#john shelby one shot

[peakyltd]

Hidden Secrets

John Shelby x female reader

A/N: This is the first time ever I wrote smut because I wanted to practice, so all feedback and tips are welcome!

Warnings: Smut (18+) Minors DNI 🔞 Non protected, p in v, light dirty talk, teasing, light dom/sub, a bit rough at some point, swearing It's my first try at any kind of smut so please keep that in mind 😂

Words: 5.6k

The soft sunlight peeked trough the gaps of the curtain, waking her in the process. She felt John's bare body safely pressed against her back, his arm loosely resting on her hip and his calm, soft breathing tickling on her neck.

She carefully stretched her limbs, not wanting to wake him up until she realized she might did it anyway. A soft groan left his mouth and his arm wrapped around her body to pull her closer into his chest. A smile appeared on her face as she closed her eyes once more. She knew she had to go but his touch made her feel at home and spending a little more time in his bed, wouldn't hurt anybody. Her mind wandered back to the night before, it was one like no other and she wished it could've lasted forever.

They had met early in the evening at their usual spot, far enough from anyone to see them. He was waiting for her with a cigar in his mouth, leaning against the wall, surprising her with her favorite wine. They shared a few, quick kisses before they went on their way to their favorite place. A place were they knew they would be alone. It was peaceful, surrounded by trees and the flooding water of the small stream nearby was the only thing that could be heard.

"What did you tell your parents this time?" John wondered as he removed his coat and cap before he sat down in the grass next to her. "I said I was going to spend the night at a friends house. They didn't question it further." She answered while watching John, who opened the bottle of wine.

He turned to look at her, a grin on his face. "They didn't question it because in their eyes you're such an angel." He chuckled. "If they'd found out you sneak off with me, you'd never set a foot outside ever again." A giggle escaped her mouth. "Well, I should keep up the angel attitude then, I wouldn't want to miss out on spending time with you." John smirked as he put the bottle down, making sure it didn't fell over before leaning back on his hands to look at her. "Nothin' to keep up if you are one already." He leant closer to her face and kissed her softly.

She didn't necessarily wanted to hide their relationship but they had no other choice than to see each other in secret. Both their families weren't fond of each other and her parents would never accept it if she told them that she was dating a 'Shelby', as they liked to call them. John's family wouldn't approve it either, however John didn't care much about it. It made her feel quite hopeful for the future.Their future. She didn't know what it would look like just yet but it didn't matter, as long as it was together with John.

She felt a jolt deep in the pit of her stomach as he pulled away and met with his steel blue eyes. She couldn't help but stare. The worries about someone finding out they were seeing each other faded the longer she held his gaze. Her hand rested on the back of his neck and pulled him in for another kiss. One of his hands rested on her waist as he deepened the kiss, gently nibbling on her bottom lip before he felt her lips part, granting him access. He pulled her closer while their tongues explored each other, gentle but demanding. Her breath quickened as she let her other hand rest on his chest. His hand ran over her body, bringing goosebumps to her skin. A soft moan escaped her mouth as she felt herself melt into him.

A sudden emptiness replaced his warm touch when he pulled away, leaving her wanting more. He moved down to her neck, soft kisses were left all over while his hand slid down to her thigh. His fingers ran over her covered skin while the kisses on her neck turned into gentle sucking. Her hand rested on his shoulder while the other ran trough his hair. "John..." A whimper left her lips, begging for more. The corners of his lips turned into a cheeky smirk before pulling away, pressing a firm kiss on her lips. "What is it, love?" He looked at her, her cheeks flushed and her lips swollen, a sight he could never get enough of. "Did that do somethin' to you?"

She playfully pushed his chest as a smirk played onto her lips. "Shut up." A chuckle erupted from his mouth. "Let's just say this was a little preview for tonight." He grinned as he pecked her lips once more. "Really? Not much to expect then." John shook his head as he laid down in the grass, pulling her with him. A squeal left her lips. "Not much to expect? What did I just hear then, eh?" He smirked. "John..." He imitated her moan as she started laughing. "Please, you're so full of yourself." She chuckled as she sat up and placed her legs on each side of his waist to straddle him. "You know that what you're doing is kind of dangerous?" He questioned while looking up at her, his hand finding their way to her hips. "What do you mean?" She moved her hips carefully, grinding gently against his. "(Y/N) I swear to god, if you don't fucking stop-"

"Then fucking what?" Her voice sounded innocent but her smug smirk told him otherwise. John grinned as he tightened his grip on her hips. "I'm just saying that you have to walk all the way home with me tonight and that might become a little harder once I'm done with you."

A fluttering feeling took over her as she thought of the things he would do and had already done before. She licked her lips while looking down at him. "Doesn't sound too bad." She challenged, leaning over him as she pressed her lips against his, her hips moving against his. His hand moved to her butt, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Don't challenge me." He mumbled against her lips as he sat up slightly. "I'm not." Her voice came out as a whisper as she stared directly in his eyes, before he had the chance to kiss her again, she crawled off of him.

"Would you like a little bit of wine to cool off, love?" She exaggerated the little pet name as she lifted the bottle of wine, a big grin on her face. John sat up, shaking his head. "I can't fuckin' believe you." He referred to her teasing. She giggled as she took a little sip. "I learned it from you, I guess." She batted her eyelashes innocently at him. A smirk tugged on his lips. "Give that 'ere." He demanded as he took the bottle from her and took a sip himself. "If people only knew what you were really like." He teased while his grin only grew bigger.

"As if you mind." She countered, raising her eyebrow. A smile on her face. "Oh no. Not at all." He grabbed her jaw between his fingers and kissed her softly. His other hand ran down her body, his fingers grazing her breasts. When he felt her leaning closer, he pulled away. "Ah I'm sorry, love. Not yet." The grin that had left his face for only mere seconds, had returned on his face. An annoyed sigh left her lips as she watched him lay back down in the grass, chuckling. He patted the spot next to him and opened his arms. "Come 'ere."

She moved over and laid down next to him, her head resting on his chest as he stroked her back. "The things you do to me John Shelby." She sighed jokingly. "And I'm not even done yet." He chuckled before kissing the top of her head. She giggled as her arm draped lazily over his abdomen. A comfortable silence fell over them as she listened to the calm beating of his heart. John's fingers gently drew circles on her skin as he looked up at the sky where stars were visible. "For how much longer do you want to keep us a secret?" He wondered, as he moved his hand up to her hair, running his fingers carefully trough it.

"It's not that I want to keep us a secret so bad." She started. "Although I must admit that it's very exciting." A smirk appeared on John's face. "I agree."

"But you know it's quite a... thing with my family. Our families." She continued her sentence. "But let's be honest, darling." John retorted, still stroking her hair. "Who fucking cares." His blunt answer made her giggle. "Well, maybe you have a point there." She moved to rest her head on his shoulder. "It's our life, not theirs." He stated as he looked at her. "I know." His words gave her something to think of. There was no one who could tell her what or what not to do but she also knew that her family wouldn't take it the right way. Maybe they should keep it a secret, just a little longer.

A few hours flew by while they watched the stars and laid in each other's arms. Many thoughts where shared, followed by even more banter. John reached for his pocket watch to check the time. "We can go to mine if you'd like?" He offered while he turned to look at her. "Are you sure Arthur is back from the Garrison? I don't want to repeat what happened the last time." She chuckled. He checked his watch again. "He must be. I mean it's late, even for Arthur."

"Then let's go." She pressed his lips against his before she got up. "I still remember that face of yours." John laughed as he got up. "I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest." She chuckled as she thought of the time Arthur almost caught her and John when they sneaked into the family house. John pushed her behind the curtains that hang in front of the doors to the betting shop while he tried to distract his brother.

She grabbed the, now empty, bottle of wine and watched John put on his cap. He took his coat and hung it over her shoulders. "We don't want you to get cold, do we?" He winked while taking her hand. A beaming smile broke onto her face. "Thank you."

"I'll replace it back home with myself again." He cheekily stated as he kissed her cheek. "I can't wait." She giggled, squeezing his hand softly. Ready to go home.

Before they entered the streets of Small Heath she let go of his hand. As she was about to take off his coat, she saw him giving her a confused look. "In case anyone sees us." She explained while he adjusted the coat on her shoulders. "It's midnight, no one will see us."

"You know how people are. They will talk." She looked up to him, trying to get her point across. "Let them talk." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, earning a sigh from her. "Come on, love. We're almost there." He encouraged her, a hint of sass in his voice. "I don't have much choice, do I?" She sighed, rolling her eyes playfully at him. "You don't." He gently pressured her forwards, walking her to his home.

Once they arrived, they made their way to the back of the house trough the dark alley. John looked up to see if he could see any lights that gave away that someone was awake still. When there wasn't, he carefully opened the back door and made his way inside. While he ushered her in and tried to close the door, it made a loud creaking sound. "Fucking hell." He whispered under his breath while locking it. When he turned around, he found her big eyes looking up at him. "It's fine, love." He assured her as he took her hand.

He lead the way trough the house to the stairs and carefully climbed up with her behind him. The stairs were far from silent but they eventually made it to his bedroom without getting caught. As John closed the door, a sigh left her mouth. He chuckled at the sight of her. "Quite nervous, weren't you?" She let his coat slide off her shoulders. "Oh please, don't get me started." She whispered, knowing how thin the walls were.

He took the coat from her and hung it over the chair that stood in his room. He put his cap on his nightstand before removing his suit jacket and vest, leaving him in only his undershirt. The suspenders resting on his shoulders. Her eyes ran over his body, eager to replace her stare with her hands soon. When she looked up at him, she found him grinning at her. "Like what you see?"

"You know I do." She smiled at him, feeling her pulse increasing. "Come and get it then." He smiled, taking her hand and pulling her close, holding her in his embrace. She wrapped her arms around his waist as she looked up at him, his loving gaze looking back down at her as his smile grew wider. She felt her stomach flutter when he leaned in before he gently connected his lips with hers. Her eyes fluttered close, hands finding their way to his cheeks as she deepened the kiss. John's hands slid down her body, eventually resting on her butt.

She felt his tongue slowly graze over her lips, asking for access which she happily granted him. He started gentle while his fingers dug into her skin. A soft moan left her mouth and her hands slid down his chest, feeling his muscles tense under her touch. She gripped onto his shirt as he softly sucked on her bottom lip, a soft groan leaving his mouth. She needed more and and she didn't want to waste any time. Her lips greedily moved against his until he suddenly broke their kiss. She looked up at him, panting slightly. "What's wrong?" She breathed out. Their lips almost touched and he could feel her breath onto his skin. His eyes scanned her face before his lips turned into a smile. A soft whisper reached her ears. "I love you." His words made her heart beat faster. "I love you too, John." She beamed.

He looked down at her lips, as he took a moment before crashing his lips on hers. His hands ran hungrily over her body while her hands desperately tried to open the buttons of his shirt. Her lips left his, only to attack his throat with open mouth kisses. She grazed his skin with her tongue before sucking softly, earning a low moan from him.

John had opened her dress and pulled it over head, leaving her in only her panties. He licked his lips before he tipped her chin up to make her look at him. "Where's your bra, eh?" The smirk on his face grew, his eyes twinkling. "Should've told me that out in the field." She grinned at him, her hand tugging on the hem of his pants to pull him closer. "I hoped you'd notice it then and there but who am I to spoil the fun?" She teased. He shook his head, the smirk still evident on his face. "You're driving me fuckin' crazy."

Just as he wanted to kiss her again, she grabbed his suspenders and walked backwards to his bed, pulling him with her. John gladly followed her. When the back of her knees hit the bed, he gently pushed her onto it. He crawled on top of her and started kissing her neck, his hands roaming over her body. His teeth grazed along her skin, sucking on her soft spot. She could feel his bulge against her core, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip to keep herself from moaning. He made his way down to her breasts, his hand grabbing onto them while his tongue swirled around one of her sensitive nipples. A gasp came from her mouth while her hand rested on the back of his neck. He sucked softly as his hand gently slid down between her legs, his fingers brushed over her still clothed core while putting gentle pressure on her clit.

The sensations were sending pleasure trough her body and a loud moan escaped her mouth. "Ssh, love. Be quiet." John's sparkling blue eyes met hers, he moved up to kiss her while he softly rubbed his finger in circles. She whimpered softly while she tried to keep quiet. "I know you can do it." He smirked against her lips. "Wouldn't want anyone to walk in, do we?" She shook her head as she grabbed onto his suspenders again. "No. Please keep going." She begged as she pulled him back in for a kiss. His fingers slid into her panties, rubbing them over her pussy, causing her to move her hips, in need of the friction he provided her before. His fingers moved back to where she needed them the most, applying more pressure and moving them a bit faster. Her hands ran over his back while he kissed down her neck. "Fuck..." A breathy whisper confirmed that John was doing the right thing.

He ran his finger up and down her slit, while he kissed down to her breasts. She ran her hand trough his hair while her mouth was slightly agape. His hand and mouth left her body as he sat up to take her panties off, her curious eyes looking up at him. "You're still wearing too many clothes Mr. Shelby." She smirked as he hovered over her again, her hands resting on his shoulders. "Guess you have to help me get rid of 'em then." He grinned. Her hands grasped the suspenders and pulled them off his shoulders, the already opened shirt found its way to the floor not long after. She left kisses over his chest while her fingers opened his pants.

His fingers found their way back to her clit, continuing his previous movements before inserting one of them, pumping it in and out. His thumb now pleasuring her clit. Her body tensed from the sensations and her hand grabbed onto his arm. Quiet moans echoed trough the room. "Oh god."

"Fuckin' hell, love." John licked his lips as he watched her body react to him. "I fucking need you." She breathed out, her grip on his arm tightening as he put more pressure on her clit. "John..."

"Patience, darling. Patience." He smirked, loving how much effect the teasing had on her, however, he was slowly losing his own patience. He added another finger, curling them inside her. Her other hand grabbed onto his sheets, trying to distract herself from making any sound. She felt her muscles tense up as a knot started form in stomach. "Don't stop... please." She breathed out, her chest heaving up and down. John leaned his face close tho hers while quickening his movements. Whimpers left her mouth as the pleasure took over her body. He kissed her, his fingers still working to bring her to her high. He felt her legs tense up and her nails digging into his arm. She arched her back, her body convulsing as her climax washed over her. Her moans were muffled by John's lips. "Oh f-fuck."

Her heart was pounding as she tried to catch her breath. "Such a good girl, aren't you?" He smiled at her while he pressed some loving kisses against her jaw. She wrapped her arms lazily around his neck, still coming down from the rush, while she enjoyed his the contact of his lips on her skin. "You make me one." She giggled softly. He chuckled while he stroked her hair. She let go of him and pushed gently against his chest, telling him to move. He got off of her and stood next to the bed, an excited look in his eyes. She looked at him trough her lashes, her hands moving over her breasts as her fingers circled around her nipples. "Take off those trousers, darling." John licked his lips as he obeyed, his eyes focused on her. "For fucks sake, (Y/N)."

"What?" She innocently asked. "Don't even ask." He walked over to her but she stopped him with her foot and reached out for his hand. He took it and pulled her up when she lowered her leg again. "Are you getting a little frustrated?" Her fingers ran over his still covered, hard member. "C'mon, love. I know you want it too." He whined, eagerly waiting for her touch. "Oh I do." She hooked her fingers on the hem of his underwear and pulled them down, freeing his cock. A soft groan came from John's mouth as his hands grabbed her waist. "I'll fuck you so good, darling." He tried to move her back to the bed but she had other plans. Her hands grabbed his upper arms and gently forced him back. "Sit down."

"(Y/N), cmon." He growled as he sat on the bed. She climbed in his lap, straddling him, before her hand wrapped around his shaft. John gasped at the sudden touch, his hands resting on her hips. "Patience, darling. Patience." She repeated his exact same words as her fingers slightly ran over his tip, a smirk on her face. She knew the teasing would rile him up even more. She rested her head on his shoulder as she kept going, slowly moving her hand up and down his shaft. "I want you to fuck me John. I fucking need you." She whispered in his ear as she felt his hands tightening his grip onto her hips. "Are you that needy, honey?" She purred into his ear as she sucked gently on his earlobe, her hand still working on his cock.

A soft, low moan fell from his lips. "I'm not fucking begging for you, honey." He stated. "Oh, you already did." She smirked, rolling her hips against his, biting her lip as she looked at him while moving her hand up and down faster. His eyes were blazing full of his lust. "Alright, enough."

"John, no-" A squeal left her mouth as he lifted her, he stood up and laid roughly back on the bed. She giggled when crawled on top of her. "What did I say before?" John questioned, a grin on his face. "That I have to be quiet." She answered, her nails running over the skin of his chest. "What did I just hear?"

"I'm trying my best. I promise." She batted her eyelashes at him while her other hand found his cock again, a soft gasp leaving his mouth. "I guess I have to make it even harder for you."

"I can't fucking wait." She smirked, letting go of his cock while she spread her legs for him, giving him the opportunity to line himself up with her entrance. She looked up at him, her lips slightly agape before she pulled his face down to hers, her lips grazing his. "Fuck me."

The corners of his lips turned into a smirk. "Keep quiet." He slowly sunk himself into her waiting heat, a low groan escaping his lips. "Fuck." The feeling of his cock stretching her, made her gasp. While she adjusted to him, he thrusted slowly into her, watching her as a soft whimper left her mouth.

"I fuckin' missed you." He mumbled against her lips, soon turning into a hungrily, messy kiss full of tongue and clashing teeth. A sign for him to pick up his pace. Her hands ran over his broad shoulders, while she tried to keep the volume of her desperate moans down. One of his hands reached down to her leg to lift it up against his hip so he was able to sink into her even deeper. The sound of his moans filled the room at the feeling of her velvet walls clinging onto him.

"Faster..." She breathed out. A smirk tugged on his lips. "Excuse me?" One of his hands moved up to her face to grab her jaw gently between his fingers. "What did you say?" She bit her lip to restrain herself from moaning. " Faster, please..." She begged. "Please." He loved when she was so desperate for him, those juicy lips of hers begging him to give her more. While his hips rolled faster against hers, he hit the perfect spot that made her moan out loud, her hands ran down to his back where her nails dug into his skin. The sounds of their skin slapping against each other rang in his ears as he watched her throw her head back while another loud moan left her mouth. He quickly tried to cover her mouth with his hand but realised the damage was already done.

A loud tud came from the other side of the wall, followed by shouts. "JOHN! FOR FUCKS SAKE!" Tommy's loud voice boomed trough the house. (Y/N)'s widened eyes met his as John stopped moving and he calmly shook his head. "Don't worry, darlin'. He's all talk." He whispered softly, a grin on his lips. "Nothing to worry about."

Her hands ran down his biceps. "But what if he-" John cut her off with a loving kiss, their lips devouring each other. "There's only one thing you have to worry about." He mumbled against her lips. "And that's me." He smirked before leaving open mouth kisses down her throat. "Understood?"

She nodded, her fingers running trough his hair. "Yes." She felt his mouth kissing down her chest, finding her nipple again. His tongue twisted in circles around the sensitive bud, his eyes looking up to her. She licked her lips as she kept his gaze, ready for him to finish what he started. She slowly moved her hips against his, desperate for the delicious friction he was providing her moments ago. John smirked, his hand moved between her legs to find her clit, rubbing it slowly with such a light touch that it only frustrated her more. "Eager, are we?" She grabbed his wrist, trying to add more pressure. "I know you need it too."

"I don't know what you mean." He continued. Her hand wrapped around his neck, pulling him down close to her face. "You know exactly what I mean John. I want you to fuck me hard, like you fucking promised." His mouth hung slightly open at her words, soon turning into a smirk as his hands grabbed onto her waist. "Where are those words coming from, angel?"

"I'm just hoping that you're not all talk either." She challenged. He shook his head in amusement. "I think you should talk less." He slowly pulled out, leaving her feeling empty. Her eyes filled with curiosity, eagerly waiting to see what he had in mind. "On your knees." She happily obeyed while she lowered her upper body. He spread her legs a bit more before slamming into her without a warning. A desperate moan escaped from her lips while John pounded into her. Her fingers grabbed the sheets tightly, the sensations taking over her body.

John took ahold of her hips, his fingers digging into her skin while he listened to her whimpers of pleasure as if it were the melodies of his favorite song. She buried her face in the pillow, muffling her moans while John kept pounding into her with a quick and strong pace. "Nah, darling. C'mere." He put her arms behind her back and pulled her upper body against his chest, wrapping one arm across her body to hold her while the other found her swollen clit again. He felt her walls clench around him, signaling that she was close.

His head rested on her shoulder and his moans filled her ears, his chest pressed tightly against her back, her hands tightly grabbing onto his arm. She couldn't keep herself from moaning anymore as she felt her climax coming. "John... p-please." She panted. "I'm so close."

He covered her mouth with his hand, pulling her back to let the back of her head rest against his shoulder. He sucked softly on the skin of her neck, close to her ear. "Cum for me, love." He encouraged. The pounding turned into long, hard strokes, hitting her spot every time, while he gently rubbed her clit. The moans of pleasure died down against his hand. She felt the muscles in her body all tense at once and her legs started shaking, her breath turning into short gasps. She squeezed her eyes shut as her orgasm made her lose control over her body. A loud cry of release was muffled by John's hand as he slowly fucked her trough her climax.

If it wasn't for John to hold her up by his strong arms, she would've collapsed on the bed as she came down from her high. Her hair stuck to her face, turned into a panting mess by her lover. She felt John's trusts starting to become messier, knowing that he was close. "F-fuck. Turn around, I want to come in your mouth." He grunted into her ear, pulling out and leaving her empty. She turned to face him, her mouth close to his length, tongue out while he stroked his shaft. She watched how his body stiffened. His head fell back, moans echoing trough the bedroom as he released his load into her mouth, the white liquid spilling all over her tongue followed by another groan. "Fuck."

He looked down at her, finding her looking up at him, her mouth covered by his cum, a sight he'd never get tired of. A grin formed on his face as he grabbed her chin between his fingers. "Swallow it for me." She gladly obeyed, licking her lips after. His thumb wiped away the remaining from he corner of her mouth, swiping it over her lips before she took his thumb in her mouth, slowly sucking it clean.

He licked his lips as he watched her, still trying to catch his breath, he slowly pulled himself from her and lifted her up, pressing his swollen lips against hers. "I fuckin' love you." He mumbled against her lips, his hands running over her back. She smiled at his words, kissing him again while her hands ran over his chest. "I love you too."

He turned to lay down, pulling her with him as his mouth attacked every single inch of her bare skin with kisses. His strong arms wrapped around her waist as he scooted her closer, her arms finding their way around his warm, comforting body. While they both slowly got back to their senses, it didn't take them long before they drifted away into a peaceful slumber in each others arms.

"(Y/N)." His soft voice sounded hoarse, his fingers running over her bare hip. "Are you awake?" He kissed her jaw softly. She opened her eyes, realizing she fell back asleep while thinking about their eventful night. "I- Yeah." Her voice was a bit croaky from sleeping. "I fell asleep again." She admitted as she turned around to face him. "What time is it?"

John turned slightly and reached for his nightstand, his fingers searching for his pocket watch. "Ah fuck, where is it." He mumbled as he turned his body a bit more. "I think it's on the floor, along with everyone else." She giggled softly, kissing his shoulder. He turned back, a smile on his face. "You might be right." His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking her skin before connecting their lips in a gentle but firm kiss. Her fingers ran trough the shorn sides of his hair, deepening the kiss in the process.

"John!" The force of the footsteps that came up the stairs made the wooden steps creak. "John! We're fuckin' waiting for you!" The loud familiar voice boomed trough the house. (Y/N) quickly pulled away from him, looking frantically where to hide but there was no hiding spot to find in his small room. He looked into her eyes who were filled with fear. "Easy, easy." He quickly pulled the covers from both of them, covering her completely and blocking her with his own body. He wouldn't dare to tell her but it was the worst hiding spot he'd ever seen, at least nobody could've had a clue who was underneath it.

The door of his room was torn open, an angry Tommy barging in, his eyes falling on his bare younger brother. "Oh for fucks sake." He turned around to face the wall. "Get the fuck out." John barked at him, trying to cover himself a bit with one of the garments he fished of the floor. "We're fucking late, get ready." Tommy moved back to the door. "Late for what? You didn't tell me shit." He argued, earning an annoyed sigh for Tommy. "Doesn't matter. Get dressed, tell the girl to go and come fucking outside." The last words were barely audible as the door slammed shut.

"Is he gone?" A soft voice came from under the covers. "Yes." He chuckled softly as he pulled them down, revealing her flushed face. "He's gone." He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "My heart is beating like crazy." She admitted, both chuckling at her words, realising the situation she got herself into. "But seriously, how do I get out of her without getting seen?" John sat up, his back resting against his bed frame. "Well aren't you lucky you ended up in a Shelby's bed, I can teach you a thing or two." He jokingly bragged. She rolled her eyes but a smile tugged on her lips. "You're so full of yourself."

Tag list: @kissforvoid

#john shelby one shot #john shelby smut #john shelby fanfic #john shelby imagine #john shelby x reader #john shelby x f!reader #peaky blinders one shot #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders smut

[runnning-outof-time]

Through the Night | John Shelby x Reader

Request: yes by anonymous

Pairing: John Shelby x reader

Summary: John and (Y/N) grapple with the struggle of getting their son to sleep through the night…amongst the other struggles that come along with parenthood.

Warnings: mentions of breastfeeding

Word Count: 2656

A/N: I’m finally back to writing requests! It was fun to work on a John story again after not writing one in so long. I liked the premise of this one…it was fun to plan out. Thank you for your paitence. Enjoy! :)

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

Comment/Message me if you’d like to be tagged in future stories similar to this one!

The shrill sound of cries rang through the previously peaceful night, making (Y/N) sit up in bed with a start. She let out a sigh upon recognizing where those cries were coming from. Movement came from beside her before she could get out from under the covers.

"Let me get him," John's groggy voice came from next to her, making her stop what she was doing.

"No, he's probably hungry again," (Y/N) brushed off his offer, blindly reaching over and patting him on the shoulder as a show of thanks.

"I'll get him the next time then," he conceded, flipping over to his side as (Y/N) got off of the bed and exited their bedroom.

James Shelby's room was two doors down the hall. The volume of the cries increased the second she stepped out into the hallway. She instantly felt bad for the other children who surely had been woken by the disturbance. No matter what she tried, he just wouldn't sleep through the night.

"Baby, it's ok," she whispered to him as she reached into his cradle, pulling the baby out so that she could rock him in her arms, "you need to get some sleep."

She proceeded to try everything. Rocking him, feeding him, walking around with him, changing him, feeding him again...nothing seemed to quiet him down. It wasn't until she had patted him on the back long enough for him to burp that the crying finally stopped. She held him for a few more minutes after his cries had ceased, just to make sure that he wasn't going to start back up again. He seemed to finally be asleep after waiting those few moments. So she carried him to his cradle and gently lowered him into it, hoping that he'd stay asleep.

"Let's try to get more than three hours now, baby," she said as she stood straight again, watching over him for a few more moments until she finally decided to go back to her bedroom.

"He's asleep?" John's groggy voice was heard the second she got under the covers.

"Yes. Finally," (Y/N) sighed as she tried to make herself comfortable, "I think he was gassy...it took me going down the list to figure it out though," she continued, moving over to where John was laying on his side.

"You figured it out and he's sleeping now, that's all that matters," he tried to get her to look on the bright side of things.

"He's sleeping for now," she placed emphasis on his statement. "Where you awake this entire time?" she then asked him.

"I was waiting to hear if you needed back up," he answered her, his words making her laugh softly, "but it seems as though you did amazing on your own," he added, blindy reaching behind him for her hand. He grabbed onto it when he found it, pulling it over his side so that he was no longer twisted awkwardly.

"Hopefully he'll sleep a little longer now," (Y/N) sighed as she scooted even closer to him, embracing the feeling of warmth that his body was giving off.

"How 'bout you and me get some sleep while we can?" John proposed an idea.

"Yes...let's," (Y/N) agreed, finding it easy to fall asleep once she closed her eyes.

——

"Come on, buddy...you've gotta be tired out by now," John sighed as he switched the position of the baby in his arms for the umpteenth time now. Confidence was draining out of him with each loud cry that James would exude. He told (Y/N) that he'd try to get him to sleep tonight, and he'd been at it for a half hour now with no success.

The baby didn't listen to his exhausted father's pleas though, and instead kept on crying...so much so that his little face was turning red. John let out a defeated sigh as he tried to think of something, anything else he could do to calm his son down. Rocking wasn't helping, changing him wasn't helping...John had even tried to tell him a story that he remembered liking as a kid, but it was hard to get a word out over the loud cries. He truly felt like he was at the end of his list of options.

"What can I do, J...what can I do?" he asked in desperation, knowing full-well that the baby wasn't going to give him the answer.

But as if the homing beacon was sent out, the door to the nursery opened the second he was finished speaking. "You need some help, John?" (Y/N) asked as she held onto the doorknob. She didn't want to slide right in and assume control over the situation because she knew that John was wanting to get more involved with his children when he could.

He'd never let it on to the random person walking the street, but John felt terrible that he wasn't able to be around for his kids. Whether it was the war or later the nature of his work, he often left the care of his young ones up to his late wife, Martha, and then his aunt, Polly. When he had this baby with (Y/N), he vowed that he was going to be more present and help out the best that he could. But now that the rubber had hit the road, he felt that he was completely useless.

"John?" she spoke a little louder, realizing that her husband probably couldn't hear her over the baby's cries.

"What?!" he yelled back, not meaning to raise his voice at her, it instead happening as an effect from the frustration he was feeling.

(Y/N) knew that. She could hear it in his voice. "Would you like me to help you with him?" she asked, keeping her voice calm; not wanting to add to the stress he was feeling.

"Please," he just about begged her, desperation present in his eyes. (Y/N) nodded and walked further into the room. "I've tried everything, (Y/N)...he's just not settling. I've rocked him, I've changed him a few times, I...I even told him a story," he rambled on as he transferred the wailing baby to his wife, "I couldn't think of anything else to do."

"Maybe he needs to eat again," (Y/N) suggested as she moved over to one of the chairs in the room.

"I couldn’t really offer much in that regard…so I didn’t think of trying that," John admitted sheepishly as he watched (Y/N) get James to start feeding. He exhaled a huge sigh of relief once the room was finally filled with silence.

"That's alright, love," (Y/N) said to him, laughing slightly at his comment. She glanced down at James then, watching as the baby ate; his eyes starting to droop already.

John slumped down in the chair across the room and watched as his wife fed their child. He was relishing in the quiet because he didn't know if James was going to start crying again the second he was finished eating.

The silence, thankfully, held up as (Y/N) lifted him to her shoulder so that she could gently pat him on the back and hopefully get a burp or two out of him. Once she did, she brought him back down into her arms and gently rocked him a few times for good measure. His eyes were now shut tight and his breathing had evened out, two signs that he'd finally slipped into sleep. (Y/N) held her breath as she slowly stood from the chair and moved over to where the cradle was standing. James made it through the transfer to the bed, only stirring slightly when his body touched the mattress.

"I don't know how you do it," John breathed as (Y/N) made her way over to where he was sitting.

"I got lucky tonight...most nights I haven't a clue what to do," she said to him, sitting on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. John brought the hand he had propped up on the chair's arm down to rest against her thigh, gently squeezing it to show his appreciation.

"I don't know what I'm doing every night," he mumbled into her hair.

"Nonsense, John," she disagreed with him, lifting her head from his chest to look at him, "do I have to remind you of the number of nights that he falls asleep on your chest while you're sitting on the chair with him?" she reminded him, her eyebrows raised slightly.

"He wakes up a few hours later though," John still didn't let up on himself.

"And he'll probably wake up a few hours from now too...he just isn't to the point where he's sleeping through the night yet. We can't be hard on ourselves John, Polly says that this is common," she stated, reminding him that they needed to think positively.

"I feel like I'm leaving it all up to you though," he voiced another thought that had been eating at his mind.

"You most certainly are not," she disagreed once again. "You do so much for this family. I'm not sure where I'd be without you...my partner in crime," she grinned at him then, the final part of her sentence making the softest grin form on his face. He just couldn't stay down on himself when she looked at him like that.

"I'm not sure how much 'crime' you're getting yourself into, love," he teased her, his words making an exaggerated look of surprise form on her face. John chuckled at the face she pulled, and (Y/N) held it for a few moments before letting it dissolve into one of fake hurt.

After holding that expression for a few moments, she tried not to let the smile break onto her features as she delivered the statement she'd been thinking up since John shared his, "that's because you commit enough crime for the both of us, my darling," she said to him, winking after she was finished speaking.

John's jaw went slack as he heard what his wife had said. "(Y/N) Shelby!" he said, his voice a little too loud for the room they were sitting in.

"Keep your voice down, you'll wake the baby!" (Y/N) hissed at him, her eyes wide to show the seriousness of her statement. She then listened intently for any noises coming from James' cradle and was relieved when she was met with silence.

"Let’s head to our bedroom then," he said with a grin, standing up from the chair and taking her into his arms without warning. Him doing this made her let out a shriek of surprise, to which he sent her the same wide-eyed expression she gave him. "Be quiet, you'll wake the baby," he scolded her in a teasing manner, a grin breaking onto his face.

"Take me to bed then," she responded to him, his grin proving contagious as one formed on her face as well.

John didn't waste another minute. He exited the nursery as quietly as he could, carrying (Y/N) down the hallway to their bedroom so that they could get caught up on some much needed...sleep.

—

The bedroom still had an early morning glow shining in through the windows when (Y/N) opened her eyes again. She let out a sigh of content and snuggled in closer to John's sleeping frame. Or at least she thought he was sleeping.

"This is nice," he said in a low voice, his words rumbling through his chest and making (Y/N) smile at the sensation of it.

"It is," (Y/N) agreed with him, drawing sleepy shapes on the skin of his pectorals. She let her eyelids flutter shut then as she tried to soak up all of the last minutes of sleep that she could. It wouldn't be long until John would be needed at the betting shop and that she would be getting the children up for their school day. Wait...the children. "Oh no, John..." (Y/N) started off as she scrambled into a sitting position.

"What, love? It's still early," he complained, not moving from his spot as his wife fumbled her way out from under the covers.

"James, John...he didn't wake us up all night," she managed to get out as she rushed to get her robe on before making her way to the door. "What if something's wrong?" she asked, her heart pounding in her chest as the worst case scenarios started running through her mind. She heard the fumbling of covers behind her, but didn't bother to look back and see if he was following her before she opened the door and quickly exited the room.

(Y/N) wasted no time in opening the door to the nursery after hurrying down the hallway as quickly as she could. She then took a deep breath before approaching the cradle, still prepared for the worst. All of the fear and worry were whisked away from her the second she saw James.

"What's happened, (Y/N)?" John's panicked voice came from the door to the room.

"Nothing...nothing's happened," (Y/N) answered, calmness present in her voice now. She heard John's footsteps approaching her as she kept her eyes on her sleeping baby. James looked like he hadn't moved from the spot she laid him in last night, and he was still sleeping soundly. His belly was rising and falling in an even pattern, and he even had the slightest smile present on his adorably plump lips. "He slept through the night," she told her husband, looking over at him to see that he was also focused on the baby.

"That's amazing," John said, a smile breaking onto his face. Much like (Y/N), a sense of calmness had now rushed through him as well. "So wha...what do we do now?" he asked with a slight chuckle as he looked at (Y/N) again.

"I guess we can go back to sleep," (Y/N) answered, grinning at the thought of getting a few more minutes of shut-eye.

"What're we still in here for?" John's grin grew. He was also never one to turn down some more sleep.

The two made the way back to the door of the nursery then, both still grinning like fools at the thought of crawling back under the covers. Quiet mornings were practically unheard of in this Shelby household, and they were going to hold onto every minute of it. (Y/N) carefully shut the door behind her before they began to walk down the hall to their bedroom. They only got two steps away when cries started coming from the room they'd just left.

"There goes our extra sleep," (Y/N) stated, a bit of a deflated look now present on her face.

"I'll go get him...you get some more sleep," John told her, nodding his head towards their bedroom's door before he began backtracking towards the nursery. (Y/N) sent him a smile as a thank you before she continued walking to her bedroom.

"Mum! Katie won't stop making fun of me!" she heard Matthew, one of her older children (step-children) call out just as she grabbed the door knob.

"I am not!" Katie yelled back in defense.

"Yes you are!" Matthew continued the argument.

"Am not!" Katie wasn't backing down.

"Ok both of you stop, I'm coming in!" (Y/N) finally stepped into their bickering, turning from her bedroom's door to go and sort their problem out because it was quickly becoming obvious that it wasn't going to be figured out on its own.

While she became the mediator, John worked on figuring out what would get James to stop crying.

There was certainly never a quiet morning in the Shelby household.

Tagged: @the-anxious-youth @mystcldydrms @look-at-the-soul @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @shelbydelrey @december16-1991 @onlydeadcells @peakyswritings @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry @stevie75 @dark-academia-slut @zablife @cillmequick @letal-y-poetica @depxiety @shelundeadxxxx @cilliansangel @areyenotfondofmelobster @valentinabloom @wildheartsalwaysburn @dragons-are-my-favorite @padfootdaredmetoo

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#john shelby #john shelby x reader #john shelby x y/n #john shelby imagine #john shelby one shot #john shelby oneshot #john shelby fanfic #john shelby fanfiction #peaky blinders #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders x y/n #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders oneshot #peaky blinders one shot #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinders fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic

[toms-cherry-trees]

Story Of Us|| John Shelby x Reader

Summary: Love is not always ideal. It comes hand on hand with grief

Word Count: 4000

Warnings: Infant/maternal death, grief, teen pregnancy, angst

Author’s note: Nothin to see here, move forward to the story. This took me 2 hours to write and I didn’t proofread one bit

John had always lived in a dilemma. Ever since his dad walked out on them, he tried to get approval from his family, the one thing he never received as a child.. But he only ended up being scolded. When he had to crack the news that he had knocked up Martha, both being just fifteen years of age, Polly hit him across the head with a wooden spoon, and Arthur had to hide him from Martha’s father, who had come for him with a musket.

John and Martha knew they were too young, but they were in love the way only teenagers can be, and the only way they would be allowed together was this. With a baby and the obligation to marry to preserve Martha’s honour. They were wed three months after the musket incident, Martha dressed in a borrowed white dress which did little to hide her rounded bump, and John stuffed in one of his father’s old suits, hastily tailored by Polly. Only the groom’s family was in attendance, since Martha’s father had kicked her out of the house.  

Four months later a boy had been born in John’s own bed; a squirming, chubby thing with the most powerful lungs in the whole of Birmingham. Two more babies came in quick succession, another boy and another girl.

And then came the war.

In the time between their rushed marriage and 1914, John had managed to make more or less a living for himself. He had gotten his own home, being able at last to move Martha and the kids out of the cramped quarters of the family home. And they had a young girl from the area helping Martha rear the kids. Life seemed as perfect as it could get until the war struck and the war office came looking for them. Even though the conscription was voluntary at first, it would only be a matter of time before they came and dragged them out of their homes by their feet. John tested his luck as much as he could, even after Tommy and Arthur had already joined the front. But he had started to get dirty looks whenever he left the house, and one morning he woke up to his doorstep filled with chicken feathers. So he went, and left Martha with the kids and the nanny to hold up the fort in his absence.

None of them could know for certain how long they would be away, and it was worrisome to think it could be years before they returned, if they ever did, while the women in their lives were left to fend for themselves. Being granted leave to go home was a privilege mostly reserved for officers, and with John’s explosive nature and cockiness, he spent many months penalised without leave. The first time he managed to go home, in the second half of 1915, Martha and the kids had thrown themselves at his legs and his neck, unwilling to let him go.

In the two weeks he spent in Birmingham, he left Martha with child yet again. The news arrived with delay, as they do when you receive mail in the battlefield, and even more when said letters are heavily monitored by the officers. The letter had been sent a month and a day before it made it into his hands, but the news were not any less joyous, although tinted with a pang of guilt of not being there to support his wife. But John played his part, behaving like a good soldier for once in order to receive leave in time to see his newborn. They estimated the date for the first half of May 1916, a glorious spring.

But the thing is, letters carrying bad news move just as slow and delayed as the good ones. Even slower so, since the war office ordered anything that could tamper with the soldiers’ morale and spirits to be suppressed. John made the entire journey home, on truck, ship and train, only to find Martha had passed 4 weeks before his arrival, alongside their newborn girl. Polly had intercepted him on the train station, having seen him descend from the platform on her way from the market. The toothy grin tugging on his lips slowly fell into a frown as Pol grabbed his arm and practically tugged him into an alley to give him a resumed version of the events, but John didn’t want to hear. He didn’t care how, or why, or when. He only knew, as the ground swayed beneath his feet, that his sweet, lovely wife had left this world without him by his side, and had taken their babe with her to not be alone. Leaving John, aged 22, with a broken heart and 3 young children in the middle of a never ending war.

Polly and Tommy, who also happened to be on leave at that time, had made arrangements for everything after Martha’s passing. Polly had wanted to take in the children herself, to keep them under her wing. But when she even tried to take them out of the house, they clung to their nanny’s skirts like a lifeline, refusing to even step an inch away. Pol understood quickly that having just lost their mother and being in permanent threat of also losing their father, she couldn’t rip them away from the only stable person in their lives. So the girl, having grown deeply fond of her wards, moved into the home full time to look after them in every way a mother would, since the children had grown to love her like one.

When John returned home, he expected to find a gloomy and deserted place, with the hearth cold and empty and lamps out, much like he felt inside his own head. But of course reality rarely matches the expectations, whether good or bad. The children were laughing, playing with some wooden figurines on the carpet. Aged seven, five and three, they were already a force to be reckoned with, being able to mess a room in the blink of an eye. Yet here they were, playing happily under the caring gaze of their nanny. The four of them were startled by his arrival, with the kids scrambling over each other to jump into his arms, knocking over a chair and a side table, sending a vase with daisies crashing down. Home sweet home.

~

That night, after the kids were put to bed, John sat near the fireplace, nursing a glass of whiskey in his hands. Martha always warned him when the drinks began piling up on the table and his head; her voice whispering in his mind kept him from bringing the liquid to his lips, no matter how desperately he craved the numbness only spirits can provide.

You walked out of the kitchen, untying the apron from your waist. Most of the house chores were neglected during the day, since every waking hour was filled with rearing the little Shelbys. The oldest, David, would be starting school very soon, but you didn’t see how that would come to be, since he refused to be away from you for long. The youngest, Sarah, spent most of her day perched on your hip, although at 2 years of age she was already getting too heavy to carry. Theo, who had just turned five, acted as middle children often do, keeping mostly to himself and showing himself to be independent.

You hadn’t noticed John sitting there, since he was slumped on the floor, his head propped on the sofa and his legs splayed before him. His boots were nowhere to be found and his shirt discarded aside, leaving him only in undershirt. You would have just walked past him if he hadn’t called your name.

“(Y/N)?”

“Yes Mr. Shelby?”

“Sit here for a little bit”

Perplexity was not quite the word to describe what you felt, but it came close enough. You had never been afraid of your boss; he and Martha had offered you a job when you most needed it, and they even treated you as a friend, since you were only a year younger than them. You were the one who mediated between them when things got tense, as often happened when very young people were thrusted abruptly into adult life; resentment inevitably building up on the grave of robbed childhood and dreams. And you were the one who took the kids out of the house when they inevitably made peace with each other.

But the situation had changed; the wife dead, the husband away, and you had basically become owner and lady of the home in the meantime, forced to step up for the babies you had known nearly since the cradle. Perhaps taking attributions that didn’t belong to you, but everything done with the best intentions in your heart.

You sat in the armchair farthest away from him, your body perched on the very edge of the seat and your legs laced at the ankles.

John doubted his words, still swirling the whiskey in the glass. Not a tear had left track on his cheeks, but the corners of his eyes were reddened, like those of a man who had learned, either willingly or by force, to hold back emotions.

“Were you here when…when Martha…” The phrase was left hanging in the air

“Yes I was. I had been staying full time already, in case the baby came at night”

Silence. Words slowly dawning on his mind fogged by barely contained grief.

He swallowed thickly “What happened?”

You closed your eyes and breathed in slowly. You knew he would eventually ask, but you hoped he wouldn’t ask you. The desire to know something could turn almost morbid the longer the answer was denied, but you didn’t want to give the grisly details with the wound so fresh, so you hoped he would content with the shortened version.

“The baby came too early, more than a month. And then it got stuck, and the labour dragged on for too long. The girl was….born sleeping. She named her Katie. And then Mrs Shelby caught an infection” You stopped there, hoping the vague narration would be enough explanation so you could avoid the more sensible details.

John nodded slowly, his gaze only fixated in his whiskey glass “Did she…did she say anything? Before she…”

“Mr. Shelby…” You protested, not believing him ready to hear it all

“Just say it!” The words came a lot more harshly than he intended, but they had been dropped and couldn’t be taken back.

You nodded and looked down at your lap, fidgeting with your apron “She told me to look after her babies. And to look after you. She told me we should not be sad for long, because she hated sad faces and life was sad enough as it was and her loved ones had to live happy lives on her behalf. She only asked…she asked that we made sure her kids never forgot about her” Your lower lip trembled. Holding her hand as life slipped away from her had been traumatic for you as well; like watching your own older sister die under your watch.

Your last words broke something inside John. At first, barely perceptible, his lower lip trembled and his eyes glazed while he pondered over his wife’s last words. Then all of a sudden the floodgates opened, tears coursing freely down his cheeks as sobs racked his body. The glass fell and shattered, and you, always acting on maternal instinct, tried to pull him away from the carpet so he wouldn’t land his hand on the shards. But in the brief second your hands touched him, John clung to your waist in the same fashion his eldest son did when he had a nightmare. The force of his embrace pulled you down on the floor, his head burrowed on your lap and his fingers digging on the fabric of your blouse. You had no words to console him, for sometimes, there is no real consolation. So you did the best you could, which was letting him cry out his sorrow and anger in the same apron that had wiped his children’s tears; while you rubbed soothing circles in his back. John cried it all out until his tears had run dry and his frantic heartbeat stilled. Crying is usually followed by drowsiness, and before you knew it your boss had fallen asleep on your lap, soothed by the faint scent of lavender on your clothes. You didn’t want to move him and disrupt the feeble stillness of peace, so you sat there all night, your head perched on the sofa and your hand on his back, dwelling on the creaking of the fire in the hearth.

~

It couldn’t be helped, the way the bond you and John had of mere friendship morphed into something else. Ever since Martha’s passing, John had managed to squeeze pity out of the war office, being granted leave more often than others to see his children. In the meantime, you took marvellous care of them, and they loved you maybe even more than they loved him.

The way he became drawn to you may seem rushed, but it came from a place of grief. A man with his heart in tatters, finding comfort in the arms that hugged and cuddled his children. Every time he returned home on leave, his barely retained sorrow spilled out the second he crossed the threshold of his home and the memories came crashing like an avalanche. Instead of getting better, he seemed to slowly grow worse. Could it be the grief, could it be the war, seeing his children more grown and mature every time he came, or a mixture of everything, but each leave it became harder to enter his home, and at the end it became harder to return to the front.

John spent many hours of his day locked in his bedroom, splayed on his bed accompanied by a whiskey, inhaling the fading scent of lotion on Martha’s nightgown. More than once you had to threaten to break in through the window in order to coax John into coming out and eating. The children barely noticed his behaviour, far too accustomed to his absence by now, but it pained you to see him miss out on every precious second he could spend with his family, knowing well it could be the last. Not wanting to be mindless of his pain, you gave him a few days to settle and then forced him out of the shell. No one would be called to dine until he came to sit with you all; you would go out to shop alone, making him watch the kids; if one of them had a nightmare at night, you knocked on his door and made him go and lull them back to sleep. You knew it was hard for him, but this is what Martha would have wanted. She wanted John to carry on living, and that he would do, with you behind to support him.

But you never expected to catch feelings in the process. Never had you thought about him as any more than your boss and friend, not before Martha and certainly not after. But looking after him, being his strength at home, even more so than his blood family, it is hard for feelings to not get tangled in the middle. You were the one who saw him sob his eyes out over a picture in the middle of the night: the one who bandaged his hands when he beat the wall in a fit of rage over the unfairness of life, and the one who kept that little family up and running.

On one of his last leaves, in October of 1918, he had, for the first time, sat with all of you for dinner on his first back home without threats or begging. As you served the stew, John cleared his throat to call attention “Tomorrow we are going out. It is a little surprise, but I promise we will have fun”

The children jumped in excitement. It had been far too long since they had all gone out as family, and the prospect of a day out with dad was the best outlook ever. You smiled as you poured a glass for John “What time do you need the kids ready, Mr Shelby?”

“Everyone ready at 10, and I mean everyone. You are coming with us of course, it is a family day”

Your breath hitched in your throat and heat rose to your cheeks, but you just nodded, hiding your shyness behind your glass. The next day the five of you went to an apple orchard, right on time as the sweetest fruits were being harvested. The children ran rampant across the field with wicker baskets, collecting dropped fruits which they would be able to exchange at the end of the day for candy. John and you followed closely behind, both in silence but enjoying the sounds of nature and the laughter of the kids. The autumn leaves crunched beneath your feet making a most delicious sound. For a day, you could all pretend that war had never happened and life was more or less normal. At the end, the children dropped the apples in big wooden troughs, and in exchange were given toffee apples. John bought you two pints of cider which you drank together, sitting under a tree while watching the children play with other kids and trying to sneak more candied apples from the stand

“Look at that, David stole an apple” Far from being outraged, you found the situation amusing “He is your son alright”

John chuckled “Are you insinuating I am a thief, Miss (Y/N)”

“Martha told me all the tales of your youth, Mr. Shelby. Stealing candy is one thing, but stealing liquor from a bar is an extraordinary prowess” You smirked

John’s demeanour dropped ever so slightly at the name, but he was quick to pick himself up “I miss her. She should be here watching the children grow. There should be a toddler here with us, and another baby on the way”

“Missing is part of grieving” You patted his hand “It means you lived and loved. Even if you stop grieving you’ll never stop missing”

John pondered over your words, staring at the bottom of his pint “Thank you for being here…if you hadn’t been here, we would all have fallen apart. I would have fallen apart but you glued me back together out of your pure stubbornness so I would be there for me kids” John squeezed your hand “You have saved us all”

You chuckled “Saviour is a bit too far I’d say. But I am glad I could be of help. You are a good man John, and you deserve good things” It dawned on you a second too late that you had called him by his first name. The apologies were already piling in your tongue but John laughed it out “Seven bloody years it took you to call me John”

You could only join in on his infectious laughter, feeling the worries flutter away. It had been a while since he last laughed, and you took it as a sign of his healing. The rest of the evening went in a blissful blur, with you two sharing bites of an apple while he picked fallen leaves off your hair, and having to haul all three kids home in your arms, them too tired to walk. John surprised you with having stuffed his coat’s wide pockets with apples, and you surprised him in return with a homemade apple pie.

You enjoyed every day of his leave, dreading the moment he would once more part. The children had, now that they were older, come to resent his absences, and it always broke them a little to have him return only to leave, perhaps forever, over and over and over again. But one the last day, right before being due to leave, John arrived back after being out all morning, loaded with parcels and gifts. He had received news from the war office to not return to his post, for truce would be called in less than a week. The men would return home and the nightmare would be over.

“Tonight we celebrate like never before!”

Everyone received presents that day. The children received toys, John sent gifts for his aunt and siblings, and he even bought you a new dress. That night you feasted like you had never before, the evening topped with a marvellous store bought cake and the children falling asleep earlier than usual, stuffed with turkey and cake. After they were put to bed, it was only John and you before the fire, passing back and forth a bottle of champagne. The day was for joy and celebration and all boundaries had been torn down. You two were laughing just for the sake of laughter and the relief of having survived hell.

“So what happens now, once the Shelbys are back on track?” You inquired curiously “Business as usual?”

“I reckon men will be eager to vent off steam and enjoy the things they missed out. I promise the den will be up to the beams with patrons. Future is looking bright” He took a swing of the bottle, foam trickling down the side of his lip. You reached up to wipe the liquid with the back of your hand. John eyed you curiously before bringing up a far different topic.

“Have you thought about getting married?”

You did very poorly in hiding your surprise “Me? Married? Why do you ask?”

He simply shrugged “You are a lovely young lady, in the prime of your life. Surely don’t you plan on spending the rest of your days taking care of other people’s kiddos?”

A smirk tugged on your lips “Are you planning on firing me, Mr. Shelby?”

“Wouldn’t dare to, love. Just wanting to know if someone is knocking at your heart”

Oh someone was knocking at your heart at the very moment. Your heartbeat hammered your ribs, ready to escape off your chest out of your mouth. “No one is, Mr. Shelby”

Those words had barely made it out when his lips came crashing into yours, his warm hand cradling your jaw, the other placed in the middle of your back and pulling you close. His lips were soft and gentle, and his hands kept a firm grip on you. Your own hands came to lay on his chest, feeling his fluttering heartbeat under your touch. The kiss seemed to last forever and nothing at the same time. When he pulled away you were out of breath, but also wanted to keep going until time ended. When John broke the kiss, he remained close enough to lean his forehead on yours.

“I didn’t screw it up, did I?” A boyish grin played on his lips.

“Not one bit, not at all” Your index traced the side of his jaw, feeling the muscles tense as his smile widened

“So you won’t mind it I test my luck again” And just like that, his lips once more came onto yours, this time both hands on your waist as your arms came around his neck. It was funny, but in that moment you knew, after just one kiss, that you never wanted to kiss any other lips but his, nor feel any other hands’ on your waist or your hair.

You knew his grieving had not come to an end, and he would continue to love his first wife to the end of his days. But that did not mean he did not have space in his heart for you, nor that he would feel for you any less. It only meant he had lived, and would continue to do so with you.

#john shelby #john shelby x reader #john shelby x you #john shelby and reader #john shelby and you #shelby reader #reader insert #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders x you #john shelby one shot #john shelby fanfic #john shelby imagine #john shelby fic #marsie writes

[dream-this-nightmare-over]

John Shelby imagine

For all my John girlies!

hi @shelundeadxxxx :))))

As always, you can find this and many more imagines in my book of imagines

How many times have you thought to yourself if only I talked less, none of this would happen. If I learnt how to keep my mouth shut, everyone would move on in their ignorance and I wouldn't have to go through ordeal all too well known and expected of being scolded reprimanded shushed for speaking my mind. Peace is fractured ice in winter that permanently teases coming of spring if you are brave enough to break through. But there is always someone waiting on surface with hammer and axe to push you back under.

It's not the truth that scares. Aftermath is foreseeable agony. No weather check needs to announce emergency alarm for storm that is hurling once unleashed. To fight injustice with scarred armor is to walk through downpour in tattered raincoat and wonder later how you caught cold.

Y/n slept counted hours filled notebooks with filthy words in flowery handwriting. There were no books here but old photo albums coughing dust and history is best to leave unbothered. In house of screaming people, even ghosts hide grateful they have somewhere to escape. Our ghosts are ashamed of ourselves. Thought brought small smiles to y/p face. John didn't believe in ghosts. He would tease you till you were both rolling on the floor, him trickling you then nuzzling his face in your neck and cuddling in tight warm embrace till it was time to part. He knew how much you needed someone to just hold you tight to feel presence of another heart close to yours to calm you down and convince yours it's alive and loved and acknowledged. You would wrap yourself in his hug and he would watch you silently as you gave yourself to calm you only ever felt when you were together, calm washing over your heart leaving demons stranded cut off for time being. but john is brave; he does what he wants and he never gets caught.

All your bravery ever brought you is running away crying yourself to sleep telling yourself to breath soothing your heart that everything will be okay. No one ever listened to you. They treated your words like child's blabbering, like you haven't went through shit to see the truth But john saw you. 'I will marry you whenever you say you are ready' And you would thousand times already if there weren't your mother's tears flowing in your memory and father's helplessness to take back words make them unsaid.

Her relationship with John and Shelby fam had nothing to do with fact that she was being held as prisoner in her grandmother's home. It was the words she spoke, the bravery to talk back. Psycho granny who cant deal with world changing, people leaving, so she inserts herself in narrative as tyrannic matriarch when irl she is nothing but nuisance. Except when she locks you up, and leaves you to starve hoping it will teach you some respect and love. Funny how people believe you can force someone to respect you. Respect is earned. As for love, most elusive force of universe, yet there are still people out there who demand it like it's another thing you can trade on market. Suppose you can. But not the real kind.

John was one person who came into y/n's life and made breathing and loving seem like easiest things in world. They were best of pals, he never asked of her anything, but to be happy. When she was sad, he would go out of his way to make her laugh again, for he knew storms are here to pass and making it to the other side is always easier with friend by your side.

His adoration with y/n was evident to everyone, besotted from head to toe, if needed he would burn down every fucker and whole world that dared spill tears down y/n's cheeks. It was his girl. No one was allowed to mess with what is most prescious to Shelbys.

Y/n tried the door knob. Ran y/p fingers between door and frame gripping on surface testing to pull it open, scratching y/p nails down the wall then running back under covers before someone came and saw what y/p has done.

Time passed no one came. It seemed the world forgot about just another child who thought too much. Did Shelby's really didn't notice their friend missing?

Sun went up and went down, marking fourth day that y/n grandma locked y/p away for having opinion. guess that's how world works. It breaks your heart and takes your dreams and stomps out your hope and then sneers in your face asking why you didnt fight harder.

y/n was exhausted and defeated. Curled on carpet y/p could feel life seeping out as y/p whole body went in hibernation state. After seventh day, Only the mind was alive. Drenched in sweat, dizzy from hunger, whole world was dancing in peripheral but no one reached out a hand. She passed out from hunger several times, not bothering anymore to get back on her feet or drag her limp exhausted body on bed.

She was drifting through motions, not sure anymore what is real and what not. john was there aparation stepping from behind curtains, galaxy of freckles spinning on celling above her, his laugh seeping from memories all around her, his soft gaze those familiar blues telling her everything will be alright just like he always did when they would roll on floor his nonchalance and deep care hiding under soft touch as he caresses her face his sunrays reaching for soul underneath battered skin. As the passing clouds snuffed out the sunlight, casting whole room in sudden darkness, his blues would get stern and serious, gangster who knows what's the price to pay for every indulgence, he would tell her to hold on just a little longer. But her tortured mind on brink of collapsing would let go and drift in darkness, falling and watching blue lights of home on surface getting smaller and on the end eventually closing up, hope dangerously tethering just out of reach as darkness closed around her.

He will come, he promised. He will notice my absence, I am more than my silence.

She went out thinking back to days they spent sneaking out of crowded Garrison to make snowmen and have snowball fights in winter of their youth. John's smile flushed cheeks, his arms around her shoulders will she ever feel home again?

Next time she woke up, it was with bang.

It was early morning, dawn has barely risen when doors splintered in parts as someone force opened them.

Too weak to jolt, vibrations glided off y/p frame, just a lump of clothes on floor.

John comes in, impatience and worry all over his face, on his heels are his brothers checking for possible threats and surprises hiding in plain sight. But there was nothing there but one body on the carpet, wrapped in itself, peering at them through glassy stare.

John is wild with furry on the way there, collecting the gang ready for fight. Arthur and Tommy knew there was no stopping him, and when they heard how dire situation really was, they were ready in no time to take arms and end it for good. y/n was family, and attack on one is attack on all.

For her, John becomes softball. He marches into room kneeling down beside her body. Checking the pulls, he takes y/n in his arms laying her on settee. Gently touching her cheek relief flooding his features as your eyes open and find his.

'what made you take so long?' y/n tries weakly, always the one ready to crack the joke in every misfortune.

he pulls her in hug as answer. Restless, on verge of breaking, he gathers her in his arms, smell of lemon and tobacco envelopes her senses 'oh y/n, my dearest y/n'

she pulls back and he takes good look at her, cursing for ever letting her out of his sight. He turns around giving Tommy and Arthur a sign to go on with the plan.

'i am getting you out and burning this whole shithole down. "

Through haze y/n watch herself reaching towards his cheek half believing her hand will pass through another ghost of dearest face.

John takes her hand from his face and planta hard kiss on her palm.

"john, thoughts of you made me survive in this room"

There was warmth where cold stale breath of hallucination hanged and was being slowly dispersed as familiar blues stirred her heart back to life.

'i am so sorry for letting this happen. I should have been there. You are always on my mind, little one. i got held back, and - gosh- y/n, you mean too much to me to ever let anyone come close to you again' And they are both lost in embrace of thousand promises that no time or adversaries will stand a chance against bond stretching between them.

John wraps you in his coat, protective arm around you, smirk and toothpick in corner of his mouth as you descend the stairs and are joined by Tommy who is lighting his cigarette. 'Brother," he says handing John the match.

Tommy ushers you out on driveway where you wait for john to catch up. Arthur smiles fatherly, dusting his sleeves. 'No worries, mfs will pay for this.' Tommy shots him look that said 'don't ruin the surprise' fixing John's now yours coat then cradling your head to his chest in embrace. 'You alright, love?' he asks. You nod eating apple your first meal in a while, that Arthur produced from inside his coat, and he takes it as cue not to push it any further.

'I got it under control' You manage to make out through clattering teeth once John comes back. He pulls you closer planting a kiss on side of your head. 'I know you did, darling. I just brought logistics for final touch'

At that moment bomb blasts behind you, taking apart in explosion of embers that house of misery. It shakes the ground but john tucks you safely beside him as you all walk away together through smoke of new beginnings.

one foot in front of other, board the train and live out rest of your lives never leaving each other side.

#john shelby #john shelby x reader #john shelby imagine #john shelby one shot #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders x y/n #peaky blinders #tommy shelby #arthur shelby #peaky blinders imagine #john shelby fanfic #imagine #one shot #fanfic

[strayrockette]

Your Baby (Modern John x f!reader)

Summary: John and Katie ignite something inside of her but she's too afraid to do anything about it. Pairing: John x F! reader Genre: Fluff (?) Trigger warning: None A/N: I wanted to make something less angsty. I tried to catch all my grammar mistakes but I'm sure some escaped my searching eyes o-o.

John Shelby Masterlist

Peaky Blinders Masterlist

I once proclaimed that I would never be a mother. Growing up in a dysfunctional home caring for 4 other children while also being a child had warped my view of adulthood. The glaring realization that adults have kids so kids can take care of kids. The thought alone pissed me off. But even as I grew older I also realized that adults were just kids with more responsibilities and that certainly ruined any and every perception I had about entering the real world.

Even now at the age of 26, I still felt more like a child than I did as an adult. That sorry statement was an ego bruiser. And yet, here I sit, in a shoddy bar, drink in hand and a growing longing to have the one thing I vehemently denied wanting.

The bar's patrons were slowly dissipating, and a quiet lull crept into its atmosphere. I'd never been to any bar beside this one, and I would never go to another because I quite liked this one.

Drunk old men minding their business and drunk old ladies trying to get the drunk old men into their beds. Strange. I thought it was the other way around.

My lips quirked as I watched one lady lean into an otherwise occupied man, Budweiser to his lips, and his eyes concentrated on whatever sports channel was playing. He seemed uninterested but by the way, his lips curved into a smile I assumed he liked what she was saying. It took another 3 minutes of her talking for him to decide to get up and leave the bar with her.

I went back to staring down at my drink and desperately trying to chase away thoughts of blue-eyed babies babbling in my arms. What time is it? I sighed and glanced around for the familiar clock on the wall, 1:30 am. Almost 2 am and nearing closing time. How much longer would I sit and stare at a drink I wouldn't even touch?

My skin prickled as a figure brushed against my right side. One hand settling on my lower back and the other sweeping in front of me to grab the glass of bourbon, "I'll never understand why you order this if you don't drink"

"The bartender stops serving drinks at 1 and you always get here by 1:30." I mused, "I order it for you, dummy."

His lips pursed at my statement and he turned away from me, "You don't have to"

I watched idly as he lifted the glass to his lips and downed the drink in one sip, "I know."

He'd complain multiple times about my tendency to visit the bar during the nights he would be overseeing it on behalf of his older brother. He'd complain that I didn't have to come on Friday nights and stay till 2 am. That I didn't have to keep him company with late-night talks and dinner. I wasn't obligated to do what I did. But I wanted to. Because without these weekly late-night meet-ups, I'd have to go back to my empty apartment and think about how I wasn't good enough for a man I had given-been prepared to give- everything to.

"You're thinking about him again." His voice tugged me away from my thoughts.

I watched as he assessed me with pale blue eyes. He seemed exhausted. He must have had a rough time dealing with whatever mess lay within the paperwork left behind by his brother. But no matter how exhausted he looked he still looked handsome.

I sighed, "I haven't thought about him for a while...I mean yes, in passing but lately I've been thinking about other things."

John nodded along with my words, his ears twitched and I wondered if he knew that it meant he was happy about something.

"I've got food prepared back home" I paused, "Do..You want to join me?"

"Have you known m to say no to food?" He questioned in mock disbelief.

"No, but it's always nice to ask." I retorted with a smile.

We left after making sure that Mari and Luke would be set to close down the bar. The way to my apartment was spent in silence, my thoughts once again drifting to blue-eyed babies. It seemed to be around him only made those thoughts worse.

It was nearing 3 am and it was almost time for him to leave to go back home. My hands ran through my hair, eyes staring at the clock.

"How's Katie?" I asked. I'd met Katie a couple of times over the past 5 months. She was a lovely little girl, aged 5. She had a bright smile and was smart as a whip.

He sighed, I'm sure there was a story behind that. "She's giving you trouble" I giggled knowingly. Katie had a way of getting under her father's skin. She nagged him more than anyone and she did it with an innocent look in her eyes and a sweet smile.

He laughed, "More than that, she's angry at me for whatever reason."

He re-rolled the sleeves of his button-up and leaned over to grab his drink of water, "Everything I do displeases her," he waved his hand into the air and mimicked her voice, "you're incompetent daddy, that's okay not everyone can be like uncle Tommy"

My eyes widened and I roared with laughter, "She did not say that!" I exclaimed.

He turned to look at me with a deadpan look, "She did. With a sweet smile at that."

He huffed, lips touching the glass before pulling it away again, "I don't know what she wants." He shook his head at his confession, "Last week she yelled at me because I came home too early. Can you imagine?" He paused, his eyes comically wide and annoyed, "being yelled at for being home too early."

He muttered to himself, "Almost afraid to go home, now." He took a sip from the glass and put it down, "Mans not safe in his own home."

I found myself doubling over and laughing. My stomach clenched and my breath ran out but I couldn't stop laughing. I could only imagine Katie wearing her little princess pajama dress and staring irritably at her father for being home early.

He leaned back onto the couch and huffed, "Yeah, go on then. Laugh at my predicament."

I shook my head, lifting my hand to stifle my mouth in hopes of stopping the laughter. "I'm sorry, it's just"

I coughed and giggled, "It's too funny," I sighed and shifted my legs underneath me, and asked thoughtfully, "What's she doing up at 2 am on a weekend?"

Weekends were the only nights John went home late into the morning. Polly or Ada would watch Katy on the weekends so he could take over the late shifts from Arthur, so Arthur could go home to his own wife and kids.

On weekdays he was usually done with work by the time she got off school so he could spend time with her. She never once complained about that, so I assumed she complained about him being home on time on the weekends.

"She was having a Harry Potter movie night with Ada and Charlie, I walked in all excited to join in and she turns to me with chocolate on her face and glares" He paused, his head shaking, "The little thing glared at me! As if she hadn't been the one to ask me to come home on weekends to join movie nights"

He plopped his head against the couch and closed his eyes, "She's sending me mixed signals, I'll tell yah."

I laughed and leaned in to run my hand through his hair and coed, "Poor Johnny, his own little girl wants nothing to do with him. What shall we do?"

The room went silent for a moment and the dim lighting of my living room added a thickness that wasn't present earlier. Or maybe it was the fact that I was unreasonably close to John. Close enough to see the way his eyes dilated when he opened them. Close enough to feel the heat of his skin mere inches from mine.

"I love your eyes" I breathlessly admitted. I almost didn't want to say it but I couldn't stop myself from letting the words escape.

That should have been all there was to it. Admit to how much I loved his eyes and pull away. That would be the safer option. But I found myself gravitating closer. His nose brushed against mine and I could feel his hands gently slithering over my hip and settling on my waist.

"You don't think about him?" He asked quietly. His eyes searched mine. Wanting, waiting. "No." I whispered, "Just you."

My heart exploded at my confession and my face heated. The last time I had really thought about my ex was months ago and that was only when I realized that I deserved more than what he had given me.

He hummed in response a smile slowly forming, "Good."

He tugged me closer till I was pressed into his lap and his arms were wrapped around me, holding me in place. And before I could overthink what was happening his lips were pressed into mine. His kisses were soft and firm. His hands roamed over my waist and back.

His touch left a trail of fire upon my skin and before I could be set aflame, I pulled away.

My heart raced as I blurted, "This isn't a one-time thing."

He nodded, "I was hoping it wouldn't be." His hands trailed over my leg in soothing circles.

Fingers playing with the collar of his shirt, I asked hesitantly, "What about Katie?"

"Katie loves you." I knew that. But I often worried that she didn't actually like me. What if she secretly hates me? What if she doesn-

"She really cares about you, you know. I've never seen her get attached to someone else as quickly as she did you."

My mouth parted and a soft 'oh' escaped. I hadn't known that. But then again I had tried really hard to make her feel comfortable with me. Which wasn't hard. She was a sweetheart underneath her shyness. Getting to know her had been a joy. It still is. It was also one of the many growing reasons for my secret longing.

I tried to think of any other concerns and my silence must have worried him because he asked, "Are you looking for an excuse to not be with me?"

There was a level of vulnerability in his voice I was not familiar with. Exasperation and love, yes. I've even heard him when he got angry at a soccer mom for calling him a babysitting dad. As if, the idea that he could be a businessman and a full-time loving father was out of the realm of possibility.

"No, I just." My words fell flat, "I-"

He sighed and lifted me off his lap, gently guiding me to the couch cushion,"I shouldn't have come."

He stood and began to fix his sleeve to put his suit jacket on, "You're clearly not over your ex and I shouldn't have held out hope."

"Wait, no-"

"And I understand that he hurt you but I'm not him." He ran his hand through his hair, "I've got me own problems to deal with and one of my biggest responsibilities is me daughter." His eyes bore into mine with sincerity, "Look her well-being comes first and I would never jeopardize her happiness and you make her happy. But every time I think we're getting somewhere you pull away and make up excuses and I'm tired of having to justify why I would never ruin what we could have for some quick fuck with a random."

He closed his eyes and breathed out, "I'll give you some space but I don't think we should see each other anymore."

My heart plummeted, "What no! Look, John, that's not-"

I stood and tried to reach for him but he pulled away and shook his head. His lips pursed and his eyes turned hard as if to steel himself from whatever I might say. He walked around me and towards the door. I watched with wide eyes as he got further and further from me.

If I didn't stop him, I was sure I'd never see him or Katie again. The thought alone pierced my heart.

"I want to have a baby with you!" I exclaimed, "I just didn't want to say anything and every time you touch or kiss me it gets harder to ignore"

Silence followed my outburst and I couldn't stop talking. "I always told myself that I would never be a mother and that alone only seemed to solidify when I realized my partner of six years had been cheating on me. I was so certain I would never want it..but then I met you and Katie and well, that idea kind of went out the window, and then I started to get worried because of Katie and I didn't want to make her feel like I was replacing her mom or replacing her and-"

My rant was cut off with a kiss. I stumbled backward due to the force with which he launched himself at me. His hands held onto my hips, pulling me in.

"I thought you were leaving?" I teased.

He trailed kisses down my neck, teeth gently nipping at my sin, "No, we've got a baby to make."

Taglist: @mysticalpandora @ultimatreality @lovecleastrange @watercolorskyy @rockerchick05 @lyarr24

#john shelby #peaky blinders #peaky blinder imagine #peaky blinder fanfic #john shelby x reader #john shelby imagine #john shelby x you #john shelby x oc #john shelby one shot #ada thorne #arthur shelby #tommy shelby #thomas shelby #daddy john #peaky fucking blinders

[lilahisntsadanymore]

Ever since Y/n became a Shelby and entered the business, especially the dodgy part of it, she decided to be tough.

The reader pronouns: she/her

Pairing: John Shelby x reader

Words count: 1k

Tw: mentions of violence, blood, a person being shot

No certain time when it happens (just after the war), no Peaky Blinders spoilers. Partially inspired by this quote: "Please, I'm begging you go to a doctor." "I'm sorry is this OUR stab wound? Stay out of it."

For the sake of this fanfic, John is childfree.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

A Shelby meant-to-be

(gif not mine)

Once you become a Shelby, there's no going back. Y/n knew about this before marrying John, Tommy made it clear to her, and she willingly accepted that.

Y/n was excited about everything the marriage was going to bring into her life. She was more than eager to do jobs Tommy and sometimes Polly assigned to her. It was dangerous, but fun. In fact, danger was exactly what made it fun.

Because back when Y/n was still a Y/l/n, she hadn't known real danger. Her family was a bunch of law obedient citizens, so it could get a bit boring sometimes. But when she met John Shelby, he showed her what fun looks like.

The adrenaline, the gunshots, the racing heartbeats, it all was like a missing piece of Y/n's life. She enjoyed every part of this and wouldn't want to trade it for anything.

Due to that and the beautiful feelings Y/n shared with John, they quickly decided to get married. Y/n's family was negative about this, they knew the Shelby brothers are trouble and thought that the whole family is cursed. Besides, Y/n knew John only for two months before announcing the wedding.

Another reason to why the couple got married in such a short period of time was the war. The vision of it was widespread, rumours were being passed from mouth to mouth among ordinary people. If the war was to happen, John would have to serve in it along his older brothers. Thinking about the possibility of him not coming back, John and Y/n came up with the idea of getting married.

Without John by her side, Y/n became a different person. The threat of his death only added up to her transformation into a colder, much more reserved person. She helped Polly with the family business, but it wasn't the same Y/n Polly knew. She did the jobs because she had to, she promised that, but she didn't find fun in the adrenaline anymore.

The relief Y/n felt when all the Shelby brothers came back after the war finally finished wasn't possible to describe with words. Knowing John is alive and having him back home brought back the youthful joy in Y/n. She loved life again, she again remembered why she loved being a Shelby.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

It was a late November evening and those could get really cold and dark in England. Tommy was sat at his desk in his small room at the betting shop. His brother and Y/n had been sent for a job, but haven't come back yet. It was taking them a suspiciously long time.

Tommy took a drag from his cigarette and inhaled deeply, letting the smoke fill his lungs properly. Why aren't they back yet?, was a question that echoed in his head. It was a particularly dangerous mission, but if there were people capable of accomplishing it, these people were Y/n and John.

After all, Y/n had dealt with jobs equally dangerous alone back when the Shelby brothers were at war. Y/n didn't even need any help with today's job, but John insisted on going. Just in case something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, loud clamour sounded in the main room of the betting shop, reaching even Tommy in his office. It wasn't a good kind of clamour, that was what trouble sounded like.

Tommy quickly stood up from his chair and rushed out of the room, previously putting out his cigarette.

John and Y/n were back. But the problem was - Y/n got shot. It happened for the first time since she got into the Shelby business, which was a bit surprising that she managed to avoid bullets for such a long time.

Despite Y/n being the one that got shot, John had pure panic on his face. He walked around the chair his wife sat on, while she casually talked with aunt Polly, only wincing occasionally.

The bullet ended up in the girl's left arm. She was holding the wound with her right hand. Blood stained her arm, her both hands and a part of her clothes. John had the red liquid on his hands as well and some on his face too, probably from running his hands through his hair nervously.

"What happened?" Tommy asked. "You were only supposed to collect money."

"The man was armed, apparently." Y/n explained, breathing heavily. Pain was audible in her voice, but she tried to stay calm.

"I told you it's a good idea if I come with you!" John added. "If I wasn't there, he would have killed you!"

"Yes, Johnny, thank you for putting a bulled in his head, but I could have dealt with it alone as well. Don't panic."

"Don't panic?! Yeah, I see how good you could have dealt with it!" the man gestured to the wound. It was still bleeding and the bullet was still inside.

"You're a soldier, you should be used to people around you getting shot! It's not that serious anyways."

"A former soldier," John lowered his voice, "and a current husband, who doesn't want to become a widower."

Polly and Tommy looked at each other as the couple kept arguing. The woman sent a small smile to her nephew, shaking her head in amusement. Despite the seriousness of Y/n's injury, it was interesting how well she fitted the Shelby picture.

At this point, Polly didn't need any words for Tommy to know what she's thinking. They read each other's minds and the only thing they were thinking in that moment was 'Yeah, Y/n was meant to be a Shelby'.

Y/n clearly was destined to be a Shelby. She had this toughness that longed to be expressed and that hidden short temper that John helped her bring to the surface. Y/n fitted just right into that family.

"Stop arguing with me and let me get you to hospital, Y/n!" John demanded.

"I'm sorry, is this OUR wound?" Y/n's voice sounded sarcastic. "Stay out of it, John."

"I am your husband, Y/n, and I don't want you to die!"

"Die? I'll be fine, just give me something sharp, can be the razor in your cap if we've got nothing else."

The situation wasn't funny, it was actually quite serious. Tommy decided to intervene. "John is right, you can't just take the bullet out by yourself. Unless you dislike your arm."

"What do you mean?"

"You don't wanna know how many soldiers lost their limbs after being shot because of infections. Really awful sight to witness."

Y/n turned again to her husband. "John, take me to the nearest hospital."

John smiled victoriously and carefully escorted his wife to the car.

#John Shelby #John Shelby x reader #Peaky Blinders #Peaky Blinders x reader #Peaky Blinders imagine #Peaky Blinders one shot #Peaky Blinders fanfic #John Shelby imagine #John Shelby one shot #John Shelby fanfic

[notyour-valentine]

Dance with me ~ John Shelby x Reader

Summary: Three little words, with a lot of meaning and implications depending on how and where they are said (Fluff)

Note: This is the version with John. Here are those with Arthur and Tommy if you are curious. And here is my [Masterlist]

I do not consent to my work being translated, copied or posted elsewhere on this platform or any other. This hasn't been beta'd so I apologise for typos or mistakes

Warning: Alcohol consumption, otherwise none. As I am an adult, all my writing I share is unless explicitly stated for adults (18/21+). Your media consumption is your own responsibility. 

Wordcount: 1347 words

It was a warm night, but it would have been a warm night even if it had been December and not the middle of July, and not just because of the fires. It was the people that made it warm, the sound of their voices, the melody of their songs and what they carried in their hearts. 

People of all ages had gathered around, some chatting, some dancing. Some were sitting around the fires, some standing in small groups, or leaning against the trees or the wagons. Some children were already asleep while others were still running wild. There were no arbitrary rules tonight, to keep them all apart. Everyone went where they wanted, said what they wanted, did what they wanted.

The drink in her cup tasted more of smoke than anything else, but she drank all the same, before setting it down on the ground beside her. 

John picked it up and took a sip as his other hand drawing lazy circles on her bare arm and the back of her neck, pushing her hair out of the way. 

Some of the younger children had had fun with her hair earlier, tying in ribbons and adding flowers. John had taken one of them and added it to his shirt pocket with a cheeky grin, making it look almost comical - his old worn white undershort, with rolled up sleeves, and then a flower tucked in front of his chest.

(Y/N) leaned into him as they listened to one of the many tales of Johnny Doggs. If one believed him, he had lived a century, travelled all five continents and met everyone, from Queen Victoria to the Emperor of China. 

Now he was telling another story, of travels on the continent. 

"...there I was, thinking we'd found the best place to sleep and because the night was warm just like this one, we slept outside." He explained as he walked around the fire, sparks hitting his trousers. 

"I was just having a particularly good dream which involved a woman I once met in Sicily when I suddenly woke up only to find a bull staring in front of me, eyes as red as that fire here as his hooves worked the ground."

The children jumped and yelped as he spun to face them, with his best imitation of a bull's snarl. 

He soaked their excitement up like a sponge and lowered his voice. 

"Now, you've seen bulls, but not like that, you haven't. His fur was black as hell itself and he had horns longer than me legs and sharper than a spearhead. It was the biggest bull I've ever seen- with a head the size of the back of that wagon."

"You're the biggest bull head I've ever seen.", One of the Lee boys heckled. 

Johnny's head snapped around, his face burning right red. 

"Let's hope it wasn't that red when the bull saw him.", John whispered into her ear. 

The joke wasn't even that funny, but it was made funnier by the drink and the late- or maybe early - hour and the fact that John had said it. 

Johnny continued his story about the encounter with the bull, but (Y/N) no longer listened. Instead she leaned her head against John's chest and let her eyes flutter close. To some people, home might be a place, a village, a street, a city or even a house. But to her, home had always been a feeling, a warmth independent of temperature that managed to keep the rain and the storm at bay, even if there were no walls and no windows, that saw her through the coldest winter and brightened up her darkest nights.

This was home. 

She would have fallen asleep here too, in his arms, with the smells of smoke and the sounds of song around her. 

But John wouldn't have it, bringing his fingers up to play on her ribs as if they were the tiles of a piano, coaxing breathless giggles from her lips as she tried to move away. 

"Getting weak already?", He wanted to know. 

"Never!", (Y/N) argued, turning in his arms. "Never ever."

"Good.", He grinned, before slapping his hands on his thighs. 

The world seemed to shift as he got up, pulling her up with him, making her feel every drop of alcohol she had drunk. 

"What are you doing?", She wanted to know, as he pulled her away from the fire and Johnny Dogg's tales.  

The grass tickled the soles of her feet, as her toes dug into the natural ground. 

"Dance with me.", He asked. 

"What?"

Walking backwards, he faced her, grinning from ear to ear. 

"I want to dance. Dance with me."

"John, we're both too drunk to dance.", She laughed. "We'll twist an ankle."

"Like I said, weak.", He teased. 

She took it as a challenge, but she also knew that it was what he had intended.

Her wide skirts brushed against her legs as she walked, floating with every step, every move and every gust of wind, as if they had a mind of their own. 

With a slight tug, he pulled her towards him. She stumbled and would have fallen if she hadn't crashed right into his chest, making both of them laugh. 

"You good to dance?", He asked, his voice softer now, brushing some loose strands of hair out of her face. 

"Better than you.", She hissed with a grin. "Drunk or sober."

John bit his lip as he shook his head, half hiding that lopsided grin of his. 

Arm in arm, they reached the spot where the music played loudly, but they still had enough room to properly dance, even if they might have swayed slightly getting there. 

The songs that were played here weren't the ballads of the campfires, but faster, cheerier tunes that captured her body and soul and brought a smile to her lips. John and her faced each other, almost as if ready for a duel and for one second they both held their breath. Then his hand found her waist and her hands found his and they began to let the music move them. 

There were dances of course, with corsets and ballgowns, with tight shoes and even tighter rules, but those weren't real dances, not truly. They were rehearsed, almost like a play. But dancing, proper dancing, had to be more than that- it had to be something like this, where one could feel the music running through your body, caressing the depth of your soul. 

Where there were no rules to follow except the one to do what felt right. 

It had to be like this, with the wind in her hair, tugging slightly at her skirt, with his hands on her and hers on him- the only steady thing in a world where sounds and sights and smells blended together to create a swirl around them. 

In between the music and the other voices, she could hear his laughter ringing through, and his whistling too, and perhaps he'd hear her own. 

(Y/N) did not know whether it was her that tripped or him but they ended up flush against each other once more. Her chest was heaving and his cheeks were burning red. But the grin they shared was the same. 

"The whole world's spinning!", She gasped breathlessly, gripping his arms. 

"Then we'll just have to spin in the other direction!", He suggested and before she could do anything but laugh, his hands tightened around her wrists. They both began to run in their little circle- round and round and round, leaning both their chests back and only holding their balance because of each other. 

This has to be what flying feels like, she thought as she leaned her head back. What freedom feels like.

(Y/N) closed her eyes and allowed herself feel- feel the wind and cold night air, the occasional spread of warmth when a gust carried over some heat from a fire, but most importantly felt him. 

The warmth of his skin, that seemed to trickle through her own reaching the depth of her bones, the rough skin of his fingers that caressed her the way only he could - the strength of his grip. 

They were going fast and faster, almost faster than the world itself, and perhaps they would stumble. Perhaps they would even fall, but she knew, deep down in the depth of her heart, that no matter what happened, she could count on John Shelby to never let her go. 

End.

Thank you for reading. I'd be very grateful for feedback or comments of any kind.

#John Shelby x reader #John Shelby x oc #John Shelby one shot #John Shelby fanfic #Peaky Blinders fanfic #Peaky Blinders imagine #valentineswritings #John Shelby #dance with me

[too-many-baes]

Not a Chance

Pairing: fem!reader x John Shelby

Warning(s): Alcohol consumption, mild description of violence (against you), being attacked

Word Count: 5.9K

Summary: When one of the infamous Shelby brothers decides you'd caught his eye, you answer his advances with the same thing every time. Not a chance. One fateful late-night throws you closer to the Small Heath bad boy than you ever thought you'd get.

A/N: Wow, look at that word count. IDK what came over me but I started writing and then I just didn't stop. This is my favourite that I've written for Non-Stop August so far, by far.

If anyone has any requests send 'em on in and I just might be able to find a place to slip it in this month.

With a smile on your face you hand the brown paper bag with the delicately folded edge over to Mrs Murphy, careful to pass it to her with the bottom flat and unmoving, lest the cream on top of the bun should get flattened.

“Husband still has no clue?” You tease as you accept her few coins in your outstretched hand.

“I have it down to a fine art. Eat it in the alley just before the turn off to my street and dump the wrapper in the neighbour’s bin. It's full proof.” You laugh along with her, the kind of laughter that two women who share a secret from the men around them allow, before waving her off as the bell above the door loudly exclaims her exit.

It was near on closing so the small bakery only boasted a couple of customers whose chittering about which type of bread to accompany their dinners filled the shop. You decide to get a head start on your nightly routine, changing the prices on the small pieces of whiteboard to reflect your end of day urge to get the last few stragglers of baked goods sold.

The bell above the door chimes again when your back was turned to the door. The store quiets to a complete still, before scurried feet and the bell going again tells you of your previous customers hurried escape. You sigh, closing your eyelids firmly before turning around, knowing exactly the only people that could have that effect on your patrons.

“You know John,” you start, turning around to face not only the one Shelby you were imagining, but two in the shape of John and Arthur, “Mr Mooney would be outraged if he knew you were coming in here and scaring off his customers. Any more of that carry on and he might not be able to keep the shop open.”

Your level stare at the men did nothing but bring a grin to the already smirking face of John Shelby, the toothpick in his mouth lolling to the side at the movement.

“C’mon darl,” he held out his hands by his side in an exaggerated shrug, “when have you ever known me not to be a generous customer?” Arthur had distracted himself with looking around, clearly having been dragged in here on their way to wherever they were actually supposed to be.

“Well hurry up then, what is it you want tonight?” Your urging makes John raise a hand to his chest, clutching at his heart as if wounded.

“Did you hear that Arthur?” John asks all but rhetorically, as Arthur pays his younger brothers’ antics no mind. “What is it you want,” John mimics, “you can tell Mr Mooney that if there’s any dip in sales it’s from how his shop lady talks to the customers.”

John places both of his hands against the front of the counter, leaning slightly towards you. Your eyes stray to the toothpick hanging out of his mouth, noting to yourself that you had seen him with it more often than without. John mistakenly thinking that you were looking at his lips shoots you a wink, making you take a step back from the counter.

“You want customer service?” You question, clearing your throat with a dramatic cough and leveling him with the best fake smile you could muster. “Good evening gentlemen and welcome to Mooney’s Morsels. Now unfortunately we are running low in stock, but if I can divert your attention to the front cabinet, you’ll see you’re lucky enough for there still to be a selection left to sample.” Your voice is both jovial and dead at the same time as you wave your hands illustriously across the very few items remaining for the day, making a spectacle of yourself to prove a point.

“Well, I liked that one much better myself.” You let out a small tsk at the older Shelby who had spoken up from the back of the shop, but not daring to push your luck the same way that you did with John, lacking the same familiarity.

John from his still leant position at your counter lifts up a hand and lazily wiggles a finger at you, gesturing for you to come closer. You comply and rest both of your elbows on your own side of the counter, placing your chin in your hands so you can gaze at him with the set of fake puppy dog eyes you were sporting.

Even though John knew that you were only teasing, your proximity and hunched posture meant that you were close enough that he had to look down at you, your eyes piercing through his chest without you so much as trying. The smell of freshly milled flour from your apron drifted pleasantly up his nose as he allowed himself a moments pause to take you in before continuing.

“You better listen up darl, cause this is a one time offer,” he said, accentuating the word ‘one’ by raising up a singular finger in front of your face before swiftly tapping you on the nose with it, “I’m going to buy every last thing left in this shop.” Your nose relaxed from its scrunched position and the hand you’d just used to swat John’s away stilled at your side. If John bought everything that would mean that you’d get to skip off home early, maybe even be able to have a cup of tea with your mother before you’d both start on dinner.

“But as a reward you have to come for a drink at the Garrison with me. Whaddya say?” He drums his fingers a few times before standing up to his full height, face smug as if he’d just given you an offer you simply couldn’t refuse.

Although for a second you had forgotten that you were talking to John Shelby, the brief prospect of heading home early being snatched away from you as soon as it was offered had you deflating. Not that you’d show it to the men. Instead, you make a show of tapping your chin with a set of your fingers from your still leant position, giving the appearance of genuinely thinking about the offer. You abruptly stood up, a clear sign that you had made your decision, much to John’s initial delight.

“Not a chance Johnny boy.” Arthur chuckles from behind his younger brother, prompting a glare to be sent his way. “Now if you’re not actually going to buy anything can you get out of the shop, you’re scaring everyone away.”

“We’re not doing anything.”

“I think you know as well as I do that you don’t have to.” John rolls his eyes in annoyance, but even he can’t deny the truth in your words.

Arthur clearly fed up with the whole charade his brother had just made him endure purchases a loaf of ciabatta, you happily wrapping it up for him. He hands you his payment but refuses to accept his change once you offered it to him, stating that you could keep it for the trouble. You smile and accept it gratefully, wishing the gentlemen a pleasant evening as Arthur leads John out of the shop by the elbow. Once outside the younger brother shakes off his brother’s hand in irritation, following Arthur down the street and only breaking eye contact with you once he leaves the line of sight of the shop window.

You release a sigh once he was out of view, your chest feeling less constricted by the action. You really thought the Shelby boy would’ve given up well before now.

You’d shifted to Small Heath with your mother and two younger siblings 8 months ago, and 8 months ago you’d caught the eye of John Shelby after your first day working in the bakery.

“You watch out for that lot,” the cheerful Mr Mooney had warned you after seeing the three Shelby boys crossing the street en route to the shop, “those Shelby boys are mixed up in all the wrong things, nothin’ but trouble.”

Although you had appreciated the older man’s fatherly advice, you didn’t need it. You could see it for yourself. People parted ways to make room for them on the street, either avoiding eye contact or giving a pleasant and rushed greeting. They walked with an authority that said how unafraid of everyone and everything they were, that was all you had needed to see to have each of them pegged.

You’d never met the men, but you knew them before they had even stepped a foot through the bakery door. You’d grown up around men like them. Your mother had dated men like them, your brother had hung around with men like they before you shifted. They were trouble with a capital ‘T’, and you may have been the only woman in all of Small Heath to have not been glad to have caught trouble’s eye.

The propositions hadn’t started on that first day, but by later that same week they had started and had ceased to stop since. Every time John asked you out it went the exact same way.

“Let me take you out to dinner.”

“Not a chance.”

“Lets go cruising, just the two of us.”

“Not a chance.”

“There’s a new club opened, I bet we’d look good together on the dancefloor.”

“Not a chance Shelby.”

No matter how many different ways he invented to ask you, your answer was always the same. Not a chance.

You’d have thought that by now the youngest Shelby would’ve gotten bored, having gathered from the gossip around Small Heath that he was the most restless of the three. Week after week you were proven wrong, as the bell dinged before his cocky smile was staring right at you.

How many more times was it going to take before trouble stopped knocking on your door?

Having not been able to close early for the night, you flip the battered sign hanging in the door to closed before locking the front door after you. If anybody was following you home, they’d have been surprised to see you turning off on a street several before your own. If they’d been following you for any good period of time though, they’d know this was a weekly stop.

You rap on a beaten down, shabby red door, before a frazzled mother, whose appearances very much matched her front door, yanked it open. Her annoyed expression softened when she saw it was you. You exchanged pleasantries briefly before you handed over a tote bag containing what few loaves had been left at the end of the day.

“You’re sure you’re not going to get in trouble for this?” Mrs Hawley queried as a handful of her many children raced down the hallway behind her.

“Mooney would have to know to care.” You say with a reassuring pat to her shoulder. You say your goodbyes after she thanks you profusely before your head to your final stop of the night.

The house was quiet as it usually was during the evenings, your mother being an advocate for making both your younger siblings read for an hour or two before dinner. Her reading skills were poor at best, and although she couldn’t afford a good education for your brother and sister, she did what little was in her power to do.

You prepared dinner in almost complete silence, with you humming out a few notes of a song you had caught out of the window of a passing car on your way home.

“Shelley said she saw those Shelby boys in the bakery again today.” Although you liked little old Shelley Wickham that lived in the apartment across the road and up a storey from the bakery, you were sure that your mother had had ulterior motives in befriending her.

“Yes, they were mum.” You sigh out, ready for yet another lecture about the dangerous brothers three.

“I just want you to be-”

“Careful. Yes I know.” You interrupt, earning you a displeased scowl in return. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. That John Shelby couldn’t tempt me if he offered us a gold adorned mansion to live in.” You continued cooking in silence, your mother sufficiently calmed for the evening.

“Now dear even I’d be tempted by a gold mansion.” The joking lilt in her voice has you both dissolving into giggles, you nudging her with your elbow lovingly, glad that you had been able to ease your mothers mind. If only for one more night.

*****

You were watching the clock tick down. It had been one of those kinds of days. You closed your doors at 4, meaning you only had 20 minutes until you were allowed to lock the doors. Mr Mooney had told you that he was really needing the bread stoves cleaned after your shift, and you were only too happy to accept the paid overtime, him telling you to take as long as you needed before leaving for the day.

The bell above the door dinged, forcing a smile onto yourself after you allowed yourself a grimace. before turning your focus to the customer. You immediately allowed the smile to fall off of your face when you saw it was only John Shelby.

“I’m not in the mood tonight John, okay? Can you just head on down to the Garrison like you usually do and find someone there to annoy.”

“Woah woah woah there darl. Is it really too much to ask for to get a look at that pretty face of yours before I drink away my sorrows after you shoot me down again?” That signature grin adorned his face, but you weren’t in the mood for playing games, leaving the frown firmly upon your lips.

“You know you could just skip out the whole middle bit and head to the Garrison to drink happily with the knowledge that you haven’t been rejected in one whole day.” You add a sarcastic tight-lipped smile to the end of your sentence, which only spread his own. He looked up to the clock on the wall before speaking.

“Your shift ends in 15, how about I wait here then walk you down to the Garrison with me for a drink? I swear I’ll be the total gentleman. I won’t even give you a goodnight kiss, even when ask for one.” You opened your mouth to respond but he interrupted you before you got the chance. “Let me guess? Not a chance.” He says, raising his voice slightly in a very poor imitation of you that you find yourself letting out a small laugh at. Much to your annoyance.

“You got better plans tonight then darl?”

“If you must know actually my plans are over time here cleaning the ovens before having a cup of tea with my mother, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” You add the last part when it looked as though John were about to launch into a speech about how much more fun your night would be if you spent it with him instead.

“Over time on a Friday? How are you getting home?” He asks with a genuine concern that has you hesitating.

“Walking like usual.” John was very clearly unhappy with that answer, shaking his head back and forth at you, toothpick swaying on his lips.

“No. I’ll come and give you a lift.”

“After drinks at the Garrison? I don’t think so.” You scoff out.

“Then I’ll come and walk you home. Final offer, and I’m not taking no for an answer.” You glance at the clock, seeing that closing was rapidly approaching. All you wanted to do was to get started on that oven, so you did something that you hoped you wouldn’t regret.

“Alright fine.” You said yes to John Shelby. The smile on his face makes you wish you could take your answer back, but you can’t unsay what’s been said. And you can’t un-feel the butterflies that knock about your stomach as you usher him out the front door, him placing a kiss upon your hand before you snatch it back and lock the door.

You find that you put more elbow grease into the furnace than what was strictly necessary in an effort to rid your thoughts of John. You’d dip your brush into the bucket and there he would be, grinning down at you. You’d pick at a stubborn spot and you’d feel his lips upon your hand, soft and warm. You’d get fresh sudsy water and you’d be able to feel his breath upon your face.

You startle out of your thoughts when you hear a knock on the glass in the front of the store. You race out of the back room to find two drunken men drawn by the light still on in the shop knocking at the glass and trying the door knob.

“We’re closed. Better move along.” You say, pointing at the hanging closed sign as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. One of the men you recognise from down the street to you, so you address him when the men do not immediately move on. “Mr Hawley, won’t your wife and kids be waiting for you?” You question with a steel gaze that has the addressed man’s lip curling up in rage.

“What’s it to ya?’ He slurs out at you, his companion trying the door for what would have to have been the fifth time since you’d been standing there.

“Absolutely nothing to me, but I’m sure it’s something to your wife and kids.” Graham Hawley stares right back at you with an intent that has shivers racing up along your spine before it settles back in the pit of your stomach.

With his friend still leering and trying the door beside him, Graham grabs him by the collar and pulls him off out of view down the street. You only hope that he was off to his family and not off to find more alcohol.

Your work takes about another hour before you’re satisfied with how the oven came up. Even with the strain that runs across your back and the aching neck you acquired in the process, you turn the lights in the bakery off with a smile, opening and locking the door behind you.

The feeling that comes over you when you realise that John Shelby was not waiting for you has you scrunching up your nose in disgust. Funny how he could have that effect on you without even being in your presence. Usually of course, you were screwing up your nose for entirely different reasons, but for the sake of your sanity you were ignoring that you were disappointed that he hadn’t shown up.

Despite yourself. you find that you linger at the door far longer than necessary. You double check the door and cup your eyes against the glass to see that all the lights were turned off, even though it was plain that they were. With a defeated sigh you give up and start making your way down the cobblestones.

As you usually finished much earlier in the day you were shocked by the calm that the night brought, how cobblestones slick with water and oil from passing cars sparkled under the dim street lights.

For a moment, you pause in your steps, straining to hear into the distance. You start your steps again slowly, but cease them almost immediately after, catching the this time unmistakable sound of steps following behind you. You turn and assess the street, shaking your head at yourself when you realise that there was no one in sight. If you’d have realised you were this prone to paranoia you’d have been counting your lucky stars much earlier than this that your shifts usually ended so early in the day.

Suddenly a hand is thrown over your mouth. Fat, sweaty fingers make screaming an impossibility as the accompanying arm is firmly latched around your waist, pulling you into the darkness of a nearby alley. Your head is slammed forcefully against the brick of the wall, making you see stars as you desperately try to blink them away.

When you get reoriented you see that the figure holding you against the wall is Graham Hawley, his friend hanging just slightly to your left in the shadows.

“You think you’re some real high and mighty bitch, huh? Think you can tell me when I should be getting home and when I shouldn’t?” Your reply is slapped from your mouth as Graham’s hand left your mouth long enough to smack it hard against your cheek before returning its stifling grip on your mouth.

“Think we’re some charity case, is that it? Bringing over what scraps of bread nobody else wanted like I can’t provide for my own family.” Your words of denial can’t make it past the drunken man’s fingers, and you feel tears prick in the corners of your eyes as you fight to be heard, by him or anyone else that may have been passing.

“C’mon man, we better go.” His friend pipes up, making you nod your head as vigorously as you could against the cold brick, muffled sounds of approval puffing past his heavy fingers. The tears begin to fall down your cheeks, slowly at first, when a sadistic grin spreads across your aggravators face.

“Go?”, he questions to his friend, “I haven’t even gotten to teach this bitch a lesson yet.” He releases the arm around your waist, replacing the pressure there with his beefy torso, as he rears back his fist to the increasing volume of your muffled screams. You close your eyes with ragged breaths, awaiting the feeling of your nose crunching and your skull hitting the wall.

“Let her go.” A new voice joins the fray and the tears freely pour across your cheeks and onto Graham’s fingers when you see John Shelby’s silhouette, illuminated by the street light.

“What did you say, boy?”

“I said, let. Her. Go.” You’d never truly understood the fear the gripped the chests of Small Heath at the sight of the Shelby’s, but John’s clipped, authoritative words had the blood in your veins stilling.

The reaction it has upon the men is instant, with his friend tugging at his sleeve and begging to go, while Graham’s hold on you lessened ever so slightly. Still clearly high on the liquid courage he’d imbibed in he doesn’t relent, shaking off his friend and trying to match John’s stare.

“And what if I don’t? You gonna get your brother to deal to me?” Wordlessly, John reaches up and removes the flat cap from his head, holding the brim between his fingers so the light could catch at the metal hidden within its seams.

“No. I’m gonna deal to you.” Graham’s friend had taken more than enough for the two of them, letting out a frantic ‘lets go’ as he this time successfully pulled on his friends arm, sending the two of them peeling down the alley and into the next street over. Out of your sight but not your mind.

John has you held in his arms before you’d even realised your knees had given out, catching you and keeping you on your feet. He says your name softly once, then when it garnered no response he says it again. His voice was still soft, but the urgency that was laced in the letters were enough to pull your teary eyes to his face.

“Are you okay?” It was a loaded question. Physically, you would be okay. The implications of the evening hadn’t set in for you yet though, the adrenaline wearing off making your knees tremble and your hands shake from their position clutching the fabric of his tweed jacket.

“Lets get you home darl, c’mon.”

“No.” The panic in that one word has John’s brow stitched together until you repeat yourself. “No, I can’t have my mother seeing me like this. She can’t know this happened.” Your mother would never allow you to take any more over time if she found out about this fiasco, and as much as you were shaking like a leaf and incapable of pulling a steady breath into your lungs, your family were in no position to be turning down any extra hours.

John nods at you, seeming to understand everything you were thinking in that small, panicked sentence you were able to muster. Without another word he places a gentle arm around your waist so your sides were flat together, and he delicately places the arm not desperately clinging to his own around the back of his neck.

You successfully place one foot in front of the other as you lean on the support you hadn’t known you needed until it was given. John leads you down the street and although you have no idea where you’re going, with his small muttered words of encouragement you diligently follow his lead. In that moment you’d have followed John Shelby anywhere.

Seemingly out of the blue John stops at a nondescript door, pulling a key out of one of his many pockets and letting you both inside. He places you down on a plush red lined sofa, leaving your side only long enough to light the fire in the room and start the kettle before he’s back by your side with a rag and an unlabelled clear bottle.

With a movement of his head, he motions for you to turn around. You do so obligingly, offering him up the now pounding area on the back of your skull that had collided with the wall. You feel his fingers gently graze over the area, a hiss escaping your lips when he places a tad too much pressure on the centre of the point of pain.

“This is going to hurt.” The popping of a cork has you turning your head slightly to see John pouring the liquid all over the rag. Re-corking the bottle, you face your head forward, nodding for John to continue.

John hadn’t been lying about it hurting, a pained yelp running over your lips as the stinging in the back of your head takes over your senses. You reach out behind your back, fumbling for something to ground you, when a soft hand if offered up to you. You take it and squeeze out of pure reaction alone, finding that tethering yourself to John made it easier to ignore the pain. The more he patted the less it hurt until your breaths were coming in long and slow for the first time since you left the shop.

John clearing his throat makes you realise that you hadn’t felt a pat to the back of your head in a while. Keeping his mooring hand in yours you shuffle around to face him, your feet firmly planted to the ground with your body facing his, while one of his legs was tucked underneath him, allowing him to be facing you completely.

“It’ll sting for the next few days, but you’ll be alright.” You nod in understanding, not knowing what to say or how to even start on how grateful you felt that he had been there.

“How does the rest of me look, like I’ve been in a scuffle?” You ask with a humorous lilt to your voice. John quickly assesses your tear stained face with his eyes, smiling when it was done.

“Your cheek is a bit red,” he reaches up his spare hand and gently places it on your cheek, allowing his thumb to move back and forth in a feather light caress, “but that’ll be gone by the time you get home.” Seeing the brief panic flash in your eyes his reassures you, “I promise darl.”

Despite yourself you feel a smile form on your face. Whether it was John’s calming reassurances or his hand on your cheek while the other was still clutched firmly in your own, you didn’t know.

But what you were suddenly very sure of was John’s eyes had never looked bluer than they did right now, and his face never looked more handsome than when he looked at you with firelight dancing along his features.

You felt yourself getting overwhelmed the longer your eyes stayed on his face until your lip was trembling and your eyes were stinging with tears once again.

John pulled you in to him, resting one arm around your shoulders while one hand went to the back of your head, carefully avoiding your injured spot as he pulled you down so your face was resting against his firm chest when the first sob was pulled from your body.

He held you against him as you continued to cry. His fingers danced across your hair as he rocked you back and forth, shushes leaving his mouth with your name and softly spoken ‘it’ll be okays’ scattered throughout.

Your sobs died, as did John’s shushes, until you were acutely aware that you were being held in the safest arms you’ve ever been in. You allow yourself to pull back just enough to let you look up at John’s face and suddenly your breath was gone as his eyes met yours. You were speechless, swallowed whole by John’s tenderness and beckoning lips that seemed to be coming closer to yours with every punctuated beat of your heart.

The kettle whistling loudly in the background pries you both from your daze and has you clearing your throat to fill in the previous sound of your quiet, drawn-out breaths. With a small smile John is leaving you, pottering around in the kitchen until a cup of steaming coffee is in your hands and a much more respectable distance is between you both, one of his legs now resting over the other.

You take a careful sip of the offered drink, screwing up your nose to John’s short laughter when you realise that it was spiked.

“You needed something to take the edge off.” In any other circumstances you’d have been making yourself a new drink and chiding John for the cheek, but right now you gratefully accepted the warmth the hidden Whiskey offered you as you continued to sip.

You sat in contented silence, sipping lightly on your drink as John kept a weathered eye on you in between looking around the room and twiddling his thumbs.

“John?” His elbows now resting on his knees, his head in hands. He turns to look at you, giving you a small, genuine smile to encourage you on. “If you hadn’t of gotten there-”

“I should have been there sooner.” He bit out, throwing his back into the couch as he rubs a hand down the length of his face. “If I hadn’t agreed to one more drink-”

“I don’t want to hear that.” You cut off, making him look at you as you continued. “You were there when it mattered. And I don’t think I can ever repay you for that.” He smiles at you and you think it may have been the first one you’d seen that didn’t have some cheek or devilishness hiding just below the surface. You could feel your heart falter as you gave him a smile back, hoping that it conveyed all the thankfulness and warmth that had crept into your ribcage since he’d sat across from you.

“Can I ask you a question?” You all but whisper, nervously looking down into your nearly empty coffee cup before looking back into John’s face. He gives you a quick, singular nod, that genuine smile still planted on his lips. “Why do you keep asking me out every day?” He scoffs at you, shaking his head and looking at you incredulously, clearly in wonder that that was what had been so pressing you’d been nervous to say it. After everything that had happened.

“I mean it John. I’ve shot you down more times than I can count, and you come back in everyday as if the last didn’t happen. Am I that much of a pretty face?” You add cheekily, making him laugh at the memory of his words earlier that evening.

“You definitely are that much of a pretty face.” The cheek returns to his smile briefly before it flattens out into a more serious expression. “But you’re also the girl that takes the leftovers to the family that needs it, but definitely doesn’t deserve it.” Your cheeks heat in time with the prickles that raise the hairs on the back of your neck as you bashfully look into your lap before having the nerve to meet John’s piercing gaze. “And you’re the girl that takes over time because she knows her family needs it.” Your breathing halts before a tiny mangled, squeak sounds in the back of your throat.

All this time you thought that John had only been interested in you, the pretty faced bakery girl that wouldn’t give him the time of day when every other girl would. Little did you know he wanted you. All of you. He had really seen you, and maybe if you’d have afforded him the time of day you could’ve really seen him too, for who he really is. A younger sibling who loved his family, with a cheeky smile that hid a heart of gold.

“Speaking of family’s darl, if we don’t get you home soon yours is going to start a search party.” He accentuates his sentence with as playful rap of his knuckles on your knee. You grin before you down the little contents that remain in the mug and hover at the front door as John extinguishes the fire and locks up the house.

The walk to yours was quiet, no words needing spoken between you as you simply exist in each other’s company. Without warning you gently snake your hand into the crook of his elbow which he gladly accepts wordlessly.

You hadn’t realised how close you had been to your house before, or maybe the walk felt too short because you weren’t ready to leave John Shelby alone for the night. You both huff in unison as you stare at your door, both of you knowing you had to cross the threshold but neither of you wanting to separate from the other.

John softly spoke your name, making you slowly tilt your head to catch his gaze. His eyes flick between yours as he subconsciously licks his lips in thought.

“I know how you can make it up to me.” The light lilt in his voice let you know that he was joking and he didn’t actually expect payment for playing the hero. You nod anyway, happy to play along. “Go a date with me. A proper one, to a restaurant.” You can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of you at John’s serious expression, as he seems genuinely concerned at what your answer could be. You stare at him in silence once your laughter had died, but the smile he had elicited stayed firmly in its place.

With a squeeze to his bicep, you lean in and place a lingering kiss on his cheek, reaching up onto your tiptoes to whisper into his ear.

“Do you think I’d miss it for the world?” You place your feet flat on the ground, reaching over to open your door and leave him in the night as you speak.

“Not a chance, John Shelby.”   

#john shelby x reader #john shelby fanfiction #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders reader insert #john shelby reader insert #peaky blinders fanfic #john shelby imagine #peaky blinders imagine #john shelby fanfic #john shelby one shot #peaky blinder one shot #non-stop august #too many baes #too many baes non-stop august #no y/n #writing #mine

[cilliansdove]

BLEEDING HEART || tommy shelby oneshot

pairings: tommy shelby x fem!reader

warnings: violence, angst, comfort,

summary: Y/n had been struggling with her husband distancing himself from her. In the heat of the moment, tommy breaks down and tells her what’s going on.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The moon hung low in the sky, casting an eerie glow through the silk of the curtains. Tommy still hadn’t come to bed, which wasn’t odd- just…lonesome. Again.

I tugged on the material of my nightgown as I stared at myself through the mirror. I felt useless without Tommy. Didn’t know what to do with myself.

And every time I tried to communicate with him, he’d push me away as though I meant nothing to him.

I thought about trying again tonight…

With a hard knock, I waited outside the door to his office.

I heard his gruff voice answer back, “Come in.”

My heavy feet dragged me to the front of his desk, and I could already feel the tears in my eyes.

Tommy blew out the smoke from his mouth and looked up at me through his glasses.

“What’s the matter, Love?” A frown appeared on his face.

I took a deep breath in, “Did I do something…?”

“What’d you mean, Love?” He looked at me with a frown and nodded at his lap, “C’mere, Doll.”

I made my way over to his lap and sat comfortably on it, whilst I leant my head on his shoulder and played with my fingers.

I felt his hands in my hair, stroking soothingly, making me hum.

Slowly, I looked up at him through my lashes, “Are you…okay, Tom?” I asked nervously.

“What makes you ask, hmm?”

I pulled myself up and placed my legs on either side of his waist, “Feels like you’re distancing yourself from me,” I tucked my face into his neck, “Have I done something?”

Tommy coughed slightly, “No, Doll, you haven’t done anything. But you should’ve told me how you felt sooner.”

I lifted my head from his shoulder and looked at him intently, “I didn’t want to say anything, because I didn’t know how you’d react…I didn’t want to upset you,” I whispered the last part, and brushed my nose against his.

In response, Tommy closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, “There’s things going on, Doll. Bad things. Things your pretty little head doesn’t need to get worked up over.”

I rolled my eyes and got off his lap. In frustration my voice raises, “But this is what I mean! You just- you just completely shut me out! Why?!”

Tommy stood up immediately and paced over, grabbing my shoulders, “You’ll do as you’re told, Y/n, that’s the end of it.”

My heart ached in my chest, I could feel the pain engulfing me, but I couldn’t say anything about it- no.

“Tommy I…I just want to help you.”

His wrath burst and he threw a glass at the wall, “I don’t need your help!!”

I flinched in fear, watching the glass shatter across the floorboards. I looked back at him, with wide eyes and my mouth hung open.

“Y/n...just go to bed,” he rubbed his face with his hand and turned away from me.

I stared up at the ceiling, pushing the tears back in so they wouldn’t all flood out. I sorted myself out and then took a deep breath in.

“Where would you like me to sleep?” I asked softly.

Tommy scoffed, “In our bedroom.”

I nodded. However for some reason, my feet wouldn’t carry me back out.

Tommy had caught onto the fact I was still there, and he turned around harshly to face me.

“Get out, Y/n.”

I took a step forward till my chest met his, “Talk to me.” I shook my head but looked at him with a pleading look in my eyes.

He sighed and leant his head on mine.

“It’s not something I need to discuss with you. Now go.”

His tone was soft but stern. He sounded…exhausted?

In response, I nodded- just once, and then left.

I didn’t go to bed though.

Quietly, I went downstairs and sat myself on the sofa, with a glass of whiskey. I don’t know how long I had sat there for, speaking muffled words to myself.

The heavy steps that came down the stairs alerted me, and I stood up, plotting my glass on the centre table.

Tommy’s figure curled around the doorframe, and he frowned, placing his rough hands in his pockets.

“I told you to go to bed.”

“Well, I didn’t,” I snapped back.

He paced towards me and out of fear I  stepped backwards until my back had hit the bookshelf. A single book fell to the floor, which made my breath hitch.

Tommy gripped my shoulders tightly and stared at me with a harsh look in his eye.

I swallowed down my fear and bit down hard on my cheeks.

“I’m not going to tell you again, eh? Go. To. Bed.” His words came out like venom on his tongue, and I gaped at him intensely.

I writhed out of his grip and pushed him away.

"Why are you being like this?!"

My words came out strained and I felt the pain in my throat rise.

Tommy took a deep breath and then sighed through his nose, "Because...I'm scared, okay?"

My mouth hung open agape as I stared at him with teary eyes, "Tom..."

"Don't. I don't want your sympathy."

I walked steadily toward him and grabbed his tensed hand, "Tommy look at me."

His shame filled eyes met mine and I tilted my head at him, "It's okay to be scared, yeah? I don't expect perfect from you all the time, but hiding the way you're feeling is causing you to be more stressed. And I don't like it."

Tommy leant down to plant a kiss on my temple. In response, I let out a soft hum of content.

His hands trailed down to my hips, making soft circles on them. I leaned into him, wrapping my arms around his torso whilst I buried my face in the warmth of his chest.

It wrapped me in comfort. I hadn't been this close to him in so long.

"Stop shutting me out," I whispered softly.

Tommy moved his hands into my hair and stroked it gently.

"I will, Love. I will."

#tommy shelby x fem!reader #fem reader #angsty #tommy shelby #peaky blinders #peaky blinder imagine #oneshot #thomas shelby #peaky blinder fanfic #john shelby #tumblrpost #one shot fluff #tommy shelby x reader #fypシ

[pherelesytsia]

Who did this to you? - 8

Pairing: Thomas Shelby x female/Reader

Summary: Bruised and broken, Y/N, trapped in a loveless marriage, arrives at her best friend's house, desperately hoping someone will help her, aware she cannot return to the estate of her husband.

Warning: fear, anxiety, Angst, swearing 

Word Count: 2.3k

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part6 Part 7 Part 9

The clouds wandered on, a lonely wanderer travelling across oceans and meadows, hills and rugged mountains painted in snow. White greyed, darkened and blackened, turned into pure doom, darker than black. The wind howled, screamed and screeched and the branches, crooked fingers, waltzed in all directions.

Silence blanketed the car driving down the path bordered by fields and trees, but it was not unpleasant, cruel, forcing nonsense to fall to shatter it. Shocked, Y/N noticed with widened eyes they had arrived at the open gates of the estate she called her home. At a rapid pace, the car drove on and on, past other parked cars and parked between them in different shades of the deep ocean. The motor wasn't roaring, turned off and the chanting of the birds sitting in one line on the lowest branch invaded the car smelling of alcohol, petrol and leather. The wind knocked on the automobile. Polly gulped, turned and rested her hand graced by a golden ring cautiously, almost shyly, on Y/N´s lap, but the shivering and shaking woman painted in blue and red, lightened by streaks of purple, did not flinch nor speak her mind. Carefully Polly´s fingers slid across Y/N´s calf and pulled the thick fabric higher to hide the exposed skin. Polly pronounced her name and pulled Y/N out of the dark and dreary thoughts, summoning goosebumps all over her flesh.

            "Thomas is fine. He knows what he's doing. Nothing will happen to him." Polly assured calmly, guessing the reason for the fear in the widened eyes and sweaty palms.

Faintly Y/N smiled.

            "I know, but I'm worried about him. About Poppy. There was blood, too much blood. I thought it was the new wallpaper she had told me about. They, she and her mother, redecorated the house. The pattern, it looked like flowers, large and smaller dots." she replied.

Exhaling, Y/N closed her eyes veiled by tears once fixed on the distance, watching the sun, the rays breaking through the travelling clouds heralding a day full of terror.

            "I'm sure your friend is fine, too. Thomas will take care of her." the woman continued with a gentle, encouraging smile on her features, kissed by the orange rays.

Polly cleared her throat. The smile fainted, and the wrinkles deepened. She didn't need to search for the right words, had already pictured during the ride what she would say to Y/N if their paths should cross, but all Polly wanted to say had dissolved, had lost its meaning.

            "We're home Y/N/N. Ada is waiting, but before we go inside, I want you to know that we are sorry. We have not been good to you, to put it nicely. Please forgive us and I speak on behalf of the whole family. John was the one who opened the door for your friend. After we realised what had happened, we were looking for you. I hope you will give us a second chance even if we don't deserve one. We will understand if you want to leave. We won't hate you for your decision." Polly continued and squeezed Y/N´s hand.

Y/N turned, ignoring the nearly unignorable pain trying to elicit a hiss from her, and turned to face Polly. She wanted to start a sentence; lips parted, but no tone escaped the sore throat. Y/N stared past Polly towards the door, flying back and forth in the fresh morning breeze. Ada ran towards the car as if chased by a ghost, had left the door wide open, ran on tiptoes and hissed and cursed like a witch as the stones dug deep into the soles of her reddening feet. The hem of the dress danced in the breeze. Gasping for air, Ada spread the large checked blanket, usually resting on the floor next to the sofa. The wind painted her cheeks vibrant red, lighter than her evening gown.

            "Come, Y/N/N, we will protect you." Polly assured in a calm, slightly quivering voice, but Y/N heard no falseness, no lie in it.

Y/N could not utter a reply. The air, hinting of winter, invaded the car. The women shivered and balled the hands into fists. Ada hushed a greeting, spread the blanket, glanced at the wounds gracing Y/N´s body, down on the battered feet and the shivering limbs. The pain in her chest deepened at the sight of the shadow of a woman, read in her eyes what she had been through. The lip was chapped. The traces of a fight were evident on her cheek and throat. Ada tossed the blanket over her shoulder, noticing Y/N was covered in one. Wordlessly Ada helped Y/N out of the car. Soft curses blurred with whimpers. Whispering soothing words, Ada pulled Y/N away, closer to the house, kicking the door of the automobile shut and gesturing for Polly to pursue. 

            "I've prepared a bath for you. I'll help you upstairs. If you don't want to bathe, I can put a bucket of water next to the sofa. You can at least warm your feet." Ada said.

With every step, every slight movement Y/N made, the once brilliant white material slipped and revealed more wounds, swellings, and darkening spots not fading in the golden tide of the sun's rays, but grew even darker. Blue turned to green, lit by purple flashes and red veins carrying blue blood. Patiently Ada waited, and stared back at Polly, walking hastily after the women.

            "Thank you. I think the bucket will do. Maybe I'll get in the tub later." Y/N replied meekly, as if speaking to her mother, fearing the answer would enrage her, but none of what she expected happened.

The chilly breeze blew through Y/N´s hair one last time. The door slammed shut, and the keys jingled, chanted a song that faded quickly. All doors were closed and locked. Curtains touched. The first aid box, not battered, holey neither with a worn handle nor dented corners, rested open on the table. Scissors, and spotless bandages lay next to bottles of high-proof alcohol, freshly washed not dried glasses, cigarettes and silver needles drowning in alcohol. Blankets covered the sofa, to which Ada led Y/N and a down pillow. The white porcelain bowl graced by blue vines and flowers was in the middle of the crowded table. Smoke rose from the cup, sweet lavender, and banished the unmistakable stench of blood and gore.

            "May I offer you some soup?" the question was unnecessary, asked out of politeness.

Y/N turned into a tree, rooted deep into the ground, not moving. Her arms swayed forward. Questioningly, the two Shelby's exchanged glances, searching for the reason for the fear in Y/N´s eyes, unable to find it, but then, after a moment that seemed not to pass, Ada took a step forward, let go of Y/N, took the polished pistol and hid it under the table, still handy but out of Y/N´s sight. Polly placed her hands down on Y/N's shoulders, trying not to cause her any more pain, let the blanket slide to the floor and carefully pressed the young woman down on the sofa. Ada wriggled back towards them, took the blanket still hanging over her shoulder and laid it down on Y/N's legs, covering them, reached for the pair of fluffy socks, wiped away the dirt, small stones, dust and dried mud, and put the socks on Y/N´s feet.

            "It's okay." Ada breathed before Y/N could protest.

Smiling, Ada looked up, wiped her hands on her long dress, picked up the bowl filled with soup and placed it carefully in Y/N's lap, handing her the silver spoon.

            "Here, Y/N/N, eat. I'll fill you a bucket with warm water in the meantime. Polly will keep you company. If you need anything, if you feel sick, all you have to do is tell us and we will help you. You are still in shock." Ada said in a calm voice.

Gulping, Ada crouched next to Y/N.

            "We should have taken you into our family. I am sorry, we are all very sorry. It's understandable that you don't want to see us, you have enough reasons to hate us. The only thing I can do is to promise that we will do better. If you need time, I have a friend. She owns a small cottage a few miles away from town. There is a pond and a small forest. It's lovely. I could arrange that you could spend a few days or weeks there." Ada continued.

Y/N merely nodded, unsure of what to say, not knowing how to respond, and kept on smiling. The two women watched Ada as she rose from the ground like a phoenix from the ashes and strode away. Polly leaned closer to Y/N, tidied the blanket and hinted that she should eat, that it would do her good. A soft thanks escaped Y/N, smiled at the women who wordlessly indicated that she should finally start eating and so Y/N did, dipping the silver cutlery into the depths of the bowl whose end she could not see, watching the thinly chopped vegetables slip from the spoon and as the warm liquid flowed down her throat, Y/N realised how hungry she was and ate greedily.

Time had lost its meaning. Y/N had emptied the contents of the bowl. The last piece of sliced carrots had disappeared, yet she did not place it on the table, continued to warm her fingers on the ceramic bowl.

Heels clicked against the dark wood, had put shoes a hue darker than the evening dress. Cautiously, Ada continued walking with her eyes fixed on the troubled waters, fearing the warm liquid was about to spill over the golden rim. A towel, white with a few washed-out stains, hung over her right shoulder, the towel she always used when a brother standing on the edge of the world was carried inside the house. The floorboards groaned, and Ada stopped and noticed Y/N had finished the soup she had cooked for her.

Out of the corner of her eye Polly noticed how Y/N´s eyes were growing heavy and she leaned forward, took the bowl and placed it on the table. The young woman wanted to protest as Polly told her to rest, to say that she had to stay awake, that she wanted to wait for the return of the brothers and her husband.

            "No, Y/N, lay down. You can stay with us or you can go to the bedroom. We will keep watch and if you need anything, you can call us.", "Polly, we should take care of Y/N's wounds first." Ada interjected.

            "That won't be necessary. That can wait. Alfie has taken care of her wounds it's just dirt and scratches. The wounds are not life threatening. Y/N rest, close your eyes. I promise I will wake you up if Thomas is home." she replied.

Carefully Polly pushed Y/N backwards. Her heavy, throbbing head sunk into the pillow. Closing her eyes, Y/N sighed in relief, exhaled as the blanket fell down on her body. Birds chirped, the howling ceased and lulled her to sleep.

            Polly leaned forward happily and noticed Y/N had fallen asleep.

            "Thomas told me that Alfie has taken care of Y/N. No deep wounds or else I would have taken her to the hospital. We can take care of it later." Polly reported.

Ada rose, set the bowl aside on the table, sighed deeply, nodded, listened to the woman and turned to the fireplace, the blazing flames feasting on the wood and fed by the howling air hinting of winter.

            "She was beaten up. I didn't see any bullet wounds. Did Thomas tell you what happened or who is to blame?", "He has a guess, but he couldn't tell me anything specific. It all happened too fast. The gang has Y/N's girlfriend in their grip. At least that's what he thinks. The house was trashed, destroyed, and I think I saw bloodstains on the floor." she breathed softly.

Her eyes kept sliding to the slumbering figure, kept glancing at her right side and noticing with relief that Y/N was still asleep, her eyelids neither twitching nor her lips twisting into a pained grimace.

            "Alfie's going to show up any minute. Thomas called him. He fears someone might pay us a visit." Polly whispered in Ada's direction.

Ada perked up, grinned, felt the weight of her weapon at her side, settled down in front of the blazing flames, gnawing on wood and fed by air on the armchair, threw the pillow to the floor on her side and crossed her arms in front of her body.

            “We don’t need someone to protect us.” Ada stopped.

A soft knock silenced Ada. The women exchanged glances. The rustling, and shuffling of shoes and feet, softly uttered words, the closing of the door and the jingling of keys followed by low grumbles couldn’t awake Y/N from her deep slumber, lying on the sofa, a princess in the shadow of the vigilant dragons.

TagList:

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#thomas shelby x y/n #peaky blinders imagine #thomas shelby x you #michael gray x reader #tommy shelby fanfic #tommy shelby one shot #thomas shelby imagine #thomas shelby #arthur shelby x reader #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinder headcanon #thomas shelby x reader #tommy shelby fic #john shelby #tommy shelby x reader #peaky blinders x reader #john shelby x reader #tommy shelby x you #michael gray #cillian murphy imagine #peaky blinder fanfic #peaky fookin blinders #thomas shelby fluff #arthur shelby #peaky blinders #peaky blinder imagine

[geekwritersworld]

Little Artist

Pairing: Peaky Blinders x you (more mentions of Tommy and you though)

Warnings: fluff, one liner angst at the end (I am incapable of not adding angst to everything I write)

Summary: As stated below in the request. @anne-17890

Hello, I could ask one in which the younger sister of the Shelbys, maybe she is 14/15 years old wants to be an artist and she has a lot of talent but the family does not know but the art teacher one day calls the Shelbys at school to talk about her sister and they discover her talent and that she received a letter from a private school in London to study on full scholarship. Thank you for your time

A/n: I've taken forever for this request and I am so sorry about that. My only defense being that ADHD is an absolute pain in the rear :)

Do let me know what you think ❤️

You weren't much of a reader, you didn't care much for music nor did you like being stuck around your siblings all the time. And of course they didn't let you anywhere near the business so you spent most of your time by yourself. You tried out new things, hoping something would stick and become a hobby. And on a whim one day you decided to try your hand at art.

And at some point it stuck. You began frequently drawing, improving yourself each day. And it was becoming more than a hobby. So to escape you turned to art; to the one thing you found almost calming. To express your emotions and to sketch what you pictured the world beyond small heath looked like.

And you were exceptionally good too, you realized. You were grateful for that, of course. Your siblings occasionally noticed your work at the table where you'd forgotten them on late nights and ensured to compliment your skills when you woke, but lately you made sure to conceal your work.

Despite your classmates keeping their distance from you knowing you were a Shelby, you managed to make one good friend-Nancy-to whom you'd grown quite close.

You both found common ground in your love and flair for art. So you'd both spend time at Nancy's house, making mess of her living room floor with all the art supplies. Sometimes you left your sketch book with her, not wanting your brothers fussing over your art.

Taking up an art class at school without the knowledge of your siblings you found solace in the art room. You weren't sure what was keeping you from letting your family know of your art skills. Sure they knew you could sketch and create art, but they never knew the extent of it. They never knew of your capability to create hyper realistic images on paper with mere pencils everyone used everyday.

Of course, Nancy was sworn to secrecy to never reveal to your family. But it wasn't through Nancy that the Shelby's ultimately found out of their youngest sisters talent.

It all began on a particularly dreary morning. When you were relieved you'd left your sketch book with Nancy due to the rain drizzling down on the way to school.

That damp afternoon you walked home knowing something you hadn't that morning and you avoided walking home with Nancy aware that she'd ask you questions about why you'd been pulled aside that morning in school by the head.

"Now Y/n" The professor sat you down with the head on the other side of the table listening intently. Sitting down, hesitating at first, you wondered what you'd done.

"We wanted to talk to you Ms. Shelby" she paused " about what you plan to do once you've finished school" You almost wanted to laugh, if you didn't know any better, you'd assume she was literally sitting on the edge of her chair with how intently she waited for your response.

"You mean for university?" you asked confused.

"Yes" she nodded

"well I don't know really, I haven't given it much thought seeing that I have a few more years to go" you said, nervous.

Your professor smiled kindly and looked at you. You still wondered why you arts professor was here, talking to you when you were due in math class.

"Thing is, your art" she cleared her throat " your artistic abilities are admirable. It's very rare to see such talent" she continued "and we've ..er.... communicated with one of the universities in London, and they're want to offer you a full scholarship in arts, should you chose to enroll at that university, we've received a letter from them as well, for you"

You stared at her, your mind blank. You expected to see John burst into the room laughing at you for the joke they were played on you. Surely itwasn't...it couldn't be.

"what" you rasped, throat drying.

Smiling wider, the head this time, pushed an envelope towards you "here"

Reaching forward with a hesitant hand, you slipped open the envelope and began to read the letter that resided inside.

Once you'd scanned the letter and read the words over and over you held on to it.

"could I keep this?" you mumbled

"of course" both women said unison.

"can i think about it? if that's alright" you looked at them.

Nodding the professor responded "of course!"

So you took your time. Or rather you avoided your professors. Rushing out the moment school was done, reaching at the last possible moment- making sure to take an extra long route to school; you did everything you could to avoid your professors and best friend.

You made excuses and tried avoiding Nancy as much as you could.

You wouldn't tell your family. They didn't need to know.

Of course Aunt Pol noticed your sudden odd behavior. She noticed you were home more often than usual, you didn't sit in the living room as much you used to, and coming home earlier from school than normal and you'd been avoiding your family; barely talking to them anymore.

Pol and Tommy knew you were a shy kid, you had been your whole life. However you were never this quiet with you family, especially with him and Arthur.

Frustrated Tommy slammed the pen down on the table making one of the men in the betting shop to flinch. He couldn't stop wondering what was wrong with his youngest sibling. He didn't get it. Were you in trouble?

Why were you more closed off than usual? Tommy knew you were too much of a Shelby to directly tell them even if they asked you what was wrong.

He got up and decided he needed some fresh air- and a cigarette.

Tommy wasn't sure where he was heading until he got there.

Exhausted, not to mention surprised that your arts professor had walked right past you that morning, you thought it was odd since you'd been avoiding her for over a week; deciding not to dwell on it too long you put your things together and got ready to leave.

You looked forward to going home and getting some sleep and perhaps even meeting Nancy later on.

Once classes were let out, you slipped your bag onto your shoulder and bolted for the door but stopped short when you spotted your older brother standing near the gates looking straight ahead at you.

Standing still as the rest of the children rushed past you- some even knocking into you, you remained still until Tommy tilted his head at you releasing a puff of smoke from his lips.

Taking in a deep breath trying to push through the mist of confusion in your head you walked towards him "what are you doing here Tom?"

You occasionally called him Tom instead of Tommy, and sometimes it bugged Tommy but in a way it was endearing plus if there was one person he'd tolerate referring to him as Tom it would be you.

"No reason" the look in his eyes told you different.

Rolling your eyes, you moved past him, intending to walk home "why didn't you tell us?" Tommy's footsteps were slow behind you against the wet gravel.

"what?" you snapped your head to look at him, your fingers turning cold despite the humid air.

"I think" Tommy caught up to you slowly, staring ahead "you know what."

"so she fucking tattled" you snorted suddenly "how mature for a grown woman" you were infuriated but nervous at Tommy's reaction.

"she didn't have much of a choice considering I asked her how you were"

"Why the fuck are you asking my professors how I am ?!" you looked at Tommy like he was deranged. Maybe he was, you didn't know. All that smoking and drinking was probably catching up.

"Because you won't talk to us" your brothers nonchalant attitude was beginning to frustrate you even more.

"Well you never asked did you?" you sassed.

Tommy stopped walking and you stopped a few steps ahead of him turning to look at him "would you have told us if we asked?" Tommy raised an eyebrow.

You rolled your eyes "no" you mumbled "fuck off" and continued walking.

Tommy let out a mirthless chuckle.

The rest of the walk back home was in silence, you could feel your brothers eyes boring in the back of your head and you did your best to bite your tongue and not snap back at him.

Shutting the door behind you Tommy spoke with an uncharacteristic soft tone "y/n"

letting your shoulders drop, you took a deep breath to avoid crying then turned to look at Tommy.

"Look, Tommy, I'm not going so leave it alone" you walked into the kitchen and picked up a glass to pour yourself some water.

"Why not?" Tommy leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen.

Instead of responding you stared right back at Tommy with unrelenting gaze that you knew your aunt held so often with your brothers too.

After a minute of the two of you standing and staring at each other in silence you said " 'cause I don't want to go. Now let it go will you" Pushing past him you went up the stairs to your room.

You didn't see Tommy again that day until the next morning when you opened the door with your school bag in hand and almost walked into him standing right outside your door.

"morning y/n" sarcasm laced your brothers words.

"What?" you narrowed your eyes looking at him.

"You" he reached forward and pulled your bag off your shoulder " are coming with me today" he shoved your bag onto your bed and put his hand on your shoulder.

Your eyes widened "where" you looked at him

He didn't respond rather he nudged you out of your doorway and downstairs.

"There's the bloody artist!" Arthur shouted when he spotted you coming down the stairs.

you immediately turned to glare at Tommy and caught him rolling his eyes at Arthur.

"Where ya goin' Tommy?" Arthur ignored the obvious annoyance his siblings felt toward him in the moment.

"Nowhere" Tommy mumbled

Taking his distraction from you as an opportunity you ducked from under his hand on your shoulder and bolted back up the stairs.

"Y/N" Tommy yelled bolting after you. Arthur laughed watching Tommy run after you.

Rushing into your room in time, you slammed the door shut and locked it. Ignoring Tommy's knocking on the door.

Grabbing your bag you slid open your window and threw it out. And then slipped your left leg out the window and securing it safely on the edge you ducked and climbed out completely, still hearing Tommy ordering you to open the door.

Managing to climb down safely, you dusted your clothes and turned around and walked right into Aunt Pol standing there arms crossed watching you, not impressed, and Tommy stood behind her smirking.

"might want to take the front door next time " John snickered walking out to where the three of you were.

"Right" Aunt Pol moved forward while guiding you back into the house- through the door- she continued "you're going with Tommy, I don't bloody know where he's taking you but he's told me it's important".

"But I have school!" you fought back " for which I'm probably late thanks to Thomas" you exclaimed.

"well then you better go along with him quickly so you don't have to skip another day" Pol smirked.

Truth was, Tommy knew, that Pol of course had noticed the change in your behavior as well no doubt, and when he told her last night that he was going to pull you out of school for the day for something important, she didn't argue knowing her nephew must obviously know something and if he wasn't telling her now he would later.

Tommy didn't tell her cause he wanted you to tell them yourself. He didn't want to push you away any further by revealing something you still preferred keeping to yourself.

You knew it was hopeless fighting back if Aunt Pol was involved and siding with your brother.

Grumbling, you let your bag fall of your shoulder, put it on the sofa and turned to Tommy "fine" you stomped outside.

Tommy, who had a cigarette in between his lips, let out a puff of smoke and then walked after you.

Slamming the door shut to the car, you sulked. Your frustration grew stronger the more you kept thinking about Tommy doing this because of yesterday. You didn't understand why he couldn't just let it be.

Tommy didn't speak at all on the drive, he juts looked ahead. And you didn't bother asking him where he was taking you. You were too stubborn to ask. Instead, you leaned your head back against the seat and closed your eyes.

Having fallen asleep you didn't realize how long the car ride was, and only woke when Tommy nudged your shoulder calling your name.

Looking out the window yawning, you felt your breath hitch the moment your eyes adjusted on the massive building in front of you. The red bricked building stood in front of you with a field of grass stretching wide in front of it. The grass was greener than you'd ever seen grass to be. You opened the door and got out standing still, afraid that if you moved you'd wake up back in your damp room in Birmingham. The air, it was-clean- it wasn't damp with a lingering smell of something stale, like in small heath.

Tommy watched you take in where he'd brought you. His chest tightened noticing the disbelief in your eyes. He felt a sudden rush of pride and love. He wanted this for you. He wanted you to be able to get away from small heath. He wanted you to have this, he knew you deserved it more than anyone.

You'd kept to yourself your whole life. Content with the little you had, never asking for anything.

And god, Tommy knew you were so smart and capable of making something of yourself. He didn't understand why you didn't want this -or rather- why you were refusing it when it was being handed to you.

He so desperately wanted you to go here. Moving to stand next to you, he put his arm around your shoulder.

"What do you think?"

You were too struck with amazement to actually speak aloud, instead you whispered "I don't know"

And you didn't. You wished so desperately to go here now that you'd seen where you had the opportunity to come. But the same questions haunted you in the back of your mind, how would your family be able to afford financing your stay. Just finding a place for you to live would be a big expense.

You couldn't ask this of them. You couldn't move to live such a life in London, when your family would still be breathing the toxic fumes of small heath.

Tommy could almost feel your longing. To come here, to make a life for yourself. But he couldn't figure out what was holding you back, why you were adamantly refusing, why you hadn't told them either.

He couldn't understand it.

"Would it be selfish Tommy?" you whispered, shifting your weight on your left leg.

Tommy furrowed his eyebrows "no it wouldn't" he said softly.

He didn't think his heart was capable of breaking again, but apparently he learnt that it was the moment you asked him that question. It broke his heart to think that you were willing to let your future go just because you thought it would be selfish to ask this of your family. Because you didn't want them to spend their money on your education.

"I want to come here Tommy, I really do" you couldn't help it anymore. You turned to look at Tommy, tears brimming your eyes and you slipped your hand in his and held it tightly.

He wasn't expecting to see the tears in your eyes, so when you slipped your hand his, a few seconds later he let go and instead slipped his arm around your shoulder again and pulled you into his side.

"then you're going to come here eh" he rubbed your shoulder.

"How are we going to afford it?" you hiccuped.

"you're the first Shelby to be offered a fuckin' scholarship and that's what your worried about?" Tommy chuckled.

You were always the more grounded Shelby, but it never occurred to him just how far your selflessness went.

"Listen to me" he made you look at him "we'll afford it alright, we've got more money now than before and by the time you have to leave we'll have even more, plus I've got Ada a place you could stay with her, after she finds out I've got her a place of course"

"Tommy-"

"It's not for you to worry about money, you leave that to us" your brother clarified.

You said nothing further but continued leaning into your older brothers side until he finally asked you if you were ready to leave.

Watching the building fade past you, you turned back around looking in front "they know then?"

"Only that you've been told you've got exceptional art skills" he gave a small smile.

You were grateful he hadn't told your family of your scholarship opportunity yet "thank you".

You spent the trip back to Birmingham wondering how you'd tell your family. You were beyond nervous and the bundle of nerves only worsened as Tommy turned into the familiar streets of the Small heath.

When the car came to a halt you almost refused to get out but you had to get out at some point. So you did. With shivering legs and a pounding heart.

Only when Tommy nudged you into the pub did you realize that you'd never told Tommy that you were going to tell your family today. But somehow he knew you'd agree once you'd seen the place you were being given the opportunity to go to. And seeing your family gathered at the table when you entered the pub only confirmed this realization.

"Ada will be here soon" Tommy walked over and sat down next to Arthur-a decision he knew he would regret the moment you told them.

The chair scraped against the dark wooden floor as you took one from another table and sat down. In the same instant that you sat down, Ada strolled into the Garrison, taking off her hat.

Once she'd sat down grumbling about how this better not be a meeting revealing one of Tommy's fuck ups.

But Tommy had rolled his eyes and clarified "we're here 'cause Y/n has something to tell us"

You sighed heavily and looked up at the ceiling, and then looked back at the unflinching gaze of your entire family focused on you.

"right-um-well" you cleared your throat and shifted slightly in your chair. "I-um" you began bouncing your knee.

You realized in that instant that the only way you'd be bale to tell them was if you didn't look at them directly and avoided the look of disappointment they'd inevitably express at your selfish-ness of asking something like this of them.

So instead you looked at your fidgeting hands and came out with it in one breath "I've been offered a scholarship to a university In London for-um-art and I've decid-thought of taking it"

There it was. The heavy disappointed silence. Your heart dropped at the silence. Even Harry it seemed had stopped wiping the bar behind you.

You could hear everyone's breathing in the loud silence, more so you could hear your own heart beating quite rapidly and were sure everyone else could too.

"A shelby going to bloody university!" Your head snapped up to meet Aunt Pol's tear brimmed eyes. She was beaming, and you realzied you'd never actually seen a smile on her that actually reached her eyes- before this that is.

The relief washed over you like a wave, you could physically feel the relief in your skin, your shoulders felt lighter and you felt as htough you were giong to start fully sobbing at any second.

Arthur sat stunned for a few more minutes while Ada and John hugged you, raving about how proud they were of you. Finn congratulated you Arthur seemed to come to and started literally bellowing out of happiness. You were pretty sure he was just making noises and not even shouting proper sentences, "little one's going to fookin' University!", Tommy instantly took a deep breath looking at the ceiling standing up.

Chcukling, you said "I'm not litt-oh" Arthur hugged you tighter than he had before, unable to contain his happiness for you and you had to tap him on the shoulder letting him knowing you couldn't breath.

Once he let go John, Finn and Ada continued talking excitedly making lists of things you'd need for university, and you leaned your head past Arthur and looked at Tommy who was now leaning against the wooden beam; smiling at you.

"how come you got a scholar-whatever-it-is and I didn't?" You heard Finn say behind you.

"Maybe cause you never fucking went after the first day of 6th grade" John laughed, making Finn roll his eyes.

You however walked to Tommy and engulfed him in a hug. Squeezing him as tight as you could. And Tommy did the same.

He looked up at Pol who and gave him a nod. Tommy knew it was his aunts way of letting him know he had done the right thing in doing whatever he had done to convince you to get away to a better life.

"hang on" Ada said then "we've all been here talking about how fuckin proud we are of you for your scholarship, but we've barely seen your bloody art"

So of course the next thing you knew you were being dragged down to watery lane to show them your art book. Which you didn't have, seeing as you'd left it at Nancy's so John then accompanied you to pick it up and watched you tell Nancy you'd explain everything later.

John was itching to grab your book from you and take a peek on the way home, but he also knew you would chew his ear off for it and decided against it.

The moment your family's eyes glimpsed the first page, they proceeded to compliment you, but Ada made it a point to let you know you were a downright arse for keeping your work from them.

Tommy and Pol stayed up that night, long after everyone else had gone to bed- after Tommy had carried you to your room.

Sitting down next to his aunt with a drink, he leaned back on his chair.

"y/n's going to have a better life Pol" Tommy sighed, smiling a little.

"god knows if there's anyone that deserves it more than anyone, it's that child." Pol nodded.

And he knew it was true. He doted on you from the moment you were born. When you opened your eyes and looked at him with those beautiful eyes of yours, Tommy swore he would kill for you.

And not once since did he take his job as the older brother for granted, if anything he always went the extra mile to make sure you were safe.

Of course the rest of your family protected you too, but Tommy like always, went beyond what was necessary sometimes. But he would rather do too much than too little and end up having you hurt.

A few months later, it was this very habit of Tommy's, the one that kept you safe for 15 years, that made the new Irish Inspector in small heath, watch you from the alley as you walked home one evening.

#tommy shelby x sister!reader #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders x reader #tommy shelby x reader #peaky blinders #peaky blinders one shot #tommy shelby imagine #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinder fanfic #tommy shelby fanfic #tommy shelby imagines #peaky blinders x sister!reader #peaky blinders x y/n #peaky blinders x you #peaky blinders fanfiction #tommy shelby x you #john shelby x sister #ada shelby x sister!reader #john shelby x sister reader #arthur shelby x sister!reader #finn shelby x reader

[peakyltd]

Hi Daisy, I've come to request a John fic with the fluff prompt ❛ do you think the moon is jealous of how pretty you are? ❜( If you feel inspired, of course!) It seems like a line he would use!

Thank you for your request Lee! 🥰 This line really is something John would say, I already saw that cheeky little grin in my mind.

A/N: I wrote it pretty quickly but then I had some trouble with the flow of the story. I feel like it might not completely live up to what I wrote before. So if that's the case, I'm sorry. Anyway I hope you still like and enjoy it. I certainly did have a lot of fun writing John, it reminded me how much I love his character!

Warnings: Swearing. A few rude comments on Linda? Nothing serious. Other than that it's just pure fluff.

Word count: 2002

Family Dinner

"Please remind me that if you ever want to have a family dinner at our house again, that I'll say no." John mumbles in her ear as he wraps his arms around her waist. "Why?" (Y/N) giggles, looking up at him.

They’re both standing in the kitchen as (Y/N) is finishing up the home made dinner. It was her idea to invite his family but it took her some time to convince John.

"It's pure chaos and Linda is pissing me off with her nagging." He answers her, chewing on this toothpick. "John, you can't say that." She chided, eyeing his family who were sat at the table. The distant was big enough for them not to hear John complaining.

"Oh c'mon (Y/N), don't act like you don't think the same thing." He says as he takes her chin gently between his fingers, turning her face back to him.

As their eyes meet, she can't help but laugh. "See? This is exactly what I mean." John laughs. "I really hope Arthur will grow his balls b-" (Y/N) cuts John off by putting her hand on his mouth, shushing him. "Ssh!" She whispers as she lowers her hand.

"Can I help you with the food (Y/N)?" Linda asks as she approaches the kitchen. "Oh no you don't have to Linda, I'm almost finished. It will come right up"

"It's really no bother." She smiles. "Thank you but it's all set, John will be our waiter tonight." (Y/N) jokes, earning a chuckle from Linda. John, on the other hand, rolls his eyes as he turns to the counter. He takes the toothpick out of his mouth and cuts off some of the meat (Y/N) made.

"If you change your mind, I'll be right there." Linda points at the empty chair next to Arthur. (Y/N) smiles at her. "I appreciate it, Linda." She answers. Watching the woman return to her seat.

(Y/N) hears a deep sigh coming from behind her. "It's no bother" He imitates her. "To me it is." John adds while eating some meat. She pushes playfully against his shoulder. "John."

"I'm right there." He imitates her again. "As if she just came walking in, she's already sitting there for hours."

"John please." (Y/N) chuckles. "She means well. What has she done to you?"

John leans against the counter. "She has to fucking comment on everything someone says or does. As of right now yeah, Arthur just had a drink or two too many. He’s not even pissed yet but she keeps asking him if it's really a good idea to take more whiskey." He sighs frustratedly. "I know I need more whiskey if I need to listen to her any longer."

(Y/N) places her hands on his cheeks and pulls him closer to her. "Try to let it go for tonight, okay? They're both adults and if Arthur has had enough of it, he'll let her know." "He won't." He defends.

"Lets just enjoy the night." She adds as she kisses him softly. "Okay?" "Hm 'kay" John mumbles against her lips as he puts his hands on her waist, pulling her in for another kiss.

The dinner went well, the Shelby's enjoyed the fresh made food and the drinks were flowing. John had visibly relaxed and was slumped back in his seat, laughing at the conversation he was having with his brothers and cousin.

The kids were running in and out of the house, hopefully getting rid of their last energy of the day before going to bed. Ada was talking to Linda and Polly watched the family, a pleased smile on her face.

(Y/N) went back into the kitchen to get her selfmade pudding. She was excited about the dessert ever since the day she knew his family came over for dinner. It was her favorite and she loved to make it. She added some strawberries on top before taking it back to the table.

Before she could even reach the table, the kids came running in, chasing each other. A shout of John could be heard but it was too late, a few of them bumped into (Y/N). The sudden impact caused her to drop the pudding.

A loud gasp comes from her mouth. “Oh no…” She watches it splash apart, leaving it all over the floor. Disappointment filling her features.

“What have I said about no fucking running around the kitchen! Look what you've done!" John bellows as he stands up, the children immediately apologize. "Sorry mom." "Yes sorry aunt (Y/N)."

She sighs. "It's okay. Don't worry about it. Be careful next time, yeah?" They nod. "Now go back outside." John adds strictly, glaring at the kids. He made sure they were out of sight before he made his way to the kitchen.

"I'm so sorry." She apologizes to his family. "Don't be sorry, love. We've had already more than enough." Polly smiles at her. "We'll come back for pudding another time."

(Y/N) nods, wiping the remains of her dress. "Here let me help you." A voice came from behind her. John got a few towels for her to clean her dress and helped her to tidy the mess on the floor.

Once they were finished she sat back down in her chair. Feeling better after John’s attempts to cheer her up.

Rumbling was heard from the kitchen as John appeared with two bottles of whiskey in his hands. He lifted them above his head, a big grin on his lips. “I got a new dessert!” He cheered. A sigh coming from (Y/N)’s lips. “Oh god…”

As their evening came to an end, (Y/N) and John said their goodbyes to his family. Their exit was as chaotic as their entrance. Arthur was too drunk and had to be helped into the car by Tommy and Finn. Which resulted in John having tears rolling down his cheeks from laughter and a very annoyed Linda.

When Tommy told John to "shut his fucking mouth or he would help to do so" it caused Arthur to have his own fit of uncontrollable giggles. A lot of shouting and more laughter had followed until Polly and Ada finally managed to get everyone in their cars. As soon as the cars drove out of the drive way, peace had returned.

John wiped the tears off his face. "Did you see his face? Bloody idiot." He started laughing again. "I don’t want to know how they will get him out of the car." (Y/N) giggles. "I would leave him there. He can get out by himself in the morning." He chuckles.

As his laughter calmed down he took a deep breath. "I have to admit that I enjoyed this night more than I thought I would." "I'm glad you did." She beams at him as she pulls him in for a hug, leaning her head against his chest.

John strokes her hair and kisses the top of her head. While he is looking at the garden, an idea pops up in his head.

"Shall I light the fire pit? The weather is still lovely and I wouldn’t mind to spend some time alone with you." He offers. (Y/N) looks up at him. "Oh yes, I would love that. I'll quickly check on the children, I hope they didn't wake up from all the noise."

"Alright." He gives her a quick kiss, leaving her smiling. He collects some branches and makes his way to the fire place.

Once upstairs (Y/N) checks the bedrooms of their children. She finds them sound asleep, as if nothing happened. All of them too tired from their eventful night.

As (Y/N) arrives back outside, John was already sat in front of the fire. A whiskey in his hand and a new toothpick in his mouth. “They’re still sleeping.” She tells him. "I’m glad." He says as he gets up.

"Do I need to get your coat?" "No I'm fine, it's still warm enough." She assures him. "I did get you a blanket." He points at the chair next to his, a blanket hanging on the back of the chair.

She smiles at his gesture. "Thank you, John." She says, sitting down. The fire warms her skin immediately. "I got your wine." John sits next to her, showing her the bottle and filling her glass. "You're such a gentleman, John Shelby."

He chuckles as he hands her the glass. "Of course I am." He answers, putting the bottle down next to him. (Y/N) takes a sip of her drink, leaning back against the chair. The blanket had already warmed up by the fire, making her feel at ease. She takes a deep breath as she looks over the meadow next to their house.

John mimics her and watches the fire. The reflection of the flames dancing on his face. "Aren't we lucky?" She asks, looking at him. "I know I am, I have the most beautiful woman in the world." He grins at her. She blushes lightly at his comment. "Are you flirting with me?" She chuckles.

"Maybe." He smirks at her. "Is it working?" "It already worked a while ago." She jokes. (Y/N) grabs his hand, she softly strokes it with her thumb. John squeezes hers gently. "But yes, it is working." She admits.

A peaceful silence fell over them as they're both sipping on their drinks. As the flames become smaller, John put extra woodblocks and branches in the fire pit. He catches (Y/N) staring at the sky. He looks up as well, gazing at the moon and many stars that were visible this night.

"Do you think the moon is jealous of how pretty you are?" He asks (Y/N) as he looks at her, a cheeky grin on his face. She shifts her gaze to him. "My god John." She giggles, hiding her face in her hands. John laughs as he grabs her hands and pulls her up from her chair.

"Don't hide that pretty face of yours." He chuckles. He sneaks his arms around her and pulls her closer. (Y/N) wraps her arms around his neck, brushing her fingers over the short hair on the back of his head.

"I do think the moon is jealous of how pretty you are." John confesses to her as he looks into her eyes. "Nothing compares to you. Not even the moon."

(Y/N) blushes, admiring John’s face. "I love you so much." "I love you too, darling." He tells her as he moves his face closer to hers.

"Before you kiss me, please let me do this." She whispers, earning a confused look from John. (Y/N) takes the toothpick out of his mouth and throws it into the fire.

"Oh." He chuckles. "I don't think it would add much good." She smiles. "You never know, maybe you're into it." He jokes. (Y/N) can't help but giggle at his stupid joke.

“You make me the happiest, John.” She tells him, her voice soft. “Imagine how you make me feel.” John grins at her.

He moves his face closer to hers again. His breath fanning her face. (Y/N) feels the butterflies in her stomach, they're giving her a giddy feeling. She gently pulls him closer until their lips connect.

The kiss starts off soft but steadily becomes heated as they're exploring each others mouth. One of John's hand slowly lowers until he stops on her butt, gently grabbing ahold of it. He grins as she let out a soft moan. Her fingers are tangled in his hair as her other hand rests on his neck, wanting more.

John slowly breaks this kiss, breathing heavily. "I can't get enough of you." He breathes out as he strokes her cheek with his thumb. (Y/N) smiles at him, catching her own breath. "We don't have to stop yet." She teases him. "I wasn't planning on doing so." He smirks as he pulls her in for another passionate kiss.

One of many they would share that night.

#john shelby one shot #john shelby drabble #john shelby imagine #peaky blinders drabble #john shelby x reader

[runnning-outof-time]

Congrats on 3k, Flor!! @raincoffeeandfandoms - I absolutely love this idea for the theme! I decided to go the snack route here. I hope you like it - I’m sorry it took me a little bit to post it. Enjoy! :)

I’D LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! - YOUR COMMENTS & REBLOGS HELP ME WRITE!

When The Kids Are Away…

John Shelby x Reader

Warnings: mentions of drinking, language

Word Count: 1038

Summary: John and (Y/N) Shelby very rarely get a night off, so they were going to make the most of it tonight.

The couple’s giggles could be heard all throughout the empty first floor of their home. It was rare that this Shelby family household was so quiet. John and (Y/N) very rarely got a night off, so they were going to make the most of it.

They were in the living room, sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace. Two glasses of wine sat on the coffee table, and a bowl of grapes rested in (Y/N)’s lap.

“Ok, ready? Your turn!” (Y/N) exclaimed as she plucked one of the grapes from its vine. John relaxed back against the arm of the couch and got himself ready for his wife to throw the grape his way. “You better catch it!” she said to him, a wide grin gracing her face as she held it up; ready to throw.

“Just throw it!” John egged her on in a lighthearted manner, his eyes wide and mouth open as he prepared to catch the piece of fruit. He didn’t want to wait any longer.

“Ready? Three, two…”

“Throw it!” John cut her off. His impatience back-fired on him greatly when (Y/N) threw the grape his way the second he interjected into her countdown. It missed its mark and hit him square in the eye. “What the fuck, (Y/N)…I wasn’t ready!” he exclaimed, holding his palm to the eye that had just been struck by the fruit.

“You said throw it, so I threw it,” she responded, trying so hard, and failing, to contain her giggles.

“And you missed my mouth by a longshot,” he pointed out, removing his hand and blinking a few times before opening his eye wide to make sure that he was able to see. (Y/N) rolled her eyes at his dramatic actions.

“Here, let me try again,” she said before grabbing another grape and holding it up in her ready position. John only nodded before he also got ready, opening his mouth and focusing on the piece of fruit. “This time don’t try and rush me,” she warned him, waiting a moment before she bit on her bottom lip and focused on the task at hand.

The exchange was quiet this time, but (Y/N) still missed, even with John nearly falling off of the couch to try and catch the grape. He gave her a wide-eyed look and she merely shrugged her shoulders before bending her elbows and raising her palms to the roof in an ‘I don’t know’ gesture.

“Lemme show you how it’s done, darling,” John told her, a confident grin on his face as he swiped the bowl from her lap. (Y/N) let him take it, shaking her head at his confidence.

“Just don’t hit me in the eye, ok?” she told him, her eyebrows raised for added effect.

“Do I ever miss?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Considering we have five kids, I’d say no,” she quipped with a grin, her suggestive statement making him laugh.

“Let’s get serious,” John then insisted, even though he was the one who was laughing. (Y/N) only nodded, watching as he plucked a grape from the vine and held it up. “Ready?” he questioned, watching as she nodded once again. After steadying his aim, John threw the grape and (Y/N) successfully caught it in her mouth.

“Yes!” she exclaimed after she chewed the piece of fruit.

“See? That’s how you do it!” John matched her excitement as he lowered his arms; finished with his celebration. “Told you I don’t miss,” he then added with a smug grin, one that (Y/N) rolled her eyes at.

“Let me try again,” she said then, grabbing the bowl back from her husband, “I promise I won’t miss this time.”

“Alright…let’s see what you’ve got,” John grinned, getting ready to catch the grape.

(Y/N) held it steady in between her fingers, her tounge sticking out slightly as she concentrated on her target. After a few intense moments, she threw it…and it successfully hit John’s right cheek. The couple stared at each other afterwards, neither of the two saying anything until they both cracked up in laughter.

“You missed again, love,” John stated the obvious after he got ahold of his laughter.

“Well I promise I won’t miss with this,” she responded, quickly moving the bowl to sit beside the wine glasses before she leaned forward. She then placed both of her hands on John’s thighs to steady herself before her lips found his.

She only intended to give him a quick kiss, but she should have known that quick kisses were never enough for John Shelby. He grabbed hold of her cheeks with both hands, holding her lips against his to prolong the kiss. Their lips stayed connected until he pulled away and began peppering her lips and the surrounding skin with kisses. She let him do this until she was giggling so much that she needed to pull back and catch her breath.

“See?” she said once her eyes had found his again, “I never miss with those.”

John couldn’t help but chuckle at her statement, taking a moment to bask in her beauty as a sweet smile graced her lips. “You don’t…and I’m damn glad of it,” he grinned before he grabbed hold of her waist and pulled her body into his, making her shriek at the sudden movment.

It didn’t take long for (Y/N) to settle. She happily curled up in his arms as they laid on the couch.

“We should let the kids go to their aunt Ada’s more often,” he suggested as he rested his chin on the top of her head. (Y/N) was only able to hum as she closed her eyes and rested her head back against his chest.

“All this quiet is nice, isn’t it?” although she asked a question, the matter really wasn’t up for debate.

“It is,” John was agreeing with her in seconds.

The two sat like that on the couch until they couldn’t go a few minutes without a yawn. They then moved their cuddle fest into the bedroom, where sleep came over the both of them very quickly.

Tagged: @the-anxious-youth @mystcldydrms @look-at-the-soul @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @shelbydelrey @theshelbyslimited @peakyswritings @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry @stevie75 @dark-academia-slut @zablife @cillmequick @letal-y-poetica @depxiety @shelundeadxxxx @areyenotfondofmelobster @padfootdaredmetoo @crabat-the-queen @sebastianstangirl01 @everythingelseisextra @kmc1989 @papichulo120627 @brummiereader @adaydreamaway08 @kissforvoid @raincoffeeandfandoms @peakyltd @johannelis2302nely @wildheartsalwaysburn @dragons-are-my-favorite @jessimay89 @slaymybreathaway

MASTERLIST

#john shelby #john shelby x reader #john shelby x y/n #john shelby imagine #john shelby oneshot #john shelby one shot #john shelby fanfic #john shelby fanfiction #peaky blinders #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders x y/n #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders one shot #peaky blinders oneshot #peaky blinder fanfic #peaky blinders fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic #k makes moodboards

[crowleying]

My policeman | m!reader

Date: 06.12.2022

Pairing:  Tommy Shelby x m!reader

Reader’s pronouns: he/him

Words: 4.840

Fandom: Peaky Blinders

Characters: m!reader, Tommy Shelby, Polly Gray, Ada Shelby, John Shelby, Arthur Shelby, Esme Shelby, Harry Fenton, others

Genre: Romance

Length: Oneshot

Warnings: Angst with a happy ending

Requested: No

Prompts: No

Summary: Tommy Shelby is suddenly very interested in you and you have no idea why.

A/N: English is not my first language, so feel free to correct any mistake, and I would love to know what you think about it. If you like my works, please like and reblog them. REQUESTS ARE OPEN. I posted a List of prompts, so check it out! Let me know if you would like to be tagged in my works.

IF YOU LIKE MY WORKS, PLEASE REBLOG THEM

Masterlist

Ao3

You were on patrol around the city with one of your colleagues. You knew he was on the Peaky Blinders' payroll but, after all, only a handful of policemen weren't. You were one of them. It was confusing to most people in Small Heath, mainly because they knew you were John Shelby's best friend. He had offered you money to give them information and turn a blind eye to their affairs as they did with everyone, but you had made it clear that you couldn't be bought. He had respected that. The balance was fragile. The whole deal was based on your friendship. You had been able to refuse the money without losing your job because you were friends and people respected you because of your bond to the most powerful family in Birmingham, and a little because you did your job and wouldn't hesitate to throw people in jail if needed. You didn't pretend not to see what happened around you. Not even if the Peaky Blinders were involved. However, being friends with John also prevented you from trying to tear the whole business down. Everyone had learnt it pretty soon, so they had just started doing their things when you weren't on patrol, which meant your rounds were always quiet. You didn't complain. You didn't like arresting people, especially if they were Blinders.

That day seemed to be especially quiet. Well, as quiet as Small Heath could be. Your eyes observed the people going on about their lives around you while you chatted with your colleague. Many people greeted you, and you smiled back.

You turned to your partner, your eyes wide and a big smile on your face. "What?! No way. What is this, your... seventh?"

"Yeah," he replied smiling proudly under his thick moustache. "Four girls and two boys. I'm rooting for another boy."

"Congrats!" You patted his back, but you saw his face change, suddenly becoming serious.

He looked up and touched his cap, tilting his head down. "Morning, Mr Shelby."

You turned and saw Thomas Shelby on one of his horses, riding down the road. You nodded towards him as a form of greeting but didn't touch your cap or wish him a good day.

He nodded back at you, and you felt his icy blue eyes pierce through you. It wasn't anything new. You felt that way every time he looked at you and you wondered if everyone could feel it when they were under his gaze as if he could see everything that was inside. It felt as if God was scrutinizing you. You did understand why John called him Tommy the Almighty.

Even as he passed by you, you could still feel his eyes burn holes in you. You kept walking but turned to look at him and saw he was already looking. You turned back to the front.

"I don't know how you can refuse their offer. By the way he was looking at you, he really wants you on his payroll."

When you walked into the Garrison that night and asked Harry for a glass of whiskey, he refused your money and said it had already been paid for, then nodded towards the private room next to the counter.

"Yeah, well, John knows it won't happen." You shrugged, but the feeling of his eyes on you lingered and stayed with you for the rest of the day.

"Mr Shelby wishes to speak with you."

You rolled your eyes at the formality John liked to mess with when you were involved and grabbed your glass heading to the room.

"Come on, John, how many tim-" you started as you opened the door only to stop mid-sentence when you met Tommy's icy gaze instead of John's warm and playful one. "Thomas."

He was smoking alone, a glass of whiskey in front of him.

He beckoned you with a motion of his fingers. "Close the door and take a sit."

Your eyebrows raised, unimpressed by how he was treating you like one of his men. Maybe he had forgotten you didn't work for him.

"If you want to buy me, Thomas, you can save it. I'm not on sale," you said without doing any of the things he had asked of you.

He observed you for a few long seconds as if trying to read you. Then he sighed, tearing his gaze away from you and knocking the ash of his cigarette into the ashtray. "That's not why I wanted to talk to you."

When you still didn't move, he turned towards you again. "I promise. Please, come sit with me."

You hid your surprise at hearing him saying the word "please." You didn't think he even knew how to pronounce it for lack of use. You closed the door behind you and took a sit on the other side of the table from him.

You rolled the whiskey in your glass waiting for him to speak. "What did you want to talk about?" you asked when he didn't.

He offered you a cigarette but you refused. You didn't trust him outside family gatherings and that wasn't a social call.

"I would like to invite you to dinner."

You frowned. You had already been to dinner at the Shelbys plenty of times and not once had Thomas himself been the one to invite you. "Uhm... sure, tell Polly to count me in."

"I mean with me."

His reply startled a laugh out of you. "I never thought you were one for pranks. Thought you left that to Johnny."

He stared at you, his expression unchanged. There was no trace of a smile on his face. "I'm serious."

You looked back at him with a newfound seriousness and slammed your glass on the table, spilling some of its content. "I really hope not."

It was your turn to observe him, trying to understand what his real intentions were. "What do you really want from me, Thomas?"

"I want to take you out for dinner."

You snorted. "You think I'm a fool?"

"No," he let out much lower than his usual tone.

"You can't buy me so you're trying to get me arrested. That's too low even for you."

He shook his head. "That's not-"

"Save your bullshit," you interrupted getting up. You leaned forward pointing a finger at him. "You try this shit again and I'll get you arrested."

You were smoking with John by the cut like you did when you were fifteen. You loved the fact that your friendship hadn't changed all that much, not after you had been to war together, nor when you had decided to join the police. With John, it had always been easy. No judgement, just two boys having fun and doing what they had to live in such a hard world.

Then you walked out.

"So, new girls?" he joked.

You looked at him unimpressed, before looking back in front of you.

John was the only person who knew you didn't like girls. You had found out thanks to him. When you were young, you had experimented with each other. There had been some kisses and a couple of hand jobs. He had soon understood he wasn't into men, but he had never judged you. To these days he still joked about it and you had never really minded until Thomas had asked you out.

"Did you tell him?"

He abruptly turned to look at you. "You know I would never."

"Then how the fuck did he know, John?" you asked, throwing your unfinished cigarette into the cut, clearly upset.

"Tommy, he always seems to know shit," he said slowly, playing with his cap and looking down at it in his lap. He looked at you. "But he means good. He isn't trying to fuck you up."

You snorted. You trusted John and you were sure he believed what he was saying, but Thomas was cunning and he could have people believe anything he wanted. Maybe he had tricked his own brother into believing he really was interested in you, knowing he would have put a good word in for him.

"Are you still coming to dinner tomorrow though?"

You had been a guest of the Shelbys every Saturday for dinner for as long as you could remember.

"Will he be there?"

"Probably."

You groaned.

"Come on. You won't even have to talk to him. How many times have you two talked at dinner?"

You frowned. "Probably more than you would expect."

Now that you thought of it, Tommy had always found a way to exchange a few words with you after dinner about the most random topics. You had always enjoyed those moments. Talking with him was nice. He didn't smile a lot, not like before the war, but he had always been kind to you. You had always thought he did that just for John's sake, so you had never considered him a friend or anything. In addition to that, the huge crush you had had on him had made it hard to be as comfortable with him as you were with the rest of the family. You had completely overcome that now, though. Still, the awkwardness was hard to shake off.

John bumped his shoulders into yours, bringing you back to the present. "The kids will be a pain if you don't come."

You rolled your eyes. "Fine."

When you stepped into the Shelbys' household the following evening, you got surrounded by John's kids. They either hugged you, pulled you somewhere, or screamed at you about their day. You loved them, but they could be a lot. Finally, Ada came to save you, and you smiled gratefully at her. She hugged you and invited you to follow her to the kitchen where all the others were. Tommy was missing, and you felt relief flooding you. You hadn't even finished greeting everyone when the front door opened. Little Finn ran to welcome the newcomer. You held your breath and your eyes found John's on the other side of the room. He looked guilty. You frowned, but before you could take him aside to ask what he had done, Tommy walked into the kitchen with Finn in his arms. When you turned towards him, he was already looking at you and you couldn't bring yourself to utter a word in greeting. Your lips stayed still.

John grinned triumphantly.

"Let's sit and eat," Polly said, setting the pot in the centre of the table.

While she served, everyone took a seat, and somehow you found yourself next to Tommy. John had taken the seat that was usually reserved for you and you had to take his. Now you understood the look you had seen in his eyes earlier. You would punch him later.

"Not exactly what I had in mind, but it's something." Tommy's murmur was drowned by the others chatting and you would have missed it too if you hadn't been so close to him.

You pretended you hadn't heard and instead thanked Polly for filling your plate.

For the whole dinner, you did everything you could to forget Thomas was there. You chatted with everyone, complimented Polly for her cooking, asked Esme how she could be so patient with all those troublemakers around, glared at John multiple times, joked with the kids, even taking one of them on your lap when he wanted to show you the small gap in his smile left by the tooth he had lost a couple of days earlier.

Tommy stayed silent for the most part, as usual. He commented on a thing here or there and messed with the kids for a little fun. You could always feel his gaze on you. His eyes might have been the colour of ice, but sure as hell, you could feel them burn on your skin. He saw to it so that your glass was never empty, and even if you remembered distinctly rejecting him that day at the Garrison, it seemed like he hadn't gotten the memo, although he had probably just decided to ignore it because Tommy Shelby only ever played by his rules.

After dinner, the children went off somewhere to play while Polly and Esme washed the dishes. Ada had excused herself saying she was tired and she would go to bed early, but you were pretty sure she would climb out of the window to go see Freddy. Arthur took out a bottle of rum and filled four glasses.

"I should go, actually," you announced, getting up.

"No way!"

"Oh come on, you can stay for a nightcap."

John, who was now sitting next to you, pulled on your arm and you sat back down with a sigh. Arthur grinned and a small, pleased smile appeared on Tommy's face. You wanted to slap it away. Instead, you glared at him and grabbed his cigarette case to take one in retaliation. It only caused his smile to grow.

You put the cigarette between your lips and scowled at him when he leaned in touching the end of your cigarette with his to light it up. You hated how your heart skipped a beat and blood rushed to your cheeks. You inhaled and pulled back quickly, missing the looks Arthur and John had exchanged seconds earlier.

You exhaled the smoke and quickly downed your glass, making John snort. You pushed the glass towards Arthur, silently asking for a refill. He chuckled and shook his head but poured you another glass. Tommy was looking at the whole thing with an amused glint in his eyes. Once again you did your best to ignore him.

"Seeing a girl tonight? Is that why you're in a hurry?" Arthur teased.

You felt Tommy tense next to you, but you couldn't be sure and you didn't dare turn to look at him, not wanting to give yourself away.

You waved a hand. "I'm leaving them all to you, Arthur."

That made him laugh. "That's wise."

"You should have it easy now that Johnny is taken," you commented. Then you turned towards Tommy. "What about you, Thomas? I bet you have all the girls falling for you. What is it? Nobody is good enough for the great Thomas Shelby?" you teased.

"You're the only person who calls him that," John commented amusedly.

"And aunt Pol when she's angry," Arthur added.

Tommy stared at you seriously.

When you had given up on waiting for a reply and went to take a sip of your rum, Tommy finally spoke. "I already have my eyes on someone," he said quietly.

You choked on the rum and coughed. John patted your back. "You alright?"

You nodded and pulled at the collar of your shirt, although it didn't really do anything to help your situation. You did your best to compose yourself while Tommy tried to hide a small amused smile behind his cigarette.

"So, who's the lucky girl?" you asked when you finally managed to breathe again.

Arthur's boisterous laugh filled the room. "That would be some change."

Tommy paid him no mind and kept his glacial eyes on you. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Both his reply and Arthur's comment confused you. Before you could inquire further, you heard John's glass clink on the table, soon followed by Arthur's. Your eyes snapped to them as they got up.

"We're headin' to the Garrison. Are you coming?" Arthur asked.

"Uh... no. I should really go. I have work tomorrow."

John patted your back. "See you tomorrow?"

You nodded and they left. The last conversation had made you forget about John's guilty look at the beginning of the night.

You suddenly realized they had left you alone with Tommy. You cleared your throat and put out your cigarette into the ashtray, then downed the rest of your rum.

"I should really go."

You got up, but so did Tommy. He killed his cigarette. "I'll show you to the door."

You nodded stiffly and walked to the door. When you stopped at the hanger to get your coat, you found him closer than expected and your heart picked up.

"You like horses, don't you?" he asked, putting his hands in his pockets. You hated how cool he was about everything.

You nodded.

"You should come to the races once."

"Have you forgotten I go there for work sometimes?"

"Not for work."

Not again.

"It's not something I enjoy watching," you said shortly, then opened the door, anxious to leave that hallway that had never looked so small in your whole life.

"You might change your mind."

"I don't think I will," you insisted dryly, looking at him in the eyes, hoping he would get the message that you were talking about the whole situation.

You were doing everything you could to avoid Tommy, and it was not working. On the contrary, he was everywhere. He would pass by your house every time you were leaving for work and he would offer to walk or drive you there. You refused every time. You would meet him as you were walking by the cut. You would see him at a pub he had never frequented before. You even saw him at the market a couple of times. When you saw him in church you thought you were hallucinating. It seemed like the universe was working against you, but it was only Tommy Shelby, and maybe his family.

You opened the door and he held it open for you. "It's not a no."

You were surprised to find a little box on your desk at work on Monday. You looked around to see if any of your colleagues had noticed anything. They seemed to be minding their business as usual. You returned your attention to the box and opened it. A precious pocket watch was laid there, with a piece of paper. You picked up the note. You didn't recognize the handwriting. It read "counting the seconds to the moment you'll accept my offer."

John always found a way to mention him. He had never talked about Tommy as much as he had in the last few weeks. You pretended not to notice. You hoped Tommy would just give up at some point. How wrong you were.

You crushed the note in your fist and rolled your eyes, closing the box vehemently and shoving it in the only drawer in your desk that had a key. You locked it up. You thought you would deal with that later, but it was a busy day and you forgot until the next morning when something else was waiting for you on your desk.

It was your favourite book from when you were a kid. It was about horses. They were your favourite animals and obviously, Tommy somehow knew. You opened it and on the first page, with the same handwriting from yesterday's note, there was written "I think you'd really like to meet my horses. Think about it."

That evening you went to the Shelbys, hoping to find Tommy and give him back his presents. When Ada opened the door, you walked past her hastily.

You heard one of your colleagues calling you, so you quickly closed the book and threw it into the drawer where you had left the watch.

"Where is Thomas?" you asked looking for him around the house, startling the others, confused by your manners so out of character.

"He isn't back yet," Ada said, closing the door to follow you into the kitchen.

You let yourself fall down into a chair with a groan and discarded your hat on the table.

"Hello to you too," Polly piped up.

"Hi Pol, I'm sorry, but your nephew is trying to ruin me."

"Tommy?" Esme asked frowning. She wasn't a fan of him, but she was quite sure he would never do anything to ruin you.

"What are you talking about?" Polly asked taking a seat next to you.

"He is just being over dramatic." John waved a hand. You glared at him.

"Let him talk." Ada slapped his arm, making him roll his eyes. "What did Tommy do?"

You suddenly sobered up. You couldn't tell them. They wouldn't approve. You shook your head and got up. "It's nothing. I should just talk to him. I'm sure we can fix this."

"Where are you going? Stay for dinner." Polly stopped you gently.

Before you could refuse and leave, someone knocked.

Ada went to open the door.

"Hello, Ada." Thomas.

Ada was already telling him you were there looking for him when you walked up to him, hat in hand. He smiled smugly at you.

"Thought you would last longer," he commented.

You just looked at him as if you wanted to kill him.

Ada's eyes moved between the two of you.

"Would you mind leaving us, Ada?" Tommy asked, without taking his eyes away from you.

She rolled her eyes but did as she had been asked.

Once she was gone, you pulled the gifts out of your coat and shoved them into Tommy's chest. "You can take these back and leave me alone."

His hand raised slowly to take a hold of the items and he glanced down at them. "You didn't like them?"

"That's not the point. Stop fucking trying to ruin me. If I'm such a huge problem for you, why don't you pay my superior to transfer me somewhere else? Do you really hate me so much just because I'm not on your fucking payroll?"

He shook his head. "I'm not trying to ruin you."

"Really? Because sending me gifts at work tells me otherwise."

"I really am into you."

You scoffed. "Sure."

"What do I have to do to make you believe me?" his voice, quiet as usual, seemed to fill the entire house. Only then you realized the chatter that previously came from the kitchen had stopped. You glanced that way, then looked back at Tommy.

You lowered your voice. "If you care for me, stop this."

For the first time since you knew him, Tommy looked like he didn't know what to say.

You didn't wait for a reply. You just headed to the door, stopping in your tracks when Polly's voice came from the kitchen. "You're not staying for dinner?"

It was clear the others had listened in on your conversation.

You sighed. "Maybe next time."

You opened the door and stepped outside, putting your hat on.

Polly's interjection had given Tommy enough time to come up with something to say.

"Just give me one chance," he said quickly before you could leave. "We can go out of the city with the horses tomorrow afternoon. Nobody will see us. If after that you still want me to leave you alone, I will."

You turned to look at him and you hated yourself for being so weak.

The following day was nerve-wracking. No matter how you tried to distract yourself, you couldn't stop thinking about the date. The anxiety was eating at you. Part of you didn't want that afternoon to arrive, and another part was looking forward to it.

"One chance. Then you will leave me alone."

Time would not stop flowing for your sake, and soon you were making your way to meet with him out of the city. You asked the driver to drop you off way before the meeting point and walked the rest of the way.

Tommy was waiting for you with two horses. He smiled when he saw you, and you didn't know if it was knowing that this was the last chance you had given him or if that was actually the most genuine and happiest smile you had ever seen on his lips.

You smiled back. It was a very different smile from his. It was small and it had a hint of sadness to it. You wished this was real, but you couldn't bring yourself to believe it.

Without a word you got on the horses and guided them through the countryside. Sometimes Tommy would stop to show you something. He told you about his love for the countryside and that he would love to live there one day. He liked the idea of being surrounded by green fields and animals, especially horses, a passion the two of you shared. When you asked why he was so in love with the countryside, he explained that it made him feel closer to his mother. That was where her people lived and where she had grown up.

You hadn't realized, but at some point, you had relaxed. You and Tommy talked, joked, laughed and raced each other. Before you noticed the sun was setting. Tommy suggested you stopped to enjoy the view before heading back.

You got off the horses and sat down on the grass. You stayed silent for a while, simply admiring the colours of the sky. When you turned to look at Tommy, he was already watching you. You stared at each other for a few long moments before he cleared his voice and looked away.

"What's the verdict, then?" he finally asked, not looking at you.

"I had a good time with you," you admitted easily.

"But?"

"Is this really what you want? This life is... not great. So if you ever liked a girl in your life I suggest you go back to her and give it one more try."

"It's always been you and I know you are scared, but I sincerely don't give a fuck if you are a policeman or if you aren't on my payroll. We made arrangements to do our things when you're not on patrol just so you wouldn't have to arrest any of us. It wasn't much trouble. You are important to me, to all of us. I would never do anything to hurt you."

Your brain had gotten stuck on the first few words. "Always?"

"What?"

"You said it's always been me."

"Yes."

"Then why now?"

"Because I found out only recently that you like boys."

You frowned. "How did you find out?"

"I saw you with a man one night, in the alley behind the Garrison," he admitted.

"Oh... Right. So John didn't tell you."

"No, not a word. He would rather cut his own arm off than betray you."

"I know," you replied relaxing.

"But you thought he had told me."

"Maybe he had mentioned when he was drunk." You shrugged.

"I promise he didn't."

You nodded.

"I've had a crush on you for a while too," you said, still looking at him. You had long forgotten about the sunset. How could you look at something as trivial as the sun when you had Tommy Shelby right beside you?

"Yes?" he asked, hopeful.

You smiled and nodded. "It's impossible not falling for you."

He leaned closer but stopped a few inches away from your face. "I really want to kiss you right now."

"Fucking finally Tommy, dinner was getting cold," Polly's voice came from the kitchen as you followed him inside the house that night.

"What are you waiting for, then?" was all that came out of your lips before they met his.

"Sorry Pol," he replied taking little Finn in his arms and putting his cap on his youngest brother.

He reached for your hand with his free one after you had hung your coat. You took it, although nervously. He had assured you that his whole family knew about him and that they would accept you but after a lifetime of being careful about everything you did and said, you couldn't just stop.

Tommy kissed your temple, hoping that would help your nerves.

You smiled at him, then winked at Finn who grinned back.

Tommy led you to the kitchen. "We have a guest," he announced. Everyone turned to look at you, and your grip tightened on Tommy's hand. They all seemed surprised.

"But it's not S-" Arthur was cut off by John shoving his elbow into his brother's ribs.

That seemed enough to shake Polly out of her surprise. "Of course!" She hugged you smiling. "You're always welcome."

You felt your nervousness melt away and hugged her back. "Thanks, Pol."

She pulled back and turned to her nephew, pointing a finger at him. "If you hurt him, Thomas Shelby, I'll make you pay for it."

"What?! Why are you telling me?" he asked putting Finn down.

"Well, because he would never do anything bad," she replied without even thinking about it.

"Wait, aunt Pol. He is my best friend, I should be the one to give Tommy the talk."

Tommy shook his head. "This is absurd."

"Come on, I'm sure he is more than capable to look after himself."

You nodded quickly, agreeing with Ada.

"And I'm sure Tommy won't do anything he might regret unless he wants to have the whole family against him," she added crossing her arms and glaring at him.

You sighed and turned to look at Tommy. "Don't worry, I'll protect you from them."

Tags: @one-green-frog

#spettrocoli writes #tommy shelby x male reader #tommy shelby x y/n #tommy shelby #tommy shelby x you #tommy shelby x reader #tommy shelby x m!reader #thomas shelby #thomas shelby x reader #peaky fookin blinders #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders #peaky blinder fanfic #peaky fucking blinders #thomas shelby x male reader #reader insert #aunt polly #polly shelby #polly gray #john shelby #ada shelby #arthur shelby #esme shelby #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinders one shot #bbc #bbc peaky blinders #peaky blinder imagine #male reader #cillian murphy

[strayrockette]

Save Yourself

Summary: the reader is inconsolable because Tommy Shelby broke her.

Pairing: Thomas Shelby x oc

Genre: Angst

Trigger Warning: Mentions of blood. Lots of angst. beware.

A/N: For @runnning-outof-time request for angst inspired by KALEO's song Save Yourself. This took me out of my writing funk. Writing a 20-page research paper really sucked my creative juices but this song really helped correct that for me! Also made me cry a ton in the process.

Thomas Shelby Masterlist

Peaky Blinders Masterlist

Thomas Shelby was not the kind of man you crossed. Nor the kind of man to bend easily to others' will. Even when he was in love and willing to do so much, even then, there was no persuading him in turning away from his destructive tendencies.

"Choose me. Tommy, just choose me." Her voice quivered, "That's all you have to do."

She thought it was a simple request. Choose her and live life. But Thomas Shelby was no simple man. It was the last thing she requested of him. Choose her above all else. Choose her over his work. Over his persistent need to self-destruct. To spiral out of control.

She could hear him distantly shouting about how he had more work to do and couldn't walk away like she wished. Like she knew he wanted but refused to admit.

"I'm doing this for you. For us." He'd whisper at night. His head nestled deep into her neck, his breath fanning her skin with heat. His hands would be soft and warm as they guided themselves over her curves, her familiar curves he loved so much. He'd kiss her senseless as if to chase away her discontent. To remind her of better times. But what good were better times when every minute of their lives was spent in fear? In danger.

And every time he'd crawl back to her, lost and hopeless and desperate for her touch, for her forgiveness, she'd chase away his empty words with the truth.

"No, you don't." She'd grab his hands and pull him closer. Bury her body into his chest and he'd allow it because its' what he wanted, "You do it for yourself, Thomas. Don't lie to me."

And he'd go quiet. Pensive. Words would fail him because the truth had beaten him. She knew it. He knew it. The world around them knew it.

Despite all her anger and hurt at his refusal to live a simpler life, she stayed by his side. Waiting. Hoping foolishly that one day he'd save himself for her.

She'd kiss away his bruises, wipe away the blood with a disgruntled face and accept him in her bed. Because the alternative to that was to cast him away and she could never cast away his love for she was desperate for him. She'd drown in his scent, his kisses, drown and embed herself into her lover because she couldn't bare to not have it at all.

"Honey, its time." Polly's voice was soft. Gently probing her to move from her position. She smelt of lilac and honey and a hint of whisky. Oh, how the scent of whisky twisted her guts.

"Choose me." She sniffed. "I asked him to choose me."

Silence passed uncomfortably. "It should have been simple. Easy."

Her heart thumped wildly in her chest, "Why couldn't he just choose me?" She rocked back and forth in the dirt. The wind wailing along with her, "All he had to do was CHOOSE ME."

Choose her and have all the whisky he'd like. Choose her and live happily in their dream home in the countryside. Choose her and have a ton of babes to love and coddle. But no.

He didn't. Couldn't. Wouldn't. Because he was Thomas Shelby and life was much sweeter when he was chasing death. But what could be more enticing than living a life with a lover who would hold you at night when it got too cold? More enticing than burying your head into their neck and smelling their very being? More enticing than living? Just living?

"More than me?" She whispered into the stark air. "What was so important than me?"

"You know-"

"I don't know. I DON'T FUCKING KNOW. That's the problem, Polly." She cried.

She was broken and he made her that way.

"Live with me." She'd whisper after a night of dancing in the dark of their room. She'd felt his chest rumble with laughter, "I am, love."

She'd closed her eyes and wept inside, No you're not.

She should have asked him to live for her. live for me, stop chasing death so blindly, she wanted to beg him. Perhaps she should have chained him to her. Locked him away in their new cellar and throw away the key. She'd brace his fury if it meant he was alive. Living and breathing.

But chaining and locking him away would not stop him. Nothing did.

Sometimes she'd look at him and see her old Tommy. The one before the war, but so much had changed. He rarely stayed for long. It wasn't noticeable at first. But as the years passed Thomas Shelby grew ambitious. Relentless. Unstoppable on his quest to climb up in life. But she allowed it because it meant having everything they didn't have as children.

"Just you wait, we'll live in a big house, with plenty of space to roam." His hands had traced the litter of birthmarks on her forearms. A favorite pastime of his. "No more sharing spaces with annoying twats"

She laughed because it was so silly. So daring to dream bigger than themselves. He'd pinch her sides and kiss her lips softly, whispering into her skin as she drifted away, "We'll be happy."

She should have told him then, that night, in the lull of their lovemaking-re-familiarizing themselves with each other- that she was happy. So happy in fact, that nothing would ruin it.

Except him. Of course. Because Thomas Shelby did the impossible. Broke her heart into a million pieces with no way of fixing it.

"Why didn't he choose me? Polly?" Tears shed uncontrollably as she asked the one question that would plague her for the rest of her life, "Why couldn't he live for me?"

Her fingers dug into the dirt. Her tear-tracked face stared emptily at his gravestone. Pristine and clean just like the three-piece suits he wore. His name was engraved beautifully, and it somehow reminded her of his own writing. If she closed her eyes and thought hard enough, she swears she could smell him. His musky earthy scent with a hint of aftershave. She might even be able to hear his chuckle, a deep baritone sound that vibrated her core. Rooted her in place. But now it carried her away, deep into the expanse of her tumbling mind.

Polly's hand on her shoulder was the only thing that brought her back to reality. The only thing to chase away her memories of him and the pain it brought.

There was no answer to her question. And if there was. It wasn't satisfying. The truth often was-dissatisfying that is.

Because there's no point in telling a dead man to live and save himself for someone else.

Taglist:

@mysticalpandora @ultimatreality @watercolorskyy @lovecleastrange @rockerchick05

#thomas shelby imagine #tommy shelby imagine #tommy shelby x reader #thomas shelby x reader #tommy shelby #peaky blinder fanfic #peaky fucking blinders #peaky blinder imagine #peaky blinders #peaky fookin blinders #polly gray #tommy shelby angst #peaky blinders angst #arthur shelby #john shelby #ada shelby #thomas shelby angst #thomas shelby #thomas shelby one shot #thomas shelby gif #thomas shelby x oc #thomas shelby icons

[mindful-of-ideas]

Hot Summer Days

Peaky Blinders One Shot

Summary: At the end of the summer, Thomas decides it's time for the family to go on a well-deserved beach vacation. While you only work for him, you wound up getting invited.

A/N: I tried to leave this open in regards to pairing, hopefully it worked but maybe it feels like everyone is flirting with you. Also, this was supposed to be an imagine but you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find the proper gif sometimes.

It came to you as a surprise when you heard that the Shelby family was planning a trip to the beach. Sure, you knew they could use the break and deserve some time away from the city, especially Finn, but that they would acknowledge that was surprising. Almost unsettling if you were being honest.

If something suspicious was looming under this trip, you had to make sure no one was going to get hurt.

Not physically, of course, but emotionally. This had slowly became your job ever since you got hired by Thomas Shelby himself. Officially, you were his secretary. Making sure papers were in order, reminding him of official and officious meetings, seeing that the boys weren’t too rowdy in the betting shop. Just your average secretary job. Things changed when it became apparent that you needed a desk and the only place available was near the entrance of the betting shop. Now, your job included greeting everyone as they came in. Slowly, you picked up on their habits. Arthur was not to be talked to before he had his coffee. Thomas would always greet you but only nod in your direction if something was on his mind. John would always take the time to talk to you. Finn would stop running up and down the shop if you took the time to ask him what he learned today. Ada only popped by when she needed something from Thomas or when she was sad and needed someone to listen to her. Esme, even if she would never admit it, always gushed over all of John's kids. Arthur takes his coffee black but with one sugar; it’s nicer on his stomach he says.

So if this trip the the beach was just a cover-up for something bigger, something nastier, you had to know. Otherwise, life could become unbearable at the betting shop.

You barely had a foot in the door when a loud voice yapped at you.

“Y/N, my office,” said Thomas sternly, “Now.”

The room had gone quiet. You quickly glanced at John but he looked as confused as you did. Could Thomas have known about what you were planning on asking him? Could he take offence to that? Maybe you got too eager, put your nose where you shouldn’t have? Could he even fire you for that? You couldn’t afford to lose this job. You couldn’t afford to get fired by the Shelbys out of all people.

You stepped into Thomas’ office shaking, your palms sweating.

“Please, sit down,” Thomas said gesturing to the chair facing him across his desk.

You did, maybe a little bit too slowly. You stared at your shoes, not daring to meet his eyes.

“Y/N, is everything okay? You look pale.”

If there was genuine worry in his voice, you couldn’t hear it over the buzzing that was now in your ears.

“I’m… I’m fine…” you finally said, “Just a bit tired I guess…”

“That’s perfect then,” he said clapping his hands together and making you jump, “Not that you are tired of course, that’s not what I meant… I…”

Now hearing his hesitation, you looked up. Thomas seemed uncomfortable. He was slowly scratching the back of his head, looking down, almost as if he was embarrassed.

“I meant… I was planning on taking everyone, the whole family, away on a vacation. To the beach as you may have heard. And I real vacation I might add. Just the sun, the waves, and… what I mean is… would you come with us?”

With his question, he looked up at you but your gaze had gone back to the floor.

“Y/N?” he asked quite firmly.

You looked up again.

“That’s better,” he said, “Now, will you come?”

But you were too stoned to say anything. Not only the vacation plan was real but you could go with them as well.

“It’s just that, you know, Finn really seems to like you,” Thomas started, “And so does Ada and Esme… it would be really nice if you could make it…“

Was he trying to convince you?

“… can get a word out of Arthur before noon. And with John, you’re just…”

“Yes!” you blurted out before he could finish, “I’ll be there!”

“Great!” he said smiling at you, “We leave tomorrow morning. Be here at 6:30 sharp.”

He gestured towards the door, inviting you to leave before getting back to his work.

As you got out of the office, you couldn’t help but smile. Yes, you were thrilled to get the time off and to go out with people you might just start calling friends, but mostly you were happy to know that your work had not gone unnoticed. But you barely had time to enjoy the moment. You could only take a few steps towards your desk before feeling a hard slap on your back. You turned around, a bit angry only to see a beaming Arthur.

“Moving up the ladder I see,” he said excitedly, “Next thing you know you’ll be part of the family! I can’t wait for tomorrow,” he added more quietly.

As soon as the day was over, you rushed home. 6:30 a.m. was early. Way too early. You still had to find clothes and your swimsuit. You hoped it still fit you. Living in Birmingham, there are not many opportunities to go to the beach. The last time you saw the ocean was probably well over ten years ago. You were still a child back then. But your mother had always told you to be ready for anything, so a few years back, after seeing that it was on sale, you bought a swimsuit. Just in case. Just in case you got invited by Thomas fucking Shelby to go to the beach with his family. In what world could something like this happen.

This one apparently. And your mother would tell you to seize the day and not look back. You grab the only bag big enough to fit all your things. Swimsuit, check. Towel, check. Sunglasses, check. Sandals, check. Hat, check. You went down your list until everything was in your bag. In the end, it was much and the bag closed easily. It was already past midnight when you finally laid on your bed and went to sleep.

At 6:30 a.m. sharp, the cars left for the ocean. You ended up squeezed between an overexcited Finn and a less-than-happy Arthur. It was way too early for him.

The ride wasn’t too long, just a little over two hours. As soon as you got out of the car, you were met with a whirling wind. Your hair danced crazily in front of your eyes. With one hand holding your bag you struggled to keep it under control.

“Here,” said Esme, “give your bag to John, I’ll help you.”

Still half blind, you lifted up your bag in front of you, hoping that this was where John was.

“Now,” said Esme raking her hands through your hair, “let me take care of this for you.”

Gently, she combed your hair back and started braiding it. A few strands from the front of your head escaped and started dancing in the wind again.

“You tell me if I hurt you,” she said. But you couldn’t hear a thing over the wind that has now picked up again.

“What!” you said hoping to be loud enough.

She leaned in closer to you.

“Tell me to stop if it hurts, okay?” she whispered gently in your ear.

You nodded slightly, not wanting to move too much and ruin your hair. A few moments later, she was done. You felt the cold wind on your neck before Esme wrapped her arm around it.

“Let’s go find the boys now!” she said before forcing you down the sandy hills and towards the beach.

When you got there, Thomas and John were already laying blankets under beach umbrellas while Arthur was still struggling to put his up. You knew asking him if he needed help was a bad idea but you had no other choice.

“Need a hand,” you asked gently.

He was struggling with keeping the umbrella at the right angle while hammering it down for it to stay in place. He grumbled something you couldn’t quite hear but took as a ‘yes’. You got to your knees and grabbed the umbrella with both hands. Arthur inclined it properly before hammering down a rock on its top. It took a few hits but it eventually was deep enough in the sand for it to hold in place.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, “You’ll wanna sit with me?”

“Sure,” you said grinning.

You placed down your towel by his before grabbing your bag again.

“Does anyone know where we can get changed?” you asked, mostly looking towards Ada and Esme.

“There’s a hut right by there,” Thomas answered first, vaguely pointing behind him towards yet more sandy hills.

“I guess I’ll have to figure it out myself,” you mumbled passing right by him.

And you did. Not far from where you had settled, there were a dozen of brightly coloured cabins all lined up neatly by a boardwalk. You quickly changed, keeping on an oversized shirt to cover your shoulder from the sun. It used to be your dad and went down to your mid-thigh. After a quick glance at yourself, you decided it was best to leave the last few buttons open. It looked better, but mostly it felt more comfortable.

You walked back down to the beach, your arms interlaced with Ada and Esme’s. Even from far away, you could see the boys running on the beach. What they were running for was however unclear.

“Are they…?” you started, not sure how to finish your question.

“Playing football?” Ada completed, “Yes! It’s been such a long time since I played with them too, come on!”

With that, she started running, dragging Esme and you behind her. Quickly, the teams were changed as you ended up facing Thomas, John and Esme. Your team was losing. Badly. Something about being too aggressive and not having enough strategy. As Ada and Arthur blocked the other team, you managed to get ahold of the ball. Without missing a beat, you ran up your makeshift field. As you were about to kick the ball, and hopefully score, John came out of nowhere, trying to steal it from you. You struggled to push him back, unknowingly drifting towards the water.

“It’s over Y/N!” roared John.

“Unless…” you started while trying to outsmart him.

You kicked the ball in between John’s legs and took a step forward trying to get control of it. But John stepped forward too, making you tumble backwards. Next thing you knew, you were in the water, John over you.

“Oh shit, sorry,” said John quickly getting up and offering you a hand.

“It’s… it’s okay,” you said between two coughs.

He pulled you up with a little bit more strength than you expected. You stumbled forward, catching yourself on John’s chest.

“Woah, easy there,” he said taking your hand and his.

“Sorry…” you said feeling the red rise to your cheeks.

“I’m messing with you, come on!” he said gently pushing the ball towards you.

Quickly, you took the ball back and sprinted towards the goal, scoring. The game went on, the score tied. As you tried to get in one last goal, you and Finn kicked the ball at the same time, sending it flying away.

“I’ll get it,” you both said at the same time, sprinting towards the ball.

The ball came to a stop in front of three tall men, all dressed in black suits.

“So sorry to have disturbed you,” you said politely, “We’ll just get the ball back…”

But one of the men put his feet on it before picking it up from the ground.

“Look, we don’t want any trouble…” you said now more quietly feeling that the situation was escaping your control.

“And what can someone as pretty as you give me in exchange for the ball?” the man asked stepping towards you.

You stepped back, but Finn stepped in front of you.

“Kid, move out the way,” the man said, pushing Finn to the side.

Finn struggled to keep his balance but came right back by your side.

“Now, come on,” the man went on, “I’m sure you can think of something.”

“It’s okay, Y/N,” Finn whispered in your ear, “If they get too close, I’ll fight them off.”

You had trouble believing him after what you had just witnessed, but the thought was still comforting.

“You know what,” the man said, “Maybe I’ll just take what I want.”

He dropped the ball and made his way up to you. Finn grasped your hand and you held it as tight as you could. Before you could even will your body to run away, a loud voice snapped at the man.

“Don’t take another step,” Thomas said from behind you.

The man stopped dead in his tracks. He hesitated for a moment and then started laughing.

“Oh, come on man. I’ll let you have a turn after if that’s what you want.”

You looked over your shoulder. Thomas looked serious, dead serious, but you could tell there was a point of anger in him.

“Finn, get a move on,” he said walking towards you.

Finn went running back to his family. Thomas wrapped an arm around your shoulder, making you realize that you were shivering.

“Now,” Thomas said calmly, “you have two choices. Either you turn around and leave this beach, or you take another step forward and I make sure you, your friends and your whole family can never see the sun again.”

“Mate, come on! We were just having some fun,” the man said still smiling.

Somehow, that creeped you out even more and made you want to disappear from that man’s sight. You made yourself as small as possible against Thomas.

“Mate…” the man said now hesitating as Thomas’s face was still serious.

“Have you heard of the Peaky Blinders?” Thomas asked slowly.

But before you knew it, the men had turned away and were gone.

“You’re okay Y/N?” Thomas asked, looking down at you.

“Yeah… yeah I think I’m fine.”

“Let’s get back to the others,” he said.

“Y-yes.”

He kept his arm wrapped around your shoulders, his fingers lightly grasping your shirt sleeve.

The rest of the day went by quietly. Before you knew it, it was time to leave and go back to gloomy Birmingham.

“Can we get like ten more minutes?” Ada asked Thomas.

“No,” he answered simply.

“Five then,” she pleaded, “I promise, just five more minutes.”

“Fine,” Thomas finally agreed.

“Y/N, with me,” she ordered as she ran up the beach.

You were back by the boardwalk, but Ada made you turn away from the rainbow cabins this time. After just a few steps, you understood why she had brought you here. Ice cream.

“We’ll take two vanilla, two chocolate and one strawberry,” she said, “and it’s my treat,” she added before you could even say anything.

“Wha- well thanks,” you said slightly embarrassed.

As the vendor started handing the ice creams to her, she stuffed two in your hands.

“Yours and mine,” she said.

“Strawberry,” you said smiling, “you remembered.”

“Of course I did!” she said, “Now let’s go before they melt.

Giggling you made your way back down the hill. This truly had been the most amazing summer day.

#mindful-of-ideas #peaky blinders #peaky blinders one shot #peaky blinders fic #thomas shelby #arthur shelby #john shelby #finn shelby #ada shelby #esme shelby #reader insert #reader x shelby #ahhhhh my first one shot on the revamp blog hopefully you like it