pointedly at Merlin and forming a smirk. All the other knights, looked at him and than at each other, before bursting out in laughter ones again. All Merlin did was groan and look at Arthur saying “Seriously?”.
Arthur just shrugged and kept on laughing with the others, teasing Merlin.
Meanwhile, you didn’t notice anything. Just smiling in your sleep, dreaming of Merlin.
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loveisfriendship · 14 days
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A rare occasion
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Never would one have thought that a simple smile would mean so much to you. It being such a rare occasion probably meant that the importance to you was that significant.
Watching your husband from afar you noticed that his mood around his family got more and more irritated. Family meeting.
But not one gathered by him. One of his brothers asked for it. You didn’t really listen for what. Probably something about a women.
You were lost in your thoughts, looking at your husband. Thinking about his smile. It’s been a while that you saw it. But he just came back from London.
You’ve known him all your life. Running through the forests, sleeping under the stars. As children his smile was constant.
Time changes that… more war changes that.
Now that smile was reserved for family, but his real smile. The one that you remember from your childhood. The one from ear to ear, when he teases you and tells bad jokes. That one was strictly for you.
Usually in the intimacy of your own room.
Apparently you had been in your thoughts to long. Under the table a careful and gentle tap of your husbands foot gets you back to the reality. His blue eyes look at you confused with a subtle worry behind them.
You smile at him and reach for his arm and give him a gentle squeeze. A sign for him that you are fine. But nonetheless he sets down his cigarette and puts his hand above yours. He gives you a signal with his head that you two should leave. You nod and stand up, realizing again what his brothers are talking about.
“Where are you two of to so quickly?” Arthur asks or more slurs, pausing his discussion with John. Both of them eying you suspiciously.
“Sorry Boys, but it’s time to head home.” You smile at them on the way to the door of the snug. Tommy also stood up and put on this jacket before taking his cigarette again.
“Oh so that’s why you need to head home.” John says and winks at you, grabbing the toothpick between his teeth. It quickly earns him a smack across the back of his head from your husband.
“See you later boys.” He mumbles before opening the door for you. You wave and smile to Polly before you leave, leaving the pub and heading towards the car.
Tommy opens the door for you and you give him a small kiss on the cheek before getting in. The drive home was silent but your hand rested on your husbands neck whereas his hand rested on your thigh. Your finger slowly rub circles on the back of his head.
At home you hand your jackets to Frances before Tommy grabs your hand again and pulls you with him up the stairs to your bedroom. He opens the door and pulls you in before telling the staff not to disturb and closing the door.
You take of your shoes before Tommy stands before you and pulls you close by your hips. His hands settling there loosely squeezing your hips.
“Are you okay?” He asks looking into your eyes intensely before closing the gap between you as you lean in giving him a kiss.
“I’m fine, just daydreaming.” You smile, winking at him, causing him to smirk smugly.
“Oh yeah, what about?” He asks intrigued before pulling out his cigarette case, offering you one. You gladly grab one and wait for him to light it for you.
“A certain someone’s smile.” You answer, blowing out the smoke. But as soon as you see his face you giggle. His confused look was adorable.
“Love, you lost me. What are you talking about?”
“Remember when we used to sleep under the stars?” You ask and he nods, taking another drag from his cigarette.
“I was just thinking about that, and how we talked through the night and fell asleep barely before the sun rose.” You smile fondly, pushing your cigarette into the ash tray, Tommy doing the same. You take his face into your hands and giggle.
“And I thought of all the bad jokes you used to tell. Which cracked me up nonetheless, causing me stomach aches.”
At that description you saw it. That smile you meant.
“And that, that right there was what I thought about.” You smile back, Tommy putting his hands above yours on him face before planting a kiss in the palm of your right hand. Moving his hands to your waist he pulls you closer with a quick and strong drag, but by now smirking down at you.
“Is that so?” He hums and you hum back.
“For my favorite smile of you, we need to do something else first.” He smiles
“Is that so?” You retort and giggle as he nods and grins.
“Well than, Mr. Shelby. Better get to it right?” You say as he immediately crushes his lips to yours, slowly walking you backwards towards the bed.
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loveisfriendship · 15 days
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Tommy Shelby ~ Dust in the Wind
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*I DON'T OWN THIS GIF* *CREDIT TO GIF OWNER*
*I do not give anyone permission to repost my work in any way (translations included)*
Pairing: Tommy Shelby x Fem!Reader
Word Count: 5.5k
Warnings: Discusses infant loss/stillborn, ANGST, mild language, possibly ooc Tommy
a/n: Alright, well, it has been quite some time since I've posted on this site. First, let me get a few things out. 1) This is the most self-indulgent piece I have ever written, so if you don't want to read it, please just keep on scrolling. 2) This does not mean that I am ready to start taking requests again or that I will be regularly writing again. As stated before, this is a very self-indulgent piece because I just experienced the loss of my daughter, who was born prematurely. It has completely wrecked me, and I have just finally decided to start writing again. I am trying to navigate my loss and thought maybe writing would help. It did, and although this piece is a little darker than I usually write, it was therapeutic, and I wanted to share it because I am proud of my work. I did write it as a reader insert, but if you all read it and think it would be better as an OC story, I'll change it. Anyway, this is the first time I've ever written for Tommy, so please forgive the potential out-of-character actions he has in this story. Also, it has been a bit since I watched season 3 so forgive any mistakes. I took some liberties with the story by adding different children for Tommy and Y/N and some of the things that happened in the show. Well, I hope you enjoy this story, and would really like to know what you all think.
§
Y/N was no stranger to death.  It was Small Heath, for goodness’ sake.  Death practically ran in the water.  Being deeply entrenched in the Shelby family since she was a young girl only made her acquaintance with death’s steely grip all that much closer.  She had been to more than enough funerals in her 29 years of living.  She was present at the cemetery when her father finally drank himself into his grave, she was there to mourn when consumption took her mother, and she showed up to support Ada when they buried Freddie.  Y/N was always there when any of the Peaky boys were killed in the line of action, and she even showed up for her elderly childhood neighbor’s funeral.  But this time, it was different.  She wasn’t gathered in the woods on the outskirts of Small Heath to mourn for someone else.  There wasn’t a stranger tucked away in the wagon standing in front of her.  The Shelbys weren’t gathered to bid farewell to a distant relative or friend.  The Lees weren’t generously providing this funeral for a price.  No, the whole Shelby and Lee families were there for her and Tommy this time.
            The heat from the flames washed over Y/N’s face, making her sweat a little, but she didn’t move.  She wanted to be as close as she could possibly be.  If she had it her way, she would have jumped into the wagon and let the flames swallow her whole, but Tommy’s hand tightly gripping hers anchored her to the ground.  It had only been a few days.  It couldn’t have been more than four, but with how time was moving, it felt like a lifetime had passed.  The flames roared on, and Tommy squeezed her hand a little tighter, causing Y/N’s throat to tighten.  She swallowed down the sadness trying to claw its way out of her.  Y/N wasn’t going to break down in front of all these people.  She didn’t want to cry at all, for that matter.  It felt like it had been an endless stream of tears, and Y/N was done.  If only her aching heart would catch the memo.  Y/N’s eyes traveled the length of the flames until they landed on the little plaque one of the Lee boys carved for the wagon.  “Lily Eleanora Shelby,” it read, and suddenly, the sadness returned with a vengeance.  Y/N shut her eyes, and the events that led to this day played in her head.  She was supposed to be happy.  She was supposed to be full of unadulterated joy.  She was supposed to be cradling her newborn baby girl.  But she wasn’t.  Instead, she held onto her husband’s hand like a lifeline as she watched her daughter’s wagon burn.  One day.  That’s all it took to completely destroy her.
            Even as she stood there, watching the flames devour her daughter’s wagon, she still recounted everything she did four days ago, trying to figure out what could have possibly led to this result.  Four days ago, she was a cheery 29-week pregnant woman.  A stay-at-home mom who, with the help of their maid Frances, cared for her and Tommy’s three-year-old son, Benjamin.  That day had started like any other.  Tommy was already out, and she could hear Frances chasing Ben around his room.  The little boy’s giggles echoed through the house, and she remembers smiling as she slid a hand over her round tummy.  Y/N couldn’t wait for Ben to be a big brother.  She got ready like any other day and eventually made her way to her son, who welcomed her presence with a hug and a kiss.  The little boy rubbed her tummy, planted a chaste kiss to her navel, and smiled at her. 
            “I just wanted to let my little brother or sister know that I love them too, Mommy,” he had said, causing Y/N’s heart to clench.  Even at three, he was a charmer, just like his father.  She knelt to be at eye level with her son and lifted her hand to cradle his face.
            “You’re going to be a wonderful big brother; do you know that?”
            “Of course I will be, Mommy.  I’ve been practicing sharing my toys with Frances and making sure I listen real good to you and daddy.”  He said, standing up straighter to exhibit his full height.  “Frances says I need to be a good example for the new baby, or else Santa won’t bring me any presents this year for Christmas.  How outrageous is that, Mommy!?”
            Y/N stifled a laugh before brushing Ben’s hair back and looking up to see Frances smirking from her spot by Ben’s block tower. 
“I’m sure Santa won’t forget about you this year, honey.”  She told her son.  The boy gave her a toothy grin before trotting off to continue playing with his blocks. 
Y/N returned to her feet and watched Ben for another minute before retreating to the new nursery.  It was already put together, and she often found herself hiding away in that room.  She glided her hand over the bassinet and let the soft fabric tickle her palm.  The walls were already decorated with paintings of horses, some of which came from Ben, who insisted that his younger sibling have them.  She sat on the rocking chair and gently rubbed her hands over her stomach, earning a little kick from her unborn child.  A soft laugh fell from her lips as she looked down at her growing bump.
“Sorry to disturb you, love.”  She whispered, her hands still rubbing slow circles.  “Mommy just wanted to let you know she loves you very much.  And so does your big brother, who is very excited to meet you.”
Another kick came.
“You’re excited to meet him, too?  I’ll have to let him know.”
“Daddy loves you too, just in case Mommy forgot to mention that.”  Tommy’s voice came from the doorway, causing Y/N to look up.  He gave her a full smile, the one he reserved only for her and their son, and it fell over her like a warm blanket.
“Mommy was just about to get there.  Had daddy not interrupted her,” she said.  Tommy hummed in response as he floated across the room to kneel before her.  He looked up at Y/N through his lashes and said, “Sure you were,” before removing her hands and planting a soft kiss where they had just lay.
“Daddy can’t wait to meet you,” he whispered against her stomach, his warm breath radiating throughout her body.  Tommy looked up at Y/N before standing and pressing his lips to hers.  When he pulled away, a smile matching his spread across her face.  She was beaming.  She had dreamt of being in this position for many years as a teenager, and now it was real.  Thomas Shelby was hovering over her very pregnant figure in their unborn second child’s nursery.  Their lively three-year-old son’s muffled laughter ricocheted off the hallway walls.  It was everything she ever wanted, and she was so happy.
“What’s that look for?”  Tommy asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.
“Nothing,” she hummed, gaining a skeptical eyebrow raise from her husband.  “I just love you.  That’s all.”
Tommy nestled his face into the crook of her neck, peppering kisses along the exposed skin.  Then he pulled back, looked into her eye, and said, “I love you more than you know, Y/N.”
He gave her one more swift kiss before standing and sauntering out of the room with a smirk.  The rest of the day went by like any day usually went.  She sat around and read, played with Ben, ate lunch at 1100, put Ben down for a nap at 1230, and then went back to reading.  Tommy was in and out, balancing work from home and the office.  She could tell that day was extra tiring from how he sighed every time he left the house.  It was after Tommy left for the last time of the day that Y/N got the idea to wander down to the kitchen.  When she entered, the cooks were hard at work peeling and slicing vegetables.
“Good evening, Mrs. Shelby,” the head chef began, “is there anything we can do for you, ma’am?”
Y/N clasped her hands behind her back as she rocked back and forth on her heels like a guilty toddler.  “Um,” she said, “actually, yes, there is.”  She stepped into the kitchen and moved her hands to rest on her stomach.  “I was thinking that maybe tonight you and the rest of the staff could take the evening off and allow me to cook dinner.”
The head chef’s eyes widened at her statement.  Everyone else stilled for a brief moment, waiting for him to speak.  “Oh,” he stammered, “b-but, Mrs. Shelby, and please forgive me if I am overstepping, but shouldn’t you be resting instead of cooking?”  His eyes dipped down to her protruding abdomen before landing back on her face. 
“Resting?  I rest all day.  Really,” Y/N said, waving the chef’s comment off, “it would be nothing.  I actually miss being in the kitchen.  It’ll be nice.  Therapeutic.”  She couldn’t miss the wide-eyed stares from everyone in the room, but she chose to ignore them.  When they didn’t move to leave, she stepped forward, placed a gentle hand on the head chef’s back, and began leading him out of the kitchen. 
“Trust me,” she said, “I’ll be fine.  Thank you for your concern, though.”
Once she ushered the staff out, she began working on dinner.  It had been a long time since she cooked, but it came back to her like riding a bicycle.  She couldn’t escape the excitement that bubbled inside of her as she fell into a groove preparing dinner for her family again.  She boiled the potatoes the staff had peeled, sauteed the peppers and onions, and braised the beef that was in the refrigerator.  About an hour into cooking, a dull pain emanated from her lower back and into her hips.  The dull pain slowly morphed into a pressure that she just assumed was normal 29-week pregnancy symptoms.  It’s just the baby getting comfortable.  The baby is just moving around and pressing a little harder than usual on my cervix.  She ignored the feelings and finished cooking before asking the kitchen staff for help to bring the meal into the dining room.  Once the table was set, Frances went and fetched her boys, alerting them that not only had Y/N cooked dinner, but she had also served it.  She greeted the boys in the doorway of the dining room and gave each a kiss before they all sat to eat.  That pain returned in her lower back and hips, making it hard to get comfortable in her seat.  She let out a low groan of discomfort, and Tommy placed his hand over hers to gain her attention.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his eyebrows knitted together.  She swallowed another groan that threatened to come out and nodded with a strained smile.  Y/N could tell that her weak answer did nothing to reassure Tommy, but he didn’t press her. 
“How do you like the meal?”  She asked, doing her best to not sound strained against the constant pressure she felt pulsing between her legs.
Before Tommy could answer, Ben nodded with enthusiasm and stuffed a heaping scoop of mashed potatoes into his mouth.  “I love it, Mommy!  This is the best dinner I’ve ever had,” he said through his mouthful of food. 
Y/N smiled, but it must have looked more like a grimace because this time, Tommy stood up and moved to her side.  “Y/N,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders, “are you sure you’re okay?  Should I have Frances phone the doctor?” 
Y/N grabbed his hand and squeezed it as she looked up to her husband.  “I’m fine, darling.  I promise.  Let���s just finish dinner.”  She pulled his hand to her mouth and pressed a kiss to his knuckles.  Then, using her head, she motioned for Tommy to sit again.  He stared at her for another moment, the line on his forehead deepening, before sighing and retaking his seat.  She kept her discomfort under wraps for the remainder of dinner because Tommy didn’t mention anything until after they had put Ben down for the night and were about to crawl into bed.  The pressure and pain had only grown in that short time, and she was beginning to get nervous.  She was sitting on the edge of their bed, eyes shut, and taking some deep breaths when Tommy’s hands landed on her thighs.  She could feel him kneeling between her legs, but she didn’t open her eyes.  She didn’t want to admit that her anxiety was consuming her or that the pain and pressure had turned into abdominal cramps.  It wasn’t until she suddenly felt the bed beneath her sopping wet that she looked at Tommy.  He looked down and saw the fluid dripping from her nightgown and their duvet before his gaze landed on her.  She could see his mouth moving, but his voice was drowned out by her rapidly beating heart.  Something is wrong.  She thought.  This shouldn’t be happening.  I’m too early.  Tommy pushed away the hair that had begun sticking to her sweaty forehead, and then ran out of the room.  His voice was distant, but she could have sworn he said something about calling Polly and Ada.  She wasn’t sure because all she could focus on was the sharp pain that was puncturing her abdomen and the immense pressure building between her legs.  Before she could comprehend what was happening, Tommy scooped her up and lay her on their bed.  What about the sheets?  I’m going to ruin the bed. 
She must have said those thoughts aloud because Tommy quickly said, “Don’t worry about the bed, love.  We’ll get another one if we have to.”  The pain was only getting worse, and she had to shut her eyes and bite her tongue to prevent a groan from escaping.  She didn’t know how much time had passed before Polly and Ada came rushing into the room, shoving Tommy into the hallway.  When it was just the three of them, Y/N finally let out a guttural moan.  She didn’t remember this much pain when she gave birth to Ben.  Something is wrong.  Something is not right.  Those words chanted in her head like a mantra.  Polly set her up on her bed while Ada used a wet towel to wipe away the sweat beading on her face.
“Just breathe, Y/N,” Polly chirped soothingly in her ear. “Ada and I are here.  We’re going to take care of you.”
Anxiety coursed through her veins and unfurled in her gut when the pressure between her legs began to increase.  She tried to cross her legs and prevent the inevitable from happening, but Polly and Ada wouldn’t let her.  Tears of pain and fear streamed down her cheeks.  She wanted to scream at them to stop and let her try to stop this urge to push.  But the pain and pressure were too much, and the only sound that came out of her mouth was a low groan. 
She could feel Polly’s hand between her legs, and the words “crowning” and “push” floated to her ears.  Ada took her hand, and Y/N tried with every fiber in her body to not push, but her body had other plans.  She held her breath and begged her body to stop forcing her baby out of her, but it was too late.  The pressure was building.  Climbing to a peak that felt like it would rip her in half until suddenly, she felt relief.  Her heavy breathing filled the room, and she waited impatiently for the tell-tale cries of her baby, but they never came.  She opened her eyes and looked at Polly and then at Ada.  They both just stared back at her, and Y/N knew something wasn’t right. 
“Y/N,” was all Polly whispered, and she knew.  The silence was deafening.  She lay there, completely exposed, bleeding, and sweaty, and waited, but her baby gave her nothing.  Her eyes shut and then, without any strength to stop it, let out a crushing wail.  The tears overflowed, and when she opened her eyes again, she watched the door burst open and Tommy storm in.  He moved over to where Polly held their baby and looked down at their motionless child.
“Why isn’t she crying?”  He asked. 
It was a girl.  I had a baby girl.  Even through her tears and sobs, she could see Tommy’s chest rising and falling at a rapid pace.
“Why isn’t she fucking crying, Pol!?”  Tommy’s voice boomed through the room and mixed with her loud cries to create the saddest song.  She could see the distress in the slant of his shoulders and how he ran a hurried hand through his cropped hair.  He didn’t wait for anyone to answer his question before bounding across the room and landing on the floor next to her.  His hands found hers, and she could feel them shaking.  His lips pressed to Y/N’s forehead and cheeks, absorbing only some of the tears that continued to cascade down her face. 
“It’s okay,” he whispered, but the way his voice cracked in her ear told her he didn’t even believe those words.  “I love you, Y/N.”  She could hear that his words dripped with the same despair she felt.  “You know that, ey?  I love you, and it’s going to be okay.”
Tommy’s words echoed in her head as she watched the fire blaze around her daughter’s wagon.  She wanted to be convinced that his words were true, but she couldn’t bring herself to believe them.  When the funeral finished, they all returned to Arrow House, where the wake was being held.  Even being in a crowded room surrounded by family, Y/N felt alone.  Her whole body was like radio static – unfeeling.  Tommy’s hand was on her lower back the entire time, but she still felt like she was floating away.  Nothing could tether her to this reality anymore.
Several people approached her and Tommy, and with every person, a new empty comment emerged. 
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” which loosely translates to, “Boy, that sucks to be you.”
“I can’t even imagine what you’re going through,” which means, “I’m really glad I’m not dealing with that!”
And, “At least you still have Ben,” equates to, “You shouldn’t be upset when you still have one kid alive.”
With every consolation tossed at her feet like the change she used to find on the ground when she was a child, this unknown sensation began to build in her chest.  It was heavy and wild, like an untamed animal.  It was red and bared its teeth, ready to bite.  It was something Y/N had never felt before.  She was usually understanding, calm, and collected.  She wasn’t hot-headed or easily provoked.  But now, she was quickly discovering that what she was feeling was rage.  Hot and stormy, it ravaged her insides, and instead of beating it back into its cage, Y/N leaned into it, letting it hold her battered and broken soul up.
After the wake, Y/N let her sadness swallow her.  She hid in one of the guest rooms daily and even went as far as to avoid Tommy.  She couldn’t bring herself to look at him because every time their eyes met, two things happened.  1) she could see the grief he was carrying like cinder blocks chained to his neck, and 2) she could see the way he looked at her like she was a broken piece of artwork now.  She knew she was a shell of the woman she once was, but it hurt her even more to know that Tommy saw it so plainly in her, too.  He didn’t see her as the strong, independent woman he fell in love with.  No, now she was a ghost of her former self, and she couldn’t take his pity for having lost their daughter and herself. 
Although clearly grieving, Tommy didn’t seem nearly as phased by their loss as Y/N.  He was able to jump back into work, and now, nearly a week since the wake, he was back to being fully invested.  If Y/N were being honest, she envied Tommy for being able to distract himself.  She couldn’t do anything but hide from the memories that haunted their home and do her best to still be a good mother to Ben.  When a week finally passed since laying her daughter to rest, Y/N knew she had to do something.  She would talk to Polly and beg for some sort of work.  She didn’t care that Polly insisted that Y/N take some “time to heal.”  She needed a distraction.  Being in Arrow House felt more like a prison than a home.
Y/N got dressed and began to head for the door after handing Ben over to Frances.  But, as she approached Tommy’s office, she could hear him talking.  She peeked through the tiny crack to discover John and Arthur sitting at Tommy’s desk. 
“Ada’s handling the Communists.  She’s got someone on the inside who’s giving us information,” Tommy stated.  “And,” he shuffled papers around on his desk, “I’m…dealing with Father Hughes.”
“And what about the horny princess?” John asked, leaning forward and adjusting his jacket.  “You gonna figure out where her family keeps the jewels?”
Tommy waved him off.  “I already know.”  That single statement had both his brothers and Y/N leaning forward just slightly.  Tommy lay a large blueprint on his desk, causing the brothers to stand.
“They keep their entire collection in this strong room.  There’s no way to get in from above without a key,” Tommy stated, flattening the paper and looking up at his brothers. 
“So, what’s your plan, brother?”  Arthur asked like a good soldier.  Tommy straightened slightly, and Y/N could tell he was a little uncomfortable.  He pulled a cigarette from his case and slid it across his bottom lip before lighting it and taking a drag. 
“We’ve gotta tunnel in,” Tommy said without hesitation.  Those four words landed on the Shelby men like a grenade, and Y/N could almost feel the atmosphere shift at the statement.  None of them moved.  It was evident that the idea of tunneling hadn’t been a thought in any of their minds since the war.  Tommy cleared his throat. 
“I know,” he began, “but there’s no other way.  I’ve already got Johnny Dogs ready to help.  He’ll set up camp where we’ll start the tunnel.”
The air was thick, and again, neither of the brothers spoke.  She knew they didn’t like the plan, but they would comply because Tommy was giving the orders.  Y/N watched as John and Arthur fiddled with their suit jackets, their anxious energy hitting her like a baseball bat to the face.  It wasn’t until Arthur blew out a puff of air and ran his hand through his messy hair, exposing his apprehension, that Y/N knew what she would do.  Without even a second thought, Y/N opened the door to Tommy’s office, and all three men turned to face her.  She was only adding insult to injury as the silence in the room became even heavier.  Neither of her brothers-in-law had seen her since the wake, and the uneasy energy was almost palpable.  Tommy stepped toward her but didn’t get too close, which Y/N could see his brothers noticed.
“Y/N, is everything alright, love?”
Her eyes flitted between all three of the Shelby men for a moment before finally landing back on Tommy.  She knew she probably looked like a deer in headlights.  Her stare was frazzled, and she knew she looked a bit harried.  But she still squared her shoulders and stated with the most conviction she could muster, “Let me help.”
All three men’s eyes widened to the size of saucers, but only one spoke. 
“Excuse me?”  Tommy asked, incredulity lacing each word.  There was no going back now.  Y/N had to double down on her commitment.  So, she waved her hand toward the blueprints on Tommy’s desk. 
“With the tunnel.”
Tommy’s eyes turned a shade darker, and Y/N could see his jaw tick.  She only glanced at John and Arthur for a second, and they both looked like they might choke on the thickness of the air.  She felt like she might, too, but she held her ground.  She was not a fragile porcelain doll and could help her husband like she used to.  Tommy coughed, then turned to his brothers and, in a calm voice, asked, “Would you mind giving me a moment with my wife, boys?”
Neither of the brothers wasted a second before hustling out into the hallway.  Once the door shut behind them, Tommy’s steely gaze landed back on Y/N.  Before, she would have felt a little nervous under Tommy’s intense glare.  She had never inserted herself into his shoddy business in the past.  But now, she didn’t care.  She needed a distraction and a way to prove that she was still a force to be reckoned with even after her loss.  Y/N could see Tommy trying to contain his anger as his nostrils flared and his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides.  His eyes shut for a brief moment as he took a deep inhale.
“Are you fucking insane, Y/N?”  He finally asked, his voice level.  Y/N’s mouth fell open, and she reared back just slightly.  But before she could say anything, Tommy continued.
“You’ve been avoiding me, your husband, for a week in our own home, and when you decide to finally speak to me, that is what you say?”
Y/N rolled her eyes.  “Tommy.”
“No, Y/N!”  He shouted, causing her to startle.  “You can’t just move past this!”
That statement made Y/N see red.  In the week since Lily’s passing, Tommy did precisely that.  Y/N’s spine straightened, and her whole body became rigid.
“Why not!?” she shouted back, stomping toward Tommy.  “Is that not what you did?  Pretend like we didn’t lose our daughter?  You threw yourself into your work.  Why can’t I do the same thing?”  Her chest was heaving, and as badly as she didn’t want them to, she could feel tears pricking at her eyes.  She hated that she was a frustrated crier.  Her fists were in tight balls at her sides, and every muscle in her body was flexed.  She was ready for a fight.  She was prepared for Tommy to yell back at her.  In fact, she wanted him to yell at her.  She wanted Tommy to tell her how stupid her idea was and that she was out of her mind.  She mentally begged Tommy to scream at her for barging in on his meeting with his brothers and even thinking about tunneling.  Y/N wanted to feel the passion he usually had toward her before they lost their baby.  She needed him to reassure her that she was not a lost cause he was housing but his fierce wife.  But he didn’t yell.  The fire in his eyes dimmed, and his features softened.  The pity eyes were back, and she was struck by the sadness she was trying to escape.  She shut her eyes in a lame attempt to avoid looking at her husband and keep her tears at bay, but it was futile.  The tiny droplets fell down her cheeks, and when she opened her eyes again, Tommy was right in front of her.  He lifted his hands to cradle her face, and she hated how she melted into his touch.  It had been a week since she even looked at Tommy, let alone touched him.  She couldn’t lie, she missed him.  But it was easier to hide from the pain and suffering they both shared than deal with it head-on. 
Y/N let out a shaky breath and looked into her husband’s eyes. 
“Why can’t I, Tommy?” She asked, barely above a whisper.  “Let me help you.  Please.”
Tommy’s thumb stroked her cheeks, wiping away a stray tear.  He cataloged her features, and for the first time in a very long time, she wished she could see into Tommy’s thoughts.  She stared at him and hoped that everything she wanted to say was conveyed in her eyes.  I’m no longer the same woman I was a week ago.  I’m a failure as a woman and a mother.  I’m alone, letting my thoughts eat me alive.  I’m scared you won’t love this broken woman I have become.  Her eyes pleaded for Tommy to let her prove that she could still be the same person as before.  She needed to prove to him and herself that she wasn’t hopeless.  But when Tommy shut his eyes and let out a sigh, she knew his answer before he even said it. 
He looked at Y/N and said sotto voce, “You know I can’t, love.”
Y/N’s body went rigid, and that new familiar sensation began to bubble in her gut.  She could feel it rumbling and swirling, mixing with her fear and sadness, creating an uncontrollable fury.  It burned like venom, but she found herself welcoming the sting.  Her once soft features hardened, and Tommy noticed the change immediately.  Her stare was blank, and the joy that used to fill it had vanished.  Before losing her daughter, she never understood why the war had changed Tommy.  She supported him while his experiences ravaged him, but she never knew why he returned with a harder exterior than when he left.  But now, after suffering such a devastating loss, she understood.  There is no coming back from witnessing a tragedy. 
Tommy’s rough thumbs brushed against Y/N’s tear-stained cheeks and bent until his forehead rested on hers.  “Where did the woman I married three years ago disappear to?”  He said, his breath fanning over her face.  He pulled back, his distressed stare locking Y/N in place, and whispered, “I know she’s in there.”
The words stung like a slap to her already bruised ego.  She could feel the weight of that question in every bone of her body.  All her fears began raging a war inside her head, and she could feel her armor cracking.  She could feel the tears clogging her throat, burning as she swallowed them down.  Her lungs felt like they weren’t getting nearly enough oxygen, and she was only seconds away from either crying or breaking something.  With a swift step backward, Y/N separated herself from her husband.  She hated to admit that her body yearned for Tommy’s hands back on her, but she batted that thought away as quickly as it appeared.  Tommy slowly lowered his hands back to his sides, and she leveled him with a callous stare.
“That woman is gone, Tommy,” she spat.  “She burned to ash with her daughter a week ago.”  She could see the way her words landed on Tommy like bullets striking his chest.  Some of her felt bad, but the angry beast slowly becoming her new persona convinced her she did nothing wrong. 
Y/N waited for Tommy to say something, anything, back to her, and when he didn’t, she turned and reached for the door.  Confidence that felt different from what she was used to coursed through her body like electricity.  She was a little scared of who she was becoming, but those wild and fiery feelings of rage were the only things that brought her peace.  Before pulling the door open, she turned back toward Tommy and said, “If you won’t let me help you, Tommy, I’ll find someone else who will.  You forget, my roots run deep in this business, too.”
Tommy let out a dry laugh.  “You’re really threatening me, now, ey?”
Y/N’s grip tightened around the cold door handle, and, through gritted teeth, she growled, “It’s not a threat, Thomas.  It’s a promise.”  Without a second look, she flung the door open and stepped out. 
John and Arthur straightened at her abrupt appearance, and she just brushed past them, letting her feet carry her toward the front of their home.  She knew they heard her and Tommy’s conversation, but she didn’t care anymore.  This newfound boldness that her bereavement had granted her washed away any and all anxiety.   
“Hope you enjoyed the show, boys,” Y/N tossed over her shoulder toward John and Arthur.  “Next time, I’ll sell tickets and make talking to my husband more worthwhile rather than a waste of my time.”
She didn’t turn back around to see their reaction to her words.  Instead, she showed herself out and hopped into one of Tommy’s many vehicles.  She would find another way if he wouldn’t allow her to help.  The image of a tall Jewish man whom she briefly met a while back when Tommy first started expanding into London entered her mind.  She knew exactly who would be more than willing to give her a hand in her effort to help the Shelby family – Alfie Solomons.
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loveisfriendship · 15 days
Text
Omg that’s just absolutely hilarious and glorious
Love it!
A Peaky Blinder || Shelby Family x reader
Synopsis: You encountering an assaulter while drinking on the Garrison pub. Pairing: Shelby Family x sister! reader (except for Finn & Ada) Warnings: sexual assault, gun violence, mentions of blood, and swearing Notes: Not proofread, there are some grammatical errors Click here to find the main masterlist. Click here to find the PEAKY BLINDERS masterlist.
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This week feels like hell.
Loads of men barging in the shop, betting and betting like there was no tomorrow. As the accountant of the family and the business, it felt like hell.
A drink would help you stress down after a week of non-stop working. The trip to the family's tavern, the Garrison, was simple-- taking a short route there instead of the long way.
You opened the doors of the Garrison, immediately sitting down on the counter. You sat down, taking a deep sigh.
"Hello, (y/n). What drink do you want?" Harry, the bartender, asked you as soon as he saw you sitting down.
"It's alright, Harry. I'll get it," you replied, grabbing the big glass of bottle filled with your family's most famous drink, Gin, behind the counter's cupboard in front of you.
You opened the lid, tossing it at the side of the table, chugging the drink down.
"Rough week, innit?" Harry asked, wiping the unused glasses.
"Very rough week, Harry," you replied, taking a deep sigh.
"Why would people risk betting their money for a what? A race? It's funny but hey, who am I to judge? At least they're helping us work the business out."
The talk with you and Harry kept on going until both of your heads turned, looking at the doors after hearing them open harshly.
Three men entered the tavern. Dirty suits, hats on, and cigarettes designing their lips.
They walked up to the counter just beside you as they started to state their order.
"3 glasses of whiskey for us," you heard one of them order.
You just went on with your drink, Harry muttering an 'excuse me' to you before he was out of your sight, giving the 3 gentlemen their order.
"Slow down, love," you heard one of them.
You turned your head to them and tilted. "Sorry?"
"I said slow down drinking. You're too pretty to drink this whole bottle of yours to yourself.. and too pretty to be a whore either," he commented, looking up and down at you, licking his lips slowly.
He just called you a whore.
"What did you just call me, sir?" you asked in disbelief. You got up slowly, crossing your arms together, looking up at him.
"Ah, I get it. You're a feisty one, eh? A feisty whore.. I like it." he chuckled, his finger tracing your cheeks and then your curves.
"Fuck off, prick,"
Encounters like this in the Garrison were unfortunately normal. Weird, uncomfortable men doing this to women every day.
It was indeed normal but you can't help but be disappointed and sad for the women. Getting treated like this by men.
"Don't you fucking touch me," you shouted, slapping his hand off you.
You felt a hand gripping your jaw, your body pressed up on the counter. "How about I fuck you on this counter? Let these men watch us?" he whispered in your ear, his hand grabbing your hips harshly.
Mentally, you want to grab your gun and shoot him, on his groin, specifically.
and why not do it?
You turned your body, now facing him. A smile formed on your face. Your hands roam around his face and down there. Your hand cupped his manhood earning him a soft moan.
"Sir, I want to do something here.." you innocently said, your eyes meeting his and licking your lips slowly.
"Go on, love. Do it," he replied, and his two other friends laughed.
Your other hand was free, you used this opportunity to grab the small gun on your small bag and immediately fired his groin.
You let go of your hands on his right away. Blood is painted on your palm. You laughed, laughed at the sight in front of you.
The feeling of victory sprawled all over you. Finally putting men like him into their proper places and what they deserve.
He screamed in pain, cussing you out with all the swear words he knows.
Your brothers, except Finn and your older sister, Ada, rushed out of their small compartment just near the counter, guns in their hands.
You heard your older brother shout, "What the fuck is going on here!?"
Polly was with them, she looked at you and the man, she immediately knew what happened and she couldn't help but paint her face with a smirk.
"This whore shot my dick!" the man replied angrily, pressing his manhood, giving it pressure to avoid more blood coming out of it while his free hand was on your dress, gripping it near your neck.
Your brother's facial expression changed into disbelief when they heard the man calling you, their sister, a whore. Tommy inspected the man by looking at him up and down, mentally planning on how to take him down.
John scoffed in disbelief too, he grabbed his gun from his breast pocket immediately and pointed it directly at the man who assaulted you. He, then, harshly asked him, "Are you calling my sister a whore?"
Hearing John's question made your assaulter's eye widen in fear and appalled. He knew he fucked up. He knew he was going to get harshly beaten up-- or worse, die.
"Sister? I-I didn't know she was your sister, Mr. S-Shelby." he stammered. His head shaking violently, begging for forgiveness for what he did to you.
Rolling your eyes, you slapped his face. "Great. Now you respect me because I'm a Shelby and not because I'm a woman, and put the gun down, John. I'll handle this, it's my issue."
"We're here for backup, (y/n), alright?" Arthur commented.
You sighed, your gun still in your hand.
"Look, mister. What you did pissed me off and did not help me calm down after an exhausting fucking week but since I want to show mercy, you are lucky. You are free to go."
The 2 men ran away straightly to the tavern's doors, exiting the bar in no time. Your injured assaulter bowed his head many times and muttered a 'thank you' while limply running to the exit.
"Get out of my bar now, my mercy expires in 10 seconds," you said, massaging your temples out of stressfulness.
The man was still inside the Garrison after 10 seconds but he was already close to the exit, still limping.
You shot the floor, just near his legs. He ran faster until he was finally outside of the bar.
You laughed again at the sight. You turned the safety lock of your gun again before bringing it back inside of your black purse.
You heard slow claps coming from your brothers and your aunt. They walked toward you while clapping.
"Handled it like a true Peaky Blinder. I'm proud of 'ya, sis." your oldest brother congratulated you. Put his arm over the back of your shoulders and gave you a side hug.
Polly cupped both of your cheeks, caressing it with her finger slowly. "I'm proud of you, (y/n). Your mother would be so proud of you." She smiled lovingly. She cannot contain her happiness after what you did.
"Wait- you said you had a stressful week? Is it because of the overtime at the betting shop?" John interrupted, recalling what you said earlier and made him ask you about it.
You nodded in response, "Yeah. There were a lot of customers and being an accountant isn't easy, y'know?"
Tommy inhaled his half-full cigarette while listening to the conversation. He doesn't want to see his sister being stressed because of work so he planned on giving you a paid leave. "If it's like that then you can leave for a while and be back once you're good. Michael can be our accountant until you come back."
You shook your head, rejecting his offer. "It's alright, Tommy. I can handle it but is it okay if I'll just work on half-days instead of full days?"
"If that's want you want then it's fine with me," Tommy answered.
THE END
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loveisfriendship · 15 days
Text
Love this 😍😍😍
A Wedding After All  | Tommy Shelby 
Pairing: Thomas Shelby x Pregnant!Reader 
Request: No.  
Warnings: Alludes to cheating [I do not condone cheating]. Pregnancy. Past childhood sweethearts. Brief mention of war. One f*ck.
Word Count: 2,103
Tommy Shelby Masterlist | Main Masterlist
"Is Tommy in his office, Polly?" Y/N asks as she approaches the woman who has always treated her like a daughter. Her cheeks are flushed after walking as fast as she could to the Shelby Company's headquarters. She's come straight from the doctor's office. 
Polly cast a worried glance towards the younger woman. "You alright, Love?" 
"I need to talk to Tommy," she says, her gaze darting towards Tommy's office. "It's important that I speak with him." 
"He ought to return at any moment. I'm sure you can tell me whatever you need to tell him," Polly remarks as she sees Y/N beginning to pace back and forth in front of her. 
"Sorry, but I can't. I won't say anything until I've spoken with Tommy." Y/N is unable to calm herself as nauseous feeling settles in her stomach. 
The Shelby family's Matriarch felt unsure how to handle the current situation she finds herself in. If something bothered her, Y/N would always tell her. She never went to Tommy first with anything since their relationship ended years ago.  
Polly knew the woman Y/N's father married a month after his wife died, and it came as no surprise how viciously she treated the teenage girl, from spreading rumours to physically beating her, while her good for nothing father did nothing to stop his new wife. 
Polly immediately scoured the entire town of Small Heath for Y/N and welcomed her into her home once she learned that she was kicked to the streets when she was fifteen. 
It wasn't long before Polly introduced her to her brother's family. When she met the Shelby siblings, they forged an immediate bond. Ada, the only girl, took to her the most, relieved to have another girl to talk to. The two women are still as thick as thieves to this day. They have a sisterly relationship that not even Tommy could disrupt. 
From the moment they met there was an obvious immediate attraction between Y/N and Tommy.  It didn't take long for their friendship to grow into a romantic love. Their romance was a whirlwind of passion, excitement and love. The two of them only had eyes for each other. Everyone knew she was Tommy's girl, and no one dared to touch her. Even though Tommy had little in common with his father, the Shelby name came with a not-so-great reputation.  
Tommy and Y/N weren't hesitant to call each other out on their foolishness, their confrontations occasionally attracting unwelcome attention. But they never went to bed angry with each other, which sometimes resulted in restless nights spent talking and making up. He had been her first love. 
However, their romance eventually ended when Y/N travelled to London shortly after turning 21 to pursue becoming a nurse. Tommy wanted to promise that he'd wait for her to return to Birmingham because he knew she was the one who he was supposed to marry and spend the rest of his life with. She urged him not to make any promises to her, fearing that their parting would only cause more heartbreak. But Tommy never gave up on her, writing almost every day to persuade her that everything would work out between them. They both held hope that it would until the letters eventually became less frequent as they both became busy with their lives.   
The war broke out two years into her training, and she and many other nurses were deployed to France to care for their countries' wounded. There, she was reunited with her former love. In the midst of tending to the soldier's wounds, their love for one another was rekindled. 
But as the days passed, Tommy's once beautiful vibrant blue eyes turned dull, emotionless, and void as they witnessed people die in the most horrific ways. When the war was over and they were sent home, they went their separate ways once more. 
It wasn't until six months ago that Y/N returned Birmingham. She'd been assigned to work in Small Heath's hospital. She preferred working at this hospital to the one she previously worked at in London. It moved at a slightly slower pace which she enjoyed.  
She reconnected with Polly and the brothers once she had settled back in and called Ada at least three times a week to keep her updated now that she was living in London with her son. Despite Ada's displeasure at Y/N wanting to return to Birmingham, the younger of the two women supported her decision knowing that their hometown was where Y/N belonged. 
Y/N had missed Polly and the brothers and was overjoyed to have them back in her life, as well as to be back in theirs. 
She enjoyed being back in Small Heath, even if her heart was crushed by her own past decisions. She assumed she was over Tommy, that all they'd ever be is friends, and that all her old sentiments for him had vanished. Tommy was her first and only love, so learning that he was now engaged saddened her. Polly attempted to convince her that Tommy never stopped loving her and that this marriage was a waste of time and money once he realises, he's making a mistake.  
But all Y/N saw was the way Tommy's soon-to-be bride looked at him, the way her eyes lit up when he walked into the room, the way he makes her smile. It was the same way she would look at him. The only difference was he never looked at her the same way he looked at Y/N. He never looked at anyone the way he was before the war. Y/N didn't know if Tommy loved his fiancée, but he was marrying her and that was enough for Y/N to know that her and Tommy will never be more than friends again.  
Y/N didn't want to get in the way of their relationship, so she kept her distance from Tommy. Which had been working until one night nine weeks ago. 
Polly pulls out a cigarette, places it between her lips, and lights it while she continues to watch Y/N pacing the room. She takes in the younger woman's form, seeing the small curvature of her belly as her hands rest over her stomach as if protecting it. 
Then it dawns on her.  
Leaving her cigarette in the ashtray, she moves towards Y/N and stops her from pacing a hole into the floor. Y/N seems surprised as Polly reaches out and gropes her breasts, feeling them for a few seconds before letting go. 
"You're with child," she exclaims, not bothering to hide the smile on her face. She is not a fool. This baby can only belong to one man, and it would be the push the former lovers need to come back together. Tommy, after all, would never abandon the woman who is carrying his child, especially when it's the woman he's been hopelessly in love with since he was sixteen 
"Fuck me," Y/N murmurs more to herself since she should have known Polly would notice. Nothing can ever get past the Romani woman. "Please don't say anything until I've spoken with Tommy." 
"My lips are sealed," she assures as she places her hand to Y/N's belly.  "Is she Tommy's then?" 
"She?" Y/N raises an eyebrow in response. She wasn't going to bother responding to Polly question since she already knew the answer. 
"Did you forget who you are talking to?" Polly beams, eliciting a smile from Y/N, who appears to be more at ease. "She'll be beautiful, Y/N, and you'll love her more than you've ever loved anyone, even Thomas. There is no deeper love than that between a mother and her daughter." 
They both have a saddened expression on their faces as they recall who they've lost. Y/N lost her mother, and Polly lost her daughter, but they found what they were looking for in each other. Polly always believed that her daughter and Y/N's mother brought them together knowing that they needed one other. 
"You understand that she'll call you nan, right?"  Y/N says, making Polly smile this time. 
"Of course she is," Polly says, hugging her adopted daughter. She lets go of her, looking over her shoulder as someone walks into the office. 
Y/N becomes tense once more. She doesn't have to turn around to find out who it is since she can always feel Tommy's presence before she sees him. She turns around with a timid smile, the nauseous feeling in her stomach intensifying as she swallows the lump in her throat. 
"Y/N," he says a little taken aback to see her. 
"Good afternoon, Thomas," she says formally, trying not to seem too anxious. Since the night they spent together nine weeks ago, the two have barely spoken. Polly simply stands between them, smiling. "Do you have a moment? I need to speak with you." 
"I do," he replies and leads her into his office hearing the urgency in her voice. 
He glances worriedly at Y/N after closing the door. "Is everything okay?" 
"I saw the doctor this morning."  
As he gets closer to her, he grows increasingly worried. "Are you ill?" 
"What I have does cause sickness." She claims unable to look at him. The amount of thinking she did on her walk to the office did not help her at all. 
"What do you have?" He tilts her head so she can look at him. He notices tears welling up in her eyes. 
She takes a deep breath in and out, gathering all her courage to tell him as h er tears begin to fall. "I'm pregnant, Tommy." 
The Peaky Blinder remains calm as thoughts start running through his head. His eyes never leave hers. Y/N searches his eyes trying to find a hint of what he could be feeling or thinking. 
"You are the only one I've been with, Tommy. The baby is yours and I know you are to be married so if you want, I will leave. I'll go back to London and raise her by myself. I just thought since you're the father, you have the right to know and decide what you want to do," She rambles. Removing Tommy's hands off her face, she steps back from him, her arms going around her stomach, bracing herself for his rejection.  
"Or," Tommy finally speaks. "Or, you can stay here, I can marry you and we can finally be a family." 
"Tommy, you're engaged to someone else," She looks at him as though he's delusional, not believing what she's hearing. 
"Not a single day goes by where I don't think about you and what it would be like if we stayed together," he admits. "Because of that, I ended my engagement. I can't marry someone else when the only woman I'll ever love is standing right there in front of me." 
"Tommy, I-"  
"We are going to get married, we are going to have this baby and we are going to be a family," he steps towards her cupping her face again. This thumbs brush away her fallen tears. "I have never stopped loving you," he whispers before kissing her. 
"I love you too, Tommy," she replies when the kiss is broken and Tommy pulls away from her. She watches him go over to his desk, pull something out of the draw and walk back over to her. In his hand is a red velvet ring box. He opens it revealing the gold ring with three red ruby stones surrounded by diamonds. She gasps recognizing his mother's engagement ring. "Your mother's ring." 
"I've been saving it for you," he tells her. "You're the only one I want to wear it. Will you do me the honour in becoming my wife?" 
She nods her head, as the tears start to fall harder. Tommy smiles a rare smile, one that was only reserved for her, and slides the ring onto her finger before he kisses her deeply wrapping his arms around her waist as her arms go around his shoulders. 
"Well it's about bloody time," Arthur's gruff voice comes from the doorway causing the reunited couple to part. 
Y/N's cheeks flush red. Tommy can't contain the smile on his face. "Brother, there's going to be a wedding after all." 
"Who's getting married?" John asks missing what Arthur just walked in on. The younger of the three takes in the scene before him, seeing Y/N and Tommy wrapped up in each other. "You two are getting married?" he then asks, looking confused. 
"We're getting more than that," Tommy smiles lovingly at the woman who stole his heart when they were sixteen. 
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loveisfriendship · 16 days
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idk where “monkeys like bananas” came from but im so glad its a thing because its so fucking funny for no reason at all
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loveisfriendship · 16 days
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Love this! Also fan of him sending grace away 😅
Can I be tagged please?
A Rose By Any Other Name || Part Three
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part one part two
series pairing: tommy shelby x reader, hints of john shelby x reader, hints of tommy x lizzie
warnings: 18+ minors dni, implied rape (the aftermath so no detail), mild violence, typical peaky blinders content
summary: After a change of plans, you find yourself wondering why Tommy invited you to the Epsom Derby at all.
author’s note: I wanted to include the Shelby’s gypsy roots (however brief) but I do apologise for any inaccuracies. I have started a taglist for this series so let me know if you want to be kept updated :)
Tommy banged on your door late on Friday. At first, you worried you slept in but it was still dark outside. Slightly drunk, he walked through the threshold without an invite and leaned against the wall in the kitchen.
“I’ve got business in London,” Tommy’s deep voice rumbled in the dark of your house, “You’re to get the train to Epsom with Polly tomorrow at 9.”
“Polly?!” Your eyes widened and Tommy whispered, “Easy, ey, she can smell fear.”
An amused scoff escaped your lips. Tommy Shelby just made a joke. The pleasant rumble of his laughter softened your nerves. Tommy may be the devil by reputation but the man stood in your kitchen was... different.
“What’s in London?” It was a risk to ask but he was in a mood you’ve never seen before. There was a playfulness to his usual self.
“Arthur. Arthur is in London. May I smoke?”
You nodded and he lit a cigarette. Eyes trained to his every move, he was a vision in your humble living space as smoke fell from his lips.
“I’ll come find you tomorrow,” He pointed at you with his cigarette between two fingers and licked his lips, “You owe me a drink, remember?”
Failing to conceal a smirk, you raised your eyebrows at him and he turned to go, the shadow of a smile on his lips. You haven’t even fucked him and you were starting to understand Lizzie’s infatuation with him. He was unlike any man you’ve ever met.
The Epsom Derby was a magnificent spectacle; people with more money than sense flocked in the masses to the grand occasion. Everyone was in the best clothes, ready to indulge in a long day of drinking, dancing and gambling.
Alongside you, Polly strutted around the place as if she was King George himself and you meekly followed, taking in the extravagant sites.
“Chin up,” Polly grinned around her cigarette as you walked through the Derby, “Don’t let these bastards think they’re better than you. You’re a Blinder today.”
Lost for words, you accepted that fate and wondered if Tommy told her why you were there. From her statement, he must need you for a business dealing but that still didn’t make sense.
Why would he require your amateur assistance on one of the most important days of his career?
Stopping by a white fence, Polly scoped the area. Racehorses were displayed on the other side of the fence, trotting by with their trainers holding the reins.
Among the crowd, you spotted Tommy as he rushed down a set of steps with a blond woman in white and pink. A risky colour to wear in a field. Was that May Carlton, the posh horse trainer Lizzie told you about?
“Are you going to lay a bet, y/n?” Polly asked cheerfully, although her eyes scanned the crowds in search of something, or someone.
“I’ve never gambled before,” You realised, making Polly laugh, “But why not start at the most prestigious gambling event in England?”
She smirked at that and looked over at you, “I see why he likes you.”
An inaudible sound fell from your mouth as you struggled with what to say. What did she mean by that?
“Oh there’s Lizzie and Jeremiah,” Polly pointed to the pair as they walked through the crowd.
Panic rose in your chest, pulling at your lungs until a sharp gasp fought the taut struggle for air. Polly turned to look at you, sizing you up.
“Lizzie doesn’t know I’m here.”
Polly rose her eyebrows at that, amused by how boringly ridiculous it was.
Sighing you looked over to Lizzie, “She can’t know Tommy invited me. I don’t why he did and I can’t have her thinking there’s something going on. And I could hardly say no to the devil himself.”
“I think this is the most women my nephew has ever juggled at once,” Polly sounded a little impressed, “He has his father’s devilment. Lizzie’s a fool if she hasn’t realised it yet.”
Taking a deep breath, you nodded and listened to her. Tommy looked around fruitlessly before heading up the stairs with Lizzie a few steps behind.
Jeremiah disappeared into the crowd again before Polly called his name. The man approached with a warm smile.
“Jeremiah, this is y/n. I’ve some business to attend to so would you be kind enough to accompany her? You can look away when she lays her bet,” Polly addressed him but kept a comforting hand against your shoulder.
“Right this way,” Jeremiah smiled, gesturing through the crowd. Polly squeezed your arm and disappeared in the opposite direction. Jeremiah was a preacher, a friendly one at that, and so your nerves were at ease as you walked to your seats.
The race started and finished before you saw anybody else. Police officers left their posts and swarmed like flies on shit.
Now things started to make sense. The Blinders were burning other bookies’ gambling licenses, eliminating the competition. More money and business for the Shelby’s.
Bypassing the hysteria of the police and the indifference of the toffs, you made your way to the bar.
The blonde woman in pink and white stood by the bar in a heated conversation with a woman in red. Are these the women Polly joked were being juggled?
Abort, abort!
As the bar was off-limits, you redirected yourself to find John or Arthur. Surely they’ll know where the man who invited you was.
Sitting at a rickety table was the two Shelby brothers and Lizzie. Her glassy eyes caught you before you saw her.
“Y/n?” Her voice was weak and her hair fell in front of her face. A cigarette hung from her fingers, hands shaking as she held it to her lips.
Arthur’s thunderous voice, fuelled by the cocaine he was lining up, overpowered Lizzie’s meekness.
“What you doing here?”
Fuck it. Lizzie’s seen you now.
“Ask your brother,” You took a seat, “Fuck knows why, haven’t seen him all day.”
Lizzie glanced across the table at you, her head hung low but her eyes now fixed on you. A croaky gasp caught in her throat and a wave of sobs spilled from her.
“Lizzie?” You dragged your chair beside her and rubbed her back, “Lizzie, what’s happened?”
Sitting closer, you could see a bruise was forming on her cheek and a bloody scrape stretched across her forehead.
John leaned over your shoulder, the warmth of his chest against your back, “She was working. Caught a nasty toff. We’ll get her home safe.”
His face was so close to yours as your head snapped towards him in shock. Genuine sympathy was in his eyes and a soft smile graced his lips.
“But-“ You began before Lizzie cut you off, her voice thick with tears, “It’s fine.”
Your brows pulled together as you watched her wipe her wet cheeks. Lizzie didn’t whore anymore. Her only exception was Tommy.
“Is he here?” You turned to John, who shrugged with a mouth full of whiskey. Sighing and silently seething, you helped Lizzie to her feet, “Let’s get you home.”
As if she was in a daze, she complied and she didn’t speak another word for the rest of the day.
Once John and Arthur dropped you off at home, Thelma helped you get Lizzie to bed. Her wide eyed stare bore into you, “What happened, y/n?”
But you didn’t have time to explain. Lizzie was in safe hands and you had a man to find. From the limited time you’ve known Thomas Shelby, he was entirely focused on business and, after an event like the Epsom Derby, you knew exactly where he’d be.
Dusk had long settled and the danger of Small Heath loomed over you but it wasn’t long before you stormed into Shelby Company Ltd.
The double doors to Tommy’s office were wide open, as he and Michael toasted a whiskey. In a fit of rage, you marched right towards him.
“Y/n?” Michael asked, his eyebrows pinched together as he looked between you and Tommy. Your eyes didn’t waver from Tommy, grabbing the lapels of his coat and shoving him against his desk. His glass tumbler fell from his hand and hit the wooden floor with a thud.
The open palm of your right hand met his cheek, clipping at his ear too. So swift and firm that his head shot to the side.
Shaking him, you demanded, “What did you do?! She can barely fucking speak!”
You slapped him again and shoved at his chest. It was nothing compared to his past pains, you knew that, but you didn’t care. Tommy grabbed your wrists and you were powerless to stop him. He simply held you there as you struggled in his grip.
Michael put his glass down and approached you with his hands in front of him, like he was trying to calm an angry bear.
“Y/n-“ Michael started but Tommy spoke, keeping his eyes on yours, “Leave us.”
Michael nodded and hesitantly left you alone. You stopped struggling, almost collapsing into Tommy’s chest at the exhaustion of the past few hours.
“Is that why you invited me?”
It was out there now. A question you didn’t know if you wanted to know the answer to.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen like that,” He screwed his eyes shut and met yours again, “The path was blocked off for the King. I got there as soon as I could.”
He was telling the truth. Genuine remorse.
“Is that why you invited me?” You repeated with a sign, resigned to your fate.
Tommy let go of your wrists and wrapped his arms around your waist. As soon as his hands landed on your back, you shoved them off and stepped back.
“You,” You spluttered at his nerve, “You seriously think that’s appropriate for this conversation? I’m not going to be another woman on the roster.”
“Ey?”
“The woman in pink and white? Was that May or was that another woman at your beck and call? Lizzie’s on there too but rule me out,” The finality of your statement crumbled slightly as you caught his eyes.
Tommy cleared his throat and, when you crossed your arms over your chest, he sighed and said, “I dreamt of a deer, walking along Garrison Lane. The next night I met you.”
“I don’t..?”
“Polly says a deer in a dream is a good omen. That gentleness and innocence will cross your path.”
“Are you suggesting the deer meant me?” Your jaw was slack as you tried to grasp what he was saying. Tommy tilted his head to one side in a non-committal display of likelihood.
“But I’m a whore and I slammed a door in your face.”
“Polly is rarely wrong.”
Tommy reached for you and pulled you closer once again. You weren’t touching but you could feel the warmth emanating from him. Calloused hands cupped your face and blue eyes held you hostage in his gaze.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen like that and you were never going to be involved.”
Foolish as it may be, you believed him.
Dried blood spread across his temple caught your attention, “You’re bleeding Tommy.”
He brushed it off as your fingers delicately held his face to inspect the cut. It wasn’t deep but you kept your eyes trained to it as you spoke again.
“Why did you invite me?” Another bold question you were scared of knowing the answer to. A man like Tommy Shelby wasn’t accustomed to being questioned.
“You’re my good omen. We took Epsom,” A soft smile graced his lips, his thumb stroking over your cheekbone, making you meet his dizzying stare.
You were speechless. The Shelby’s are a gypsy family so his superstitions made sense, but is he sweet on you because of the dream or is this rooted entirely in his superstition?
Rendered a fool by his bright eyes and soft touch, you asked, “Who were the other women?”
Tommy pursed his lips, “Nobody worth your time.”
“If I’m gonna be your good omen, I need to know the truth,” You said softly, resting your hands on his stomach. Tommy fought a smile, wrapping his large hands around your biceps.
“May trains my horse. She deserves better than me,” Tommy’s voice rumbled lowly between you, “The woman in white and pink, is Grace. She’s married, sailing back to New York with her rich husband.”
There was resentment behind his words. Interesting that she returned to him now that he’s rich.
“She said she loves me, not him.”
Standing there in his office, between his legs as he sits on the edge of his desk, you wondered how many others had been in this position. How many women were weak to Tommy Shelby?
“So why is she sailing away?” Your fingers idly fiddled with the buttons of his waistcoat.
“Because I told her to,” Tommy was no longer touching you, his hands busy lighting a cigarette.
“You don’t love her?”
Tommy gave a short laugh at that, “She’s of the past. I do not concern myself with matters of the past.”
“Maybe if she’d been in your dreams..” You teased, hoping his guard was lowered around you. Tommy laughed, his blue eyes glistening, and pulled you closer, “You may be my good omen but don’t push it.”
His strong arms wrapped around your waist, securing you in place. A tension lingered in the silence between you and Tommy’s gaze drifted to your lips.
You were here to punish him, to hurt him for hurting Lizzie. Poor Lizzie… and you were here, a devilish smile and a compliment away from letting Tommy Shelby kiss you. What were you thinking?
Breaking you out of your stupor, you blurted, “I should go.”
Like Icarus and the sun, your resolve began to melt away. Tommy rose to his feet, your bodies now pressed against each other.
“I’ll drive you,” Was all he said.
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@sherbitdibdab
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loveisfriendship · 1 month
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So thrilling 😱
But so glad they talked 😍😍
MASTERLIST PART THREE
Unchained Melody (Part Four)
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Summary: After a distressing day of events, you and Tommy finally have the conversation you had both been avoiding for over a fortnight. All under the furious glare of the Governess as she watches from the window, fuming that her plan had fallen apart.
Warnings: Language, angst, fluff, mutual pining, medical emergency
Word Count: 5334
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Counting the days since your return to Arrow House had quickly turned into counting weeks. And just as you had once stored the memory of time passed, you found yourself in the midst of loneliness once again. Your new life felt much the same as it once did, albeit with a clearer mind, and the cherished guiding hand of reassurance from your dear housekeeper, Frances. But as you tried to rebuild the severed bond with your son, one thing from your previous life stubbornly remained without any hope of changing. Tommy's absence. Two weeks had passed since your husband had given you a difficult dose in the reality of your disappearance from his life to swallow. And two weeks had passed since you last spoke more than a few words to each other. If his avoidance of you wasn't obvious before, there was now no denying it.
Ashamed of his behavior, and begrudging the fact the near full contents of a whisky bottle he had consumed that night was not enough to dull his memory of the moment he had nearly struck you, Tommy had all but barricaded himself off, and away from any resurfacing grievances he still held for you.
Not allowing yourself to follow your husband's emotional course of self-destruction, you decided to focus your attention on one thing. William. If your husband's bullheadedness had no intentions of following his Aunt's advice, then you would. For all the years you had lived within the tight-knit family you had married into, you had learnt one thing. Polly was always right. Always.
With the wise words of the Shelby matriarch playing on loop in your thoughts as you sat at your vanity, brushing your hair into a loose updo, you forgoed any hopes of reconciliation with your husband, and did as the saying goes. "Let sleeping dogs lie"
Just let him be. You told your nagging brain as you stood up, placing your ivory pearl tear-dropped earrings into your ears, forcing them with a wince through the thin layer of skin that had formed from the many years you had gone without jewellery. A birthday gift from Tommy. Was a little part of you hoping he would notice? You thought to yourself as you opened your bedroom door, wondering if the subtle gesture of gratitude you still held for him would go overlooked. Not that you were trying, of course. And like everything else you had been thrown into in the past two weeks, now was your chance to find out. For just as you reached the top of the staircase, so did your husband, and with it an uncomfortable, almost unbearable silence following him.
" Tommy" you greeted him, unable to force a smile through the sorrow weighing down your heart at his absent gaze as you searched his face for the same desperation you felt.
" Morning" he stated, void of any notions of intimacy as he cleared his throat. Sending but a mere glimpse your way, he gestured with his hand for you to lead the way.
For the briefest of moments all you could do was stand there, hoping like some silly school girl he'd notice the birthday present he had gifted you all those many moons ago. But as Tommy fished in his suit jacket for a much-needed puff of the cigarette calling his name, a dousing of embarrassment piled onto the already mounting heap you had accumulated over the past two weeks, and thus further installing Polly's words to you.
Focus on William. You reassured yourself holding your head high as he followed behind you, quickly inhaling the fumes from the tightly coiled cylinder of tobacco resting between his lips.
But Tommy did notice. He would have noticed a single eyelash out of place if given enough time to do so. Everything, and anything to do with you Tommy noticed, anything but the one thing he had regretfully refused to face, and would now haunt him to his grave, tormenting him for not saying something enough to soothe your worries away. You wore royal blue that night. He thought to himself, recalling the evening he had gifted you the delicate pearled jewels that were gracefully swaying through the whispers of your hair gathered together into pins as he took each step down the long wooded staircase behind you, watching the skin on your neck pucker into small goosebumps from the light spring breeze flowing through the open windows. The same night he held you tightly in his arms, making love to you in front of the fireplace of your living room. The night he was sure William was made. He recounted, losing himself in the small ghost of a smile etched on the corner of his mouth as he watched the end of your dress glide over each step, while the memory of you profusely refuting his calculations entered his thoughts. But when William was born exactly nine months later, he couldn't help but feel a certain sense of cockiness that his keen eye for observation, and his note of a very needy wife that night hadn't gone a miss.
"Mrs Shelby, Mr Shelby. He's been so eager to see you both" Frances smiled upon seeing you descend united down the staircase, a small amount of misplaced hope in her heart that you had worked through things as you both beamed at the wriggly two-year-old unable to contain himself any further in her arms at the sight of his parents.
" William! Hi sweetheart " You smiled, kneeling down as his little legs charged towards you, throwing himself into you with a squeal and a thud. " Did you grow during the night? I think you did" you tickled under the curve of his chin, rubbing your nose over his as your husband's heart pulled at it's tethered strings from seeing the peaceful image of his wife and son together, an image he never thought he'd witness again " What do you think Tommy? Doesn't he looked like he's gro.." You said, momentarily forgetting your self as you turned to face your husband, only to be met with an empty space with Tommy having already walked off to his office.
" Come Mam, I have breakfast ready for you both" Frances sighed ushering you away from the sadness enveloping you as you pulled your only connection to your husband tightly in your arms. " Don't fret now" she said placing her hand to your back, as all your reserves left and a tear began to well in your lashes. " Time is a great healer" she whispered to you with a loving smile as the dining room door closed behind you both and Tommy glanced back, watching his family shut him out. How long would he keep this up before he buckled?
"Good day to you Mrs Shelby, and young Master William" the gardener, Mr Heath greeted you both taking his gloves off as you and William made your way out into the gardens of Arrow house later that morning, feeling the need to walk off the large breakfast of crumpets, and every spreadable food known to man that Frances had lovingly prepared for you.
" Look who it is William! Say hello" you guided him forward with a smile, watching him toddle to the enticing flower bed bright with colours Mr Heath had undoubtedly spent most of his morning planting. With an incoherent babble of words leaving his lips, William sized up the flower in front of him, picking it from its root before you had time to scoop him up into your arms. " I'm sorry Mr Heath. Nothing seems to escape him at the moment" you apologised as you held William on your hip with his victory grasped firmly between his chubby fingers.
" Plenty more where they came from. Isn't that right William? We'll make a gardener of you yet" he winked to your son, looping his thumbs through his suspenders as William kicked his feet back and forth with a squeal, muddying your freshly laundered dress. " Got some of those roses you like Mam, had one of the lads plant 'em this morning. Miss Gray insisted on them being added to the new flower bed you've been designing. And I'm not foolish enough to say no to her, ay?" he said with a chuckle nodding them out as your eyes widened, and a smile flashed across your face at the touching gesture, and Polly's keen memory of the flowers you would have the groundsmen plant rows of so you could adorn the rooms of Arrow house with their sweet perfume.
" Oh Mr Heath, thank you! You're ever so kind" you said, placing your hand on the curve of his shoulder as your eyes brimmed with tears at his gentle nature, unaware the whole interaction was being watched by your husband who was stood at his office window.
" Well, well. She seems to have a soft spot for your trusted gardener" the Governess said announcing her presence, snaking forward behind Tommy as his jaw tightened at the sound of her voice, his fists clenching furiously onto the windowsill Infront of him." She's often out there talking to him, for hours on end"
" Get out" he stated coldly as Tommy continued to watch you from afar, the Governesses words slowly sowing doubt into his already bombarded thoughts.
" Oh come on Tommy..." She purred, standing behind him as she watched you with William talking to the gardener, her breath hot against the back of his neck, sending a shivering chill down his spine " William's her priority now. She's moving on, time you did too. I see a little spark between them" she giggled, brushing her hands around his waist down to his belt whilst she rested her freshly powdered cheek on his back as a heavy release of anger quickly heated the tips of Tommy's ears from her continued refusal to accept his disinterest in her.
"Keep your vapid thoughts to yourself!" he spat, pulling her talons off him as he marched to his office door puffing furiously on his cigarette before swinging it open for her to leave.
" She doesn't want you Tommy" she teased, her icy glare matching his own as she sauntered past him, taking the cigarette from his mouth then blowing the fumes over his lips before your husband furiously slammed the door and returned back to the window, back to his troubled mind.
Heavy with anger, the Governesses words had left a bitter taste in his spiraling thoughts as he slipped into paranoia. Was this your way to get back at him for the Governess? A fling with one of his staff? He thought to himself, watching your hand drop from the gardener's shoulder, your muffled laughs loud enough to be heard from where he was stood. What was so funny? Were you laughing at him? He fumed with jealousy, his eyes fixed solely on your every movement, ignoring the real reason for your joyful mood.
" William, no darling!" You said with a chuckle, turning to face your two-year-old who had taken a liking to the flower he had picked so much, it was now fully enclosed in his mouth with only the stem sticking out.
"We'll leave those for the horses, ay William?" the gardener laughed, ruffling his dark locks as you pulled the fully intact flower from within his plump cheeks. " I'll have my boys plant some more roses this weekend for you Mam. We'll soon have the gardens looking as they once did" Mr Heath promised, turning back with pride at the flower bed he had spent the previous days planning with you, a little something to help you remember things could be how they once were, given enough time to flower.
" Thank you, Mr Heath" you said, looking around the garden when your eyes darted past Tommy stood at the window in the distance with a cloud of smoke bellowing in front his face, a displeased look etched into his furrowed brow. " Shall we get you inside?" you said glancing away from your husband to your son, wondering what you had done now to have him looking so vexed.
" It's good to have you back Mam" Mr Heath nodded his head to you with a smile as you turned to leave.
" It's good to be home" you called back, adjusting William on your hip as you watched your husband in the corner of your eye, following your every step as you made your way back inside, and unknowingly to face his sour temper.
" Y/N!" Tommy bellowed your name as he came marching towards you when Frances quickly inserted herself between you both, noting the Governess lurking behind the door of the library watching.
" Did you enjoy the flowers Miss Gray had planted for the new garden you've been planning with Mr Heath, Mrs Shelby?" Frances quickly interrupted Tommy before he said something he would later undoubtedly regret. For Tommy's once notorious stoic demeanor had rapidly turned into one of anger since your return. The likely culprit to this sudden change in behavior, still watching down in the corridor, adding more fuel to the flames of your already burning marriage.
" It's beautiful. I must remember to call and thank her" you replied, turning to face your husband with a quizzical brow, watching him turn his head away with a deep sigh as his fingers came up to pinch the tightened skin on the bridge of his nose.
" Mr Shelby, is there something I can help you with?" Frances asked as you both waited, watching the wheels turn in his eyes while he stood with his hands on his hips, head cast down feeling stupid for letting the viper he needed to be rid of slither her way into his paranoia.
"The er, the cake..." he said clearing his throat as he looked up, his eyes darting between you and Frances as you furrowed your brow at his unusual stuttering manner. What had gotten into him?
" Yes Mr Shelby?" Frances replied with a dutiful smile.
" What...what did Mr Giles use this time?" he asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as his eyes quickly darted to you then back to your head housekeeper.
"Oh, I wouldn't know Mr Shelby. It was your wife that baked it this week" she said looking to you as you glanced up from smoothing down the jumper bunched up around William's chest whilst he curiously pulled at the pearl dangling from your earring.
" Brandy" you replied as a silence uncomfortably sat between you both while Frances watched on in desperation for you to both reunite, and bring peace and the love you shared back to Arrow House.
" Right" he replied quietly as his eyes lingered on you, gazing between your glossy lips and doe eyes looking up at him through your full lashes. " Right..." he repeated once again before suddenly turning for the front door.
" What...what on earth was all that about?" You asked your housekeeper as a look of puzzlement crossed your face from your husband's chaotic interaction with you.
" I'm not sure Mam" Frances replied guiding you away before glancing back to see a smirk of enjoyment flash across the Governesses lips, her eyes unnervingly narrowing in on her.
With an uncomfortable feeling of dread and unease weighing down her stomach, Frances watched the library door close, and the woman she had clocked onto slip away. What was she up to?
"Soon, William. Just another hour" you sighed, looking up at the clock as your son furiously stomped his feet, throwing his teddy your way with a wail of cries. No snacking, he's on a strict schedule. The Governesses words rang in your ears as you looked back at the ticking hands of the clock, convinced they were purposely going slower than normal. " How about we play with your new train set while we wait for dinner? Yeh?" you said energetically as you stood up from the nursery floor, hoping your enthusiasm would distract him from his rumbling belly. Holding out for his reaction, you waited and watched as he blinked away his tears, then dramatically threw himself to the floor, thrashing about like a crocodile in the throes of a death roll. " Right, you win" you declared, deciding a small snack was nothing worth battling over with a two-year-old as you picked him up and marched to the door and down the staircase. " I'm your mummy, and if you want a snack only one hour before dinner then...well, you can have a bloody snack" you said with determination, ignoring the Governesses rules that were anything but what she claimed to be "polite recommendations".
" Can I help you Mam?" The young kitchen aid Billy asked you as you started rummaging through the many cupboards, while simultaneously stopping Williams curious hands from putting everything and anything in his mouth for a drooling, toothy toddler taste test.
"Do we have any dried fruit, biscuits, bread?" You turned to ask him with a flustered face placing William down, your son instantly making a beeline for a large packet of flour. " William, wait!" you said as he opened the contents, pouring it over the tiled floor.
" Uh oh" he said with his hands out behind a puff of flour filling the air.
" Uh oh, indeed" you said covering your mouth from the giggles you were unable to hold back as you and Billy both looked down at your two-year-old emerging from the cloud of white dust that had settled around him.
" What's going on in here?" The Governess snapped, stood at the door as you patted the flour from your child's clothes. " Billy, clean this up" she demanded as you picked up your son and placed him on the kitchen table, dusting the remaining powdery kitchen staple from his brown locks. " Mrs Shelby. Your presence brings quite the chaos doesn't it?" she said as you sharply turned back to the cupboards, your patience reaching it's limits with her constant undermining of you. " His dinner is in under an hour" she reminded you as she frowned at the various jars and boxes of food you had pulled out from within the kitchen cabinets.
"He's been hungry for a few hours now. Something small won't hurt him before it's ready" you replied with as much assertiveness you could muster, waiting for her next snarky remark.
"Hours? I didn't tell you to starve the poor child. You're his mother, surely you know what he needs?" she replied, her cruel words hitting the little remaining self-confidence you had left as you bent down to William's eye level, his sweet face smiling back at you enough to keep the tears from starting, and the strength to say what needed to be said.
" I am his mother" you said, standing up, placing your arm protectively around your child's back. " And from today, I don't want to hear any more of your council, nor opinions on how I raise him. Know your place, and stay out of my parenting, and marriage" you finished with a labored breath, your heart rapidly pounding in your chest as you tried to keep your firmness on the matter from falling under the nerves coursing through your body.
"Billy, Mr Giles wants you! " She snapped, turning her piercing glare to the young kitchen aid stood nervously watching at the end of the table.
" But I have to finish up..."
" Now!" she barked, uncrossing her arms as she pulled a small jar of hazelnuts and various dried fruits from the shelf behind her as the young worker hurried past her, his eyes darting to the items of food she had placed on the large wooden table before he shut the door behind him. "Mrs Shelby?" She said pushing the food towards you, as you looked up from your son.
"Here we go, sweetheart" you said with a smile as you reached for the jar of nuts, crushing one between the heel of your hand and the table for him." Good?" You asked as he held his hand out for more, excitedly kicking his feet back and forth.
" Slow down" you giggled as your son delved his hand into the jar whilst you crushed another of the sweet earthy hazelnuts for you to share. "Slowly William" you said furrowing your brow as he began to cough, and your eyes darted around the kitchen for a jug of water as the Governess stood quietly watching. " William here, drink" you said placing a small cup to his lips when a feeling of unease settled in your stomach and your heart rapidly fluttered within you chest at the sound of yours sons sudden, unexpected wheezing. "William...William?" You panicked rubbing his back as his little lungs forcefully strained each labored breath out." Get help!" You cried looking to the Governess as you scooped up your son into your arms, his stifled cries of pain sending your body into a dizzying daze as your ears filled with a piercing ringing.
"What did you give him?!" Tommy shouted, storming through the kitchen moments later with Frances quickly following behind him as you stood there in shock, frantically trying to ease your child's cries.
" Wha...what's happening? Tommy?" You stuttered out between your rapid thoughts as you tried to answer your husband, when Tommy grabbed him from within your arms and placed him down on the cool slabbed floor, pulling his jumper off him.
" What did you fucking give him?!" Your husband screamed at you as his eyes darted up from the blotchy pink rashes covering your child's heaving chest and stomach.
" I...I..." You cried as you picked up the crushed hazelnut on the table next to you as Tommy's eyes suddenly widened in a panic.
" Get the fucking car!" Tommy shouted picking William up in his arms, cradling his limp body tightly against his chest as he ran outside, the Governess feet behind him.
" Frances?..." Your voice trembled as your eyes blinked through the tears welled in your lashes.
" You didn't know, dear. Quick, he needs you" she beckoned you forward from the state of shock welding your feet to the ground.
With a surge of adrenaline pushing you forward and out the front door, you watched as your husband carried your son into the car as the Governess slipped into the seat beside him.
"William!" You cried, as your shaky body frantically ran to them, stumbling forward until your hands landed on the boot of the car. " I'm here...William I'm here" you sobbed as your trembling fingers guided you around the Bentley, only for the Governess to slam the door shut in your face before quickly winding the window up. " Wait, wait!" You cried banging your fists on the glass, trying to garner your husband's attention who was in his own panicked daze as he tried to ease your sons discomfort.
" Go" the Governess instructed the driver as she wrapped her arm around your husbands shoulder, flashing you a look of disgust and contempt before the car drove off in a haste, leaving you in a heap of strangled cried in the muddied grass.
An allergic reaction, something any mother would have know. Something you should have known. But you didn't. And as you watched the car speed away, you felt your body cave in on itself as the weight of the grave error you had made plunged you into the depths of the ground below you, dragging you into nothing but hopelessness and despair. You were his mother... you should have known.
Four hours had passed since your husband had rushed your son to the nearest hospital. And as you sat in the icy bath you had plunged yourself into over two hours ago, you stayed motionless, numb from the thousands of needles pricking your skin as you stared blankly at the droplets of water dripping from the tap at the end of the bath, counting them as they echoed loudly in the empty darkened room.
" Mrs Shelby! My goodness!" You'll freeze to death" Frances gasped upon entering the room, throwing the neatly folded linen in her arms to the floor before pulling the plug from the bath and you along with it.
"Is he dead? Frances... Is he dead?" your voice trembled as you snapped out of your dazed state at the feeling of a warm towel being tightly wrapped around your freezing body.
" William is well, Mam" She replied as she pulled you towards her, frantically rubbing your arms up and down in an attempt to warm your body up. " Mr Shelby is waiting for you in the nursery. He wants to speak with you"
"No. I can't, Frances...not after this. He'll kill me" you panicked as you clutched tightly onto her arm, pulling yourself and her away from the door, away from the anger you feared your husband had for you.
" He'll do nothing of the sort" she reassured your paranoid mind, slowly guiding your reluctant feet to the master bedroom to dress, and the welcoming burning fire she had lit for you.
" I do like to be beside the seaside, oh I do like to be beside the sea" you heard your husband quietly sing as William slept soundly in his arms whilst you watched from the door of the nursery. "Shh, my boy" he said, turning to see you as you shifted nervously from one foot to the other under the moonlight beaming through the windows as he placed William gently into his cot.
" I'm sorry. I...I didn't know" you sobbed quietly as your husband stood with his hands resting on his waist, his face tired and drained from the day's events.
" We need to talk" he said, raising his brow with his hand out pointing to you as he watched you step back and away from him.
" I didn't know Tommy..." you cried, slowly walking backwards until your body hit the door and your fingers frantically reached for the handle behind you as your husband stared you down.
" You gonna run, eh? That's what you do, don't you?" He said following you, his eyes challenging you with every step you took as you stumbled past the furniture of your master bedroom. "Run when things get hard..." his voice rose when you turned and bolted out the door and down the corridor. " Y/N!" Tommy's voice bellowed down the stairs as he ran after you, watching you push the heavy front door open into the night air. " No! I'm not gonna let you do this again!" He shouted catching up, firmly grabbing your arm as you tossed and turned in his grip.
" Tommy stop!" You screamed, pushing him off you as you stumbled back, your lungs scrambling for air from the anguished cry that had left your lips. " I can't...I can't do this anymore. I'm not fit to be his mother. I could've killed him" you wept breathlessly as you clutched onto the brick wall gating your home.
"You didn't know..."
"I should have though! Why did you bring me back here, Tommy?! Why? You should have left me!" you shouted at him, hitting him across his chest, furious that he had thrown you back into the situation you once fled from after having convinced yourself your presence only brought dread and chaos to the ones you loved the most.
" Left you? You wanted me to fucking leave you?! Do you want to see what you left me with, eh?" Tommy bellowed, as he grabbed you by your arms, stopping your weak blows before dragging you by the wrist to a gated, enclosed area at the back of the house. "There. That's what you left me with" he spat, pushing you through the gate to a stoned monument adorned with carved roses cascading down it's side, your name intricately etched into the marble. " An empty fucking grave Y/N!" He yelled, the force of his words taking his breath away as his body hunched over, heaving for air.
"Tom..." You cried turning to face him, desperately reaching for him.
" Filled with your clothes, pictures of me and William. A tomb without a fucking body" he said, running his hands through his hair as he looked at the marked grave. "He cried for you every night you were gone. I...I didn't know what to do Y/N, he wanted his mother. But you were gone, dead" Tommy sniffed, letting his barrier finally drop as tears welled in his eyes, and he lulled his head back, desperately trying to get a hold on his escaping emotions. "Do you know how that felt, eh? That I couldn't take his tears away, that his own father couldn't settle him?" He said through gritted teeth letting his head drop, letting you see the depths of despair you had left him in. "Two years Y/N. Two fucking years...Why?" He finally gave into the conversation he had been avoiding for over a fortnight.
I...I couldn't cope anymore " you sobbed as you cautiously stepped closer to him with your hands out. " You were never here, I..."
" So it was my fault then?" He quickly interjected, shaking his head with a scoff.
" No! No Tommy" you hurried to correct him, gingerly reaching up to cup his cheeks as you turned his head to face you. " I needed your help. I should have asked for your help" you sniffed as you desperately searched your muddled thoughts for the answers he rightfully deserved. " I felt lost, Tommy. Confused. I didn't understand why I couldn't do what other women did so naturally, when all I've ever wanted to be, all I've ever dreamt of being was a mother. And I couldn't do it, Tommy. I couldn't fucking do it!" You broke down, your fingers grasped tightly onto the front of his shirt. " I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." you wept loudly, your body shaking furiously from the heartache you had put both yourself and your family through with your actions.
Unable to withstand the torment of seeing the woman he loved so broken, so fragile, he pulled you into his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around you as he placed a pressing kiss to your head.
" You were doing it though. You couldn't see it, but you were doing everything any mother would have done, sweetheart" he sighed, threading his hand through your hair as he closed his eyes, his longing body starved of your warmth loosening in the comfort of you. "I should..." He sighed as he looked up at the night sky, a gentle breeze drifting past him cooling his simmering temper. " I should have been there. Done more" he said as he cupped your head to look at him. " I should have done more Y/N" he reiterated as his thumb swiped over the tears pooled above your cheeks.
" Forgive me Tommy...please" You sobbed, pressing your forehead to his as you linked your hands tightly around his neck, desperately holding out for his forgiveness.
" I've never had a reason to, darling" he sighed, cradling the side of your head against his thundering heart, his love for you beating rapidly through his chest. For as much as Tommy's troubled mind had put the brunt of your shared problems on your shoulders alone. His heart never betrayed him, never stopped loving you, never once blamed you for the troubled emotions he knew were out of your reach of control.
As you both sat down on the step of the marble headstone, you rested your tired body in your husband's strong frame as he looked up at the glittering sky, silently thanking the unknown for the peace he finally felt having you wrapped in his arms once again. But Tommy's peace would be short-lived. A storm was coming to Arrow house, its maker watching from the window of her room as her face twisted with fury, her bitter mind gleeful of the hell she would bring down on this grand house and everyone in it.
" You fool Thomas Shelby. You fool..
PART FIVE coming soon!
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loveisfriendship · 1 month
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😍😍😍😍 this reunion
Letters to Juliet & Romeo II (Thomas Shelby x Reader)
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Summary: Heartbroken and in the midst of the Great War as a nurse, Y/N L/N writes to a person she never expected to write to before... her brother's friend, Thomas Shelby... But the war's over now and it is time to face the letters...
Warnings: angst, wartime talk, fluff, reunion, pre-Peaky Blinders Tommy, solider!Tommy, nurse!Reader, chubby!reader, age gap (everyone is of age)
Italics: contents of letters
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🪖 Dividers by @firefly-graphics 🪖 Banner by @vase-of-lilies
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June 1918, 5 Months before Great War Ends 4 Years of Letters
I picture what my life might be like when this war ends, I picture how I will ever continue to go about life after seeing the worst of men...
Y/N read Tommy's newest letter, she could see the dirt on it and the smudged thumbprints he left as he traced it; they were flooded today in the camp ever since they moved further onto the field. It was night now when she got to reading his letter, she wondered too how her life was going to be like when she got home.
I picture you there by my side, I imagine us together... I imagine you in my arms, holding you at night. You are the only one that knows me, the me that this war has crafted and spat out...
Y/N felt tears well up in her eyes as she read his profession, her lip wobbling as she read his letter before the tears soon began to fall down her cheeks as she heard some of her fellow nurses snore away into the night.
If we survive this war, I plan to make you a Shelby, make a honest woman out of you... dedicate my life to the woman who has held me together...
🪖
11 A.M., November 1918, the Great War was declared over... she could remember patching up a badly injured man when the gun fire stopped. She had looked up and saw the confusion on everyone's faces when they realized the total silence around them.
And now, the train she was on that was taking her home stopped, the conductor announcing their stop in Small Heath. She stood, grabbing her suitcase as she was still dressed in her ward uniform since that's what they were told to wear home. She wondered if Tommy had made it home first, she knew there was soldiers on the train, but she prayed he was somewhere.
She had written to her mother, who told her that her brother had arrived home first since he was one of the first to head home and that they would be greeting her.
As she stepped off the train, suitcase heavy as she saw the crowded train station, witnessing the reunions happening and she felt a sadness come over as she began to look around for her family.
"Y/N..."
Her eyes widen as she heard that familiar voice and turned around...
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Tommy was dressed in his uniform just like how many others were as him and his brothers stepped off the train, immediately seeing Polly, Ada and Finn waiting for them in the crowd.
"There you boys are", Polly said, embracing them.
Tommy's mind wandered as he hoped Y/N was close by, he needed to see her, hold her just as anyone needed air to breath. He tuned out whatever the others were talking about as he looked around and his heart stopped as he saw her, the glimpse of her face as she was dressed in those damned nursing clothes.
Here she was, the woman he wanted to make his wife...
"Y/N..."
He watched as she froze and began to turn, but he had already begun to move, pushing past people and ignoring the voices of his family as he watched Y/N also drop her suitcase and began to walk towards him.
"Tommy", she said with tears in her eyes as finally, they embraced.
It was a tight embrace, one that felt as if one of them let go, they would never be here again. Tommy buried his face in his neck, his hand accidentally knocking off her cap as he squeezed her, feeling her tears wet a part of his uniform as little sobs escaped her.
He felt whole as if the missing piece he never had was returned to him as he lifted her off the ground for a few minutes as they embraced...
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"So that's who the bastard's been writing to", Arthur mused, John chuckled.
"Don't be mad that he had a bird waiting for him", John teased as Polly rolled her eyes.
She watched as her nephew embraced the girl tightly, the two lost in their own world as Polly's eyes widen at who the girl was.
"Blimey, that's B/N's sister", she breathed, Ada squinted and saw it too.
"Looks like we've got a wedding to plan for, huh Polly?" Ada said.
Polly let out a little chuckle and thought that at least something good came out of this war...
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@calmingmelody96 @69your-best-night-mare69
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loveisfriendship · 1 month
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Letters to Juliet & Romeo I (Thomas Shelby x Reader)
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Summary: Heartbroken and in the midst of the Great War as a nurse, Y/N L/N writes to a person she never expected to write to before... her brother's friend, Thomas Shelby... But the war's over now and it is time to face the letters...
Warnings: wartime angst, talks of wartime violence, pre-Peaky Blinder Tommy, soldier Tommy
Italics: content of the letters
A/N: Inspired by the movie 'Letters to Juliet', also there is no real timeline of when Tommy goes into the tunnels in France
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January 1916, 2 Years into the Great War (WW1)
"L/N, you got a letter."
Looking up from the book she was reading, Y/N set it to the side as one of the soldiers came in, handing her a envelope that was a little dirty, had seen a little wear and tear but she recognized the hand writing on it.
She recognized his handwriting after months of writing to Tommy, Y/N remembered the first time she had written Tommy; it came after months of not hearing from her brother when he had left to France with the rest of the men in Small Heath. Y/N had made the decision to join in as a nurse with the Red Cross and maybe it was foolish, but she remembered the night before leaving on the train, when her nursing uniform was on her bed as the nerves were coursing through her that she grabbed a piece a paper and began to write.
Dear Thomas that letter began, she poured out everything about how Small Heath was, how she had signed up as a nurse and how she prayed she wouldn't find any of them in the camp hospital she was going to be. She had written how she barely had made the qualifications of being a nurse for the Red Cross with her just having turned 25 and such.
"Who keeps writing you, F/N?" one of her fellow nurses teased.
"Don't you know that's her boyfriend?" another responded.
"He's not my boyfriend", she denied, feeling a heat go through her.
"Sure he isn't."
The letters have begun as something innocent when Tommy had responded back to her first letter, she could sense the shock in his letter about her writing him but as the letters progressed, so did their relationship through their letters.
Opening the newest letter, Y/N felt a sense of anxiety in her as she remembered having had the courage to send Tommy a picture of her in her uniform; she remembered taking the picture once her training had been done, having donned the periwinkle, long-sleeve floor-length dress with the white apron that wrapped around her and went down to the ground. She had to tightly wrapped her back back into the white cap like habit.
A big red cross over the chest of her apron, she had sent the photo off with her letter and prayed that he didn't dislike it.
Reading the letter, she traced over his handwriting, feeling where he pressed hard on the paper as he wrote as she read how he found her to be beautiful in her photo.
You look even more beautiful than when I last saw you...
It made her heart clench as she saw how he wrote how he hid the photo in his service jacket from the others, that he didn't want them to see the lovely girl that kept writing him letters because he felt possessive over this same piece of heaven that was keeping him sane.
Y/N could picture Tommy in the trenches, covered in grime and dirt as he had to listen to the horrors of the wartime. She read how he longed for the war to be over, how he was fortunate enough to be with people that he knew, but he was terrified.
They're sending me to the underground soon. They want me and the others to be sappers, dig in the tunnels under No Man's Land
Y/N felt her heart drop at the prospect of Tommy going into the tunnels, having to dig with shovels under the handles broke and he would be forced to dig with his hands. She had seen some soldiers came in, having treated their hands for digging under the trenches and dealing with the explosives.
My only comfort is you, being able to bring the picture you sent me down in the ground where death might be waiting for me... the only thing that has gotten me through this damned war is you...
"Ladies, we got mass casualties coming in!" their head nurse shouted into the tent. "Look alive, ladies!"
Y/N tucked the newest letter into her pillowcase, knowing she was once again about to face the horrors of the war as she reminisced on Tommy's smile, she knew he smiled a lot.
But now, she had a feeling he didn't smile as much.
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Dear Thomas,
I'm sure you're curious as to why you received a letter from B/N's litter sister. Frankly, I'm a little shocked I'm writing to you, I've not heard from my brother no matter the amount of letters I've sent.
That was how the first letter started, Tommy sometimes would re-read the letter when he couldn't sleep amongst the noises of screaming soldiers and anxiety.
"Shelby, ya girl's sent another letter", one of his fellow soldiers said as he held out a envelope.
Tommy grabbed the envelope, none of his brothers were around as he opened the letter; he remembers the shy smiles Y/N would send him when he would see her as she visited her brother, the little nose wrinkle she got when she would laugh a loud, deep belly laugh (one that he knew others called unladylike, but that he remembered fondly).
He felt the smooth texture of a photo in the letter, pulling the picture to his eyes and he felt a sense of... love come over him as he saw the picture of her in her nursing ward uniform. A small smile on her full lips, the roundness of her cheeks that only made her look younger, he could see in her eyes the nerves of everything. The cap hid her hair from view and he wondered if she had cut it short like other nurses were forced to do because of sanitation and he was curious if she still smiled.
He hoped she did because the only time he smiled was when he got her letters...
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